Nicholas Lyndhurst is set "to blow America away" in Frasier, predicts the reboot's co-creator Chris Harris.
The Only Fools and Horses legend plays boozy Harvard academic Alan Cornwall alongside Kelsey Grammer's Dr Frasier Crane in the Paramount Plus series, which lands on October 12 in the US (a day later in the UK).
But while the Rodney Trotter actor is a huge name in Britain, he's much less well known in America and the makers were initially unsure about hiring him despite Kelsey Grammer’s recommendation, according to The Times [paywall].
Harris told the publication: "We were obviously hesitant. We don’t know who this is. But then he came over and he did some lines for the studio and he's a revelation and [we thought], he's going to blow America away."
Explaining why he wanted Lyndhurst in the series, Grammer previously told The Times: "Nick and I fell in love when we were doing 'Man of La Mancha' together [at the London Coliseum in 2019]. I warned them in America. I said: 'Wait until this guy gets here. You’ll be doing a scene with him and suddenly you realize he’s just run off with it.' He’s an extraordinary actor, a dear friend. And I am so pleased he’s part of it."
The plot sees Frasier back in Boston, with his nephew David (Anders Keith), to speak at Harvard, where his old University of Oxford pal Alan is a professor. It also gives Frasier the chance to connect again with his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott), who works for the Boston Fire Department.
It will be hugely interesting to see how the reboot goes down with fans. We will finally find out when Frasier returns on Thursday, October 12, exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US and Canada, with the show debuting in other international markets, including the UK, on Friday, October 13.
The original Frasier ran for more than 200 episodes from 1993 to 2004. Not surprisingly, the legendary comedy made our 100 best TV shows of all time article.
