Flashback Friday: Frasier (1993 to 2004)

Every decade has its own iconic media.

In the 1990s, one of those television shows was Frasier. A spinoff of Cheers, the show followed Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) as he returned to his hometown of Seattle. Working as a radio host/psychotherapist, he dispensed advice to listeners.

While being the guru for those who called into his show, his personal life was a bit messier. Among those who he dealt with outside of work were his equally neurotic younger brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and their father Martin (the late John Mahoney). Adding a female voice to the mix was his producer Roz Doyle (Peri Gilpin) and their housekeeper Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves).

I never really watched it back in the day. On the rare instances when I did watch, I found it mildly appealing. There was an intellectual bent to the comedy that made it more than the average sitcom. Obviously, there was enough of an audience to keep Frasier on the air for 11 years, but I wasn’t among them.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

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Flashback Friday: Osmosis Jones (2001)

The buddy comedy genre is one that is both limited in scope, but also, if done in a certain way, can go beyond the traditional boundaries.

The 2001 film, Osmosis Jones combines live action and animation. Frank DeTorre’s (Bill Murray) life has turned upside down since his wife passed. His emotional response to her loss is to overeat and not take care of himself. Inside his body, Osmosis “Ozzy” Jones (Chris Rock) is a white blood cell cop who is just a little too enthusiastic about his job. When Frank contracts a virus named Thrax (Laurence Fishburne), he has to work with new partner Drix (David Hyde Pierce). They try to get along, but like any new partnership, it takes time to find its sweet spot.

This movie is funny, charming, and takes the buddy cop comedy genre to a level in which audiences have not seen before. It is also a lesson in biology that teaches more about our bodies than we ever learned in school.

Do I recommend it? Yes.