On Cheers it was established that Frasier’s father was a dead scientist, and his mother was a domineering meddler (played by Nancy Marchand) who tried to murder Diane because she thought Diane wasn’t good enough for her son.
That continuity was scrapped when Frasier was spun off into his own sitcom. Now it was his mother who was dead, and Frasier’s dad was a living retired police detective. Frasier and Niles’s dead mother was depicted in old home movies in one episode, played by Rita Wilson.
No big deal; both shows worked so I wasn’t bothered by the changed continuity.
On this week’s season premiere they attempted to reconcile the two; Frasier had an extended “imagination” sequence where he was in a room with all the women he’d loved, including Shelly Long as Diane and Rita Wilson as Frasier’s mother. Diane mentioned Frasier’s mother had tried to kill her.
I’ve missed whole seasons of Frasier; have they done any more of this retconning?
In one Episode of Fraiser, it was mentioned that Fraiser “never said he had a brother, and he told me his father was dead.” Obviously, he altered his past since he was living in Boston and figured nobody would know anyway.
Fraiser didn’t use to be so prissy. Although he was suppose to be the smartest guy there he still drank beer and in one episode he demonstrated his excellent skiing abilities. Then when he got his own series that all changed.
Not a continuity glitch, but interestingly enough, John Mahoney played a character on Cheers. He was a piano playing jingle writer.
Someone posted recently that Woody was a City Counselman at the end of the series (as well as MArried) but when he appeared in Fraiser, none of that was remembered or mentioned.
Cheers seems in the rear view mirror. The series always flagged when anyone (other than Fredrick or Lilith) appeared. The Diane’s play episode was good, but it kept playing on old jokes. I liked Cheers, but it hasn’t held up well. I think Fraiser is a smarter show. Diane in the season opener was kind of funny due to what she represented.
If they are going to reference Cheers, I prefer the subtle line such as the episode where Fraiser and Daphane play dart in a pub. He says “Maybe there was a dart board in that bar in Boston.” It kind of excites you a bit (“He’s talkin’ 'bout Cheers.”) but doesn’t bog down the series.
His mother’s personality in Cheers, and her described personality in Frasier are very different also.
In Frasier, she’s described as an intelligent, sophisticated, and classy woman, yet not afraid to mix with the commoners. She was as likely to be found at the baseball game eating hot dogs and drinking beer with Marty, as she was to go to the opera.
Well, on Frasier, it was family members looking back fondly on a loved one. On Cheers it was mostly Diane dealing with a woman that did NOT want her with her son. Of course she came off different, but I wouldn’t say contradictorily so.
Sure it was. Frasier directly asks Woody about his family when they first reunite in Seattle:
Woody’s wife and daughter are involved in a crucial plot point later in the same episode.
Regarding his job, he says only that he’s still tending bar at Cheers, though that isn’t incompatible with his having been elected to the Boston City Council six years earlier. (Councillors serve two-year terms.)
I thought at the beginning of the pilot of Frasier, it’s established that his mother has recently died. Wasn’t that part of the impetus or him eventually deciding to live with his father while he was recuperating? There’s a long time between the episode of Cheers where Nancy Marchand appears, and the pilot of Frasier.
Also, Frasier still skied on his own show. As far as drinking beer, you can retcon that as Frasier’s attempt to be more like Sam’s crowd in order to appeal to Diane. That was the only reason he hung out at Cheers in the first place.
I know, zombie and all.
I stopped watching Cheers when Shelley Long left, and then I didn’t start watching Frasier until I read an article about the dog on the show, so for me there was a long gap between seeing episodes of one show and then the other, and I didn’t notice many of the problems.
Yes, that’s correct. In the pilot, Frasier and Niles discuss the fact that Martin can’t live on his own any more. They consider sending him to a care home but eventually Frasier consents to taking him in.
Yep. The one where the gang visits a ski lodge is commonly ranked among the best episodes of the series.
I thought the reason Martin couldn’t live on his own anymore was that he had taken a fall in the shower, not that he was newly a widower. Wiki seems to back me up:
Their father Martin, a gruff, blue-collar former police detective, was forced to retire after he was shot in the hip while on duty. The injury has made it very difficult for him to live alone, although he stubbornly tries to keep doing so. After Martin slips in the shower, Niles decides that Martin cannot live by himself.