Sometimes a show is so popular, loved by everyone, and profitable that even after the characters’ stories have come to a natural and satisfying end, the fat cats in their corner offices break out the old citrus press to get every last drop of money out of their overripe intellectual property. Most of the time, the follow-ups don’t have the same charm, originality, or praise as the originals, but sometimes they have something to say. There is a “Lou Grant” for every “Joey,” a “Better Call Saul” for every “Joanie Loves Chachi,” and a “Frasier” for every “AfterMASH.”
In “Frasier,” a spin-off of the popular NBC sitcom “Cheers,” psychiatrist Frasier Crane gets divorced and moves back to his hometown of Seattle to start a call-in radio show. The sitcom was a huge hit with audiences and critics alike. It won 37 Primetime Emmy awards, which at the time was a record for scripted television, and ran for 11 seasons with the same main cast.
Even though the show hasn’t been on for almost 20 years, a new version is on the way. In it, the psychiatrist will move back to Boston to be with his son, Freddy. Before Dr. Crane comes back to TV, let’s see what the original cast has been up to since the show’s last episode in 2004.
Dan Butler as Bob Bulldog Briscoe
Dan Butler as Bob Bulldog At Seattle’s KACL radio station, Briscoe Frasier isn’t the only person with a unique personality. After the psychiatrist’s show, Dan Butler plays the macho, womanizing Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe on the “Gonzo Sports Show.” From the show’s first season on, Butler showed up in 53 episodes.
Butler kept working in TV after his last show ended in 2004. He kept lending his voice to “Hey Arnold!” on Nickelodeon as Mr. Simmons and other characters, and he also appeared in episodes of “Quintuplets” and “Dr. Vegas.” Since then, he has appeared in one-off episodes of popular shows like “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Supernatural,” “House,” and “Monk.”
In 2011, he was back on the big screen. In the romantic comedy “Crazy, Stupid Love,” he played Steve Carell’s boss. Butler played Dr. Alan Mendelson in the romantic drama “All My Life” in 2020, and he played I.E. Shinn in the Marilyn Monroe biopic “Blonde” in 2022, which was nominated for an Academy Award.
David Hyde Pierce as Niles Crane
Dr. Niles Crane is Frasier’s cold-hearted younger brother. He was an important part of the show’s main cast and won four Emmys for his role, one less than Grammer. Crane fans will be sad to hear that the actor will not be playing the same role in the upcoming remake. According to Yahoo! News, he said he “wasn’t really interested in repeating the performance.”
Hyde Pierce did a lot of theater work after “Frasier.” He played Sir Robin in the Monty Python musical “Spamalot” from 2005 to 2006. His role as Horace Vandergelder in the 2017 revival of “Hello, Dolly!” earned him a Tony Award nomination. Hyde Pierce has also kept making movies and TV shows. In the 2010 crime comedy “The Perfect Host,” he played the role of Warwick Wilson. In 2017, he played Professor Henry Neumann again in the TV miniseries “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp.” On the big screen, he lent his voice to an episode of “Sesame Street” and played Frank Prady in Season 6 of “The Good Wife.” He also did the voice of Cecil Terwilliger, the brother of Sideshow Bob, in three episodes of “The Simpsons.”
In 2022, Hyde Pierce came back to TV to play Paul Child, Julia Child’s husband, in the HBO Max biopic “Julia” with Sarah Lancashire. In the upcoming horror movie “The Georgetown Project,” which is set to come out in 2023, he will play Father Conor.
Edward Hibbert as Gil Chesterton
Gil Chesterton, a flashy, posh restaurant critic, is another KACL personality who has been around for all 11 seasons. Edward Hibbert, who went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, plays him on the show. He was in a total of 29 episodes, including the last one, which aired in 2004.
Since “Frasier” ended, Hibbert has been working steadily. After the series ended, he played Sir Michael Strickland in the romantic thriller “A Different Loyalty,” and he also played a stage manager in “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz,” but neither of those roles were given to him. In 2006, he played Ackerman in Christopher Nolan’s thriller “The Prestige” and made an appearance on “Gilmore Girls” as Randall Farber.
Talos Drellik in the 2011 video game “Star Wars: The Old Republic.” In 2014, he was in an episode of “Hot in Cleveland,” just like some of his “Frasier” co-stars. In the 2018 movie “Mary Poppins Returns,” Hibbert also did the voice of Mary Poppins’ talking parrot umbrella. In 2019, he was in episodes of “Grace and Frankie” and “Blue Bloods.”
