The Frasier Revival Just Made History By Bringing Back This Cheers Star
When we last saw Bebe Neuwirth's Lilith Sternin, she was gazing affectionately at her ex-husband, Frasier Crane, as he left her hotel room. Season 11, episode nine of "Frasier" aired some 20 years ago and saw the titular psychiatrist set up on a blind date with his ex-wife without realizing it. As had happened so many times before, the pair ended up in bed together, before departing on a rather sweet note. As Frasier leaves he remarks, "We do have our baggage don't we? But then sometimes that's what makes the trip so interesting."
The scene ends with both Frasier and Lilith looking longingly after one another, knowing they have a deep bond but can never make a real relationship work. Touching stuff, really. But then, "Frasier" always managed to pull off heartfelt moments, blending them with comedy to create the magic we all remember.
Fast-forward to 2023 and Frasier has once again come face-to-face with his erstwhile lover. Episode seven of the "Frasier" revival series sees the return of Lilith, again portrayed by Neuwirth who has played the character since she first appeared in a 1986 episode of "Cheers." Throughout the original "Frasier," Lilith made a total of 12 appearances, and felt like a consistent presence in the doctor's life. As such, her return in "Frasier" 2023 has been one of the show's most anticipated guest appearances. Now it's happened, and the series has made TV history with Lilith's cameo.
But for those of us who remember the sweet farewell that Frasier and Lilith shared during their last encounter, something about her return in the new "Frasier" just seems... off.
Across the Frasier-verse
Throughout 11 seasons of "Frasier," Lilith was living in Boston with her and Frasier's son, Freddy. The new series sees the titular doctor back in Beantown trying to reconnect with a now-adult Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott). As such, Lilith's appearance was all but guaranteed simply by virtue of the new show's setting and premise. But Bebe Neuwirth's return to the role in 2023 is more than your average guest appearance — it's surely one of the most significant moments in sitcom history.
With her appearance in episode seven of "Frasier" 2023, Lilith has now shown up in three separate shows set in the same universe, starting with "Cheers" all the way back in 1986. After becoming a series regular on that beloved paragon of the sitcom genre, Lilith became a recurring character on "Frasier" during its run from 1993-2004, and has now returned in 2023 for the revival show. That means her cameo in episode seven was nearly four decades in the making.
Whatever you think of the latest iteration of "Frasier," this is a clear demonstration of just how unique the Frasier-verse is in television history. With Lilith, as with Frasier himself, you have a character that has endured 40 years, three series, three networks, and many narrative twists. But there's more. "Frasier" was produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee, who also created "Wings" — another show set in the "Cheers" universe without being a direct spinoff. In Season 3, Episode 16, which aired a year before "Frasier" debuted, the doctor and his then-wife made an appearance on "Wings," meaning Lilith as a character has actually appeared across four separate shows in her almost 40-year on-screen history — and that's not counting the Dr. Pepper commercial.
40 years of Frasier
Is "Frasier" the only show to have established such a wide-ranging, series-spanning universe? In terms of sitcoms, it's one of the most unique in that respect. The only comparison worth making in that sphere is "All In The Family," which spawned five sitcom spin-offs between 1972 and 1994. If you include the shows that spun off from the spin-offs, "All In The Family" was actually responsible for seven shows overall. There were obviously character crossovers in that 20-year run, too, but none of this rivals Bebe Neuwirth's Lilith in terms of the number of shows and length of time the character has been on our screens.
The only other show that can claim to have established as comprehensive an on-screen universe as "Frasier" over that many years is "Star Trek." Originally premiering in 1966, the initial show has famously birthed a whole slew of spin-off series that are far more numerous than anything spawned by "Cheers." From "Star Trek: The Next Generation," which debuted in 1987, to "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" in 1993, and "Star Trek: Voyager" in '95, right through to the new Alex Kurtzman-led shows, there's really no competition when it comes to spin-offs and ever-expanding shared TV universes. Then, of course, there are the many "Law and Order" shows.
But again, in the sitcom space, "Frasier" and its related shows really have set themselves apart with its almost 40-year story of the titular doctor and his former wife. Aside from other "Cheers" alum, Lilith is the only character who has accompanied Frasier from his bar-dwelling days in Boston to his new life in Seattle, and now his return to Beantown.
Serpent!
With "Frasier" 2023, it seems the writers are trying to both rekindle the magic of the old series while simultaneously evolving our favorite pretentious psychiatrist. The result occupies a space somewhere in between the two, which has so far made "Frasier" 2023 neither disappointing nor remarkable. Episode seven is no different. The "Frasier" reboot teased Lilith's return in episode 4, when Dr. Crane answers an unheard trivia question with, "My ex-wife Lilith! I'm sorry, I mean the Arctic Circle." That was an intriguing answer if only for the fact that it hinted at a relationship that, since Lilith and Frasier's last rendezvous, had perhaps gone sour.
Throughout the original "Frasier," Lilith was given an "ice queen" persona, with characters including Frasier himself, referring to her as some sort of terrifying, ghoulish figure. In season 3, episode 14, for example, Niles (David Hyde Pierce) says, "I usually get some sign when Lilith is in town: dogs forming into packs, blood weeping down the wall."
That characterization remained throughout the show's run, but often Frasier and Lilith would overcome their lingering animosity and end up in bed together before departing on a sweet note — much like with Lilith's then-final appearance in season 11, which served as the perfect conclusion to the pair's story. So what happened? In episode 7, Frasier refers to his ex as "serpent" and asks, "Who looked in a mirror and said your name three times?" Sure, the pair come together by the end, but it just feels like a retread of better episodes. For Lilith's grand return, it would have been more interesting to see her and Frasier begin on a good note and before some cracks appear in their relationship towards the episode's end, perhaps setting up some ongoing issues for the pair to deal with.