The 5 Worst Episodes Of Frasier, Ranked

One of the most remarkable things about "Frasier" is its consistency. When the "Frasier" pilot aired back in 1993, Niles actor David Hyde Pierce thought the episode was "terrible" at first. Oh, how wrong he was. The pilot, entitled "The Good Son," remains an exceptional debut episode in TV history, simply because all the characters arrived fully formed, their dynamics dialed in and their chemistry immediately evident. The writing was as good as it ever got, too, and most importantly, the show demonstrated its commitment to an underlying moral depth right from the off, with Frasier and his father clashing initially before making up in a touching moment that saw John Mahoney's Martin Crane calling into his son's radio show to smooth things over. 

Not content with debuting a show that appeared to have been running like clockwork for years, "Frasier" writers continued to pump out quality over the ensuing 11 seasons. When "Frasier" wrapped up in 2004, it did so with its quality as consistent as ever and its integrity still intact. When you think about how one of, if not the greatest sitcom in TV history, "Friends," finished with a season full of some of the worst episodes in the show's run, it just makes "Frasier" all the more respectable.

That said, the great writing, inimitable ensemble, and Kelsey Grammer's effortless ability to simultaneously play pretentious yet endearing couldn't prevent the series from churning out a few stinkers. Here are five of the worst.

While season 11 of "Frasier" remains remarkable for maintaining the quality of the series more than a decade after it began, that doesn't mean it's perfect. Case in point: "Freudian Sleep." The 14th episode of the season sees Frasier, Niles, Daphne, Martin, and his girlfriend Ronee vacation at a cabin. While there, Frasier, Niles, and Daphne all have nightmares that pertain to their real-world worries, leading them to bicker before Martin steps in to restore peace. The episode ends with Martin's own dream — a performance of "The Sunny Side of the Street."

While the Ski Lodge episode of "Frasier," which similarly saw the gang holed up in a cabin, remains a classic, "Freudian Sleep" falls short of its predecessor's quality. Not that depicting the characters' dreams is a bad idea, but some of the dream sequences feel so outside of what viewers are used to from "Frasier" that they have the effect of making "Freudian Sleep" feel oddly unfamiliar — which, in a show that is about as comfortably familiar as sitcoms get, doesn't make for the best episode.

Niles' dream, in particular, is a slapstick sequence set in an abstract and exaggerated set that feels more akin to a Nickelodeon game show than a "Frasier" scene. What's more, this is the episode where Jane Leeves wears a fat suit and the whole joke appears to be that Daphne is fat in her dream — that's it. By the time Martin appears in a tuxedo for his big song and dance, the feeling that "Frasier" sort of ran out of ideas for this episode begins to set in — which is odd because the rest of this season is actually quite good.

It's a testament to the quality of "Frasier" that one of its worst episodes has plenty to like about it. Season 5, episode 16 sees the titular doctor visited by his Greek cousin, Nikos (Joseph Will), who asks why Frasier isn't attending his wedding. It turns out that his invitation was never sent due to a grudge that his auntie Zora (Patti LuPone) holds against Frasier for once giving Nikos advice not to attend medical school and pursue juggling. Once Frasier manages to patch things up, he, Niles, and Martin are invited to the rehearsal dinner where Martin is keen to reconnect with his brother, Walt (John Mahon). Ultimately, Frasier manages to break up the wedding by advising Nikos to reunite with his ex, prompting Zora to fly into a rage.

While that might not sound all that bad, the real issue with "Beware of Greeks" is that it casually reveals that not only does Frasier have an entire Greek side of his family that we'd never heard about before, but that Martin has a brother who has also been living in Seattle this whole time. What's more, this episode is the first and last time we hear about any of them, making it seem all the more contrived.

"Beware of Greeks" isn't without its charms — Patti LuPone was even nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series back in 1998. But there is a sense that the writers were taking some major liberties by suddenly inventing an entire side of Frasier's family for a single episode. Interestingly enough, the storyline about Frasier advising Nikos to abandon medicine in favor of a career in juggling acts as a vague precursor to the episode of the "Frasier" revival series in which Dr. Crane returns to Seattle and encounters a former caller he advised to follow a career in magic. That particular episode felt like a real missed opportunity, making it somewhat akin to its '90s forerunner.

