lol I agree with the comment about the apartment. that's actually a big reason I started watching it. not sure when it was, but around 10 years ago. never watched cheers or cared to, though. dunno if that's weird.

so yes, this is one of my favorite shows. and yet, like my other favorites, some parts bother the hell outta me. how Frasier is portrayed as some kinda hopeless romantic when he's actually an unappealing creep. I somewhat liked the episode where they delved into the 'psychological' reasoning for him not finding the perfect woman. but all the women are these slender white blondes lol. haven't watched any of the episodes after 'dr. nora' in several years, so I can't say much about em.

so we all know the real reason: introducing new characters and storylines. every sitcom does it. but again, I like how 'Frasier' tied it together. even though it's hard to root for a guy who sabotages himself with his own awfulness. he blamed Sheri for wrecking his dates, but he was being a scummy pua lol. 'i should teach a course.' this guy spends all his working life helping other people, but can't help himself out with the most basic shit. that episode was just on, and I sincerely enjoy it, but it's also so cringe. the one where he takes a pic with the model in his bed, along with the season go cliffhanger before that... why would women even be attracted to him? and as with Niles, the writers make it so the ex wives are *real* villains who've scorned these poor fellas.

I was a kid in the 90s and I've watched this show dozens of times, so maybe I take some of it too seriously. idk. I feel like the only reason Frasier - especially - and Niles aren't totally unlikable is because of their bad luck. they're unbearably smug but they're also romantically-challenged dorks who get their comeuppance, so you're left feeling some affection. it's a really good show, good acting, writing. I still like the parts that bug me.

Average season rating: 8.181818… (not that I needed to run the numbers; I could have guessed it was about 8 :grin:)

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_Frasier_ and its predecessor, _Cheers_, together made up a large portion of my early exposure to television sitcoms, so it's only natural that I would find them nostalgic. Having watched the bulk of both shows in their entirety over the past 6 months or so, I have a _much_ greater appreciation for the writing. Goodness knows that's doubly true for _Frasier_, which leans heavily on verbal wit—humor that was occasionally hard for me to grasp even at \*gasp\* almost 30, let alone when I was a lad of 10.

Between the two, though, I much prefer _Frasier_ to _Cheers_. Despite arriving at superficially identical series ratings due to Trakt's enforced ten-point scale, the underlying numbers reveal the truth. I average episode ratings to get season ratings, then average season ratings to get series ratings—and my season average for _Cheers_ came out about 0.55 points lower (7.63… to _Frasier_'s 8.18…). While both shows are certainly funny, I'm clearly drawn to the more intellectual humor of _Frasier_. I'd expect nothing else.

Since _Frasier_ also has much less of the tedious "will they or won't they?" type of running plot upon which _Cheers_ loved to rely, that's once again exactly as expected. There were "clunkers" in both shows, yes, but _Frasier_ seemed to have fewer of them.

Overall, this is really just a _completely_ different show, even though it stole a beloved character from a Past Master of Situation Comedy and moved him across the entire North American continent. The "theft" was justified. I hope the recent resurgence of rumors and entertainment news coverage concerning a sequel or reboot develops into a real show. Time will tell.