Frasier's Tumultuous History With Blind Dates Explained

Since Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) made his television debut on "Cheers" in 1984, the psychiatrist has cycled through countless romances. It's a point of interest that persists on the recently rebooted "Frasier," in which the now-single titular character finds himself back in Boston. The Paramount+ series doesn't fully delve into his love life until Episode 6, titled "Blind Date."

In the episode, Eve (Jess Salgueiro) sets up Frasier and his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott) on blind dates. When June (June Diane Raphael) arrives at the apartment, the Crane men aren't sure whose date she is. She is fond of art and classical music, but also sports and bar food. It turns out that June is meant to be Freddy's date, but she is interested in Frasier.

At that point, Frasier's actual date, Siobhan (Jacqueline Obradors), arrives at the door. An opera singer armed with a bottle of sherry, she's a perfect match for Fraiser. Frasier gets greedy and hatches a hare-brained scheme so he can date both women, but they overhear his plan and promptly take off. It's the sort of farcical construction that made the original "Frasier" a hit.

When Eve brings up blind dating to Frasier, he blanches at the idea. It's an odd reaction, given the number of times he went on these dates in the original series. For instance, in Season 4's "Love Bites Dog," he agrees to let Roz (Peri Gilpin) set him up with her friend Sharon (Jen Campbell) only for Bulldog (Dan Butler) to swoop in. But the most memorable such arrangement may be the one that took place in the Season 9 episode "Three Blind Dates."

In the aforementioned "Three Blind Dates" episode, Roz (Peri Gilpin), Martin (John Mahoney), and Niles (David Hyde Pierce) each come up with a blind date for Frasier. Roz introduces Frasier to her artist friend, Susanna (Allison Janney), but the pair end up sparring over art-world grievances. Martin's pick, a barfly named Kris (Bridgette Wilson), is more interested in shooting pool with other men. Niles has trouble introducing Frasier to Lisa (Bellamy Young), a bright bookstore owner, but the two end up meeting-cute at the dry cleaners.

Despite Frasier and Lisa's compatibility, she was never heard from again — a fact that still puzzles fans many years later. "Pretty sure that Frasier happened," one fan wrote on Reddit in an effort to explain her absence. "She probably drinks reds with fish or something." 

If "Blind Date" is any indication, Frasier still hasn't mastered the art of the anonymous date on the reboot. More often than not, he gets in his own way. The newer episode doesn't reference Frasier's blind dating experience, but for some fans, it harkened back to a different episode from the original series: Season 5's "The Ski Lodge." A classic sex farce, the episode sees the "Frasier" gang going on a free ski weekend, where rum and hormones are both flowing. Following an evening of missed encounters and hilarious miscommunications, Frasier laments that he's the only person who hadn't been romantically pursued all weekend. 

The end of "Blind Date" flips that ending on its head, with Frasier suddenly the object of multiple women's affection. Even so, he still ends up alone. Maybe a more traditional date would serve him better?