History Characters / Frasier

* LargeHam: If anyone on the show could out-ham Frasier, it's her.

* MilkingTheGiantCow: When she ''really'' gets going....
* OlderThanTheyLook: The finale of the show suggests that she's [[spoiler:got a middle-aged son]] and that she looks so young because of a cosmetic surgeon she relies on. [[AmbiguousSituation Although since it's Bebe, and she was trying to convince Frasier to use the surgeon, the truth of this is a little muddied.]]

* ShadowArchetype: She combines all the worst qualities of Lilith (cold, unemotional, emotionally abusive, cheating, frequent use of the LysistrataGambit, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and being comically skinny and pale]]) with the worst qualities of [[Characters/{{Cheers}} Diane Chambers]] (neurotic, snobby, UpperClassTwit) without any of their humanizing qualities, and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney enough money]] to be immune to consequences. Notably while Frasier makes peace with both Lillith and Diane in their return appearances and they leave on a sympathetic note, Maris' involvement and attempts to get what she wants become more and more deranged and overblown, with Niles ultimately wanting nothing more to do with her.

* MistakenForGay: Frasier, Niles, and Daphne have ''all'' been mistaken for gay or lesbian during the series, Frasier and Niles more than once. Martin has pretended to be gay, which bit him in the ass.

* ChildHater: Given she apparently had a look of joy on her face when the neighborhood children discovered her electric fence, Maris doesn't fond of kids.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: She's an over the top drama queen, and quite possible insane given the lengths she goes to, but she consistently gets Frasier significant raises when its time to renegotiate his contract and even gets him a syndication deal in San Francisco, which is one of the reasons Frasier never fires her (the other being he's scared to death she'd kill him.)

--> '''Niles:''' It is possible to move a relationship along too fast, and ultimately marry too hastily. You could find that a few years down the line isn't really right for you, and then what happens if you meet the right person? Someone who really excites you and makes you feel alive? You can't act upon it, because you're trapped in a stale, albeit comfortable, Maris! ''[pauses while everyone stares]'' Marriage. I have to go now.

* BerserkButton: The phrase "you'll thank me for this later", after years of hearing it from her mother.

* ShadowArchetype: She combines all the worst qualities of Lilith (cold, unemotional, emotionally abusive, cheating, frequent use of the LysistrataGambit, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and being comically skinny and pale]]) with the worst qualities of [[Characters/{{Cheers}} Diane Chambers]] (neurotic, snobby, UpperClassTwit) without any of their humanizing qualities, and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney enough money]] to be immune to consequences.

* LoveAtFirstSight: Claims as much about Maris, having apparently first seen her trying desperately to get back into her mansion when the gate wasn't working, though later comments suggest desperation on Niles's part played a role as well. It was at least this way for Niles when he first met Daphne.

* GoldDigger: Eventually answered in one episode, in which Niles addresses the big unspoken question: did he marry Maris for her money? He says no, but it was a delightful bonus.

Lana's son, a high school slacker who Frasier tutors in exchange for Lana setting Frasier up with her friend, Claire. Kirby also has a crush on Roz, who ends up going to the prom with him (in exchange for a day off to see a Music/BruceSpringsteen concert by Frasier).

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Kinda [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] as his last appearance ''is'' in the final season ("Frasier-Lite"). Still, he is conspicuously absent in the series finale, even though his buddy Gil and Noel show up, due to Dan Butler touring his one man show, ''[[https://variety.com/1994/legit/reviews/the-only-thing-worse-you-could-have-told-me-1200437334/ The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me...]]'' at the time. He does get a passing mention in the first episode of the Frasier revival series, where's said he attended Martin's funeral.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Kinda [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] as his last appearance ''is'' in the final season ("Frasier-Lite"). Still, he is conspicuously absent in the series finale, even though his buddy Gil and Noel show up, due to Dan Butler touring his one man show, ''[[https://variety.com/1994/legit/reviews/the-only-thing-worse-you-could-have-told-me-1200437334/ The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me...]]'' at the time.

* CarpetofVirility: It's not as impressive as Frasier's, but he also happens to have one, surprisingly enough.

-->'''Niles''': Oh really? I thought one just drew a pentagram on the floor and chanted "I summon thee" three times.\\

-->'''Roz:''' What!? It's not like she worships the devil...\\

* CantTakeCriticism: As a result of her selfishness, Maris is very defensive against anyone who reads her the riot act. She utterly fires her marriage counselors whenever they point out her flaws or for simply asking her not to catalog shop and she once locked herself in her basement to sulk when Frasier merely questions her serving veal's sensitivity. As Frasier states, she doesn't deal with confrontation well.
* ChildHater: Given that she apparently had a look of joy on her face when the neighborhood children discovered her electric fence, Maris apparently isn't fond of kids.

