'Frasier's' Kelsey Grammer Is Reuniting With Patricia Heaton In Season 2, And He Told Us The 'Fantastic' Way It Came Together

Cinema Blend

Separately, Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton have long been established at sitcom heavyweights, with the former having played Frasier Crane in "Cheers" and the "Frasier" spinoff, and the latter having starred in "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "The Middle." But these two have also worked together previously, and we’ll soon see them reunited for a third time on the TV schedule. Heaton will appear in the Paramount+ subscription-exclusive Frasier revival this season, and Grammer told CinemaBlend the “fantastic way” her coming aboard came together.  I had the pleasure of speaking with Grammer for the "Frasier" Season 2 junket, with Peri Gilpin, who’s returning as Roz Doyle following her appearance in the Season 1 finale, seated beside him. Given how far back Grammer goes back with Heaton, I asked him what it like getting to work with her again, as well as if this role had been envisioned specifically for her or if she went through the traditional casting process.

Transcript

00:00Kelsey, you get to reunite with Patricia Heaton this season, following your brief time together on Back to You.

00:05Well, it's a funny story.

00:07It was one of those things where I went and did a Gary Sinise charity event in Nashville.

00:16And as I was waiting for my plane out, I sat at this Nashville bar, and there was a gal there that reminded me of Patty.

00:23And I said, do you ever, anybody ever tell you that, you know, you look like Patty Heaton?

00:28And she said, oh, God, people tell me all the time.

00:31Her mannerisms, everything.

00:32And I suddenly thought, well, Frasier should, like, fall in love with Patty Heaton again.

00:39You know, it's like, because we've now actually been on three shows together.

00:44This one, a brief show she had on a while ago, and then, of course, Back to You, which was the show we thought was going to do pretty well until the writers' strike.

00:54I sat in the office with the guys, and I mentioned this chance meeting with this girl.

00:58It just made me think, oh, what a great idea to have Patty back in my life and to bring her into Frasier's life.

01:05And they said, wow.

01:06They called Adam, who's our manager.

01:10We both have the same manager.

01:12And in five minutes, it was, yeah, she's coming.

01:15So that was fantastic.

01:18All we really knew at the time was, yeah, she'll be a bartender.

01:21They'll meet by chance, and they'll strike up an interest in one another.

01:25So it was great.

01:27Very organic and natural.

01:28She's so funny and so lovely.

01:30And I mean, the very first time I ever met her, it was like 25 years ago, in an elevator at the Ritz-Carlton, doing some sort of show promo thing.

01:37And I just remember thinking, boy, she's really okay.

01:41You know, I like her.

01:42And that's how it all started.

01:45And that's how it all started.

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