The original Frasier series made several actors into household names during its celebrated and acclaimed 11-year run. One actor reveals her short-lived stint on the series was so good, she nearly got to star in a spinoff show.

Speaking on Good Morning America, Jean Smart, who played Lana Gardner in the original Frasier, recalled that the creators of Frasier considered doing a spinoff show based on her character, given how popular she was becoming. However, financial reasons were the roadblock that prevented the series from happening. “I was told they were thinking about spinning off her and her son, but they decided it wasn’t feasible financially," she said. "Because not only would they have to pay all the producers of Frasier, they would also have to pay all the producers and creators of Cheers. That’s what I was told."

Lana was one of the titular psychiatrist's many girlfriends in Frasier, first appearing in Season 7, Episode 14, "Big Crane on Campus" in 2000. Though she only featured in seven episodes between Seasons 7 and 9, Smart became one of Frasier's many success stories, winning two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. While the spinoff series never came to fruition, Smart said she had "so much fun" during her time on Frasier.

The New Frasier Series Will Return

The Frasier reboot, recently renewed for a second season by Paramount, could feature more legacy characters after welcoming back Peri Gilpin (Roz Doyle) and Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith Sternin) in Season 1. Star and executive producer Kelsey Grammer has been open about potentially giving Gilpin more screentime in Season 2 and teased bringing back Succession star Brian Cox for a cameo after Cox played Harry Moon in the original. Along with familiar faces from Frasier, Grammer has plugged the potential of having some of his Cheers co-stars in the revival series.

Season 1 of the Frasier reboot saw Grammer alongside several new faces, including Jack Cutmore-Scott, Jess Salgueiro, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Toks Olagundoye and Anders Keith. The series sees Grammer's eponymous character beginning his "third act" as he returns to Boston to take a professorship at Harvard and fix his relationship with his son Freddy (Cutmore-Scott). Grammer stated he wants the reboot series to last at least 100 episodes.

Meanwhile, Smart has gone on to star in several notable shows since Frasier, including The District, Kim Possible, 24 and, most recently, the Max comedy-drama, Hacks. Smart won back-to-back Emmys for her portrayal of Deborah Vance in Hacks.

Season 1 of the Frasier revival is available to stream via Paramount+.

Source: Good Morning America via Virgin Radio UK