Who would have thought a spin-off of the classic sitcom Cheers would actually surpass its predecessor? I first discovered Frasier back when I was a shrink-seein', Prozac-poppin' teenager. The show's unique combination of humor and therapy always cheered me up, even moreso than real doctors or medicine could. The best part of my day was watching two back-to-back episodes on NBC at ten and ten-thirty, or as I called it, “a double dose of Vitamin F!” I loved the nerdy radio psychiatrist, as well as his even nerdier brother Niles, his old-fashioned father, Martin, his eccentric English housekeeper, Daphne, and his fiery radio producer, Roz. In addition to rave reviews, the show holds a handful of world records, most notably its whopping 37 Emmy Awards. And unlike most sitcoms, which tend to leave their prime sooner or later, Frasier ran strong for a prolific eleven seasons. I am proud to say that I have seen all 264 episodes... multiple times. With so many great ones to choose from, it wasn’t easy, but I’ve finally narrowed it down to my personal favorites:
#20: Room Full of Heroes
Episode #198
(Season 9)
Frasier throws a Halloween party with his own twist: you have to come as your idol and stay in character the whole party. Niles was famous for his comical and eccentric entrances to Frasier’s apartment, and this episode contains his best: dressed up as Martin! The real Martin comes as Joe DiMaggio, Daphne is Elton John, Roz is Wonder Woman and Frasier is Freud. It’s a riot!
#19: Mixed Doubles
Episode #78
(Season 4)
The show’s greatest running subplot was Niles’ secret infatuation with Daphne. Everyone knew about it but her, despite Niles’ constant, witty innuendo. In this episode, Daphne’s latest boyfriend dumps her, inspiring Niles to finally declare his undying love for her. But before he can, Frasier convinces him to sleep on it. And by the following day, Roz has already hooked up Daphne with someone else: a Niles doppelganger. The funniest part is, the two lookalikes don’t even see the resemblance.
#18: Selling Out
Episode #9
(Season 1)
Frasier’s greatest strength was his ethics. Many of the early episodes tested his moral strength -- in the face of money, power, popularity, love and even death -- and it was always grand entertainment. This episode introduced one of the show’s greatest supporting characters, Bebe Glazer, Frasier’s devilish little agent, who tempts him to endorse products on his call-in radio show. Man, Fras had the coolest job ever! Fun fact: I noticed this was the only episode that had sound in the otherwise silent, slapstick outros.
#17: An Affair to Forget
Episode #45
(Season 2)
One of the show’s most endearing characters was never actually seen onscreen! Niles' inscrutable wife (and later ex-wife), Maris, was often right there in the next room, and the writers originally intended on revealing her eventually, but she quickly became the subject of so many jokes that no actress could ever match all her bizarre, hilarious descriptions. In this episode, one of Frasier’s radio-callers suspects her Bavarian husband of cheating on her with his fencing student -- and Maris just happens to have a Bavarian fencing instructor. The episode ends with an elaborate fencing duel between Niles and the Bavarian. En garde!
#16: Retirement is Murder
Episode #37 (Season 2)
Way back in episode #4, Martin (a retired detective) was obsessing over an old, unsolved murder case. Twenty-three episodes later, the writers actually revisited the subplot and devoted an entire episode to it. When Frasier decides to take a look at the case file for himself, he makes a startling revelation. But can he really break the news to his father, who failed to solve the case for twenty years? It’s a clever murder mystery that somehow fits perfectly into a comedic frame.
#15: The Two Mrs. Cranes
Episode #73
(Season 4)
Daphne’s ex-fiancé, Clive, comes to Seattle, hellbent on winning her back. To let him down easy, she spontaneously casts Niles as her husband, who is more than happy to play along. In fact, he enjoys the role so much that he convinces Clive to stay for dinner. Things spiral out of control as Frasier, Martin and Roz all intrude, forcing them all to spin a big, messy yarn of lies to keep their cover. The charade full of quick-thinking and improvisation on everyone’s part. How fun would it be to con a guest like that at a real party?
#14: Goodnight, Seattle
Episodes #263 and 264
(Season 11)
The final two-part episode had a marriage, a birth, a twist ending, and about a thousand jokes in between. It’s a very emotional finale that brings me to tears every time. Audiences spend more time with long-running television characters than any other. You don’t just spend a few hours with them; you spend a few dozen hours with them. You come to love them so much that it breaks your heart to see them go. As sad as this episode is, it leaves you with an uplifting message: you can only achieve true happiness by risking it.
#13: Martin Does it His Way
Episode #51
(Season 3)
When a distant relative dies, Martin reflects on a lifelong dream he never fulfilled: writing jazz songs for Frank Sinatra. With a little assistance from musically-talented his sons, they begin composing. There were a lot of music-related episodes, but this one was my favorite. Musicians will love it, as will writers of any kind. Frasier was blessed with consistently outstanding scripts. This episode not only has a swingin' song in it; it's a great example of how to write two separate stories that come together perfectly in the end.
#12: Visions of Daphne
Episode #142
(Season 6)
Daphne’s boyfriend, Donny, plans to propose to her. But before he can, Daphne (a gifted psychic) has a vision that she’s meant to be with someone else. She comes to none other than Niles himself for advice, who struggles to give her sound psychiatric advice considering his disbelief in psychics and the fact that he’s the one that’s worshipped her for the last seven years. It ends with Daphne’s answer, followed by another psychic vision, though I wouldn’t dare give away either!