* DarkSecret: Played for laughs in the episode when Niles finally divorces her, as Donny's dirt-digging reveals that her family fortune comes from urinal cakes, not timber as she supposedly claimed. To most people this wouldn't be a big deal, but knowing that she moves in ultra-snobby social circles, Niles and Donny leverage this info to make her agree not to leave Niles financially destitute.
* DomesticAbuse: Her treatment of Niles. Occasionally she engages in physical abuse, like throwing things at Niles, but primarily her abuse is emotional and financial (especially as their relationship begins to break down).

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In Lilith's first appearance, Martin claims Lilith is weirder than Maris. That proves to be laughably so untrue, it's probable Martin was just trying to get under Frasier's skin.

* FootDraggingDivorcee: She makes it extremely difficult for Niles to get away from her. When begging him to take her back doesn't work she decides to ruin him financially by dragging things out for over a year. If Roz hadn't set Niles up with Donny then the process would have gone on even longer.

** When Niles was still married to Maris, he and Frasier would argue which woman was the bigger ice queen, such as this hilarious exchange when Lilith's husband, a seismologist, won't be with them at Thanksgiving because he is studying a volcano.

* KarmaHoudini: Her ultimate fate. In the final season, it seems that all her emotionally abusive and generally unpleasant attitude will finally catch up to her [[spoiler:when she's arrested and charged for murdering her boyfriend; though it's emphasized that it was a highly circumstantial accident, and the man was both abusive and largely culpable by his own deeds]]. However, she manages to perform a successful BatmanGambit with Niles leading the police away in order to flee to a private island with no extradition. A letter to Niles explains that living in exile, albeit still in luxury, will be her fate for the rest of her life. Niles, Frasier and Martin all give her one last toast to her and her RefugeInAudacity.
* KavorkaMan: A rare female example. Maris is oft mentioned to be emotionally distant at best, generally unpleasant to be around, and not what would be considered conventionally attractive, and yet Niles and later Dr. Schenkman gush about her apparent beauty. With the later case, Niles is actually dumbfounded (since Schenkman is their ''marriage counsellor'', and yet he's talking about her being "warm and caring", two traits that could never be ascribed to her).

* LysistrataGambit: How she controls Niles at times. Even when Niles and Maris is separated, as seen in "Look Before You Leap".

* RunForTheBorder: Her fate in the final season. After accidentally (or so she claims) killing her boyfriend, she decides she won't get a fair trial if she stays in the States. She slips off her ankle monitor and has Marta attach it to a painting Niles is reclaiming. While the police follow Niles, assuming Maris is with him, she slips out of the mansion and flees to her family's private island which she can't be extradited from.

* SpoiledBrat: Maris is of a very rich family. She likewise displays multiple signs of arrogance, selfishness and entitlement throughout the series.

[[Characters/CheersFrasierCrane Frasier Crane]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/frasier_crane_dresses_to_impress.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"It may be an unwise man who doesn’t learn from his own mistakes, but it’s an absolute idiot that doesn’t learn from other people’s."'']]
->'''Played by''': Creator/KelseyGrammer
->''"If less is more, then just think of how much more ‘more’ will be!"''

On ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', Dr. Crane has returned alone to his hometown of Seattle, reuniting him with his brother Niles and their father Martin. After Martin is injured during the course of his police work, he is forced to move in with Frasier and the brothers hire a physiotherapist to help Martin with his injury. Frasier spends his time in Seattle working as a radio psychiatrist for a local radio station, going on dates, and suffering though visits from his ex-wife Lilith.

See [[Characters/{{Cheers}} here]] for his characterization on parent series ''Series/{{Cheers}}'', where he originated, and [[Characters/Frasier2023 here]] for his characterization in the 2023 revival series.

