Creators David Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee followed a simple mantra in creating Frasier: "no stupid jokes, no stupid characters. Deliver smart, heartfelt content framed within awkward situations. And never take the easy way out." The result was a hit comedy that launched on Sept. 16, 1993, winning a record-breaking 37 Emmys off of 108 nominations over the course of 11 seasons. Originally, the plan was to have Kelsey Grammer play a totally new character, a paralyzed multi-millionaire with a 'Rosie Perez-type" as his nurse. But that idea was quickly scrapped with the proposal that Grammer reprise his Frasier Crane character from Cheers. As writer-producer Joe Keenan explains: "Frasier has so many flaws: he’s vain, pompous, condescending. He’s an insecure snob, always trying to ascend to some new social pinnacle. But underneath that, there’s this incredibly decent guy who truly wants to help people."
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TOPICS: Frasier, NBC, Cheers, Kelsey Grammer, Retro TV