Every Season Of Frasier Ranked Worst To Best

To be considered amongst the best sitcoms of all time, it has to have that rewatchability factor — you can put on an episode any time, any place, and it will have you laughing throughout. "Frasier" absolutely has this because the dialogue is so sharp and endlessly quotable. The characters shouldn't be likable — the two central brothers, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Niles (David Hyde Pierce), are rich know-it-alls. But surrounding them with Martin, Daphne, and Roz means that their pomposity is constantly pricked, and they remain warm and endearing despite their many flaws and foibles.

If there were some kind of "Hall of Fame" for television casting, "Frasier" absolutely deserves to be there. Just the casting of Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce as brothers alone is perfection, but all the core characters and so many of the supporting roles and guest stars are just so brilliantly cast. In fact, Frasier's dates and girlfriends alone make up a large sub-section of the cast that the show gets absolutely right — Felicity Huffman's horrendous Julia, Jean Smart as old flame Lana, Mercedes Ruehl as boss lady Kate, Lisa Edelstein as hippy Caitlin, Amy Brenneman as Faye, the list goes on.

Narrowing down the best episodes and seasons of "Frasier" is tricky because it's so strong throughout its 11 seasons (so far, a revival is apparently on the way). This was no mean feat, but somehow, we've ranked the seasons of "Frasier" — from worst to best.

In Seasons 9 and 10, the "Frasier" writers made the unfortunate decision to introduce Daphne's brother Simon (Anthony LaPaglia) and her mother Gertrude (Millicent Martin) as recurring characters. But it's in Season 10 that Gertrude really overstays her welcome with Niles, Daphne, and the audience.

Despite this, the 10th season does have a few highlights, including a surprisingly tender and heartfelt dramatic episode called "Rooms with a View," which finds Niles in hospital, reflecting on his past and considering his possible futures. It also has a great Halloween episode called "Tales from the Crypt," in which Frasier pranks Bulldog. Good episodes at the radio station involving the wider supporting cast of eccentrics such as Gil and Noel are not as plentiful as one might hope, but Dan Butler's Bulldog was the best of the lot. 

And the best of the season has to be "Door Jam," where Niles and Frasier attend an exclusive day spa, only to realize that there are even more exclusive rooms hidden behind golden and platinum doors ("Please remain in the relaxation grotto — have crueler words ever been spoken?!"). Away from Gertrude Moon, plenty of laughs can still be found.

While Season 2 doesn't have many classic episodes, as the show is still finding its feet, it does contain a strong contender for the best "Frasier" episode of all time. Before we get to that, Harriet Sansom Harris deserves praise for her magnificent performance as Frasier's immoral agent Bebe Glazer, who gets a chance to stretch her deliciously evil muscles in "Agents in America." 

Another great episode is "Daphne's Room," which features something that "Frasier" does best — farce. The best "Frasier" episodes could be plays and revolve around misunderstandings and physical comedy in a limited location (usually Frasier's apartment). In this episode, Frasier makes repeated transgressions into Daphne's room until it culminates with all three Crane men flapping about (plus Eddie ends up with a bra in his mouth).

But there is one episode that rises head and shoulders above the rest, and it's "The Innkeepers." Niles and Frasier hatch an ill-advised scheme to open a restaurant together and recruit Martin, Daphne, and Roz to ensure the opening night goes smoothly. "You're not being asked to do anything that none of us hasn't done before, in our own kitchens in our own homes! Quick, Niles, kill five eels!" is a classic line, and the physical comedy peaks with Roz flambeeing the cherries jubilee ... and herself. This episode would be near the top of the list if you were introducing someone to "Frasier" for the first time and wanted to persuade them of its greatness.

After the disappointing drop in quality seen in Seasons 8 through 10, things are thankfully pulled back in Season 11, just in time for the series finale. Daphne's infuriating family is finally out of the way, and just enough time is left to introduce a new love interest for Frasier — Charlotte (Laura Linney) — so we can be invested in them ending up together. "And Frasier Makes Three" is the episode where Frasier ends up (kind of) accidentally dating both Charlotte and her environmentalist boyfriend Frank (Aaron Eckhart), who is brilliantly funny.

Other highlights of the season include "Boo!", where Frasier dresses as a clown and gives Martin a heart attack, and "Caught in the Act," when Laurie Metcalf guest-stars as Frasier's rampantly horny ex-wife — children's entertainer Nanny G. And then there's "The Doctor Is Out," which guest-stars Patrick Stewart as an opera director who starts courting Frasier. It's also the episode in which Frasier ends up in a gay bar wearing Niles' extra-small tennis shorts and ordering a sherry from his furniture polisher.

It goes without saying that "Goodnight, Seattle," the two-part series finale, is an emotional wringer. It was the right call to have Martin find happiness with Ronee (the fabulous Wendie Malick) — as well as Niles and Daphne, of course — leaving Frasier with little reason to remain in his beloved apartment. A fitting end for the characters we came to love over the decade they were in our homes.

Season 5 is another mid-series gem for "Frasier." At this point, the characters have had enough time to embed with each other (before things go off the rails with the introduction of Daphne's family). The season shows that much of the humor and farce in "Frasier" surrounds dating and sex, and particularly Frasier's relentless bad luck at finding love.

There is "Frasier's Imaginary Friend," where he dates a supermodel zoologist, and no one believes him. Then there's "Room Service," in which the unthinkable happens, and Niles and Frasier's ex-wife Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) sleep together. The ultimate sex farce, however, is "The Ski Lodge," in which "lust courses through the lodge and hormones virtually ricochet off the walls in every direction," from Daphne and her friend Annie to the French ski instructor Guy, and then Niles ... but none lands on poor Frasier.

Two episodes manage to find humor in Roz's pregnancy — the Halloween episode, in which Niles (dressed as Cyrano) thinks Frasier has got Daphne pregnant. Then there's "Roz and the Schnoz," where Roz meets the parents of her baby's father, only to discover they both have huge noses, leading to every nose-based pun imaginable. Season 5 is solid "Frasier" and a reminder that it's spicier than you perhaps remember it being. 

In Season 4, "Frasier" hits its peak and rides that wave until Season 8's unfortunate Daphne-based decision. It features banger after banger, with the only slight downside of the season being Martin's girlfriend, Sherry.

The 4th contains the best episode title, "Roz's Kranz and Gouldenstein are Dead," and it has a great Eddie episode, "Death and the Dog," as well as a Bulldog episode, "Love Bites Dog." This season also sees Daphne dating a Niles clone in "Mixed Doubles." One of the undoubted highlights is "A Lilith Thanksgiving," in which Lilith and Frasier are preoccupied with getting Frederick into a prestigious prep school while Niles and Martin do their best to injure the precious boy himself at every turn. It also features "a turkey so underdone a skilled veterinarian could still save it." There's also "Ham Radio," in which Frasier tries to produce an elaborate murder mystery for the radio station. 

This is also the season where Niles moves into the Montana, starting many epic episodes of him throwing disastrous parties, including "To Kill a Talking Bird," where his highly-strung cockatiel gets stuck on his head. And then there's "Are You Being Served," which sees Niles getting "hot and foamy" and is the closest we'll to seeing the cast corpsing on camera. Season 4 is certainly in contention for the best season of "Frasier."