Frasier - Season 3 [DVD]

RRP: £34.99
Our Price: £24.99 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

With this third season, Frasier scored an impressive hat trick, winning its third successive Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. You don't need too much analysis to get to the bottom of this unprecedented success. The series was a primetime oasis of wit and sophistication, with welcome forays into farce that pricked Frasier's bubble of pomposity. His priceless reactions to the assaults on his dignity are worthy of Jack Benny. Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) can be infuriating, as in "The Focus Group," in which he is obsessed with knowing why a lone focus group participant (guest star Tony Shalhoub) doesn't like him. But he is also endearing in his delusional view of himself as, in the words of one mocking bystander, a "man of the people." Frasier meets his match in new station owner Kate Costas (Oscar-winner Mercedes Ruehl). Their combative relationship turns to lust over the course of the first 10 episodes.

But the season's most pivotal story arc is the separation of Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Maris. "Moon Dance," which marked Grammer's directorial debut, is a series benchmark, as a crestfallen Niles tangos with his unrequited love, Daphne (Jane Leeves), at a high society ball. Not that the Crane family still doesn't have issues to work out. Frasier cannot abide being beaten at chess by Martin (John Mahoney) in "Chess Pains." Frasier and Niles ill-advisedly go into joint practice in "Shrink Rap," and find themselves on the opposite sides of a sanity hearing in "Crane vs. Crane." Lilith is sorely missed, but in this season's blast-from-the-past episode, Shelley Long returns in "The Show Where Diane Comes Back." It is a joy to see Cheers resurrected, if only in Diane's self-absorbed new play, which Frasier agrees to back. And any episode with Frasier's amoral agent Bebe (Harriet Sansom Harris) is must-see television. Frasier's humor was character-based, rather than topical, giving it a longer shelf life. For those who lament the end of one of television's gold standard series, this box set will be excellent therapy. --Donald Liebenson

Frasier has not left the building!
Review date: 2009-09-06 Rating: 10 out of 10

Series three keeps up the excellent standards of series one and two. The writing is simply superb as are the performances. Can they keep this up in later series? (We are latecomers to Frasier, having never before seen the tv series). Whatever the stresses of the day, frasier is guaranteed to make you laugh and forget your problems.

Reviews

A Great Year In The Life Of Frasier Crane & Co.
Review date: 2009-08-05 Rating: 10 out of 10

Season Three brings romance for Frasier and Daphne, and if memory serves, the super popular episode Moondance, where Niles and Daphne share their first kiss.

Frasier falls for his new boss, the thrilling antagonist, Kate Costas. Of all his romances, this was the most poignant. Daphne finds love with building contractor Joe - a relationship that threatens to disrupt the household. Martin Crane gets his chance to shine with the composition of a song for Sinatra that works its way into a eulogy. There's much more, as you'll see.

Frasier's new haircut proclaims the truth: Cheers is dead, long-live Cafe Nervosa!

ANOTHER FANTASTIC SERIES
Review date: 2008-09-17 Rating: 10 out of 10

Series 3 starts off in fine form, with the episode She's the Boss. For me star of the show is Niles, with his continued obsession with Daphne. This is a must buy :)

Cooking with Gas
Review date: 2008-04-22 Rating: 10 out of 10

Frasier series Two was great but series Three lifts the bar further. It really is matchless comedy. The scripts are razor sharp and the timing superb. In series two you begin to notice David Hyde-Pearce's brilliance as Niles; that trend continues in series three. More than any other actor in the series he really lifts the episodes he is in. Dare I say that the best Frasier episodes are the ones where Niles has a leading role ? Certainly "Moon Dance" in this set is a strong contender for best ever episode. A great great series of Frasier.

Good mental health!
Review date: 2008-03-25 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is the first Frasier season that I bought on DVD and it was worth every penny. These are 24 episodes of situation comedy that just doesn't get better (unless you count some of the other seasons).

The series begins with a new, female, station manager at the KACL radio station (She's The Boss). She also happens to be more than a match for Frasier in sharp-wittedness. This brings Frasier down to Earth and leads to some awkward and funny moments for Frasier (Sleeping with the Enemy & The Adventures of Bad Boy and Dirty Girl).

Niles' story also develops significantly during this season. His marriage to the never-seen Maris is now well and truly on the rocks (The Last Time I saw Maris) and his infatuation with Daphne reaches new levels (Moon Dance). Bebe Glazer makes another welcome appearance as the unscrupulous and manipulative agent from hell (Where There's Smoke, There's Fired). As tradition we also get a re-union with a "Cheers" character, with Diane Chambers paying Frasier a visit.

The only negative comment I can make is that there are hardly any extras on this DVD box-set. I personally wasn't disappointed by this but others may feel differently.

After finishing this series (it took only a week) I was left with the difficult choice of watching earlier or later seasons; I did both!

Product Details/Specifications

Actor(s):
Kelsey Grammer
David Hyde Pierce

Creators:
Kelsey Grammer (Primary Contributor)
David Hyde Pierce (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: Paramount Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment
EAN: 5014437925534
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 4
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2004-09-06
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 720 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)