Frasier - The Complete First Season

Rating:
Summary: Frasier is coming to DVD
Review: Sure to be a great DVD, with an absolute classic season (probably one of the best), season one. Some of the best episodes came from this quintessential season, starting with The Good Son, the series pilot. Some of my faves include I Hate Frasier Crane, Here's Looking at You, A Midwinter Night's Dream, The Show Where Lilith Comes Back, Give Him The Chair, Author Author and Frasier Crane's Day Off. These are quick witted and hilairously funny episodes of a comedy which is now almost 10 years old. Once bought this DVD will bring many a laugh to anyone who enjoys the show.

Rating:
Summary: The continuing story of Dr. Frasier Crane
Review: After Cheers wrapped up for good in the spring of 1993,producers spun off Kelsey Grammer's character,Dr. Frasier Crane who first appeared in 1984. This is the first of eleven seasons and the tenth in which we see the hilarious psychiatrist. David Hyde Pierce is Frasier's brother. Peri Gilpin(her character) also becomes a friend and/or love interest of Frasier's. Not many people thought this spinoff would be successful(many spinoffs didn't become as popular as their parent shows). Only one other spinoff(at least that I know of) that lasted eleven seasons was The Jeffersons,whose parent show is All In The Family. Grammer continued to be nominated for and win a multitude of Emmys for his character(he was and did for Cheers).

Rating:
Summary: FRASIER! FRASIER! FRASIER! - I CAN NEVER GET ENOUGH!
Review: Frasier is one of the best sitcoms ever (the best, in my opinion, being FRASIER, ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, CHEERS, SEINFELD and THE SIMPSONS- I love them all) and I am eagerly awaiting for the rest of the seasons availability for purchase and wish they'd hurry up about it. I don't see why they don't just put out all the seasons at once, it's like pulling teeth waiting soooo long for one season at a time to become available to buy. I could die before they release the rest of the seasons for Gods' sake! This is a must see comedy series and if you don't love it after seeing it then there must be something terribly wrong with you darling.

Rating:
Summary: No
Review: I was very disappointed in season 1 of Frasier. There is no "play all" feature on the disc. I did not like having to hit the "play" button after every episode (approx. every 22 minutes). I want the whole disc to play all the way through. I think Frasier is the most brilliantly written TV show, ever. The cast is superb. I also purchased seasons 2 & 3. I could not get past the discs of season 1 not having the "play all" feature. I never opened seasons 2 & 3. I returned them to the store. Also, why was the final season already released? They skipped seven seasons.

Rating:
Summary: why no subtitles?
Review: i absolutely love Frasier but continue to be disappointed with many region1 dvds that do not have subtitles....can someone a reason??? i'm forced to purchase region2 DVDs for that reason - i have a deaf brother and subtitles are a must

Rating:
Summary: Rediscovering Frasier, the impeccable first season.
Review: Even with unlimited space, I don't think enough praise can be said about one of the finest sitcoms in television history.

I had been a fan of "Frasier" since the first episode aired back in 1993. But my tape collections had focussed mainly on the second through sixth seasons which I had at the time considered the show's peak. And I had this inherent notion that most of the 1st season episodes delt with Frasier's relationship with his father to the detriment of the rest of the cast. But that idea was quickly quashed once I viewed all the episodes of this wonderful season.

The pilot episode, "The Good Son" benefits from having an enthusiastic audience and very sharp writing. The bickering between Frasier and Marty does dominate the first few shows, but that quickly fades and we get some classic episodes involving Bulldog ("Ooops"), Marty and his love life (the hilarious "Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast?") and the introduction of Frasier's agent Bebe ("Selling Out"). That particular episode has, in my honest opinion, the best radio comment by Frasier ever done in the show's history (it happens at the beginning of the episode and it's about a boat).

The best episodes are on disc 3, highlighted by Niles 'n Daphne's first encounter, if you will (the riotous "A Midwinter Night's Dream"). That episode has one of the funniest lines in the series history (I won't give it away, but it does have to do with the German name for a particular clock). And "The Show Where Lilith Comes Back", which rekindles the sparks Frasier 'n Lilith had on "Cheers".

