The Only Frasier Actors To Appear In Every Episode Of The Original Series

Any fan of "Frasier" will know that while the titular doctor is the star of the show, the series itself would have been nothing without its ensemble. The beloved sitcom ran from 1993 to 2004 and managed to sustain its quality throughout — a rarity for any show, but certainly for sitcoms of the era if you consider that even "Friends" was cranking out some of its worst episodes by its tenth and final season.

A big part of what gave "Frasier" its durability was its ensemble, which comprised not only multiple other main characters, but also an entire world of supporting and guest characters that made Dr. Crane's world feel like a real, living place. Of course, the main cast itself was most crucial to this aspect of the series, with John Mahoney's Crane patriarch, Martin, and David Hyde Pierce's Niles, the equally fastidious yet lovable brother of Frasier, being the most integral. But over the course of the series, Jane Leeves' live-in carer and housekeeper, Daphne Moon, and Peri Gilpin's KACL talk radio producer, Roz Doyle, became just as important, rounding out a central cast that is surely one of the greatest groups of actors in sitcom history.

And don't forget about the rest of Frasier's KACL family, which included Dan Butler's obnoxious sports radio host Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe and Edward Hibbert's lovably snooty restaurant critic Gil Chesterton, who became just as beloved as the central cast. Even characters who appeared sporadically became fan favorites, with Harriet Sansom Harris' ruthless and campy agent Bebe Glazer being one of the best recurring characters in the original series.

With a show that relied on this kind of ensemble, it almost feels as though most of these characters showed up in every, if not almost every episode. In reality, though, only three actors appeared in all 263 episodes of "Frasier."

Frasier Crane might have his name in the title, but this series was really about the three Crane men: Frasier, Niles, and Martin. The pilot episode of "Frasier" — which, incidentally, David Hyde Pierce thought was "terrible" at first — set up the fraught relationship between Dr. Crane and his father, with Niles refusing to take the declining old man into his home, forcing Frasier to fall on that sword. Over the course of the series, the relationship between these high-minded, fussy siblings and their everyman ex-cop father became much more affectionate, with the story of the show really being about the Crane men finding common ground and growing closer in their adult years.

It's not surprising, then, that Frasier, Niles, and Martin actors Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, and John Mahoney are the only three performers to appear in all 263 episodes of "Frasier." But surely Roz and Daphne were close? The two characters were there from the very start, after all, and became almost as integral to the series as the Crane boys. Well, in Roz actress Peri Gilpin's case, she managed 261 out of the 263 installments, making her the performer with the second-highest number of appearances. Frasier's producer did not appear in the final season episodes "The Babysitter" and "A Man, A Plan, A Gal: Julia," though exactly why she was left out of these particular installments remains unclear.

Meanwhile, Daphne actress Jane Leeves, who Kelsey Grammer was initially hesitant to cast, appeared in 257 "Frasier" episodes, missing several due to her real-life first pregnancy, which coincided with the show's eighth season. The writers simply ignored the pregnancy within the world of the show itself, with Leeves hiding her belly right up until she took maternity leave. During the show's 11th season, however, Leeves' second pregnancy was written into the series, with Niles and Daphne welcoming their first son, David, in the series finale, "Goodnight, Seattle."

What about the other characters who became so important to the show that they felt like a constant presence? There was that one co-star that frustrated Kelsey Grammer like no other: Eddie the dog. Some reports state that Eddie, who was played by legendary Hollywood canine Moose before being replaced by his son, Enzo, appeared in 192 episodes of the series, though since he wasn't credited properly throughout the show's run, it's hard to say for sure. Regardless, there's no doubt that Martin's beloved pet was a key piece of the "Frasier" puzzle, providing an erratic foil to Frasier's stuffiness.

Beyond the central cast and Eddie, there was the KACL crew, many of whom became fan favorites. But you might be surprised to hear how little some of them actually showed up, at least in relation to the main cast. Dan Butler's Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe, host of the Gonzo Sports Show, is the most-featured of these supporting characters, showing up in 53 episodes across the 11 seasons, while Tom McGowan's station manager Kenny Daly clocks in at 42 episodes. Slightly behind those two KACL stalwarts, Edward Hibbert's restaurant critic, Gil Chesterton, appeared in 28 episodes, while Patrick Kerr's Noel Shempsky showed up in just 21.

Now, all the "Frasier" revival needs to do in order to not be such a bittersweet return to the world of Dr. Crane is bring in more of these classic characters, help them get their numbers up, and become a much more authentic "Frasier" in the process.