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Kelsey Grammer Earns Nearly $2 Million Per Episode of ‘Frasier’ Reboot: ‘Turned His Back’ on OG Cast
Kelsey Grammer is doing the happy dance as his revived, streaming version of Frasier is expected to be renewed for a third season imminently, TV bosses believe he could keep it going another 10 years with or without the involvement of his former costars, a source exclusively tells Closer.
“The really interesting thing about this show is how Kelsey just turned his back on both his original Frasier cast and the many surviving actors from Cheers, building this version of the show with a lot of new faces and costars who frankly charge a lot less for their services than TV legends like Ted Danson or David Hyde Pierce,” the insider says of the unofficial development.
“You’re never going to see Woody Harrelson guest star on this version of Frasier like he did in the original series because it’s not in the budget and they’re watching every penny on this show,” the insider adds.
That said, the tight budget has “allowed Kelsey to personally earn around $2 million an episode for the show,” according to the source.
The number may be high, but the source noted that “nobody who is actually working on this revival has a problem” with the decision because Kelsey, 69, is a “hard worker and shows up with a smile on his face and ready to make a fool of himself to get the laugh.”
“He’s played this character since the ‘80s and he still never misses a step and is incredibly smooth and fun to work with,” the insider continues. “He’s also surrounded by actors on this new version of the show who are excited to be there and see this series as their big break, which makes it a very happy and enthusiastic workplace.”
The source says the third season is “looking like a lock and it’s going to be fun to see if Kelsey and the gang can really go the distance on this show and turn it into a true streaming mainstay.”
“They’re paying Kelsey a fortune but so far, he’s living up to his end of the bargain and leading the show to a lot of success,” the source says.
The Frasier revival debuted in October 2023 on Paramount+ and season 2 premiered in September.
Kelsey and some of the showrunners chatted with ScreenRant in September, sharing their ideas about possible locations for season 3, if confirmed.
“One area is that we haven’t yet taken advantage of the fact that Fraser is back in Boston, and that is where Cheers took place,” showrunner Chris Harris told the outlet. “So, there’s a whole group of characters. Obviously, Bebe was part of that. Lilith, but we’d love for Frasier to run into somebody along the way at some point.”
Kelsey, for his part, shared thoughts that ran through his head and additional location ideas, including Crystal Springs and The Mulvihill Wine Cellar.
“It’s just something that came in my head, which won’t destroy anybody’s ideas of what the show should be,” Kelsey told the outlet.
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