NEW YORK, Sept. 19 (UPI) — Former Frasier co-stars Kelsey Grammer and Peri Gilpin say they are thrilled to be working together again on a sequel series after a nearly 20-year break.
Season 2 of the new Frasier premieres Thursday on Paramount+
“It’s fantastic. Peri and I’ve had a great relationship on and off the screen through the years, but, honestly, our on-screen relationship was the one that we lived,” Grammer, 69, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
He said the pair rehearsed, traveled and went all over the country.
“It was a life together, so now it’s just like hitting the ground running, falling off a log, whatever all those expressions are,” Grammer said.
“It was 11 years,” Gilpin, 63, chimed in, referring to the original show, a Cheers spinoff, which ran on NBC from 1993 to 2004.
“It’s enjoyable to do it again on so many levels,” she added. “Kelsey creates an incredible atmosphere on a set. It’s different from anywhere else. It’s fun and people feel open and creative. There’s a lot of discussion and a lot of laughing, a lot of eating — a lot of eating.
“You eat, laugh and go home. You do good work and feel proud, but, also, really have fun,” she said.
Set in Boston, the sitcom follows the former Seattle radio psychiatrist as he starts a new career as a Harvard University professor.
The show also stars Jack Cutmore-Scott as Frasier’s firefighter son, Freddy; Nicholas Lyndhurst as Frasier’s colleague, Alan; Toks Olagundoye as Olivia, the head of the university’s psychology department; Jess Salgueiro as Eve, Frasier and Freddy’s single-mom neighbor; and Anders Keith as Frasier’s quirky nephew, David.
Season 1 of the show ended with Gilpin’s radio station manager Roz arriving at Frasier’s new home for the Christmas holiday. She plays a bigger role in Season 2.
“I think that their relationship has evolved over the years, but it’s a real deep friendship,” Gilpin said.
“It started at the radio station. Frasier needed to learn the ropes and she was the one to teach him because she was in the booth with him and she knew them, so, they were a little dependent on each other at the beginning.
“Then, they were very opposite. They were very different from each other. Also, Frasier is a very kind person. He’s interested in the people around them, and they just became great, great friends.”
Over the course of 11 seasons, fun-loving Roz came to regard stuffy Frasier almost like a big brother.
“He always gave her his shoulder. He always supported her. He never came down on her as far as personal things went,” Gilpin said.
“They were able to talk about issues and say, ‘I think you’re wrong about that.’ They could be themselves with each other.”
Grammer said he believes the characters learned a lot from each other.
“Frasier needed Roz at first. He didn’t know who she was, but she threw him a lifeline, and certain things occurred in their life together where he would do the same for her. That’s the definition of a great friend, isn’t it?” Grammer added.
“That’s the kind of people they became to one another,” he said. “One of the shows that we did this year is kind of like that. It just shows up and, then, because of their love for one another, they make a life change together, which is pretty great.”
Since Roz always had great affection for Frasier’s ex-cop father, Martin (John Mahoney), she also understands blue-collar Freddy in ways Frasier doesn’t.
“Freddy’s so much like Martin,” Gilpin said.
When Roz arrives in Boston at the end of Season 1, Freddy and Frasier are still grieving Martin’s recent death.
“When you see an old friend and they’ve lost a very important person, you feel so bad, like, ‘How do you replace that person?’ Which you can’t do, but then, also, you go, ‘Oh, my God, [Frasier’s] got him right there. That’s great!’ And Martin would love that,” Gilpin said.
“To find out that Martin and Freddy were so close, it’s all supported and it’s really beautiful.”
This season also will see the return of Roz’s daughter Alice, who was born in Season 5 of the original Frasier. Grammer’s real-life daughter, Greer, 32, stars in the role.
“She’s a very grounded young woman and I love that I get to play her mom,” Gilpin said. “I’ve known her since she was a baby. It’s so fun to see a baby grow up and play your daughter.”