Frasier

I love this show.

Another show which lingered on our screens far longer than it should… don’t get me wrong. I used to orgsnise my evenings around Frasier, back in those heady days of 4 (in the UK) TV channels, no internet to speak of, VHS videocassettes by the milliard, no Sunday shopping, bars which opened (I think) only between 12-3 and 6-11; what a dreary bloody culture we existed in then!

Anyway, the early Frasiers are the ones which contain the diamonds. I thought it lost its way a lot when they ‘cancelled’ his KACL radio show; and I also hated it when the Niles/Daphne thing turned into the Niles/Daphne THING and Daphne’s family were dragged into the story…

There’s lots of glinting lines in there… My favourites include Gil, the food critic broadcaster, remarking to Frasier: “Have you tasted her cooking? The local raccoons have posted warning signs on her trash bin!” and Frasier’s exchange with his German radio guest Gretchen, when it’s just dawned on him that her husband is romantically linked with his brother Niles’s first wife Maris:

Gretchen: We never had these problems back home.
Frasier: Well, maybe that’s where you should return, to the loving bosom of Bavaria.
Gretchen: How did you know we were from Bavaria?
Frasier: Well… you see, I’m a master of dialects. I noticed there was a glottal quality to the occlusion of your diphthongs.
Gretchen: But I’m originally from Austria.
Frasier: Look, do you want to split hairs, or do you want your husband back?

(The last part of Frasier’s line about glottally occluded diphthongs is, of course, utterly meaningless.)

You can never have too much Frasier. Admittedly the Niles NOT having Daphne was a lot more fun than when they finally got together, but still it was a consistantly funny show and in my opinion The Best TV Show and Comedy in the World :)

I won’t argue with you on that point, KyonoRocks… if only there was another programme 20% as entertaining.