* AllegedlyDateless: People poke jabs at him not being able to get a girl and he spends supposedly months dateless, but he's getting dates left and right in-show. It's played with in that he gets dates all the time, but 90% of them never go past the first one.
-->'''Frasier:''' I'm a one-woman man. If that.
* AllPsychologyIsFreudian: Averted and deconstructed. Frasier's hero worship of Sigmund Freud (carried over from ''Cheers'') is mocked in-universe as outdated by other therapists who practice more modern theories, including his own brother Niles, who is a Jungian. However, Frasier's reliance on Freud's long-outdated theories and methodologies are probably a major reason he's so successful as a radio pop-psych rather than a private doctor, as it makes his diagnoses more accessible to the masses who by-and-large believe in the trope themselves, and who have simple issues that can be solved quickly with a little bit of insight. Additionally, Frasier being a Freudian lends comic irony to his own neuroses; he doesn't get along with his father, idolizes his mother since she's the one who spurred his interest in psychiatry, and has trouble forming and maintaining romantic relationships that go beyond the sexual.
* AmicableExes: With Lilith. Eventually.
* AnnoyingPatient: When ill with flu, he drives Daphne mad with constant, incessant whining about every little thing, until she finally snaps and yells at him for it, saying she's known people on their death beds who were less fussy. He never apologizes, but she gets her own back at him by messing with his head.
-->'''Niles:''' Is he in pain?\\
'''Daphne:''' Not enough.
* AnswersToTheNameOfGod: Frasier often does this by accident.
-->''(Lilith has just slept with Niles, when Frasier shows up with Niles in the bathroom.)''\\
'''Lilith:''' ''[seeing Frasier in just a bathrobe, horrified]'' My God!\\
'''Frasier:''' ''[hungrily]'' My Goddess!
* ArousedByTheirVoice: Is regularly complimented on his sexy baritone voice, which just encourages him to dial the charm up further.
* BadLiar: Lying gives him nausea in one episode. Later on, though, he's got no problem lying to women in order to schmooze, it's just quickly rewarded with a karmic backlash.
* BelligerentSexualTension:
** With Kate Costas in "Sleeping With The Enemy".
** He insists he and Julia Wilcox have this. Niles' estimate is that it's not, but rather Frasier over-compensating for his previous failed relationships.
* BerserkButton: Never challenge his intelligence, be it with psychiatry or anything else he considers himself educated in.
-->'''Frasier:''' Chicken! I believe it was Laroshe-foucalt, the great thinker, who said...\\
'''The Chicken:''' Hey, give it a rest, [[EmbarrassingNickname Double Wide]]! I went to grad school too, and P.S.- it's pronounced "Creator/LaRochefoucauld".\\
'''Frasier:''' '''THAT'S IT! ''NO ONE'' CORRECTS MY FRENCH PRONOUNCIATION, YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH!'''
* BigBrotherInstinct: As much as they squabble and snark at each other, he cares deeply for Niles and always takes it seriously when others (usually Maris or Mel) are emotionally abusive to him.
* BookDumb: Anybody without an Ivy League education, according to him and Niles. Once, he sniffed haughtily at his GirlOfTheWeek's Stanford education, saying, "Well, if you have to go to school on the West Coast..."
* BreakingTheCycleOfBadParenting: His relationship with his own father wasn't the best considering Martin's inability to connect with him and Niles because of their vastly different personality and interests. Meanwhile, his relationship with his own son Frederick is much healthier. It helps that they often have the same interests. But even when there is some problem with communicating with one another, Frasier does attempt to connect with Frederick.
* BreakTheHaughty: A big part of the humor of the show is seeing if it's Frasier's or Niles's turn to get broken, or if they'll share it, and how it's going to happen. Subverted in that while he does get over much of his stuffiness and haughtiness over the course of the series, the actual "breaking" rarely sticks for long.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: He is a very effective and successful psychiatrist, but more than a handful of times are the instances where he helps people in need by screaming at them and playing on their insecurities or vulnerabilities to make them see his point.
* CampStraight: The show takes occasional jabs at his ''metro''sexual and opera loving habits as being ''homo''sexual
* CannotKeepASecret: If he's ever told something secretive, you can be sure he'll accidentally end up blurting it out to half of Seattle by the end of the episode.
* CantTakeCriticism: Even someone saying they simply don't like him, in a general "not very interested" sense, will send him into an obsessive spiral that will last days, if not longer. Actual negative criticism is worse. Daphne even mentions at one point that if she wants him out of the way, she'll make an innocuous comment about him gaining weight, and he'll sulk for the rest of the evening.