#11: Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Episodes #167 and 168
(Season 7)
After seven long, excruciating seasons, Niles finally won over Daphne. This hour-long season finale was a rollercoaster of emotions, coming to such a satisfying conclusion that it will inspire even the most nerdy of underdogs to court the most unattainable of goddesses. Go, Niles! The series was full of excellent performances, from the leads to the guest stars. Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce both won four Emmies as the Crane bros.
#10: Hungry Heart
Episode #182
(Season 8)
At the beginning of season 8, Jane Leeves (Daphne) got pregnant. Instead of incorporating a pregnancy into the show, the writers, in a stroke of genius, gave her character an eating disorder that grew increasingly worse, culminating with a fat suit in this episode. Thus, when Leeves took a few episodes off for maternity leave, Daphne went off to “fat camp” to lose the pounds. Brilliant! Meanwhile, Frasier gets involved with a woman that, unbeknownst to him, is his boss’s wife.
#9: Daphne Returns
Episode #187
(Season 8)
Five episodes later, Daphne returned from the spa, but the celebration is cut short when she announces that the camp psychiatrist blamed Niles for her eating disorder. Apparently, the reason she overate was to distance herself from Niles, in fear of not living up to his fantasy-like image of her. After all, he loved her for seven years -- from afar. When Niles denies it, Frasier takes him to revisit flashbacks Annie Hall-style: right there in the scene (seamlessly edited into footage of earlier episodes).
#8: Perspectives on Christmas
Episode #105
(Season 5)
Martin, Daphne, Niles and Roz recount four intertwining, often contradicting views of the same Christmas. Martin is so nervous about singing in a church musical, he hides it from his family so they won’t come to watch. Daphne becomes an emotional trainwreck when she mistakes Martin’s secrecy and frequent church visits for a fatal disease. Niles gets stuck in the building’s elevator with a group of nitwits, and Frasier accidentally tells Roz’s mother she’s pregnant! This Christmas special was low on holiday spirit, but it was sure high on laughs.
#7: High Holidays
Episode #251
(Season 11)
Another great Christmas special! When Frasier’s son Freddie goes “goth,” the gang reflects on how they rebelled as teenagers. Niles, having never taken a walk on the wild side, convinces Roz to get him a pot brownie. But Martin ends up eating it by mistake and replacing it with a regular brownie. So, for the rest of the episode, Martin is high as a kite while Niles only thinks he is. Meanwhile, Frasier stars in a commercial… with Eddie. It’s intolerably funny, especially if you watch it in the right state of mind.
#6: The Ski Lodge
Episode #110
(Season 5)
Frasier takes the gang up to a ski resort for the weekend, along with Daphne’s sexy model friend, Annie, and a handsome, French ski instructor, Gi. Their cabin is beautiful. Their mugs are full of booze. Their hormones are surging. There’s just one problem: none of their attractions are mutual. Hyper-charged with sexual tension, this one ends with a game of “musical beds” that will have you howling.
#5: The Impossible Dream
Episode #75
(Season 4)
Frasier is haunted by a strange, recurring dream. Niles tells him it will continue to torment him until he can successfully interpret its meaning. Together, they analyze it from every angle trying to decipher it, yet the nightmares persist. I’ve always enjoyed analyzing and interpreting dreams, so this episode was extremely interesting to me. Meanwhile, Daphne and Martin prank strangers in the building's elevator by pretending to be criminals.
#4: Chess Pains
Episode #66
(Season 3)
When Frasier gets a new chess set, he convinces Martin to play him in a quick game. But Frasier is dumbstruck to find his father is actually better. Frasier spends the rest of the episode continuously trying and failing to defeat Martin, all the while devising deep, psychological explanations for his inferiority. Meanwhile, Niles decides to get a dog to help him get over Maris, whom he just divorced, and ends up picking out the thinnest, snobbiest, stuck-up bitch he could possibly find. Sound familiar?
#3: Ham Radio
Episode #90
(Season 4)
Keep your thumb on the pause button or you’ll die of laughter! Frasier decides to host an old-fashioned murder mystery on his radio show, but his trademark over-bearing, control-freak personality ruins the entire production by driving everyone else crazy. A lot of the supporting roles really get to shine in this episode, including Noel as the geeky sound effects guy and Gil as the flamboyant over-actor. Season four was my favorite! It was the only season to get four episodes on the list, not to mention about ten runner-ups.
#2: The Matchmaker
Episode #27
(Season 2)
Frasier invites the new station manager, Tom, over for dinner, thinking he’d be the perfect man for Daphne. But what Frasier doesn’t know (and the audience does) is that Tom is gay, and he's under the impression that Fras wants him for himself. There were many great “farce” episodes written by Joe Keenan. The formula: set up a misunderstanding that snowballs the entire episode into a gigantic, hilarious mess -- and this episode was the best of its kind.
#1: My Coffee With Niles
Episode #24
(Season 1)
This delightfully unusual episode is told in real-time, meaning, it’s simply twenty-two minutes of the Crane boys having their usual philosophical, intellectual discussions at the Café Nervosa. One of my favorite things about the show was how therapeutic it could be. It was not only funny; it offered deep, analytical, thought-provoking insights to human behavior, often related to common problems we all face in our own lives. The show really helped me through high school, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
My apologies to Season 10, which was coincidentally the only year that didn’t make the list.
