A New Binge

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 During the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, we found ourselves joining millions of others who passed time by binge-watching television shows.

 

 One of our first was Cheers, a show that aired from 1982 to 1993.  It was one of our favorites during the first years of our marriage.  When we completed the last of the 275 episodes, we wanted to move on with Frasier, a spin-off featuring one of the barflies featured in the show.

 

 At that time it wasn't available on a streaming service we could access, so we waited.  When the series was re-booted in the fall of 2023 on Paramont+, we tried again.

 

We're 18 episodes into season five (of eleven), or the 90th of 264 shows.  Frasier stands up better in 2023 than Cheers.  Attitudes and what makes people laugh today can make binging Cheers somewhat cringy.

The situations with Fraiser living with his widowed, injured in the line of duty dad and a hapless brother make me laugh, usually several times a show.  Radio producer Roz, Fraiser's agent Bebe, and his father's live-in healthcare worker, Daphne balance the show and broaden the situations that can be mined for comedy.

 

One of the reasons I enjoy Fraiser is that while he is a Psychiatrist, he is on Seattle radio station KCAL as a talk-show host.  Many of the situations are far-fetched but there are believable plots that ring true from my several years in radio.

You can find Fraiser on Paramont+, Amazon Prime, and Hulu (among others, including over the air re-runs).  I hope you enjoy it.