Fan Favorites: The Best of Frasier

The phenomenon of "fan favorites" always seems a bit dubious to me, just another marketing strategy. But CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount recently conducted a Facebook poll on seven of its popular classic programs (Cheers, Happy Days, Frasier, The Odd Couple, Hogan's Heroes, The Honeymooners, and MacGyver) to determine what would be included on these Fan Favorite DVD releases. These are no-frills editions for only the most casual viewer (each of these shows is readily available in complete seasons and/or series editions), so if you already own the previous, and more complete, releases--this really adds nothing to the discussion. These bargain priced entries, therefore, might appeal to newer viewers who wish to sample a program or to someone who just wants a few episodes of their favorite show for those rainy days with nothing better going on.

However, as the number of episodes and which ones are not being provided (as of 2/28/12), I thought I'd give a rundown to the interested parties about what is included on each DVD set.

Frasier: In Dolby Digital English Stereo with English SDH subtitles
(1) Midwinter Night's Dream (Season One, Episode 17): Niles tries to spice things up with Maris in the bedroom, but fails miserably and is thrown together with Daphne inadvertently.
(2) Frasier Crane's Day Off (Season One, Episode 23): An ill Frasier feels threatened about someone else doing his radio show, and when Niles succeeds--Frasier can't handle it.
(3) Daphne's Room (Season Two, Episode 17): Try knocking! Wandering into Daphne's room unannounced, Frasier gets a big surprise.
(4) Moon Dance (Season Three, Episode 13): Daphne teaches Niles to dance for a society date, and the two grow closer.
(5) The Two Mrs. Cranes (Season Four, Episode 1): Daphne masquerades as Nile's wife to put off a former love.
(6) Ham Radio (Season Four, Episode 18): Frasier attempts to launch an old-fashioned radio drama but his controlling demeanor may be his undoing.
(7) Ski Lodge (Season Five, Episode 14): Winner of the Facebook poll as favorite episode is a sexual farce as various couples pair off in a slapstick masterpiece set in a lodge cabin.
(8) Three Valentines (Season Six, Episode 14): Three different stories highlight this holiday episode.

Of course, I love Frasier. It is easily one of the best shows on television and these are some very good episodes. However, I think the show in context will always be stronger than randomly selected episodes. KGHarris, 2/12.

This interesting set of Frasier episodes represents a pretty good collection of shows from one of the funniest sit-coms ever produced. While I do not agree with all the selections, there are good enough to entice those who have only seen a few episodes to have some real gems for their collection.

The episodes presented on this economically priced DVD are;

Midwinter Night's Dream (S1): Nile's failed attempt to spice things up with Maris leads to Daphne being trapped in his home during a strong storm when the power fails.

Frasier Craine's Day Off (S1): Frasier, suffering under an intense flu, decides to go back to his show anyway with disasterous results.

Daphne's Room (S2): Frasier looks for his book in Daphne's room and gets more than he bargained for.

Moon Dance (S3): Niles takes Daphne out for dancing to impress his friends.

The Two Mrs. Cranes (S4): Daphne has Niles pretend to be her husband much to his delight.

Ham Radio (S4): Frasier's attempt to pull off a radio play goes horribly wrong.

Ski Lodge (S5): The Fraiser gang hole up at a Ski Lodge while attempting to get into each other's pants.

Three Valentines (S6): Niles, Frasier, Daphne and Martin have their own Valentine adventures.

It's difficult to argue with any of the episodes listed on their own, though "The Two Mrs. Cranes" is probably the weakest of the bunch while the "Three Valentines" is pretty much forgettable save for Niles' scene, a perfect, nearly wordless bit of comic gold with Eddie looking on as Niles nearly destroys Frasier's apartment. "Daphne's Room" however, is one of those subtly great choices that all Frasier fans should see, it's simply hilarious.

What's important to remember is that this list is not considered a "Best of" but simply the winning entries in a fan poll. So given that, it does excuse to a certain extent superior episodes that were left out such as "The Doctor is Out". However, "The Matchmaker" from Season 2 was the first Frasier episode to be considered an instant classic and is hilarious from start to finish, how the fans didn't put this one in is surprising indeed.

Overall, a person who wants to see more of the best Frasier episodes is risking very little by purchasing this collection. I would suggest that if they like what they see, the next step should be purchasing Season 2 of Frasier, which is one of the best overall seasons of any sit-com, ever.

This is great when you don't want or have the time to look up a favorite
episode. The laughs are still as fresh as the first time you saw it!