The Frasier Revival Uses A Community Star To Recreate The Show's Most Famous Rivalry

It might not be the "Frasier" of old, but Kelsey Grammer's Paramount+ revival of the beloved sitcom is a comforting thing to have around in 2024. The show was never going to match its predecessor, which belongs to a golden age of '90s sitcoms, but if Grammer and new showrunners Joe Cristali and Chris Harris could manage to conjure even an iota of that "Frasier" charm, their reboot was always going to make for a watchable show.

Now, midway through season 2, it's fair to say that streaming age "Frasier" has proven it has something, even if we're still not sure what that something is. The series feels strikingly anachronistic just by virtue of the sitcom format and its laugh track and soundstage sets. But it's also strangely comforting in its familiarity. Grammer is just as delightfully engaging as he ever was in the lead role, and the prospect of classic "Frasier" guest stars cropping up keeps us engaged even while the new ensemble isn't quite what the cast of the original series was.

With season 2, Roz actress Peri Gilpin has become a recurring character, immediately making the new episodes better as a result. But this season has also featured some other outstanding guest stars, with episode 5 in particular bringing back one of the best recurring characters from the original "Frasier." Even when the show isn't bringing back beloved figures from the '90s show, it's bringing in more contemporary guest stars, several of which have meshed nicely with the revival's cast and overall tone. Now, a "Community" actor has done just that with the latest episode of "Frasier," simultaneously making the show feel fresh and harkening back to a classic dynamic from the original series.

Episode 7 of the "Frasier" continuation sees "Community" star Yvette Nicole Brown play Olivia (Toks Olagundoye)'s sister, Monica. We heard about the character throughout the first season, with Olivia, head of psychology at Harvard, mentioning her sibling at several points, but this is the first time we see her in the flesh. As it turns out, Olivia and Monica don't have all that close a bond, with the latter immediately undermining her sister in front of Frasier and the gang by taking in Mahoney's bar and announcing, "What a quaint tavern, I've always admired how you don't need much." It seems the pair's relationship is actually quite fraught, with Monica, a professor at Yale, delivering passive aggressive comments of this sort throughout her introduction.

Brown is of course known best for playing the role of Shirley Bennett on the first five seasons of "Community." The proud Christian was ostensibly nothing like her "Frasier" character, though Monica's conspicuous need to undermine her sister hints at a deep insecurity — something which Shirley would often demonstrate by leaning on her religion a little too hard.

In episode 7 of season 2, entitled "My Brilliant Sister," Olivia defends against her sister's constant barbs by lying about having a boyfriend named Mark. When questioned about it by Frasier, she explains that she simply wanted to outdo her sister for once by claiming to have a doting boyfriend who adores her. In response, Frasier explains, "I too have a sibling who attended Yale," referring to his brother Niles Crane, who was played by David Hyde Pierce on the original series. Thus far, Hyde Pierce has declined to return to "Frasier," despite his character being a fan-favorite who very much helped define the '90s show via his close but competitive relationship with the titular doctor. Though we have yet to see the pair reunite, episode 7 allows us to live out the great Crane brothers' rivalry by proxy.

In the original "Frasier" series, which ran from 1993 to 2004, the titular psychiatrist and his brother, Niles, were very close, very similar, and very competitive. An original "Frasier" highlight, for instance, saw Niles and his brother competing for the final spot in the prestigious Empire Club of Seattle, ultimately ruining each other's chances as a result. The season 7 episode "Whine Club" similarly featured a storyline whereby the siblings attempt to land the post of "Corkmaster" within their wine club.

Of course, in the "Frasier" revival, we've yet to see any of this classic dynamic play out as David Hyde Pierce has one condition for his return and that has yet to be met. With episode 7 of the second season, however, we get to live out the Crane rivalry through Olivia and Monica. After Frasier tells Olivia about his own Yale-alum brother, he goes on to say, "Trust me, I have wasted far too much time, money, and energy on a petty sibling rivalry which goes on to this day." When Olivia asks whether he's suggesting she "take the high road," the doc replies with, "No, I'm saying bury her, for all of us."

The rest of the episode plays out at Frasier's "tailgate," which is in fact a classy soirée at his apartment, where Olivia pretends that both Frasier's son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott) and Eve (Jess Salgueiro)'s friend Augustine are her boyfriends. While there's no mention of the Niles/Frasier rivalry for the rest of the installment, it's great to see that classic dynamic referenced, adding yet another dose of comfort to a show that has so far reveled in exactly that kind of energy. Unfortunately, Olivia and Monica's rivalry is not nearly as entertaining as the Crane brothers', but Yvette Nicole Brown does a solid job slotting into the show. Until David Hyde Pierce does finally agree to appear, though, it all feels a little like throat clearing before the main event.