Frasier fans react to Niles 'lusting' after Daphne and call it 'too controversial for 2024'

Virgin Radio

2 Aug 2024, 12:17

Frasier fans have had their say on the relationship between Niles Crane and Daphne Moon – and believe that their awkward pairing 'wouldn’t work' if the series came out on TV today.

The much-loved sitcom, which blew up the small screen between 1993 and 2004, starred Kelsey Grammer as radio psychiatrist Frasier Crane with the formerly-married Niles (David Hyde Pierce) obsessed with Daphne (Jane Leeves).

Viewers have clocked some toe-curling moments from the past 20 years and questioned whether the love story between the two would ever see the light of day. Awkward scenes include Niles 'lusting' after his dad’s physical therapist, asking her to try on dresses for his wife and smelling her hair 'without her consent'.

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A fan on the Frasier Reddit page asked: "Which episodes do y'all think would be too controversial for 2024?"

One viewer commented: "Niles’ infatuation with Daphne would probably not be received well today especially with how blatant it is to the audience."

Another agreed: "Great point. The hair smelling in particular would be very not-okay today."

A third posted: "They couldn’t do the Niles and Daphne story in general. People just aren’t going to find a Nice Guy and his parasocial love charming anymore."

A fourth wrote: "100% agree. Isn’t it crazy, the best parts of the show included Niles lusting after Daphne and it wouldn’t even be allowed to be made today."

"Honestly the whole Niles and Daphne storyline, he could come across as very creepy in the beginning (sniffing her hair, watching her as she bends down and just obsessing over her in general) people would have a big problem with that if it aired today," noticed a fifth.

The long-running storyline of Niles’ crush on Daphne finally came to a happy conclusion at the end of season seven. The duo went onto marry in the series finale and have a son, David, who is part of the new Paramount+ series revival.

Writer and executive producer Joe Keenan previously told Metro.co.uk: "Nothing stands out to me.

"I’m sure if you go on a [forum], you’ll find people who find that moment didn’t age well… If there are, I don’t think it’s more than a couple of things that we might not have done if we’d been doing the show today.

"But in all honestly, I don’t go back and watch it that much. You’re focused on the next thing all the time, I don’t know if I have to go back and relive my glory days.

"I don’t know, if I watched it more often, I might find things."

Friends star Lisa Kudrow has opened up about the “devastating” moment she was “fired” from Frasier.

Kudrow was first set to star as one of the leads in Frasier before she was cast as Phoebe Buffay in the famous 90s show.

The actress was going to play producer Roz Doyle on the Cheers spin-off show, but the role ended up being played by Peri Gilpin after the Friends actress-to-be was scrapped from the show before they’d even filmed the pilot.

“I was trying to like [ask], 'What can I do?' But I think they did make a casting mistake with me, because it [eventually] went to the network with Peri Gilpin. I think they were just correcting a mistake. 'Cause Peri should have always been Roz,” she shared.

Watch Frasier season 1 on Paramount+.