Stars: David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves, Kelsey Grammer, Peri Gilpin, John Mahoney

Summary: With its witty dialogue, sophisticated character development, and classic slapstick situations, FRASIER is perhaps best described as the thinking man's FRIENDS. Taking centre stage is pompous radio psychiatrist Dr Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), whose phone-in show serves as much an outlet for his neuroses, as it does a public service for the people of Seattle. Clever intersecting storylines feature a brilliant ensemble cast, including his prim and proper brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce), their gruff retired-cop father Martin (John Mahoney), live-in home care worker Daphne (Jane Leeves), brassy radio producer Roz (Teri Gilpin), and a charismatic Jack Russell terrier named Eddie, with whom Frasier has regular staring contests but never wins. This collection includes every episode from the show's eleventh series.

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Midway through Frasier's redemptive final season (which earned Emmys for Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce), Martin Crane (John Mahoney) reassures his son, "Just when you think that you're in a rut and nothing exciting will ever happen again, pow, that's when it does." The same could have been said of Frasier's redemptive final season. Not that the multi-Emmy-honored series had ever really jumped the couch, but by its 11th season, it had lost some of its sparkle. And then, POW! Veteran Frasier writers Christopher Lloyd and Joe Keenan return to the fold. POW! Wendie Malick joins the seamless ensemble as brash lounge singer Ronee Lawrence, who becomes a love interest for Martin. POW! Daphne (Jane Leeves), underutilised since her marriage to Niles, becomes pregnant. POW! Frasier opens his own private practice. POW! Laura Linney guest stars as Charlotte, who becomes the hapless Frasier's own Miss Right. The series also benefited greatly from a stellar roster of character actors, who rose to the occasion of this gold standard series' final year. Penny Johnson (24), Sarah Silverman (School of Rock), and Dan "Homer Simpson" Castellaneta christen Frasier's couch in the episode, "The Return of Maris." Jennifer Tilly is at her ditzy, delectable best as a pick-up in "Miss Right Now." Laurie Metcalf replaces Emma Thompson as Frasier's first wife, children's entertainer Nanny G, in "Caught in the Act." Always welcome are Bebe Neuwirth as Lilith ("Guns 'N Neuroses") and Harriet Sansom Harris as Frasier's unscrupulous agent Bebe (the series finale, "Goodnight, Seattle").

But Frasier was never about stunt casting. It's the writing, stupid, which, actually, was anything but. Episodes such as "Boo," "The Doctor Is Out," "Coots and Ladders," and "Caught in the Act" recapture Frasier's unique blend of wit and farce. The series finale, in which relationships take a significant turn and Frasier finally breaks out of that rut to follow his heart, is as satisfying as fans could wish. --Donald Liebenson

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Release Date:	September 15, 2008
Runtime:	509 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P H E 9626
Keywords:	English, Comedy, General, Series, Radio, Cheers, Frasier, Sitcom, Psychiatry
Genre:	Comedy