Kelsey Grammer’s Mother Nearly Didn’t Watch ‘Cheers’ Because It Conflicted With Her Favorite Show

Kelsey Grammer recently authored a very personal book, Karen: A Brother Remembers, all about the death of his younger sister, Karen Grammer, who was sexually assaulted and murdered in 1975. 

The book was seemingly an act of self-therapy for the actor. “For a long time, the grief was so dominant that I couldn’t access happiness,” Grammer told People. “The book helped me get to a new place with that.” And while much of Karen obviously focuses on the tragedy, and Grammer’s attempts to grapple with the resulting trauma, it does contain one amusing anecdote involving Grammer’s family and his breakout success on Cheers.

When Grammer first landed the role of Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers, it was obviously a huge deal for the young stage actor. But the show’s time slot proved to be a big problem for his mother. “In a late-night phone call, my mom confessed she was having an issue,” Grammer wrote. “She didn’t know what to do about the show. Cheers was on opposite Simon & Simon. Her favorite show. What would she do? What should she do? What could she possibly do?”

For those of you who weren’t alive in the 1980s, or not old enough to watch primetime detective shows, Simon & Simon was a series about two fraternal P.I.s who couldn’t be more different from one another. For one thing, A.J. Simon wore snazzy suits, whereas Rick Simon wore cowboy hats.

It was a big hit at the time, although younger generations may only know about it because of Adam Scott and Jon Hamm’s painstakingly faithful recreation of the opening credits.

Grammer told his mom that there was a simple solution to their problem: “‘Mother,’ I said. ‘Watch Cheers and tape Simon and Simon! Honestly!’ I added. ‘You can’t be serious!’” Although Grammer still suspects that “she watched the other show first.” (To be fair, Cheers didn’t always portray moms in the best light.)

“We were a funny family in that way,” Grammer added. “I remember the time my mom was making breakfast and stopped in her tracks, saying, ‘Oh, honey, I’m sorry. You had a birthday last week.’ And then, ‘I completely forgot.’”

By the time that Grammer was starring in his own spin-off, his mom was far more devoted to his TV career. “I think she was proud of me,” Grammer recalled. “She came every show night to the filming of Frasier. I believe she actually watched the show on television. After all, Simon & Simon was off the air by then.”

It’s just a good thing that Grammer’s mom wasn’t a big fan of Family Guy.