FRASIER: THE SHOW WHERE DIANE COMES BACK (TV)
Summary
One in this comedy series about Frasier Crane, a divorced psychiatrist who lives in Seattle and hosts a phone-in radio show.
Frasier panics when Diane suddenly comes into town and he rushes to discuss the matter with Niles. She is in town to direct a play she has written. He denies that he is still in love with her yet still has unresolved issues with her, especially concerning her leaving him at the altar years ago. Niles encourages him to seek closure with her and move on with his life, but Frasier decides to gloat by inviting her over to dinner and showing off his awards and accomplishments. Diane arrives at his apartment and quickly gets on everyone's nerves as she goes on about her various life experiences. Frasier resolves to reveal his true feelings to her, but before he can she has an emotional breakdown and Frasier speaks to her alone.
She reveals that her life is actually going poorly: she was fired from her job a few months ago and her friends have gradually been leaving her. Furthermore, she just learned that the backer of her play has just rescinded his funding. It was then that she decided to visit Frasier at his radio show, seeking out his help once again. Frasier, feeling sympathy for her, gives her the help she requests. He decides to fund her play himself despite his personal misgivings. After a few weeks Diane and Frasier grow closer once again. She invites him to a dress rehearsal to be the first person to see her play and Frasier accepts. Martin thinks Frasier is falling for Diane again and Frasier doesn't deny it, believing that both he and Diane have changed over the years.
Frasier attends the dress rehearsal and finds that the characters are thinly-disguised versions of the people Frasier knew at Cheers, except with highly exaggerated characteristics. One character, "Franklin," is obviously meant to represent Frasier and grossly exaggerates his intellectualism and analytical behavior. Frasier is incensed when he realizes one of the characters in the play, "Mary Anne," is a stand-in for Diane herself, and is desired and considered to be perfect by the other characters. The last straw comes during a scene when "Franklin" completely forgives "Mary Anne" for leaving him at the altar, a complete reversal of Frasier's attitudes towards the events in real life surrounding Diane. When the actor playing Franklin asks Diane about his character's feelings, Frasier interrupts with an impassioned rant, comparing Diane to a hellish figure and expressing his outrage over her rejecting him before leaving the theater.
Later, Diane is busy rewriting her play when Frasier returns. She tries to apologize for "misleading" him about her play, but Frasier admits that not all of the vitriol he spewed at Diane was deserved. He says he merely needed to admit his true feelings about the incident. Diane decides to return to Los Angeles, and asks for Frasier's help in rewriting the last scene of her play. In giving her lines for her ending, Diane and Frasier convey to each other that they are glad they were in each other's lives and won't forget each other. With a heartfelt goodbye, they go their separate ways. Commercials deleted. This program is closed-captioned.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: February 13, 1996 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:22:40
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:49349
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1993-2004
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Linda Morris … Executive Producer
- Vic Rauseo … Executive Producer
- David Angell … Executive Producer, Created by
- Peter Casey … Executive Producer, Created by
- David Lee … Executive Producer, Created by
- Christopher Lloyd … Executive Producer, Writer
- Steve Levitan … Co-Executive Producer
- Chuck Ranberg … Producer
- Anne Flett-Giordano … Producer
- Maggie Randell … Producer
- Joe Keenan … Co-Producer
- Jack Burditt … Co-Producer
- Mary Fukuto … Co-Producer
- James Burrows … Director
- Glen Charles … Based on the character "Frasier Crane" created by
- Les Charles … Based on the character "Frasier Crane" created by
- Bruce Miller … Music by
- Darryl Phinnessee … Theme Music by
- Kelsey Grammer … Theme Music by, Cast, Dr. Frasier Crane
- Jane Leeves … Cast, Daphne Moon
- David Hyde Pierce … Cast, Dr. Niles Crane
- Peri Gilpin … Cast, Roz Doyle
- John Mahoney … Cast, Martin Crane
- Shelley Long … Cast, Diane Chambers
- John Carroll Lynch … Cast, Franklin
- Cali Timmins … Cast, Mary Anne
- Perry Stephens … Cast, Stan
- Don Sparks … Cast, Mr. Carr
- Googy Gress … Cast, Ned
- Danny Breen … Cast, Clark
- Judith Corber Wexler … Cast, Darla