ISince 2003, I have been writing about the DVD releases of full season sets of “Cheers” and “Frasier.” Now, Paramount is up to the 8th seasons of both shows. It’s kind of fitting that they’re releasing these shows so close together as they’ve both shared the character of Frasier Crane over the course of the last twenty years. Frasier, played by Kelsey Grammer, first came into being during the 3rd season of “Cheers.” When that series ended, the character spun off into his own highly successful series, which ended a couple of years back after 11 seasons, matching the run of “Cheers.” Both series lasted long enough to make Frasier Crane the longest running character in television history.

It’s so rare that any TV show spin-off is as successful as the show it spins off from. “The Jefferson’s” (which came from “All in the Family”) did it and both “Laverne & Shirley” and “Mork & Mindy” enjoyed successful runs coming off of “Happy Days.” “Frasier” proved itself right from the start that it had what it takes to make a successful show. The 1st season introduced us to an amazing troop of characters, each one specifically set up to be a foil to Frasier Crane.

When the series premiered in September of 1993, we found Frasier Crane newly divorced from his insufferably insane wife Lilith. He had moved from Boston back to his hometown of Seattle, Washington to start over. He trades in his psychiatric practice in for a stint as a radio psychiatrist, allows his disabled father, Martin (John Mahoney), to move in with him along with his live-in therapist, Daphne (Jane Leeves). The way these three play off each other is hysterical.

But perhaps the strongest character actor of the bunch is David Hyde Pierce who plays Frasier’s brother, Niles. Pierce first had the opportunity to read for the series because he so strongly resembled Kelsey Grammer. Once he made it through the initial interview, the creators of the series wrote the part of Niles Crane specifically for him. Those used to seeing Grammer on “Cheers” were immediately taken aback by Pierce, leading many to question whether or not the two were really brothers. The character of Niles, amazingly neurotic in his own right had to deal with his own wife Maris, whom we never saw but knew was intolerable. This along with the hidden feelings he had for Daphne, carried over into many seasons with a mixture of humor, pathos and poignancy.

Pierce has impressed many with his abilities as an actor, so much so that to date he holds the record for most Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor for a single character with nine to date. Over the years he’s lent his voice to many animated films, and has tried to choose parts that are removed from the character of Niles. His performance last year in “Full Frontal” was nothing short of amazing. Of course I still remember him in his pre-Niles days as Lou Rosen in “The Fisher King.” His role was small, but chilling. Most recently, Pierce has been wowing audiences in Broadway’s “Spamalot”, where he portrays the brave Sir Robin in the musical based on “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

The release of the newest 4-disc DVD set of “Frasier” includes all 22 of the episodes from the 8th season in a nicely packaged box set. Having watched the series from the beginning, I have to comment that the first 7 seasons were exceptionally funny and with the 8th season, there still didn't appear to be any loss of steam. There are so many good episodes, mixed in with great episodes that I don’t think I could pick out a favorite. There are those whom I've heard comment that the show started losing some its edge around this time, but don’t believe it.

This season follows up with the major turning point in the ‘relationship’ between Niles and Daphne that ended the previous season. Daphne finally found out about Niles' affection for her, but unfortunately, she was about to be married to another man, and as the season ended, those two events collided with quite the collection of sparks. The pair ran off together for places unknown, finally returning at the beginning of this season. But as you might expect, her family, as well as the groom, are not very happy. Can you say lawsuit???

The only disappointment I have from this set is the same as I had for the release of "Cheers" in that there are no extra features at all. Earlier sets have had interviews and the like, but there’s nothing here to whet the appetite of hardcore fans. To be honest I can live without a bunch of new interviews, but they even cut out my favorite feature where we used to be given the opportunity to guess the identities of the celebrity guests calling in to Frasier’s radio show.

Still, this is a minor nitpick. If you’re a fan of great TV, and love the series “Frasier” as much as I do, this these DVD sets belongs in your collection. (Do keep in mind that if you’re collecting the series, Paramount released the final season right after the 4th and are now continuing with this new 8th season set.)

I would like to add that while watching some of these episodes, I wondered to myself if Kelsey Grammer was ever on the set of "Fraiser", dreaming that one day he would be in a major motion picture, wearing blue fur and doing wire work stunt fighting….

Episodes:
And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon, Parts 1 & 2
The Bad Son
The Great Crane Robbery
Taking Liberties
Legal Tender, Love And Care
The New Friend
Mary Christmas
Frasier's Edge
Cranes Unplugged
Motor Skills
The Show Must Go Off
Sliding Frasiers
Hungry Heart
Hooping Cranes
Docu.Drama
It Takes Two To Tangle
Forgotten But Not Gone
Daphne Returns
The Wizard And Roz
Semi-Decent Proposal / A Passing Fancy
A Day In May
The Cranes Go Caribbean

Starring: Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, Peri Gilpin, Jane Leeves, John Mahoney and Moose
Extras: None
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 6/13/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Frasier: Season 8 an A.