Frasier

Frasier (2024) Season 2 Non-Spoiler Review: Episodes 1 and 2

Published

on

Photo credit: Chris Haston/Paramount+

Review Score: 8.7 – The Season 2 premiere of Frasier‘s reboot on Paramount+ has noticeably deeper themes and more sophisticated writing than last season. Episode 2 is a rather blunt commentary on today’s generation not giving dates a chance to breath and become relationships for the most minor of flaws.

While Episode 1 revolves around regretful decisions resting on a magic 8-Ball’s chance, the equivalent of a coin flip, and the theory governing the idea.

L-R: Kelsey Grammer as Frasier and Jack Cutmore-Scott as Freddy in Frasier episode 1 season 2 (cast) streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo credit: Chris Haston/Paramount+

Pros and Cons of the (2024) Frasier Season 2 Premiere:

Pros

– Plots are easy to follow from the onset but feature multiple layers. Like a cake you need more than one spoonful to really understand its subtle complexity.

For example, how the brutal honesty of children in the Frasier S2 Premiere has Freddy questioning his big life decision. Adults tend to soothe other adults rather than confronting them bluntly about their mistakes.

Jack Cutmore-Scott as Freddy in Frasier episode 1 season 2 (cast) streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo credit: Chris Haston/Paramount+

– Significant marked improvement in the writing department from level of depth to general dialogue. The series is back to making you reach for the dictionary again in a good way with words like ‘capricious’.

Kelsey Grammer’s line delivery particularly in Episode 2’s dating mishaps is inspired right out of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

– Fans of Kelsey Grammer’s “Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs” will be happy to know he sings what sounds like a brand new rendition of the song in Episode 2’s ending credits. His singing voice sounds amazing in the fresh recording.

– David Crane (Anders Keith) is top notch in his physical comedy with props (Ham). Honestly, shades of Seinfeld’s Kramer more than Niles.

Got some good laughs out of me. Anders Keith is really entertaining as David in Season 2 Episode 1 (“Ham”), lots of potential here for the future. In general both Freddy and David seem to be coming into their own as characters more and relying less on being on-screen avatars/stand-ins for Martin and Niles.

– Jimmy Dunn (Moose) really meshes well with Frasier as the complete opposite of Dr. Crane basically. Makes for great comedy. Toks Olagundoye (Olivia Finch) works well with Moose too.

The conclusion? Moose should get a reoccurring expanding role like Bulldog Briscoe (Dan Butler) back in the day.

– In general, noticeably better chemistry between cast members than Season 1 of the Frasier reboot. * With the lone exception of Eve whose dialogue now occasionally feels out of sync with the Frasier universe (more on this below).

Cons:

L-R: Anders Keith as David, Nicholas Lyndhurst as Alan and Jess Salgueiro as Eve in Frasier revival episode 2 season 2 (cast) streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo credit: Chris Haston/Paramount+

– Eve seems to be borderline mocking Frasier, Alan, and even David at times. Obviously, there’s been plenty of characters that have mocked Frasier on the original series, including his own ex-wife.

But the style in which they’ve written Eve to do it in the Frasier reboot’s second season feels out of place, like something out of ‘The Big Bang Theory’. It kind of broke my immersion of being in the Frasier universe where excess, lavish living is celebrated.

I don’t want to see Frasier and Alan’s elitist hobbies be eye-rolled sarcastically like they’re ‘out of touch old men’… Which is the impression I got early in Season 2 Episode 1. Frasier and Niles made viewers want to be into their elite obsessions, to want to be like them in a way in the original TV series.

Yes, Martin was always the common sense counterpoint in the original Frasier… But it never felt mean spirited to me like Eve’s lines and more her facial expressions in the S2 premiere. Freddy in comparison is a lot more laid back than Season 1 of the Frasier reboot.

– No ‘surprise’ David Hyde Pierce (Niles Crane) appearance.

That’s all I can say without giving away spoilers for (2024) Frasier’s Season 2 premiere!

Frasier Season 2 Release Date: September 19, 2024. Sign up to Paramount+ to stream the first two new episodes.

– Be sure to read my interview with original cast member Saul Rubinek on Donny and Daphne and if he’d like to return as a guest star on the Frasier revival series.

Frasier Reboot Recaps

Key art featuring Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane in Frasier Season 2 (Cast), streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo credit: Pamela Littky/Paramount+

Enjoyed this Frasier Season 2 Review and missed an episode last season? We’ve got you covered on The Natural Aristocrat®!

Frasier (2023) Episode 10 Recap, Cast, Photos: A Roz Christmas

Frasier (2023) Episode 9 Review, Recap: Depressing Age Plot

Frasier (2023) Episode 8 Recap, Photos, Cast: The B Story

Frasier (2023) Episode 7 Recap, Photos, Cast: Freddy’s Birthday

Visit our Frasier section for all the recaps, photos, reviews, and exclusive interviews for the Frasier TV series, past and present.

We’ll have Frasier Season 2 Recaps and exciting debuts of Frasier Season 2 Photos as the upcoming season streams on Paramount+.

Article Copyright:

– All content on The Natural Aristocrat® is Copyright © 2016-2024 TheNaturalAristocrat.com. All rights reserved. This includes (but not limited to) ALL text in this article.

No part of this website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified, adapted, or excerpted in any way without the prior written consent and permission of The Natural Aristocrat® author Nir Regev.

Comments
Exit mobile version