* CarpetOfVirility: While not as thick as some people's, Kelsey Grammer does have a fairly good thatch. Lampshaded in "Slow Tango In South Seattle" when Daphne says he refers to his chest hair as his "rug of love."
* TheCasanova: Deconstructed. Frasier is a charming, handsome man, who has no problem catching the eye of women. However, whenever he tries to juggle multiple relationships it inevitably falls apart when his partners find out what he's doing and they all break up with him, understandably furious at him.
-->"I'm a one woman man. If that."
* CatchPhrase:
** "Oh dear ''god''!" "Oh, for ''God's'' sake!" and "What the ''hell was THAT!?''"
** And of course, his radio greeting and [[SigningOffCatchphrase sign-off]]: "Hello <caller>, I'm listening" and "This is Doctor Frasier Crane, wishing you good mental health."
* CharacterFilibuster: He ''loves'' to give speeches, and the rest of the characters know it and complain about it. Lampshaded as early as ''the second episode.''
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: An interesting version, given Fras had existed for several years before his show began, but still, there are a few differences between his depiction in ''Cheers'' and here.
** His obsessive tendencies were mentioned infrequently on that show, most often by Lilith, but hardly ever displayed (Diane dumping him and an incident with his gold card aside). Here, they're on full display.
** His hamminess. Frasier did get worked up, but not ''quite'' as easily as he does in this show.
** Back in ''Cheers'', Frasier had two different phobias on separate occasions - fear of dogs (instilled by Hester of all people), and fear of bees. In eleven years, his problems with Eddie are never once even suggested to be the result of a phobia, just annoyance with the little guy. Meanwhile, Niles inherits the bug phobia, which Frasier treats with irritation.
** His love of sherry. In ''Cheers'', he generally preferred brandy at home, and even if he did drink sherry, it was nowhere near to the extent he does here. It's established in a flashback episode that he and Niles started indulging in sherry not long after Frasier returned from Boston.
--->'''Frasier:''' Sherry? What an intriguing idea!
* TheChewToy: Nothing ever seems to go his way.
* ChronicSelfDeprecation: Although he is usually quite vain, pompous, and full of himself, and quite willing to rub it in everyone's face, this arrogance is largely a cover for his insecurity, and when it fails him, his self-loathing black moods are miserable. His brother Niles usually has to flip their VitriolicBestBuds bickering on its head and do the same thing to himself to get Frasier out of it:
-->'''Frasier:''' I ''wanted'' my day. I wanted hoopla and fuss, I practically planned the whole thing myself. Says a lot about me as a psychiatrist, doesn't it? I'm a small man.\\
'''Niles:''' Well, what does it say about me that I was happy seeing you miss your day? I was jealous all week! I'm a ''tiny'' man.\\
'''Frasier:''' Next to me, you're a giant!\\
'''Niles:''' I stare up at your ankles!\\
'''Frasier:''' I need a stepladder just to —\\
'''Niles:''' Oh, let's not do this again.
* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: A psychiatrist who successfully advises the public daily... and also an impulsive, obsessive, egotistical, oft-unreasoning, emotionally fragile ball of neuroses. Frasier often ends up not taking the clinical, diplomatic approach to his personal problems simply because his all-too-human pride won't let him.
* ComplexityAddiction: He can't really do anything simply. When he's asked to write a short jingle for his show, he ends up hiring a full orchestra. It gets to the point where, after agonizing over a bizarre dream he has, he finally comes to the conclusion that he was so bored at his job that his subconscious invented a problem for him to work on. Martin notes that it isn't that Frasier doesn't like "simple", noting he went on and on about [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Square_(painting) a painting of a red square]] (Frasier: "That was ''deceptively'' simple!"); it's just that Frasier needs to be a show off.
* CompressedVice: One episode claims he has a severe aversion to hugging. You'd never know from the times he's quick to offer Daphne and Roz hugs when they're down.
* ControlFreak: On occasion, is very determined to do things his way.
** When he inadvertently is put in charge of Daphne's wedding, he quickly takes charge, making every decision regardless of what Daphne thinks, until he finally hits her TraumaButton and she ''explodes'' at him for it. Afterward, Frasier admits in this case it was because of issues related to his own failed marriages.
** He and Roz even have a falling out over it at one point, since she lets him be a part of her new radio show, and within minutes of walking in is acting like it's his show. When Roz boots him out, he spends days sulking and plotting obsessive revenge.
* CoolLoser: Despite all the bad luck he suffers from and his slightly eccentric hobbies, Frasier is a charming, highly intelligent, cultured and reasonably wealthy man.
* TheDandy: Tends towards overly flashy suits and bold colours.
* DeadpanSnarker: Has a very dry sense of humour.
