Frasier fans have been left wounded after one particular instalment made a list of the best TV episodes of all time, with many suggesting that another one should be included instead.
The acclaimed sitcom aired for 11 seasons between 1993 and 2004, and has been hailed as one of the best comedies of all time ever since.
As we wait for the second series of the Paramount + reboot to premiere later this month, viewers have been stirred up by Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest singular TV episodes of all time, after the writers selected a hilarious adventure for Frasier and co.
Heaping praise on season five instalment, the Ski Lodge, the writers hailed the ‘stellar wordplay’, the psychiatrist’s ‘misplaced confidence’ and the exceptional final five minutes that ‘remain a paragon of the show’s genius’.
The episode, which first aired in 1998, followed Frasier (Kelsey Grammer), Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Martin (John Mahoney) as they headed into the mountains for a swanky stay in a cottage.
Things very quickly turned into farce when they were joined by Daphne (Jane Leeves), her friend Annie (Cynthia LaMontagne) and French ski instructor, Guy (James Patrick Stuart).
The temperatures soared as the guests flirted with, and pined for, a different member of the group – with Frasier left out in the cold after coming to the awkward conclusion that no one was attracted to him.
However, while the Ski Lodge is definitely a fan favorite, many were unhappy that the season one finale wasn’t mentioned instead.
My Coffee With Niles is one of the very few ‘real time’ episodes throughout the entire run, and has been commended as the perfect instalment.
It focused on Frasier reminiscing over his first year in Seattle while at Café Nervosa with his brother, and trying to answer whether or not he is happy.
Taking to Reddit, user Orangeisbed shared the coveted list, penning: ‘Frasier made the Rolling Stone Best 100 TV Episodes of All time! (As much as I am happy, I was never a fan of this episode, and would put My Coffee with Niles instead…).’
Orangeisbed replied: ‘I agree wholeheartedly. It is one of the best Frasier episodes perhaps, but this episode in particular is not Best TV Episodes of all time for me, I would have chosen My Coffee with Niles every single time.’
NervosaNoFineJust-a agreed: ‘Well deserved! One of the finest farces ever written. However, I have to agree with the OP and consider My Coffee With Niles as a better choice.’
Gawkersgone penned: ‘I was kinda angry this is the one they chose. It’s always in the top votes of viewers on here, rightfully so. Usually episodes are pretty balanced, in juggling heart, realism, and absurdism.
‘But this one left everything aside for sheer slapstick cases of mistaken identity. I like the episode, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the most quintessentially Frasier-esque.
‘Frasier is usually about being sophisticated, over educated, snobby and witty, while simultaneously poking fun of all these things. It strikes that balance beautifully and successfully across different viewership.
‘That’s the beauty and success of Frasier for me. Not people chasing each other in circles like horn-dogs.’
Joe Keenan, who served as script writer and executive producer, described the Ski Lodge as one of his favorite episodes to write over the years, thanks to the use of farce throughout.
He also revealed that it was a massive turning point for Niles, who finally got to profess his love for Daphne – just not in the way he envisioned…
‘One of the things that made the show special, and made an episode like that more than just a farce is Niles making a play for Daphne,’ he previously told .
‘That was a huge move for him. Him declaring he felt that way was something he’d been gearing himself up to do forever.
‘It was a hugely momentous thing to go in there and say, “I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you.” And then another blonde walks out of the bathroom and says, “I felt the same way.”
‘He gets to do something that he never did – declare himself to Daphne – only with the wrong woman in the room.’
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We might have to go back and rewatch it…