Jane Leeves as Daphne Moon
Fans of Martin Frasier’s live-in housekeeper Daphne Moon might be surprised to learn that British actress Jane Leeves almost didn’t get the part. Showbiz Cheat Sheet says that the production team had first looked for Rosie Perez to play the part. Now that we’ve seen all 263 of Leeves’ episodes, it seems crazy that anyone else was ever considered for the role of Daphne, for which she was nominated for an Emmy in 1993.
After “Frasier” ended in 2004, Leeves stopped acting for two years before doing the voice of Eenie in “Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties.” She worked regularly on TV for a few years, appearing in shows like “Misconceptions” and “Desperate Housewives” and doing voiceover work for the animated children’s show “Phineas and Ferb.”
Leeves got the part of Joy Scroggs in the TV Land sitcom “Hot in Cleveland” in 2010. She played the part for five seasons. Leeves also plays Kit Voss on “The Resident,” a medical drama on Fox. The show’s sixth season ended in January 2023. She will also play Caroline in a “Hannah Simon/ABC Project” that is still in post-production.
John Mahoney as Martin Crane
Martin Crane, the father of the three Crane brothers, was a retired cop. He was played by the late John Mahoney. Mahoney was nominated for two Primetime Emmys in 1999 and 2003 for the way he played his role. Mahoney’s long Hollywood career began in 1981 when he played a part in the biopic “Hudson Taylor.” It lasted nearly four decades, until he died in 2018 at the age of 77.
After “Frasier,” Mahoney voiced Papi in “Kronk’s New Groove” and played Bennett Clay in an episode of “ER” in 2006. In 2007, he played Poppy in the Steve Carell romantic comedy “Dan in Real Life” and gave the voice of Dr. Robert Terwilliger, Sr. in an episode of “The Simpsons” season 19. The next year, Mahoney played Walter Barnett in the first season of “In Treatment” and was in two episodes of the USA action drama “Burn Notice.” In 2011, he joined the cast of “Hot in Cleveland,” which was like a magnet for “Frasier” cast members. He played Roy Banks at first and then Rusty Banks. In 2015, he played Andrew del Mar in the last episode of “Foyle’s War” he did before he died.
Kelsey Grammar as Dr. Frasier Crane
Kelsey Grammer plays the role of Dr. Frasier Crane, the smart psychiatrist and host of “The Dr. Frasier Crane Show.” Grammer played Frasier on “Cheers” and other shows for a total of 20 years, making it his most well-known role to date. Grammer told Yahoo! News in a 2022 interview about his upcoming return to the role that made him a household name that it was “like putting on an old favorite jacket.”
Grammer has been busy in Hollywood as an actor and producer since he put that tight old jacket away for a while. After “Frasier” ended, Grammer played Mr. Skibness in “The Good Humor Man,” a Tenney Fairchild movie. In 2008, he and Kevin Costner starred in the comedy-drama “Swing Vote,” in which he played President Andrew Boone. He also played himself in a few episodes of “30 Rock,” an NBC comedy show.
Grammer also tried his hand at big movies in 2014. He played Beast in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and Harold Attinger in “Transformers: Age of Extinction.” Grammar still gives Sideshow Bob’s voice on “The Simpsons,” which he started doing in 1990. In addition to the new “Frasier,” he has roles in “Untitled Alex Baldwin/Kelsey Grammer Project” and “Jesus Revolution,” which will come out in February 2023.
Millicent Martin as Gertrude Moon
Gertrude, Daphne Moon’s overbearing mother, first shows up in Season 7. Millicent Martin, a veteran actress, plays Gertrude. Martin’s career began in British TV in 1957, and she made appearances in every season of “Frasier” after that except Season 8. Her last appearance was in Season 11, Episode 7, “Maris Returns (Part One),” which was her last appearance.
After her last appearance on “Frasier,” Martin played Helen in an episode of “The Drew Carey Show” in 2004. The next year, she played Leni on “Will & Grace.” Since then, she has had successful roles on TV shows like “Chuck,” “Castle,” “Bones,” and “Modern Family.” She didn’t want to miss out on the “Frasier” cast’s favorite place to hang out on the studio lot, so she played Agnes Bratford in two episodes of “Hot in Cleveland” and had a small role as Margaret Dumont in the 2017 movie “The Last Word.” In 2017, McGowan started playing Joan-Margaret on the Netflix original comedy series “Grace and Frankie.” She made her first appearance in Season 3, and she will play the character in 20 episodes until the show’s seventh and last season in 2022.