* DiggingYourselfDeeper: Thanks to his quirk of having to elucidate everything he says, Frasier finds himself getting himself in more trouble the more he tries to explain himself. Notable examples include:
** "The Doctor Is Out": Frasier tries to explain ''why'' he was in a gay bar with Niles but can't say Niles is his brother because he promised not to reveal Niles was breaking a promise to Daphne. At the same time, Roz realizes Frasier was trying to prove her metrosexual date was gay, and Frasier just "outed" himself to all of Seattle.
** "The Fight Before Christmas": Frasier keeps trying to patch things with Mel, only to make her madder and madder at Niles over Maris.
--->'''Frasier:''' Well, actually I was just apologizing for my part in your little misunderstanding.\\
'''Niles:''' Well, then of course you were discussing the present.[[note]]Meaning the gift he was giving Mel.[[/note]]\\
'''Frasier:''' Oh, yes, the present. ''[lifts glass]'' And the future, Maris is all in the past!\\
'''Mel:''' ''[TranquilFury]'' Maris?\\
'''Frasier:''' Oh, dear.\\
'''Mel:''' You were with Maris last night? How ''dare'' you!\\
''[Mel storms off]''\\
'''Niles:''' ''[to Frasier]'' [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Anything else in the box, Pandora?]]
** "Murder Most Maris": Frasier defending Niles to the press about Niles' role in the murder that Maris commited, making an unfortunate slip: "If there is any justice in the world, Maris Crane and Niles Crane will soon be executed!" when he intended to say "exonerated". And keeps trying to tell people he meant "exonerated", just making people angrier.
--->'''Martin:''' ''[watching TV]'' That's four times in one newscast. Must be some kind of record.
** "Radio Wars": Every time Frasier confronts Carlos and the Chicken, whether amiably or threatening, just makes them turn up the mocking, leading to them holding a "Frasier Crane's Big ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Contest". Everyone tells Frasier the best way to deal with pranksters is to ignore it, but he can't help but try to attack them back... with pithy quotes.
* DisappearedDad: He is terrified he is this to Frederick, having lost a bitter custody battle with Lilith and moved interstate as a result. He clearly loves and dotes on his son when they're together (which becomes annoying to Frederick when he's 13 and an EmoTeen {{Goth}}), and still spends a lot of time on the phone with him. In "Cranes Unplugged":
-->'''Frasier:''' Good lord. He doesn't seem very happy to be here. He hardly said two words to me.\\
'''Martin:''' Oh, it's perfectly normal. You're his dad. Kids that age don't want to talk to their dad.\\
'''Frasier:''' I never stopped talking to ''you''.\\
'''Martin:''' ''[sighing]'' I know, buddy.
* DoesNotLikeSpam: He grumbles about red meat often. A problem for him, since Martin's preferred meat is steak.
* DramaQueen: When his ego and/or social position is on the line, he cranks up the ham.
* EliteSchoolMeansEliteBrain: Frasier definitely believes this, constantly rattling off his academic resume (Harvard, Oxford) to anyone who doubts his intelligence. When Niles is going in for heart surgery, Frasier sniffs at Niles' doctor getting his degree at Tulane, then reassures Niles that his anesthesiologist went to Duke.
* FamilyMan: He lives with his elderly father, is best friends with his brother, clearly misses his son who he does not have custody over, and eventually becomes close friends with his ex-wife.
* FatalFlaw:
** His obsessive tendencies tend to be what ruins any chance of romantic happiness he has.
** His ego. Dear god, his ego. Rare is the episode where it doesn’t get him into trouble. More than once, the plot starts when he's suckered by people manipulating him with flattery, or where he comes across a simple problem that he overcomplicates by believing he knows better.
* FriendlyRivalry: With Niles. They agree that their mutual competitiveness has been healthy for their development in the long run, and they care about each other a lot.
* FriendsRentControl: Despite only being a radio personality on a local station, Frasier makes enough money to afford a three bedroom apartment in downtown Seattle and have a high-class social life that includes regular opera tickets, the wine club, and a nice car. WordOfGod admitted when asked on Twitter that the question of how Frasier afforded all this was something the writers themselves joked about internally, and he quipped that Frasier may have just invested the money from his Boston practice very wisely.
** Episodes with Bebe show that, for all of her evil and insanity, she's a ''very'' good agent, and has not only negotiated several raises for Frasier, but also at least one syndication deal outside of Seattle, so Frasier probably makes a fair bit of money.
* {{GASP}}: Prone to this when enamored of something. Mocked in "Out With Dad" when Martin mentions it as one of the more unrealistic tropes of {{opera}}, and Frasier [[GilliganCut immediately obliges]]. Martin gasps himself when he realizes the old crone of a mother is waving at ''him''.
