Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 10/16/23

Following up on two of last week’s posts here.

The Frasier reboot that is. On Friday, following the premiere of the much-anticipated Frasier reboot on Paramount+,  I self-indulgently posted about my updated version of an idea for a series continuation (aka the Frasier reboot the wasn’t) that I actually proposed to a development guy at Grammnet (Kelsey Grammer‘s production company) as the original show was ending. Now that I’ve finally come to grips with the fact that my version will never be, here are my thoughts on the actual sequel series.

IMHO: I’m both happy to say and hate to admit that the new Frasier is actually quite good.

The Concept:  Frasier, after having broken up with Charlotte (the woman for whom he moved to Chicago to pursue a relationship) and quitting a successful TV talk show, returns to Boston in an attempt to reestablish a relationship with his firefighter son Freddy (James Cutmore-Scott). In the process he also reunites with his old college buddy Alan Cornwall (Nicholas Lyndhurst) now a Harvard University professor and accepts an offer from Psychology Department Chair Olivia (Toks Olagundoye) to teach at the school.

The Bottom Line: A solid premise that works and seems like a natural progression for the character.

The Characters: Kelsey Grammer continues to perfectly fill out the character of Frasier like a hand in a custom-made glove. Though Cutmore-Smith did not play the younger Freddy in the original, he’s convincing as the son who takes after his everyman grandfather. Lyndhurst’s Alan Cornwall character is funny but runs the risk of just being a font of one-liners. He’ll need to be fleshed out as the series progresses. Toks Olagundoye as the African-American head of the psyche department brings some welcome diversity to the cast without the feeling of it being mandatory. She’s good in the part and her character has a lot of potential. Likewise, Jess Salgueiro, the Canadian actress of Portuguese descent, who plays Freddy’s friend (and possible future love interest) Eve. The other major character is Anders Keith as David Crane, the son of Niles and Daphne) who, now a Harvard student, is as physically and socially awkward as his father. His character works as well.

The Bottom Line: A strong ensemble cast with a lot of potential.

The Overall Execution: I do kinda think it would have been better if the show were set in Seattle with Freddy becoming a detective working out of his grandfather’s old precinct as it would have left the door open for characters from the original Frasier to recur while not having to explain why we’re not seeing any characters from Cheers. And, as sad at would have been, I think it would have been dramatically satisfying if Frasier’s relationship with Charlotte was such that he finally found his till-death-do-we-part love. But, overall, the writing of the opening was surprisingly good. While the show has yet to attain the creative and comedic heights of the original show, the potential is actually there – and, in any event, it’s better than all the other reboots out there – as it’s obvious the Kelsey Grammer loves his character and is willing to protect him from the sort of hacks who have rebooted and undermined other great franchises (i.e. Paramount+’s own dark Star Trek atrocities).

The Bottom Line: At least in the early going, the new Frasier maintains a balance of comedy and heart that is superior to almost any other show currently running (with a notable exception being Young Sheldon).

Three Episodes I’d like to see:
1. Frasier starts a podcast.
2. Frasier confronts Cancel Culture.
3. Frasier goes to Cheers for Sam’s retirement party.

Note: The first two episodes of the new Frasier can be seen tomorrow (10/17) beginning at the odd time of 9:15 PM ET, absurdly following the tonally dissonant Big Brother.

Which brings me to…some advice for Paramount+ and other media companies re: the whole streamer/broadcaster relationship. It’s becoming increasingly clear that business model for television (the industry I love) is broken. Here are what I see as the problems and potential solutions.

The Problems
1. The offerings are, in general, too woke and dark.
2. There’s too much clutter. It’s actually headache producing scrolling through all the offerings (most of which are too woke and dark to find something you actually want to watch.
3. It costs too much to the consumer. One of the best things about traditional TV was that – unlike movies and other forms of entertainment – it was free. Consumers could watch even the most expensive miniseries (nka limited series) for nothing. That was a major selling point for the medium that is being squandered today – by  increasingly exorbitant cable fees and/or streaming subscriptions.

The Solutions
1. Invest in programming that lifts up the audience. It doesn’t have to be specifically faith-based (though some of that is good) but, overall, it should uplift, be edifying and emphasize that we’re all part of one human race.

Also reintroducing the idea rousing musical themes for series would be a good idea. Compare the openings of the old Dallas and the current Yellowstone. Which one makes you feel more energized? Or how about something akin the theme from Happy Days. You can’t help but feel, well, happy while listening to it.

These are tough times we’re living through and people want – actually need – some escape from the tensions and divisions of the world. Unfortunately, so much of what’s being put out by the culture now (including television) inflames them.

2. Streamline your offerings. It’s not necessary (or even desirable) to saturate the market with more offerings than the market can absorb. Rather than creating a coherent popular culture you end up diluting it to the point where the medium that used to provide us with a sense of shared experience no longer fills that function. Some choice is, of course, good (in helping to separate the wheat from the chaff) but it is possible to be so overwhelmed by choices that even the good stuff fails to get noticed. And the constant hyping of everything doesn’t help.

Also, offer your free channels and premium channel all on one site.

3. Set up a pattern in which  offerings air on the company’s commercial channels a couple of weeks after their streaming debuts. A premium service is fine but, ultimately, everything should be offered free to the public regardless of income. That would, ultimately, be a less expensive and more profitable approach for the media company while also being fairer to the public at large.

4. Come up with better streaming names. I’m talking to you Paramount+ and Comcast’s Peacock. The former should use the more descriptive name of its Showtime premium content subsidiary and the latter sounds like a Clue murder suspect. How about utilizing the name of your Universal subsidiary and dubbing the service Universal Streaming (aka the inclusive-sounding US). Just trying to help.
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More on the Isolation Pandemic. Finally, last Wednesday I ran my conversation with Richard Deming, author of This Exquisite Loneliness: What Loners, Outcasts, and the Misunderstood Can Teach Us About Creativity, about “the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country.” Bill Maher had some interesting thoughts on the same subject on Friday’s edition of Real Time. As usual with Maher, there’s a language and raunchy joke alert here but he, nonetheless, makes some good points particularly toward the end.

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.