In “Inside the Episode,” the writers and directors reflect on the making of their Emmy-winning episodes.
Comedy director James Burrows has created a catalog of memorable television moments through his work on sitcoms such as “Cheers,” “Taxi” and “Friends.”
In 1993, he was tasked with working magic on the pilot for the “Cheers” spin-off, “Frasier,” which follows Kelsey Grammer’s velvety-voiced psychiatrist to Seattle. There, the character would find a new career path as a radio host, while also exploring his own Freudian issues with his brother, Niles (David Hyde Pierce), and his father/roommate, Martin (John Mahoney).
It turns out the food served as the show’s theme song — a tossed salad and scrambled eggs — was a pretty tasty combination. The first iteration of “Frasier” ran for 11 seasons and made Primetime Emmy history with 37 wins in total. One of those honors went to Burrows’ work on the pilot. The second season of a new reboot, which follows the good doctor’s return to Boston to live with his adult son (Jack Cutmore-Scott), will premiere Sept. 19 on Paramount+. Burrows has also directed episodes of that version.
In an interview with The Times over the summer, Burrows doesn’t clearly recall some specific details of the making of the first “Frasier” (“I can give you the whole spin-off of ‘Cheers,’ but ‘Frasier’ was made while I was working” on the final season of the original show, he says). But there are some things he hasn’t forgotten.
You directed most of the episodes of “Cheers,” but were you worried about taking on the “Frasier” pilot?
You are welcome.
Is there anything you like about that character?
No, the actor.
What do you like about him?
Who wouldn't like it? I've been working with him for 40 years. He started out in 1984 as a character on “Cheers” as a resource to get [Shelley Long’s] Diane came back to the bar. It was a four-show arc. Then, once she started talking, [fellow creators] Glen and Les [Charles] And I said, “No, we have to keep this guy on the show.”
As for the pilot for “Frasier,” it was a sure-fire hit. Plus, the script was brilliant, written by [David] Angel, [Peter] Casey and [David] Read: Three people who worked on “Cheers.”
To what extent were you involved in casting the other characters on “Frasier”?
That was mainly because of the writers because I was busy finishing “Cheers.”
James Burrows won an Emmy in 1994 for directing the “Frasier” pilot, “The Good Son.”
(Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
How much experience did the other actors have with multi-camera comedies before this? Was it difficult to teach them how to use the medium?
David Hyde Pierce was a Broadway actor. John Mahoney was a Chicago actor. I don't know where Jane Leeves is. [who played Martin’s caretaker, Daphne] It was Peri's era [Gilpin, who played Frasier’s radio producer Roz] I had been on Cheers, so I knew I could do it. So it wasn't hard at all.
Peri Gilpin It was a new casting. She replaced Lisa Kudrowwith whom you would eventually work on Friends. Were you involved in the recasting?
Yeah. And I think it turned out pretty well, right? That's all you have to say.
I think that was the nature of the first show, where Roz has to convince Frasier to go and confront his father. And she has to be forceful. And at that point, that wasn't Lisa's biggest problem.
How many days did you have to film this pilot?
One day. It's live in front of a studio audience. You bring the audience in and throw stuff at the wall to see what sticks.
Was there anything that didn't stick?
No. Like with all the pilots I do, I have a test audience. This means I bring in an audience four days before I shoot it. [and] I have one camera to cover the scenes that aren't in front of the audience, which are somewhere on the stage where the audience can't see. And that dress rehearsal was an extraordinary show. Everyone laughed, even seeing this wide general shot. You had an entrance. You had this character, Frasier, who was leading you into a new show, so it was hard to screw it up and nobody did.
How difficult is it to introduce a bunch of new characters and make sure the audience can keep track of who each one is?
Well, it's difficult. But if you have good writers, they can do it. We did it on “Cheers.” We have people you've never seen before. And then [on] In the pilot, you knew who everyone was. Same with “Frasier,” except on “Frasier,” you had a guy who could introduce you to the world of these new people. They were all introduced in such an exquisite way, and by the end of the show, you knew exactly who these people were.
When did you first realize that Moose, the dog who played Martin's sidekick and Frasier's buddy Eddie, was a comedic genius?
Oh, he came and told me. (I(Ouch!)
You have to have a good dog trainer. [Mathilde de Cagny] It was great with the dog, who did everything she told him to do. Plus, we were able to do most of the stuff in front of an audience, rather than filming everything involving the dog beforehand.
[Editor’s note: Roger Schumacher was the trainer on the pilot; Mathilde de Cagny took over for the rest of the show.]
Did you have any conversations with production about what Frasier's apartment would look like?
Again, I was involved in that. Angell, Casey and Lee had made those decisions. They wanted it to be high-end. They wanted it to be in Seattle. They wanted it to be high-end. The only thing I brought to the table was Mahoney's chair. I was the one who put a piece of duct tape on that chair. That's my responsibility.
What made you decide to add? dduct tape?
Because it was a comparison between him and Frasier; Frasier would never have done that, but Mahoney would do it in defiance.
You are also involved in the new version of “Frasier” that premiered Last year on Paramount+Are you surprised by how much this show still stands out in pop culture? Did you have a sense of magic when you were making it?
I don't think in the first few years you think about that. You just know you're making a good show. And so obviously the decisions you make as a director and as a writer are the right ones that will keep it going for the 11 years it was on. I didn't know that things like the duct tape on the chair were going to last forever. I never thought about that.
