Ranking beloved sitcom Frasier’s (1993-2004) Christmas offerings.
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Despite ending 11 years ago, Cheers spin-off Frasier is still held in high regard as one of the best sitcoms of all time, and certainly one of the greatest spin-offs ever created. Starring Kelsey Grammar in the titular role alongside David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, Jane Leevis and Peri Gilpin, the show is a hilarious classic that only gets better with repeat viewings. Over 11 seasons the show produced an impressive seven festive episodes which feature everything that made Frasier so great, combined with a dash of festive cheer, ranked here for your pleasure…
7 – THE FIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (SEASON 7)
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Frasier is at his haughty best here, having planned a traditional christmas party with only Roz (Peri Gilpin) allowed to attend from the KACL gang, only to find that rival Cam Winston is also holding a party and has poached his guests. This provides the festive setting to the episode, which revolves around the previous ones revelation to Daphne (Jane Leevis) of Niles’ (David Hyde Pierce) long standing feelings for her. I doubt I am alone in thinking that the Niles/Daphne dynamic was at its best when he was infatuated with her and she was hilariously unaware of it, so I was never a fan of them getting together, as much as Niles deserved them to. Whilst the episode does have some funny use of the crossed wires trope, it ranks last as it it signified the beginning of a period of decline for the show.
6 – WE TWO KINGS (SEASON 10)
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This episode revisits one of the show’s most common occurrences – Niles and Frasier arguing. This time they are bickering over how to spend christmas, which drives Martin (John Mahoney) to announce he is going to work on the day. This leads the brothers to attempt to mend fences by putting together a surprise for Martin which, low and behold, does not go to plan. Even in its darker days Frasier was bolstered by its phenomenal cast, and this is an example of that situation at work, with laughs throughout. The Frasier-Niles rivalry rarely disappoints, but this episode loses marks for giving Roz a lazy subplot volunteering as an elf at the mall, whilst Martin’s decision to work feeling like a rehash of season one, suggesting the show was running out of steam by its tenth year.
5 – MARY CHRISTMAS (SEASON 8)
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Frasier is realising a dream of his by hosting the Seattle Christmas Parade, but worries it won’t go to plan when his co-host comes down with food poisoning and is replaced with Mary (Kim Coles), who he had previously clashed with at KACL. As predicted, chaos ensues, with incidents including Frasier hitting Santa with a microphone. Season eight was a tough time for the series, with changes in dynamic and a decline in quality, and it shows in this episode. Whilst funny moments are scattered throughout, it’s nothing like the offerings from the shows hey-dey.
4 – FRASIER GRINCH (SEASON 3)
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The ‘Frasier learns an important lesson’ storyline wasn’t unique to christmas episodes, but plays well here. Frasier is determined that he only get Fredrick (Luke Tarsitano) high-end educational toys as gifts, even though Martin thinks he should just let Fredrick be himself. There is a great balance between the funny and touching here, with the end of the episode holding a sweet message. Eddie features – dressed to the nines in a santa suit and hat – and we get to see the Crane apartment in fully fledged Martin christmas mode, talking Santa and all. The only reason this episode doesn’t rate higher is because it lacks the laugh out loud hilarity of other episodes.
3 – MIRACLE ON THIRD OR FOURTH STREET (SEASON 1)
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This early episode was when the show was still finding its feet, and features Frasier facing christmas alone after Fredrick receives a chance to spend the festive in Austria and he and Martin argue. The first christmas episode of the series, it sets a trend of the Cranes arguing about decorations, which goes on to be a fun staple of the festive specials. Eddie is hilarious, drinking from Niles’ cup and hiding under a pillow when the argument occurs, whilst the latter half of the episode with Frasier’s depressing christmas callers becomes increasingly hysterical. The episode does lack the shows winning ensemble in the latter half, but it’s still great festive viewing.
2 – MERRY CHRISTMAS, MRS. MOSKOWITZ (SEASON 6)
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The best episodes of Frasier tended to have a very simple premise – events would conspire, building up to a hilarious and absurd finale – a formula that served the series well for 11 years. This festive offering is a perfect example – Frasier is set up on a blind date with the daughter of a woman he meets in a department store. It transpires that Mrs. Moskowitz (Carole Shelley) believes Frasier to be Jewish, leading to a visit to his apartment where he and her daughter Faye (Amy Brenneman) attempt to cover up the fact that he’s not. This is complicated by the delivery of a christmas tree and Niles dressed up as Jesus, leading up to a truly hilarious final act.
1 – PERSPECTIVES ON CHRISTMAS (SEASON 5)
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This season five episode came out when the show had really hit its stride, utilising the winning formula . Various different plot lines intertwine and culminate in hilarious misunderstandings, providing laugh out loud moments aplenty. The story is told through flashbacks as Martin, Roz, Daphne and Niles get massages as a Christmas gift from Frasier and the episode plays out as a series of interlinking sketches where we get to see each character at their best – the winning sequence has to be when crossed wires leads Daphne to believe that Martin is dying when he is actually appearing as a shepherd in a christmas pageant. Brilliant stuff.
Which festive Frasier is your favourite? Let me know in the comments section below!
Frasier is one of the best sitcoms ever made – originally airing from 1993-2004 as a spin-off of the much loved Cheers, the show ran for 11 seasons and is still in syndication across the world. Starring Kelsey Grammar as Dr Frasier Crane, a character he had already played for years in Cheers, the series follows the psychiatrist as he moves back to his home town of Seattle and embarks on a career as a radio psychiatrist. Whilst Grammar was the titular star, what made the show so excellent was its ensemble cast, which was made up of Frasier’s father Martin (John Mahoney), Martin’s physical therapist Daphne Moon (Jane Leevis) and dog Eddie, as well as radio producer Roz Doyle (Peri Gilpin). Rounding off the ensemble was Frasier’s younger brother, Niles Crane, played so wonderfully by David Hyde Pierce.
The saga that was Niles and Maris was one that was played for laughs many times, but this is one of the most unexpected and most hilarious laugh out loud moments in the series. Maris has served Niles with divorce papers, sending him into turmoil which culminates with Martin’s Hot & Foamy gadget (a running gag throughout the episode in a side-plot between Martin and Daphne) exploding whilst Niles is in the bathroom.
A lot of people would argue that Niles’ unrequited love for Daphne was the core of his character and the lifeblood of the series, and right now I am a lot of people, because that is exactly it was. Whilst the later seasons with Daphne and Niles as a couple still had their moments, the true golden age was in the days before Niles told her how he felt and he had to suffice himself with puppy dog style yearning and the occasional sniff of her hair.
Another example of Niles and Maris’ marriage woes acting as a catalyst for a hilarious final act. An Affair to Forget see’s Frasier discover via his radio show that Maris is having an affair with her German fencing instructor. Niles eventually finds out and his suitably devastated, but after being bolstered by Martin he takes on his love rival in a fencing match which is blighted by the language barrier, with Frasier attempting to translate and the maid struggling with her pronouns.
Three Valentines is an episode that features six minutes of some of the best physical comedy Hyde Pierce ever portrayed in his time playing Niles. The scene features no dialogue and instead shows Niles get himself into an escalation of blunders which include an iron, fire and blood amongst other things.
This could quite possibly take the crown for best Niles episode ever. It was in the second season that Niles really began to come into his own, and this episode is a prime example of this. After their taxi driver goes into labour, Niles finds himself wondering if he is ready for parenthood. Frasier then suggests that he could embark on an experiment, using a bag of flour as a ‘practice’ baby. Thus the stage is set for classic Niles’ one liners about the perils of his new status as a ‘parent’:
a peerie yarn; 