Yet another example of how even bad "Frasier" isn't really bad "Frasier," season 9 episode 23, "The Guilt Trippers," sees Roz and Frasier sleeping together after Dr. Crane consoles his producer over her ex-boyfriend. While the episode surrounding this calamitous rendezvous is just as high quality as the rest of the show, bringing Frasier and Roz together in this way did have a tinge of desperation to it as if the writers — much like Frasier himself — finally gave in to an impulse they'd managed to resist for years.

By this point, we'd gone nine seasons without Frasier and Roz ending up in bed together, and frankly, we liked it that way. The pair had a kind of brother/sister relationship that could morph into a father/daughter or mother/son relationship depending on which one of the two was being reckless enough to need the other's grounding influence. But what we certainly did not need was such a familial relationship turning sexual.

Look, there are plenty of laughs that emerge out of Frasier and Roz's one-night stand, and Kelsey Grammer and Peri Gilpin do a great job of playing up the awkwardness. But it still feels like when "Friends" tried to make Rachel and Joey a thing, which is to say it felt all wrong. In fact, "The Guilt Trippers" aired in 2002, a year before that awkward "Friends" relationship began, suggesting NBC had a thing for forcing tortured hook-ups into their primetime sitcoms. Still, at least we got this gem of a line from Martin when he greets his son the morning after: "Big story on the front page about how Roz's purse spent the night on the coffee table."

If there's anything that fans of "Frasier" and its uniquely comforting sitcom aura don't need it's the image of cynical exploitation maestro Dr. Phil polluting that very atmosphere. For whatever reason, that's exactly what the producers did with season 10, episode 21 "The Devil and Dr. Phil." From the moment the man's mustachioed visage fills Frasier's TV screen early in the episode, the delicate fantasy of "Frasier" is punctured, and the remainder of the episode is somewhat spoiled by the realization that one of our most beloved sitcoms exists in the same universe as "Dr. Phil" and its brand of exploitative reality TV.

The one saving grace here is that we got a Bebe Glazer (Harriet Sansom Harris) appearance. At first, it seems that Frasier's Machiavellian agent also manages Dr. Phil, which makes sense given Bebe's ruthlessness but also seems to devalue Dr. Crane's integrity somewhat. Thankfully, by the episode's end we learn that Bebe was actually pulling one of her schemes and is not, in fact, Dr. Phil's agent. But by that point, we'd seen enough of Phil McGraw to sour the whole thing anyway. What's more, much like the time Bill Gates showed up in a cameo on "Frasier" just to promote Windows XP, the whole episode feels designed as a promotional stunt more than anything.

Just when "Frasier" fans thought they'd put the whole thing behind them, the "Frasier" revival parodied "Dr. Phil" by turning our beloved psychiatrist into a similarly cynical host of a sensationalist daytime talk show, which might actually be worse than bringing the man himself into the "Frasier"-verse.

Bebe Glazer has proven to be a somewhat divisive guest character on "Frasier," with some fans just unable to take Harriet Sansom Harris' campy, scenery-chewing performance. But even Bebe is no match for Julia Sweeney's Ann Hodges, who is quite possibly the most divisive side character in all of "Frasier" history. Sweeney's unfiltered performance is what irks most viewers, and her, shall we say, expressiveness is on full display in episode 13 of season 11, "The Ann Who Came to Dinner."

At the beginning of the episode, when Roz suggests Frasier go to Ann Hodges for a new home insurance policy, he replies with, "Oh Roz, have you lost your mind? I never want to see that woman again." Which, as it happens, is probably how most viewers felt when Ann's name came up. When the character eventually does appear, she manages to injure herself in Frasier's home, prompting Dr. Crane to fawn over her for the remainder of the episode to avoid a lawsuit.

Is Ann Hodges as grating as many fans claim? It very much depends on your personal taste. If you like hearing what is essentially Kristen Wiig's Target lady voice for a full 23 minutes, then you'll probably like this episode. If not, then it will be a rough ride. On the whole, Ann at least does a very good job at providing the perfectly imperfect partner for Frasier himself, making for some awkward chemistry that certainly achieves its purpose of making Frasier feel uncomfortable. But if we have to choose some worst episodes of a show that never really had its "jump the shark" moment, then this will have to do.