* GentlemanAndAScholar: While Frasier certainly can be arrogant and snobbish, he is nevertheless a well-intentioned and caring man. Even going as far as missing out on a ceremony to honour him, just to help a man he had just met cope with his ex-wife getting remarried. He’s also well-educated and very well read.
* GetOut: It's almost CatchPhrase status for Frasier, who will say this of anyone snarking after one of his {{Epic Fail}}s or presses his BerserkButton.
* GloryHound: Frasier has a desperate need to be acknowledged for his achievements. However minor they may be.
-->'''Niles:''' Oh please, in your [[SchoolPlay sixth grade production]] of ''Theatre/{{Oklahoma}}'' you took so many curtain calls Mrs. Van Raphorst had to lasso you and pull you from the stage.\\
'''Frasier:''' That woman never understood me or the role of Farmer Number Three!
* GoodParents: He is one to Frederick--even when the boy starts acting out against him.
* GossipyHens: Frasier is pretty bad at keeping secrets. Not maliciously, but [[CannotTellALie his inability to tell lies]] and [[ComicallyMissingThePoint attention issues]] usually means he'll blab quickly.
* GuiltyPleasures: In "Daphne's Room," Frasier starts playing the usual classical music that he likes on the piano, and then, realizing that he has the place to himself, he gladly and enthusiastically plays and sings Music/JerryLeeLewis's "Great Balls of Fire."
* HairTriggerTemper: Downplayed. While not aggressive, Frasier isn’t a hard man to irritate or anger. Generally, annoyances mounting up on him will cause him to suddenly explode and start ranting about every little thing that annoys him.
* HasAType: Insists he's drawn to smart, capable, sophisticated women. Judging by his dating record, his type seems more like any woman who's remotely interested in him. Roz states his types are total bitches, whom he's attracted to solely so he can "fix" them. By "Don Juan in Hell" Fraiser finally realizes his type is his mother. Ironically, Frasier is a Freudian.
* HeroicBSOD:
** Goes through a comical version of this after he temporarily loses his job at KACL.
** He also goes into spasms of "[[BigOMG Oh my God!]]" exclamations when he finds out Niles slept with Lilith.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Niles.
* HonoraryUncle: To Roz's daughter Alice.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Largely due to judging people based on appearances.
* IGaveMyWord: One of the show's usual means of torturing him. Frasier stands by his word, often usually making him fall into situations where he'd really, really like to break it, but can't, and tries looking for a loophole or way out.
* IgnoredEpiphany: No matter how many times his obsessive nitpicking brings misery to his life, either romantically or just in general, he never learns to just let go of things.
* IncrediblyLameFun: Mainly because he's so snobbish, but some of Frasier's ideas of fun can fall here, to the extent his KACL coworkers ditch his parties. Niles is about the only one who enjoys Frasier's party games, and even ''he'' has his limits, as seen in "Room Full of Heroes", where Frasier's plan for Halloween night is discussing the Human Genome Project. Mysteriously, all the people he invited who weren't Roz came down with sudden plague.
* InsufferableGenius: He is very intelligent, and he'll let you know it if he finds a chance to show it off.
* IResembleThatRemark: [[LargeHam "POMPOUS AND SANCTIMONIOUS, AM I?!"]]
* ItsAllAboutMe: PlayedForLaughs most times. Frasier can be monumentally self-absorbed, such as assuming Niles and Lilith [[spoiler:slept together while drunk]] solely to get at him, or when Niles and Daphne have an argument, and he focuses on some insult thrown at him.
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: He went to Harvard, as he often likes to remind people. It's something Kate snarks at him about, noting he seems incapable of going a sentence without name-dropping his alma mater. When briefing the gang about his brother's heart surgeon, he expresses his dissatisfaction at the surgeon having gone to Tulane's medical school, but approved of Niles' anethesiologist being from Duke.
* JerkassBall: Often treats Daphne like a servant, demanding she get the door for him whenever it rings. Goes as far as making her do housework in his flat after she's married Niles, all the more awful because at the time she was ''pregnant''.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: As egocentric, arrogant and self-serving as he can be, Frasier is a good man at heart and truly cares about the people in his life.
* LamePunReaction: He's fond of the joke "Freudian slip" in reference to a psychiatrist tripping or falling somehow. No one ever laughs when he makes it, not even those who probably understand it.
* LargeHam: Loud, pretentious, and a total DramaQueen.
* LimitedSocialCircle: Several episodes draw attention to the fact that he doesn't really have any close friends in Seattle besides Niles or Roz. This is often contrasted with his mucher larger social circle from ''Cheers''. His attempts to rectify this by making new friends always end up failing and [[ResetButton sending him back to Niles]].
