Frasier starring Kelsey Grammer to air on Hallmark Channel

Hallmark Channel has acquired the Emmy winning series Frasier, starring Kelsey Grammer, according to a February 14, 2011 press release from Hallmark. The cable network has acquired all eleven seasons and all 264 episodes of “Frasier” from CBS Television Distribution.  Frasier will launch as early as Monday, April 4, 2011, airing Monday - Friday from 9:00 - 11:00 p.m. ET/PT, 10 C.

 

Frasier is one of the most critically-acclaimed comedy series of all-time and one of television’s most successful spin-off series. Frasier, set in Seattle, was a spin-off of Boston based Cheers. The cast of Frasier includes Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpin and beloved Jack Russell Terrier “Eddie.”

 

Frasier holds the record for the most Emmy wins (37), including five consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series from 1994 to 1998.  “Cheers” and “Frasier” will now be reunited on  Hallmark Channel.

Kelsey Grammer plays radio psychologist Dr. Frasier Crane who moves to Seattle when a life-changing divorce causes him to leave Boston, where he was a regular at the fabled Cheers Bar.  Frasier  starts over in Seattle with a sophisticcated high-rise pad and a new career as a radio talk show host.

 

Dr. Crane (Kelsey Grammer) unexpectedly ends up caring for his crotchety father Martin (John Mahoney), a former Seattle police officer who was hot in the line of duty  andcan no longer care for himself.  Martin brings his beloved dog Eddie to live in the pristine apartment. Frasier also has a teeming sibling rivalry with his younger brother  Dr. Niles  Crane (David Hyde Pierce) who throughout the series will be infatuated with his father’s caregiver Daphne (Jane Leeves).  Peri Gilpin plays Frasier’s quick-witted radio producer Roz. 

“The acquisition of TV’s most award-winning series “Frasier” continues Hallmark Channel’s strategy of acquiring and scheduling iconic, high-quality series with some of TV’s greatest ensemble casts as the perfect balance to the network’s successful movie strategy,” said Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming, Hallmark Channels.

“Hallmark Channel is home to beloved classic series “Golden Girls,” “Cheers” and now “Frasier,” critically-acclaimed programs that appeal tremendously to the network’s prime demographic targets, and we will schedule this sought after program appropriately to maximize its success on our network,” Vicary concluded.

Hallmark Channel, which offers quality family programming, is owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of almost 88million subscribers.  The top tier program service is distributed through more than 5,450 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country.