One of the most highly regarded sitcoms of all time, Frasier, ran from 1993-2004 (eleven exquisite seasons.) It won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series five years in a row, in addition to Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce winning four each in their category.
The fifth season takes characters to greater heights — in terms of both depravity and personal growth — starting with the shocking news of Roz's pregnancy in the third episode. All the episodes were not as fondly acknowledged, however, as this list will explain.
Best: First Date (Episode 20) - 8.7
The one-sided romance between Niles and Daphne is almost exposed when she hears him mention something about a woman he is in love with. Luckily, she doesn't realize that it was her, so she insists on helping him plan his date with the imaginary "Phyllis."
Niles goes through so much struggle to keep his secret that he is willing to set up a fake dinner (also to spend some private time with Daphne.) As expected, the tension is broken when she admits to him that she could never date someone in the midst of a divorce. Heartbreaking for Niles, but at least he gets a clear sign.
Worst: Party, Party (Episode 23) - 7.6
Although slightly convoluted, the plot of "Party, Party" is a riot — with Frasier finding more and more ways to meet with a new potential paramour, Tricia. On his third attempt, he is blocked by his family and friends who throw a surprise party for his birthday.
After much deception (pretending to buy ice, playing the shortest game of Charades in history), Frasier reaches Tricia right as she's about to fly for Spokane; instead, he suggests that they could get to know each other by letting him drive her there. Of course, Tricia reveals herself to be part of some ridiculous cult, and he has to spend the next four hours trapped in a car with her.
Best: Frasier's Imaginary Friend (Episode 1) - 8.7
This episode follows Frasier's random Acapulco sojourn from the Season 3 finale, in which he meets a supermodel herpetologist, Kelly, who finds him inexplicably irresistible. Unfortunately for his ego, he soon finds that he cannot expose his new relationship because she is still stuck in one (and the press would have a field day with this info.)
It gets worse/funnier as Daphne, Martin and Niles refuse to believe his alleged stories, thinking that he has finally lost his mind. Frasier takes one last chance at proving his claims by slyly taking a picture of a sleeping Kelly, but the camera flash wakes her up. At the end, he is just happy that everyone believes him now.
Worst: Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do (Episode 11) - 7.6
"Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do" is a considerably more serious narrative than the show's audience was used to, in that it revolves around Martin's collapsing relationship with Sherry (the only woman he considered worthy of Hester's place.) When Frasier and Niles learn that she has tied the knot six times before, they rush to warn their father.
Martin dismisses their concerns, telling his sons that Sherry told him about her previous marriages on their first date, and that he wants to marry her, nevertheless. As luck would have it, it's she who refuses his proposal, which permanently ends their relationship.
Best: Room Service (Episode 15) - 8.8
The series is known for its twists on the ol' switcheroo concept, one of the finest being Frasier and Niles' "competition" for the former's ex-wife, Lilith. She tells her husband that her new beau came out of the closet as soon as she got "the closet of my dreams," leading Frasier to consider the possibility of hooking up with her.
However, it is Niles who ends up having (extremely drunk) sex with Lilith, causing a series of inevitable events that incorporate narcolepsy, hotel bathrooms, Eggs Benedict, and the stink of Frasier's hormonal desperation.
Worst: Beware Of Greeks (Episode 16) - 7.5
In this Greek menagerie, Frasier is trapped between giving the right advice to his cousin, Nikos, and the boy's mother, an indefatigable woman named Zora (who apparently strangled Nazis as a toddler.)
Zora gives her nephew a second chance, claiming that she would forgive him for "making" Nikos a juggler rather than the doctor she wanted him to be, only if he doesn't interfere with his wedding to some rich white girl. For reasons beyond human understanding, Frasier meddles once again, this time convincing Nikos' juggler-girlfriend to stop him from making a terrible mistake.
Best: Halloween (Episode 3) - 9.1
"Halloween" is more than just the spectacular outfits (Waldo, Cyrano de Bergerac, Sherlock Holmes); it is the very essence of Frasier's haphazard comedy coming together in a neat little conclusion.
During the party at Niles' supremely posh apartment, everyone thinks that Daphne is pregnant, and that Frasier is the father — Niles accuses him of being a "cad" and proposes to Daphne on the spot. This is when everyone learns the real story: that it is Roz who is pregnant, a fact that completely altered the narrative fabric of the show from that point onwards.
Worst: Frasier Gotta Have It (Episode 19) - 7.4
This forgettable episode centers around Frasier's highly physical relationship with Caitlin. Although he is concerned that they have nothing in common, his denial conveniently prevents him from acknowledging that he wants nothing more than sex.
Caitlin is a sweet person, but she lives in a remodeled abattoir, believes in metaphorical lycanthropy and stuffs pillows with her hair. Frasier gets weirded out at one point, but when she "howls at the moon", he cannot help but howl back.
Best: The Ski Lodge (Episode 14) - 9.6
It can be (and has been) argued that "The Ski Lodge" is one of the best episodes ever written for television, period. Even though Roz is mostly absent from the plot, the farcical misunderstandings that take place between the various characters are a product of a genius screenplay.
Frasier wants Annie, Annie wants Niles, Niles wants Daphne, Daphne wants Guy, Guy wants Niles, and the best/worst part, to quote Frasier, "All the lust coursing through this lodge tonight, all the hormones virtually ricocheting off the walls, and no one... was chasing me?"
Worst: Desperately Seeking Closure (Episode 8) - 7.3
"Desperately Seeking Closure" is not quite meaty enough to be considered a great (or even good) episode. Frasier's new girlfriend, Sam, is a hotshot lawyer with a personal black book consisting of some of the sparkliest names in show business, from Jack Nicholson to Puff Daddy.
However, he is more in love with her connections than her, and fiercely tries to get Sam to un-dump him. Frasier spends the rest of the runtime ruminating on everything that may or may not have gone wrong, a feature of his that is more abhorrent than usual in this case.