Kelsey Grammer Frustrated By Paramount’s Hold On Frasier Revival

Nearly a year after Paramount decided to part ways with the series, Kelsey Grammer is still upset regarding the Frasier revival’s cancellation and failure to find a new home. The series, which kicked off in 2023, served as a sequel to the original Cheers spinoff, picking up roughly 20 years after its predecessor and seeing Grammer’s titular psychotherapist moving to Boston in the hopes of reconnecting with his son, Frederick, while also forging ahead in life as a professor at Harvard.

Developed by Chris Harris and Joe Cristalli, the revival was a modest success in its initial season, garnering mixed reviews from critics, but a warmer reception from viewers, enough of whom turned in to earn the show a renewal. Frasier season 2 similarly saw a modest response from both reviewers and audiences, but without a breakout run, Paramount+ elected to cancel the series, with Grammer subsequently looking to shop the show to other networks.

Now, in an interview with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan for his disaster thriller Turbulence, Grammer had a frustrated update about the Frasier revival’s future. Beginning by reflecting on his interactions with fans of the show, the six-time Emmy winner did say he still gets called his character’s name on the street, while also acknowledging it “was a little more prevalent” during the original show’s primetime run.

When asked about any movement on finding Frasier a new home, Grammer indicated he still has “a couple of ideas as to how we can actually secure more,” and revealed he has “funding that’s waiting in the wings” to bring the show back. However, the executive producer/star went on to share that “it’s just somebody or Paramount+ or CBS” who is holding it back from getting made elsewhere:

They’re digging their heels in, saying, “We don’t want to let somebody else take it and turn it into a hit.” I’m not quite sure what the thinking is. This is potentially another billion or two for Paramount, so I’m thinking, “Why would they not want to do it?” It’s still funnier than anything I’m seeing on TV right now. I still have a small voice that tells me there’s still a future for that part of Frasier’s life.

Grammer has often expressed his dissatisfaction with how Paramount+ handled the Frasier revival for much of its run, previously opining that the streamer did a poor job of promoting it and that, due to a change in leadership, it ended up in the hands of those who didn’t care about it. Even still, he’s remained dedicated to trying to bring it back since the show was cancelled back in January 2025, and his latest comments sound like he might have gained some ground.

While he may have funding on standby for more episodes, there are a few factors that are going to be working against Grammer and the rest of the Frasier team to bring the revival back. For starters, as he himself mentioned, either CBS Studios or Paramount+ are holding on to the show’s rights tightly. There have certainly been plenty of series saved by other platforms after being cancelled by their original homes, but both CBS and Paramount+ have yet to see any of theirs make said leaps in recent years.

As easy as it might initially seem for one to argue for the rights to be sold to another platform, the other major hurdle for Grammer and his team is that Paramount is in the midst of major structural and business changes. Having spent the past four months combining the studio with Skydance in the infamous $8 billion merger led by the latter, Paramount is also now in the midst of trying to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery as it found itself up for sale beginning in October 2025.

Despite Netflix having initially been the winner of the bidding war with a joint cash-stock offer estimated to be about $82.7 billion in worth, Paramount Skydance has refused to back down on acquiring WBD. Most recently, CEO Larry Ellison offered a new deal that would have a “personal guarantee” of $40 billion in equity financing, cementing what many have called an attempt at a hostile takeover of the studio behind everything from the DC Universe to Dune franchises.

Considering just how much money the studio is willing to invest in a studio takeover, that ultimately ends up making the Frasier revival’s return a lower priority for Paramount. To Grammer’s point, the show getting a new life on another platform could see it become a profitable hit, considering many legacy sitcom returns are either in the works or still enjoying success throughout Hollywood. Plus, with already about a year gone since Frasier‘s initial cancellation, he and the creative team have had plenty of time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t to improve on their two most recent seasons.