Cheers & Frasier

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

I am a big fan of Frasier (1993), I'm on S9, looking forward to the revival seasons when I finish the show. I also want to dive into Cheers and give that a go, I haven't watched it since about 2012, I think. If I understand correct, there's a short lived spin-off called The Tortellis that only went 13 episodes. Has anyone seen it? I watched clips on YouTube. It's weird. Then there's Wings which I've thought about watching. Has anyone seen it? I've watched some clips on YouTube, but it just seems far too "nice guy" to be funny. Interestingly, it stars Thomas Haden Church before he was a big movie star. It also stars Tony Shalhoub years before he was known as Adrian Monk. I did a search and couldn't find a discussion on Cheers or Frasier, so here we go. Any fans of any of these shows?

If you've seen the Frasier revival, does it strike you as S12, or does it feel more like a new show?

 

[SithHappens]

It feels like season 20 maybe and we have to fill in the gaps.

Well worth watching though

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

It feels like season 20 maybe and we have to fill in the gaps.

Well worth watching though

Thank you. Do you find it just as funny? It's hard to imagine Frasier without his brother there to troll him all-episode long. I know the actor has moved on, but I'm hoping he will cave and do one episode. One will be enough.

 

[BillJ]

I don't think Cheers has aged particularly well.

 

[SithHappens]

Thank you. Do you find it just as funny? It's hard to imagine Frasier without his brother there to troll him all-episode long. I know the actor has moved on, but I'm hoping he will cave and do one episode. One will be enough.

It's hard to say it's as funny. Probably not but still some laugh out loud moments that are worth investing your time in if you like Frasier.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

It's hard to say it's as funny. Probably not but still some laugh out loud moments that are worth investing your time in if you like Frasier.

I have Frasier's apartment floorplans downloaded, because I stumbled across them looking for something else. Internet.

 

[the G-man]

I don't think Cheers has aged particularly well.

I think that's true for the pre-Woody and Frasier years but the later seasons are still gold.

 

[the G-man]

If I understand correct, there's a short lived spin-off called The Tortellis that only went 13 episodes. Has anyone seen it? I watched clips on YouTube.

There's a reason it only lasted thirteen episodes. It's lucky it lasted that long TBH. A little Dan Hedaya goes a long way and I always found Casey Kasem's wife nigh-unwatchable (moreso now if one believes what she did to Casey in his later years).

Then there's Wings which I've thought about watching. Has anyone seen it? I've watched some clips on YouTube, but it just seems far too "nice guy" to be funny. Interestingly, it stars Thomas Haden Church before he was a big movie star. It also stars Tony Shalhoub years before he was known as Adrian Monk

It was a pleasant enough show but nothing to write home about. Unsurprisingly, THC and TS stole the show.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

There's a reason it only lasted thirteen episodes. It's lucky it lasted that long TBH. A little Dan Hedaya goes a long way and I always found Casey Kasem's wife nigh-unwatchable (moreso now if one believes what she did to Casey in his later years).

That bad, huh?

It was a pleasant enough show but nothing to write home about. Unsurprisingly, THC and TS stole the show.

How does Wings compare to Cheers and Frasier? I'll be honest, being part of the Cheers universe would be my primary reason to check it out.

 

[SithHappens]

I've never seen it but there seemed to be a thing in the 80s and 90s where loads of spin offs happened, I mean come on who would watch Mork and Mindy and think this must be a spin off of happy days?

I didn't know saved by the bell was a spin off.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

I've never seen it but there seemed to be a thing in the 80s and 90s where loads of spin offs happened, I mean come on who would watch Mork and Mindy and think this must be a spin off of happy days?

I didn't know saved by the bell was a spin off.

I think the spin-off boom started in the 70's and continued into the 80's. By the 90's, that seemed to die to some extent. Then there was the explosion of Star Trek spinoffs from 1987-05. haha

 

[Tosk]

it just seems far too "nice guy" to be funny

What does that mean?

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

What does that mean?

It means someone is too nice to the point of lacking personality. Everything about them is neutered so as to be nice, but at the cost of being at all interesting. Wings has a great cast, but the characters are blander than vanilla ice cream. I am hoping YouTube clips are just not doing the show justice.

 

[Tosk]

It means someone is too nice to the point of lacking personality. Everything about them is neutered so as to be nice, but at the cost of being at all interesting.

Is it your contention that as niceness goes up, the interestingness always goes down or that it just happened in this specific case?

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

Is it your contention that as niceness goes up, the interestingness always goes down or that it just happened in this specific case?

I can't answer, because you're asking about something I don't put a lot of thought into. In the case of Wings, it's just that everyone's so nice, it becomes boring.

 

[the G-man]

How does Wings compare to Cheers and Frasier? I'll be honest, being part of the Cheers universe would be my primary reason to check it out.

There's a couple of crossovers that establish they take place in the same universe (along with a couple of other forgotten series) but outside of those crossovers you wouldn't even realize they are part of the same universe. It's not a bad show if you want to try it out but if you think you're getting anything comparable to Cheers or Frasier you'll be disappointed.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

There's a couple of crossovers that establish they take place in the same universe but outside of those crossovers you wouldn't even realize they are part of the same universe. It's not a bad show if you want to try it out but if you think you're getting anything comparable to Cheers or Frasier you'll be disappointed.

That's why I call it shared universe and not a spin-off. hah Why would I be disappointed?

 

[the G-man]

Why would I be disappointed?

As I said, it's not as good as Cheers or Frasier and if you go in thinking it is you'll be disappointed.

 

[SithHappens]

If anyone fancies a Ted Danson fix, A Man on the inside is very good.

 

[Mudd]

The new Frasier is enjoyable for the cast but is mostly written on the level of a forgettable sitcom like Just Shoot Me.

It's also less visually appealing on some level than the original. Everything feels somehow cramped. One wonders about the budget, or at least where the money is being spent.