* LongRunner: Individual character version. By the end of ''Frasier'' Creator/KelseyGrammer had played Dr. Crane for ''twenty years'', tying the record with Matt Dillon as portrayed by James Arness on ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'', until the record was surpassed by JustForFun/JohnMunch (for LiveActionTV) and WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons (for TV overall).
* MirrorCharacter: The recurring gag with Frasier's SitComArchNemesis, Cam Winston, was that Cam was almost exactly like Frasier, just slightly more successful at it.
* MissingMom: Frasier's mother Hester Crane, has been dead for several years by the time the series starts.
* MommasBoy: It's pretty clear he got on better with Hester far more than he ever did with Martin. Possibly too better, since Frasier - ever the Freudian fanboy - is convinced he's got Oedipal issues, even thinking at one point his love for his mother is why all his relationships have gone belly-up, since none of his wives could ever match up to mom.
* MoralMyopia: When running for president of their wine club, Frasier insists Niles support his candidacy, but is outraged when Niles doesn't, even though he had no intention of doing the same for him. Though to be entirely fair to him, the issue was mainly because Niles had earlier promised to support his candidacy, only to go back on his word and run for the presidency himself, betraying Frasier in the process.
* NeverMyFault: ZigZagged from time to time as whenever Frasier creates a problem (albeit sometimes indirectly), he just cannot bring himself to own up to it. For example, when he makes the ludicrously over-done song for an ident, he insists Kenny didn't tell him ''not'' to, even though the word "jingle" should've been a tip-off.
* NiceToTheWaiter: Well, he ''tries''. Most of the time, he's actually very cordial and polite to serving staff and service workers, it's just that his need for everything to be ''just so'' often means that he winds up annoying them with his requests when something isn't exactly how he wants it. Best shown in the season 1 finale "My Coffee With Niles" where he spends an entire episode sending a coffee order back because of some small complaint.
* NotSoAboveItAll: Though it's less common on his own show than on ''Cheers'', Frasier is definitely capable of cutting loose and hanging out with the boys.
** When alone in the apartment and playing piano, he shifts from playing a classic piece to a boisterous rendition of "Great Balls of Fire", then back to classical when Martin and company come in.
** When Woody drops by, Frasier goes into his beer-swilling ''Cheers'' persona. Martin is amazed. In another episode when going through a stint of loneliness, he starts visiting a bar that Daphne frequents and fits right in with the other patrons.
** In Season 2's "Love Bites Dog" when Bulldog becomes a LadykillerInLove and is heartbroken when he's dumped, Frasier tries to use his usual psychiatry to make him feel better until Bulldog asks him to be "like a guy". Cue Frasier giving a loud TestosteronePoisoning rant about how she was no good for him and he can do better, and he's going to go out tomorrow and have a one-night fling with someone even hotter and won't feel bad about using her, "because we're guys, and that's what guys do!" He gets so into character that he keeps talking that way to Niles and has to be slapped to his senses.
** Zigzagged when it comes to rivalries with those who try to embarrass him or show him up -- on occasion he'll sink to their level and get them back at their own game, other times he'll be satisfied with making sure they know he ''can'' get them back but lets them off the hook.
* NotThatKindOfDoctor: Downplayed. While he does have a medical degree (from ''Harvard'', thank you) and the fact both he and Niles are qualified physicians gets brought up all the time, Frasier's practice in this show is limited to dispensing advice on the radio — something for which Niles, who has actual patients, frequently mocks him. Doesn't stop him trying to boss actual hospital doctors around when Niles goes in for surgery.
-->'''Doctor:''' Well, if you're such an expert, maybe you should perform the surgery yourself!\\
'''Frasier:''' Maybe I should!\\
'''Niles:''' ''[weakly]'' Daaaaaad!\\
'''Martin:''' Frasier, you're not operating on your brother.
* PrimaDonnaDirector:
** In "Ham Radio", Niles states he has an Creator/OrsonWelles Complex, being unable to ''stop'' directing. Niles is right on the money, as over the course of the episode Frasier's obsessive pomposity drives one of the cast members to quit after an entire evening of being badgered by Frasier over his accents. At the climax of the episode, Frasier's over-directing causes Niles to snap and sabotage the entire show from frustration.
** Again in "They're Playing Our Song", he nitpicks and overdirects an orchestra in much the same way.
** And there's that time he tries to micro-manage a stripper. This one somehow ends up with them handcuffed to one another.
* RousseauWasRight: Frasier thinks so -- he notes in a few episodes centering on exploring the idea that he believes everyone is a good person deep down, and if you just give them a chance and believe in them, they will do the right thing.