Extras:
The commentary for "The Good Son" is okay, but nothing really inciteful. The documentary about the first season is rather perfunctory with short interviews of the cast (the interviews appear to have happened during the tenth or eleventh season).
The art director for Frasier gives us a walkthrough of the set, but it is needlessly chopped up into different clips that send you back to the menu screen way too often.

All in all, if you're a fan of Frasier you must, Must, MUST begin your collection with this wonderful DVD set. And while the 1st season may not be the best, it is probably much better than you might remember.

Trivia Bits:
- Originally, Lilith (Bebe Neuworth) was intended to be a regular on the show, but backed out early in the production process. It's funny, but I remember thinking waaaay back in '93 before the first show aired that "Frasier" wouldn't be that interesting without Lilith. Boy was I wrong.

- The "documentary" feature neglects (probably due to editing considerations) that Lisa Kudrow actually won the part of Roz and she lasted a week before both she and the producers realized just how wrong for the part she was.

- Interestingly enough, Niles doesn't meet Daphne until the THIRD episode ("Dinner at Eight") but he is smitten with her right from the start.

- Look for a young Brittany Murphy in the episode "Give Him the Chair". She appears in the "play" setting and is the only girl (other than the play director) to speak. She may be a bit tough to recognize since she's lost a pound or two since then, but her eyes are unmistakable.

- All the "stingers" that appear during the end credits have no natural sound, only the "Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs" theme music sung by Kelsey Grammer. However, there are two exceptions during the first season. In "Sold Out" the stinger continues the scene of Frasier holding his breath underwater while Daphne and Marty enjoy the hot tub. At the end, you can hear Frasier's exhale as he pops his head above the water. And in "The Show Where Lilith Comes Back" you can hear the jet engines of the airliner taking off as Daphne recovers from her "psychic" headache.


Rating:
Summary: Frasier is a Great TV Series
Review: Frasier is a witty, smart, sophisticated comedy that excels in intelligent dialogue. Much of the humor on Frasier is based on an Americanized version of British situational comedies such as No Sex Please We're British. The first several seasons of Frasier are classic TV comedy, and if you go back and watch the last couple seasons of Cheers you can understand why Kelsey Grammer was chosen to continue his role of Frasier Crane. I remember thinking when Cheers went off the air that I would probably not like any spinoffs that came from it. Other spinoffs such as Rhoda (after Mary Tyler Moore) were just not the same as the original. Wow, was I wrong ! I am eagerly awaiting the release of seasons 4-7 of Frasier on DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably Good Television!!!
Review: I started watching the show when it went into syndication 5 - 6 years ago. I was never able to catch it during its regular time slot. The TV stations in my area did not show the syndicated episodes in order and mixed up episodes from different seasons. So, unlike most Frasier fans, I had no context of episodes with their prospective seasons when I got my hands on the first two sets of Frasier DVDs. I just assumed that all of the shows I saw on TV were recent and NOT FROM THE FIRST SEASON. Boy, was I wrong.

This DVD set is absolutely amazing. Most of the episodes I had seen before, but I had no idea that they came from the first season. Most TV shows are very "green" their first season and when compared with subsequent seasons, the "greenness" becomes even more apparent. It's so easy to point out the first shows from the later ones due to weaker writing, character development, and acting. Even weaker set designs and costumes/wardrobe are tell-tale signs of a TV show's first season. However, Frasier hit the ground running and was on mark from the very first show, "The Good Son".

This show demonstrated an enormous amount of development within it first 24 episodes. I agree with another Amazon reviewer who said that the show's success was due to the writers/creators/producers taking only the name "Dr. Frasier Crane" and his basic personality from "Cheers", but developing a whole new setting and set of characters for "Frasier". To me, this is why the show had such a strong first season. Due to this desire to set itself apart from "Cheers", "Frasier" developed a strong sense of "self" rarely seen in a first season. However, Frasier never attempted to sever its ties to "Cheers". It just refused to become Cheers, part II.

Although, I love Frasier, I was taken aback when I first laid eyes on his younger brother Niles. Niles is definitely my favorite character. This leads me to another reason for the show's excellent first season. Its star was surrounded by highly talented actors with well-developed characters. Sure, Frasier, by himself, was a delight to see, but without Niles, Daphne, Roz, Martin, and even Eddie the dog...where would this show had gone? Even minor characters at Frasier's radio station (KACL) are unforgettable (like Bulldog, Gil, and Noel). These supporting characters were powerful in their own right, but never overpowered Frasier's star billing.