Moose as Eddie
Martin’s sweet dog friend. Eddie was played by Moose, a cute animal actor with four legs. The people who worked on “Frasier” had Moose work like a dog. He has been in more episodes than anyone else besides the five main characters. He has been in 163 episodes over ten seasons. Even though Eddie is too cute to dislike, Frasier and Eddie often get into fights because Eddie likes to stare at him for long periods of time.
This small Jack Russell terrier had a ten-year acting career in which he played four roles. His first big screen role was in “Frasier,” but after his first season, he got a job as Petey in an episode of “The 5 Mrs. Buchanans” right away. The next year, he played Monte in an episode of “High Society,” a comedy with Jean Smart and Mary McDonnell. In the movie Skip, which came out in 2000, Moose played the title character. “My Dog Skip,” in which his son Enzo also did a song. “Frasier” was Moose’s last TV show before he died in 2006 at the age of 112
Patrick Kerr as Noel Shempsky
Noel Shempsky is KACL’s technical assistant and a “Star Trek” fan who speaks Klingon. Patrick Kerr has been in a lot of TV shows and has a lot of experience. Kerr was first seen in Season 1. Over the next 11 seasons, she would be the main character in 22 episodes.
After “Frasier,” Kerr was in an episode of “Joey,” a much less popular spinoff sitcom in which “Friends” star Matt LeBlanc played Joey Tribbiani again. He had a small part as a DMV manager in the action biopic “Domino,” which came out in 2005. The next year, he was in an episode of “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” a CBS sitcom starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Over the next 10 years, he had several one-episode parts on shows like “CSI,” “Jessie,” “Elementary,” and “Hannah Montana.” In later movies, he played Mr. Rothman in the comedy “Friends and Romans” in 2014 and Jerry in “Anesthesia” in 2015.
Since then, Kerr has worked on short films, episodes of “Little America” on Apple TV+, and “Search Party,” an HBO Max crime comedy. He will be a main character in “The Big Door Prize,” an original show on Apple TV+, along with Chris O’Dowd, Gabrielle Dennis, and Ally Maki. The first episode is set to air in March 2023.
Peri Gilpin as Roz Doyle
Roz Doyle, who is in charge of Frasier’s radio show, is played by Peri Gilpin. Since she was a child growing up in Dallas, Doyle’s parents encouraged her to follow her passion for acting. She went to school for acting at the University of Texas and the British American Dramatic Academy in London. She was on stage in New York before she moved to Los Angeles and got her big break on the TV show “Frasier.”
Gilpin is still working on TV every week. Gilpin appeared in shows like “Medium,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” after “Frasier” ended, and she also did the voices for the animated comedy “King of the Hill.” In 2011, Gilpin and her “Frasier” co-star Jane Leeves appeared together on-screen in an episode of “Hot in Cleveland.” Since “Fraiser,” her role as Kim Keeler in the four-season ABC sports drama “Make it or Break It” may have been her best on TV. Gilpin was also in an episode of “Broad City” in 2017.
Gilpin has had smaller parts in movies like “Occupy, Texas,” “Flock of Dudes,” and “The Outdoorsman” as he has gotten older. In recent movies, she played Adelaide in “We Broke Up,” a romantic comedy from 2021, Mrs. Donahue in “Rushed,” and Sara Hughes in “The Anthrax Attacks,” a historical drama from 2003.
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Tom McGowan as Kenny Daly
Tom McGowan plays Kenny Daly, the station manager at KACL. He first shows up in Season 5. Before he was on “Frasier,” he mostly worked in movies. In 1992, he had a part in Michael Mann’s historical drama “The Last of the Mohicans.” He also played Bernie Gruenfelder on the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond.”
After “Frasier,” McGowan did a lot of different things. In 2004, he was the main character in the romantic comedy “Dog Gone Love” and also appeared in episodes of “Complete Savages” and “8 Simple Rules.” Since then, he has kept working in TV, appearing in shows like “Hannah Montana,” “Boston Legal,” and “CSI.” He also ended up in an episode of “Hot in Cleveland” in 2011 and played Principal Roth in an episode of “Modern Family” the following year.
In 2015, McGowan played Congressman Moyes in an episode of the HBO political comedy “Veep.” He then went back to the big screen to play William Johnson in “Freeheld” with Julianne Moore and Michael Shannon. In Season 1 of “The Good Fight” two years later, he played Jax Rindell, a supporting character. McGowan was in an episode of the NBC comedy show “American Auto” in 2022
