The 2023 revival of Frasier is no more, with Paramount+ having dropped the series after two seasons, and other platforms unlikely to pick it up any time soon. Kelsey Grammar’s Frasier Crane has had a good run, though, since first appearing on our screens in 1984, as a regular patron of Sam Malone’s bar in Cheers. His own spin-off series subsequently ran for 11 seasons up to 2004, and its two revival seasons are ultimately little more than a charming footnote to the character’s status as a TV legend.

Frasier’s Oxford University pal, Alan Cornwall, on the other hand, can feel slightly aggrieved to have had so little screen time during his friend’s illustrious 22 years of sitcom stardom. Alan effectively served as a replacement for Frasier’s brother Niles, but soon carved out his own niche as an irreverent, heavy-drinking intellectual with an intense dislike for his work. British sitcom giant Nicholas Lyndhurst looked more at home playing Alan than in any other role since his portrayal of Rodney Trotter in Only Fools and Horses. Both he and his character deserved more than Frasier’s sudden cancelation after just 20 episodes.

Why Was Frasier Canceled?

Ultimately, It Wasn't Making A Return On Paramount's Investment

The new iteration of Frasier debuted in 2023 to reasonable viewing figures on CBS (via The Wrap). It came as something of a surprise, then, when streaming service Paramount+ pulled the plug on the show earlier at the start of this year. Since streaming platforms don’t share their viewing figures in the way that Nielsen does for TV ratings, it’s not clear how the series was faring with streaming audiences.

The Frasier reboot has scored highly on Rotten Tomatoes with the audience that actually watched it. However, it’s reasonable to assume that the generally younger demographic who favor streaming services over network television haven’t tuned in to the show's revival in the numbers that Nielsen has reported for its TV ratings. Paramount+ is a streaming service, after all, and is more interested in attracting viewers to its platform than selling sitcoms to CBS.

Moreover, even if the show was attracting a certain viewership on Paramount+, that still doesn’t mean it was cost-effective to produce. Sources from inside the show have claimed that Kelsey Grammar was earning close to $2 million an episode for reviving his beloved central character (via Closer Weekly). The series would have needed to be one of Paramount+’s top performers to make a decent return on this kind of financial investment.

Given that the show didn’t even feature highly in the charts of TV ratings at any point during its run, it’s safe to assume that it wasn’t near the top of the streaming charts either. Paramount obviously didn’t feel the show was as profitable as it had hoped, and didn’t see the value in renewing Frasier for season 3.

Frasier Crane's Story Didn't Really Need To Continue

He's Already Had His Finale

At the same time, the story of Frasier Crane himself appears to have run its course. Frasier already had the perfect series finale back in 2004, with Crane leaving Seattle behind and following his girlfriend Charlotte to Chicago. Frasier moving back to Boston for the revival series initially felt a little superfluous. As its story developed, he busied himself in the lives of the show’s other characters, from Frasier’s son Freddy and nephew David, to his fellow Harvard professors Olivia Finch and Alan Cornwall.

Frasier’s best ing characters have always been integral to what makes the show interesting, and the new ing cast that carries its revival, more than Crane himself. Grammar’s character largely serves as a vehicle for their plotlines, playing against their contrasting traits with his droll sense of humor, middle-class snobbery, and well-meaning neuroses – with which the show’s audience is already familiar. Without Frasier Crane, of course, there would have been no series. But it’s those around him who make it worth watching, particularly in the case of Lyndhurst’s Alan Cornwall.

Alan Cornwall Is The Biggest Reason Frasier Season 3 Should Happen

Nicholas Lyndhurst's Character Was The Heart Of The Revival Show

Alan and Frasier go way back, although Lyndhurst’s character hadn’t appeared in Cheers or Frasier prior to this series revival. Because the two of them went to university, they share a boisterous, brotherly dynamic that goes some way to making up for the absence of Niles Crane in the show. Lyndhurst’s sharp instincts for comic timing is the perfect foil for Grammar’s wit, and the Englishness of his character is suitably hammed up to play off Frasier’s own penchant for elegance. The repartee between the two of them is one of the show’s most obvious highlights.

But Alan Cornwall isn’t just in the series for his comedic value. In season 2, he becomes the heart of the show. Its finale, in which he manages to reconnect with his daughter, is perhaps the most moving moment in any Frasier episode, new or old. It elevates the revival series to new heights, and leaves us wanting to see more of Cornwall and his newly reunited family in a further season. Still, even if there is no season 3, the moment is quite a high for Frasier to go out on.

Sources: The Wrap; Closer Weekly