So, this DVD set is definitely worth getting and unlike other TV shows that are now on DVD, you don't have to wait until the second, third or even fourth season DVDs to come out before getting the best shows. Frasier is worth getting from the very first episode onward. It's brilliance came through from the beginning and if such a thing were possible, each episode and season that followed improved and built upon the previous. It's rare for a show to do that and this is why Frasier will be spinning in my DVD player for years to come.

Rating:
Summary: Kelsey Grammer and His Show Frasier are Great!
Review: Frasier is without a doubt one of the funniest sitcoms that has been on network TV and I think the cast especially Kelsey Grammar and David Hyde Pearce are great. I didn't get to see many episodes when it was on NBC because it was on at a bad time for me so I was able to watch some of the episodes when a local TV station started showing the syndicated reruns but unfortunately they stopped showing them and put on reruns of another sitcom which is terrible and boring but at least I can now watch the episodes from the beginning on DVD and I highly recommend the first season on DVD and the rest of them too!

Rating:
Summary: PSYCHIATRY GETS ANALYSED ON DVD
Review: When Kelsey Grammer and "Cheers" parted company no one could have foreseen that the actor's next television venture, "Frasier" would be more prolific and satisfying than his stint as the imminent bar room psychiatrist. Taking a tip from other spin offs, which have tried in vane to recapture the essence of their original's glory, the producers of "Frasier" assumed the responsibility of concocting an entirely new setting and cast of characters for the series, retaining only the name Dr. Frasier Crane and departing in almost all other aspects from the celebrity status of "Cheers." The result: a witty, urbane and ultra sophisticated spin off with far more polish and charm than "Cheers", populated by an inspired cast of veritable scatterbrains and screw ups.

In 1994 "Frasier" debuted with all its magic in place. We were introduced once more to the neurotic Dr. Crane (Grammer), his even more neurotic and insecure younger brother, Niles (David Hyde Pierce), their father, Martin (John Mahoney) and his physical therapist, Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves). The imminent psychiatrist was now a radio celebrity with a show programmed by the calculating hard knock girl with a heart, Roz (Peri Gilpin), living in eclectic luxury inside a penthouse apartment overlooking Seattle's breathtaking skyline. Then the troubles began. Martin moved in to Frasier's apartment, Daphne began having psychic premonitions and Frasier's ex-wife, Lilith (Bebe Neworth) attempted reconciliation.

Inspired by gifted performances and shoot-from-the-hip writing, the show was an instant smash hit. Paramount's new DVD, Frasier: Season One aptly delivers all 24 episodes of this trend setting comedy in a deluxe four disc box set. Highlights include the riotous pilot episode in which Martin moves in and affectively wreaks havoc on Frasier's comfortable life style with his dilapidated arm chair and monstrously playful dog, Eddie. Also in Season One is the episode in which Niles and Daphne are forced one rainy eve to spend the night together in Niles' gothic mansion while his wife is away, the episode where Frasier contemplates having an affair with a much younger woman, and, the hilarious return of Lilith which leads to a night of distasteful pleasure racked in Freudian guilt.

Paramount DVD has done a nice job on "Frasier: The Complete First Season." For the most part colors are accurately presented with a subtle muted palette, good contrast levels. Blacks are deep and solid. Fine detail is nicely realized. Unfortunately some of the episodes suffer from edge enhancement and shimmering of fine details that generally distracts. Certain episodes tend to have a slightly hazy look to them. Several episodes suffer from color imbalance in which tonal quality and brightness seem to shift - not only from scene to scene but shot to shot. Overall, these are minor imperfections that although discernable are nevertheless forgivable. The audio is stereo and very nicely balanced. Extras include a brief but succinct featurette on the creation of the series, a benign "Frasier's Apart." sort of game that one has to access by toggling on the remote, short snippets that illustrate all the guest star cameo voice overs used as Dr. Crane's call in guests and audio commentaries on selected episodes. If you're a fan of this television series I highly recommend this box set.