** Proved wrong when Bulldog is a complete KarmaHoudini for doing a reprehensible act, even getting rewarded. However, his selfishness is shown up by the end of the episode where he uses his own mother as a {{human shield}}.
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: On one occasion in particular, Martin scares him and Niles comes in thinking it was a woman.
* SelfServingMemory: Not surprisingly, Frasier's recollections tend to overlook his faults, flaws and mistakes.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: A habit that often irritates those around him.
-->'''Frasier''': ''(to a caller)'' [[HypocriticalHumor You have my sympathies, there is nothing worse than pretentious and pointless erudition.]]
* SharpDressedMan: He's almost always wearing a very expensive suit.
* TheShrink: Before the series, Frasier was a practicing psychiatrist; however upon moving to Seattle, he got a job as and spent the series working as a radio shrink. However, towards the end he began to realise he missed being able to do more for his patients.
* SiblingRivalry: With Niles. The two constantly try to outdo the other when one of them gets some sort of recognition or position the other lacks, or outdoes the other in a competition. [[{{Reconstruction}} Reconstructed]] quite well when the two openly discuss their constant need to one-up the other and realize that their mutual fear of being outdone probably helped motivate them to become as successful and intelligent as they are, making their rivalry an ultimately positive influence on their lives.
* SiblingTeam: With Niles, especially common in the earlier seasons. They never work out though--whenever the two collaborate on anything, their rivalry splits them back up.
** Lampshaded by Julia:
--->'''Julia:''' Bye, Frasier. Bye, Emergency Frasier.\\
'''Niles:''' ''[seething]'' Ooo, I don't like ''her''.
* SophisticatedAsHell: He's an educated and courteous man (and wants to be seen as such), but on rare occasions he'll deliberately be vulgar.
* SoreLoser: Part and parcel of his obsessive tendencies. And that's if he concedes defeat in the first place. When he and Niles run for president of their wine club, Frasier demands no less than ''four'' recounts when Niles wins, and still tries to undermine him afterward anyway.
* TheTell: When Frasier has knowingly broken his ethical code, he starts having attacks of nausea.
* TrademarkFavoriteDrink: Sherry. So much so that his accountant has to hire an assistant specifically to calculate Frasier's sherry expenses.
* TrophyWife: Inverted during his relationship with successful lawyer Samantha Pierce, where he's the trophy ''boyfriend'', even getting surrounded by all the trophy girlfriends when left alone at a party, who start offering sympathy, and reciting the usual excuses from memory.
* UnreliableNarrator: ''Was'' Gil trying to steal Frasier's time slot in the former's first appearance? Frasier was paranoid and either sick or high as a kite during the episode, and in later appearances Gil wasn't the conniving SmugSnake he was portrayed as. (Well, smug, yes, but not an antagonist.)
* UnresolvedSexualTension: Several episodes highlight that [[AmicableExes Frasier and Lilith]] both have shades of this.
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Not always- he's often quite sympathetic. But this definitely comes into play during some of his more {{Jerkass}} moments, or when he's managing to totally screw up yet another promising relationship.
* UnwantedAssistance: He's obviously popular and helpful on the radio, since they keep him on the air and he usually has a good influx of callers. However his attempts to give advice to his friends and family often backfire horribly, and they call him out on it.
-->'''Frasier:''' Well Niles, if you want my advice-\\
'''Niles:''' ''[mildly threatening]'' Ooo, you know, you really need to stop saying that.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Niles and Roz.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Niles Crane]]
!Niles Crane, M.D.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/niles_crane.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"All my life I have dreamed of one thing: the day I could go into a library and go to the card catalog and see my name under 'mental illness'."'']]
->'''Played by:''' Creator/DavidHydePierce
->''"I've got my compulsive spending seminar, and I'm hoping to unload the rest of these raffle tickets."''

Frasier's brother, even more uptight and snooty than he is. Initially married to a ManipulativeBitch named Maris and an extreme doormat, he falls in love with Daphne at first sight. His CharacterDevelopment over the series has him grow a backbone as he tries to escape his increasingly unhealthy marriage and some day confess his feelings to Daphne.

----

* SitcomArchnemesis: One-side. Frasier hates him, but it seems Eddie adores him. Or is well aware Frasier hates him and is just getting his own back. Frasier has a few moments of AwwTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther when he helps Martin find Eddie when he's lost and lets him use his fancy sweater to warm up a wet and shivering Eddie.