The Good Doctor may be off the air, but his old radio cohorts are not far behind as the second season brings over some familiar faces.
As the second season of the Frasier revival gears up at Paramount+, fans anticipate the return of old favorites from either the Cheers or the original Frasier era. Kelsey Grammer himself expressed eagerness to reunite with his past co-stars, saying how much he would love to bring back names like Ted Danson, Shelley Long, David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves. He stated, “It’s just a matter of willingness to be on the show. And if there’s a good story. I’d still love to have Shelley come back and play Diane, for one more sense of closure for Frasier. Because now that he’s back in Boston, there are things that will come up, and I think that she would be one of them. And Ted, we have a few ideas for that.”
Collider has now unveiled new behind-the-scenes photos that showcase the return of Frasier’s former co-workers from KACL — his talk radio station from Seattle. Peri Gilpin made a brief appearance in the season finale of the Frasier revival, now she returns as Roz Doyle and her daughter, Alice, will also make an appearance. Alice is set to be portrayed by Grammer’s own daughter, Greer. Dan Butler and Edward Hibbert are also on board to reprise their roles as sportscaster Bulldog Briscoe and food critic Gil Chesterton. The nature of the reunion has not been revealed. However, you can get a peek at the returning cast below.
Grammer, who serves as an executive producer on the series, made a statement about bringing back these popular characters from the original spin-off, “Dan Butler and Edward Hibbert have made an indelible contribution to television, and I am overjoyed to welcome them back to Frasier and for the opportunity to work together once again.”
Grammer himself didn’t have the willingness to return to Fraiser for various reasons. The original NBC show carried so much weight, especially now that John Mahoney, who played Frasier’s dad Martin, is no longer with us. However, when it was determined that Grammer could balance a schedule for a “streaming-sized order” of a season, he had greatly reconsidered. Plus, his performing in front of a live studio audience again would give him a new energy. He states, “As they load the audience in to watch a taping when we start, I say, ‘I’d like to welcome you to church. This is where the things I believe in get flushed out — where we get to laugh and cry together and enhance our human experience together.’ That’s a pretty great thing to get to do.”