The show Frasier is one of the most successful of all time, starting as a humble Cheers spin-off in a similar style, but soon morphing into 11 seasons of some of the best comedy ever made. The show ran from 1993-2004, but the characters and cast remain screen icons and rumors of a reboot continue to bubble away.
The best episodes are a masterclass in comic writing and performance and brought the deep humanity of the characters together with sharp wit and perfectly-executed farce. Here are the 10 most popular episodes:
s7e15 "Out With Dad" (9.1/10)
In this episode, Frasier drags Martin to the opera so as not to be seen going alone. Frasier makes the acquaintance of a woman he rather likes, who's mother takes a liking to Martin, which isn't mutual.
When Frasier convinces his father to play along with the mother so as not to ruin his chances with the daughter, Martin tries to get out of it by pretending to be gay. Things take a turn for the farcical when Frasier's date shows up with her mother and her gay uncle. The episode plays out seamlessly and hilariously and even throws in some cheeky meta dialogue.
s4e1 "The Two Mrs. Cranes" (9.1/10)
In this episode, Daphne's previously unknown ex-fiancee Clive shows up out of the blue to declare his undying love for her. In a desperate attempt to let him down easy, Daphne pretends to be married to Niles, which ripples out to Frasier pretending to be married to Maris, who ends up being played by Roz.
The next-level farce plays out perfectly as Daphne realizes how much Clive has grown and changes her mind, and proceeds to battle Roz in character for Clive's affections, while Niles enjoys his role as Daphne's husband far too much.
s7e24 "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue: Part 2" (9.1/10)
This is one of the most dramatic episodes of Frasier, and one of the most famous. After Frasier accidentally blabbed how Niles felt to Daphne after taking too many pills for his back pain (such a great show), Niles is finally forced to bare his soul to Daphne on the eve of her wedding, and just days after his own.
The comedy remains as strong as ever but the high-stakes and emotion flying around give the episode an electric atmosphere. It is a unique milestone in the show's 11-year run.
s5e3 "Halloween" (9.1/10)
Parties at Niles Crane's swanky 3-story apartment at The Montana are always guaranteed to be memorable at the very least. Nobody dies at this one, but it is the one where Roz confirms and announces to a room full of strangers that she's pregnant, which was a massive turning point for the character.
While Roz was trying to deal with this, Niles was drunk out of his mind and spent the costume party sneaking around misunderstanding everything he overheard, leading to him proposing to Daphne for the sake of her unborn child since Frasier, the father, wanted nothing to do with her. This hilarious misunderstanding leads to Roz's announcement.
s3e13 "Moon Dance" (9.1/10)
"Moon Dance" was a very special episode. Not only for the events in the show but for how the episode was constructed. Due to time constraints, every member of the writing team took a scene each, then they weaved them together in time to air, in what became one of the show's most iconic episodes.
It was the first real step in the will they/won't they Niles/Daphne relationship, and it was executed perfectly, though the first kiss was kind of a cheat...
s11e3 "The Doctor Is Out" (9.2/10)
Not only did the show manage to stay on the air for 11 years, but it still managed to quit while it was ahead, with 2 of the most popular episodes coming from the 11th and final season.
In this episode, we got a tremendous cameo from Patrick Stewart as Alastair Burke, a famous director who's lifestyle hypnotizes Frasier so much he goes along with being Alastair's boyfriend for as long as possible, leading to some hilarious interactions between Kelsey Grammer and the thespian.
s2e3 "The Matchmaker" (9.3/10)
In this relatively early episode, the show was already demonstrating a mastery of farce. Frasier decides Tom - the highly eligible bachelor who just took over as manager at the radio station - would be a great candidate to fix up with a lonely Daphne.
After getting to know him a bit and convincing him to come back to Frasier's place, it becomes clear Tom is gay and thinks Frasier is flirting with him, leading to one the first proper classic episodes.
s11e24 "Goodnight Seattle" (9.3/10)
All good things must come to an end. You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself get rebooted etc. Sadly Fraiser was no exception, and despite retaining a consistent batting average they decided to quit while they were ahead and make season 11 a finale.
After his father, his brother and his best friends all settle down to start their new lives, Frasier is all set to start his own on TV in San Francisco. After being vague enough about his decision that everyone hilariously thinks his farewell means he's going to die, Frasier signs off at KACL, a farewell to the listeners and viewers, before ditching San Francisco to follow Laura Linney to Chicago. That's our Frasier.
s4e18 "Ham Radio" (9.5/10)
In this episode, Frasier does his best to direct a retro murder-mystery radio drama for KACL. After the control goes straight to his head, he takes the lead role for himself and starts to drive most of the best people he's got away from the project, leaving him with a ragtag group of friends and family with little invested in the project and their own problems to deal with. It all falls apart spectacularly of course, but the episode is comic gold.
s5e14 "The Ski Lodge" (9.6/10)
Frasier was consistently high-quality throughout its run, but there is one disc of season 5 that just stands out above the others, as it happens to contain some of the most memorable episodes, such as "The Maris Counsellor" and "Room Service" but the icing on the cake is "The Ski Lodge": the pièce de résistance of farce and the peak of Frasier's golden age.
Frasier trades a big-screen TV for a ski-weekend and brings the family along with Daphne and her attractive mate. Everyone in the group wants someone, but no 2 people want each other, and each has their own room with a door to the next. What plays out is some of the well-written and perfectly-executed comedy of our time.