Comfort watches are a mainstay of the pandemic—old television and movies one can revisit over and over again. And for a few writers on The Atlantic’s culture team, that go-to watch has been the 1990s sitcom Frasier.

Megan Garber, Sophie Gilbert, and Spencer Kornhaber debate why, despite its problems, Frasier holds up remarkably well (especially compared to more cringe-inducing contemporary shows like Friends and Seinfeld). What exactly explains its enduring appeal?

Frasier is a show whose tastes are very much of its time. (See: Niles Crane’s lapels.) But in a uniquely ‘90s end-of-history kind of way, the sitcom wrings its comedy from class tension while also existing in a strangely post-partisan world. 

That lack of politics can seem like fantasy to a viewer in 2022, but its treatment of identity is fantastical as well. Frasier is a comedy about class that elides race and, often, sexuality. (Is this a show for—or even about—gay men?) The trio breaks down the legacy of the sitcom today, shares favorite moments, and debates whether Frasier is the worst or best character on his own show.

Further reading:

Megan Garber: Frasier Has Always Had a Maris Problem

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