Cheers Cast Emma Thompson As A Nanny Long Before She Became Nanny McPhee
Last year, Frasier Crane returned to TV screens in the "Frasier" revival series. While it struggled to capture the magic of the original series, "Frasier" 2023 certainly had some high points. The festive season finale was one of the better Christmas episodes, and the show handled the passing of Martin Crane actor John Mahoney beautifully. Then there were the guest stars, which included actress Peri Gilpin, who played Frasier's producer on the original sitcom, and Bebe Neuwirth, who played Lilith Sternin on both "Frasier" and "Cheers."
Lilith debuted in the 1986 "Cheers" episode "Second Time Around," becoming a series regular and eventually starting a relationship with Kelsey Grammer's Frasier before the pair got married. By the end of the series they had broken up, and when "Frasier" debuted in 1993 the titular doctor had moved to Seattle while Lilith stayed in Boston with her and her ex-husband's son, Freddy. Still, Lilith remained a recurring character on "Frasier" during its 1993-2004 run and came back once again for her aforementioned revival series cameo.
Though Frasier has always been unlucky in love, Lilith is the closest thing he's had to a great, decades-long love story. Even though the pair separated, they would frequently end up in bed together throughout "Frasier," and maintained a genuine affection for one another throughout. As such, it may come as a surprise for those who aren't as familiar with "Cheers" as they are "Frasier" that Lilith was, in fact, not Frasier's first wife. No, the good doctor was actually married long before he even set foot in the Cheers bar — to Emma Thompson, no less. Well, to Nanny Gee, technically. Allow me to explain.
Frasier's first wife
It's strange to think of the monumental sitcom "Cheers" struggling to gain traction, but the show almost had dismal ratings in it first season. Thankfully, the sitcom managed to maintain, and soon became the juggernaut of the genre we all know it as today. So popular was the show that it attracted an embarrassingly comprehensive array of guest stars, from John Cleese to even President Bill Clinton himself (at least, it would have if Bill hadn't backed out of his finale cameo at the last second). One particularly interesting example, though, was Emma Thompson's guest appearance.
The "Nanny McPhee" star appeared towards the end of the series' run, guest starring in season 10, episode 16, "One Hugs, the Other Doesn't." In the 1992 episode, Sam (Ted Danson) takes Frasier, Lilith, and Freddy to a show starring children's entertainer Nanny Gee (Thompson) for Freddy's second birthday. At the show, it's revealed that Nanny Gee is in fact Nanette Guzman, Frasier's first wife who, unbeknownst to Lilith, he married and divorced during his medical school years.
Things get awkward when Nanette greets her ex-husband with a kiss. Of course, Lilith isn't all that thrilled about this development, but Nanette offers to perform at Freddy's private birthday party to make amends. At the party, however, Nanette professes her enduring love for Frasier in front of the entire bar and all its guests before Lilith physically attacks her, leading to a barroom scrap between the two. Some time later, Frasier apologizes to his wife, who forgives him before Woody (Woody Harrelson) brings the pair a present left by Nanette. Inside is a Nanny Gee doll that recites her number, leading Lilith to rip its head off.
Nanny Gee would return, Emma Thompson would not
The same year she appeared on "Cheers", Emma Thompson won an Oscar for Best Actress in period drama "Howards End," and would go on to win another Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for 1995's "Sense and Sensibility." It's safe to say, then, that the actress' "Cheers" cameo came at a time when her career was really taking off, and by the time Nanette Guzman returned to the world of Frasier Crane, Thompson was off doing much bigger things.
Nanny Gee showed up in season 9 of "Frasier," portrayed by Dina Spybey in a dream sequence that sees Dr. Crane confront his former loves. Then, in season 11, Nanette arrives in Seattle, this time played by Laurie Metcalf, and tries to seduce Frasier, revealing her distaste for the Nanny Gee character and asking the doctor if he knows what it's like to "play the same character for twenty years" — a sly reference to Kesley Grammer's tenure in the lead role.
Meanwhile, Thompson would go on to portray Nanny McPhee in the 2005 comedy fantasy of the same name and its 2010 sequel. This later Thompson nanny was a far cry from the unctuous children's entertainer in "Cheers," and managed to teach her wards much better life lessons than "it's okay to go after a married man at his infant son's birthday party." But "Nanny McPhee" is just one small highlight in a truly illustrious career for Thompson, who in 2022 delivered a magnetic performance in the intimate drama "Good Luck to You, Leo Grande" and has an action thriller called "The Fisherwoman" lined up next. That likely means Thompson won't be guest-starring in the recently-announced second season of the "Frasier" revival, but you never know.