After 23 years, the timing is finally right for the Frasier reboot to bring back a fan-favorite character: Jean Smart’s Lana Gardner. The original Frasier ran for 11 seasons from 1993 to 2004, garnering a record-breaking 37 Primetime Emmy Awards. A spin-off of the beloved sitcom Cheers, Frasier centers on Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), a psychiatrist who returns to Seattle to host a radio show — and winds up living with his father, Martin (John Mahoney). Frasier‘s cast of characters includes other memorable personalities, from Frasier’s brother, Niles (David Hyde Pierce), to his producer, Roz (Peri Gilpin).
In true sitcom fashion, Frasier also boasts a solid rotation of recurring and guest characters, including Lana. First introduced in season 7’s “Big Crane On Campus,” Lana is Frasier’s former classmate. In high school, the show’s title character had a massive crush on Lana, who he then considered to be way out of his league. Although the duo gets together a few times, Smart’s sharp-tongued realtor is defined by her alarmingly aggressive personality, which makes things tricky for the besotted Frasier. With the Frasier reboot’s season 2 unfolding now, it is the perfect time for Lana to return.
Jean Smart’s Recent Emmys Success Makes It The Perfect Time To Return As Lana On Frasier
The Hacks Star Just Won Her Sixth Emmy Award
At the 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards, Jean Smart took home the statue for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series thanks to her career-defining turn as Deborah Vance in Hacks season 3. It was a huge night for Hacks at the Emmy Awards, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series accolade. In the wake of the Emmys, there’s a lot of momentum behind Smart, but it’s also her track record with the television awards show that makes now the perfect time for her Frasier return. Notably, Smart has a whopping six Emmys — and two are for Frasier.
The actor’s first-ever Emmy wins were for playing Lana in Frasier‘s seventh and eighth seasons. Now, with three wins for Hacks, one for Samantha Who?, and two for Frasier, Smart has more than proven her comedy chops. Although Smart has also been nominated for her work in dramas like Mare of Easttown and Watchmen, the third win for Hacks proves she’s on a hot streak with TV comedies. It would be satisfying to see Smart return to one of her earlier comedy successes with Paramount+’s Frasier reboot. The timing couldn’t be better for a true Jean Smart renaissance.
Kelsey Grammer Already Teased A Great Way To Bring Back Jean Smart’s Lana In Frasier
Lana’s Son Could Be The Key To Bringing Jean Smart Back For The Frasier Reboot
Reboot star Kelsey Grammer has teased past Frasier characters’ returns, even suggesting a great way Smart’s Lana could appear in the series. In the original show, Lana had a son named Kirby (Brian Klugman), who dated a woman that Frasier and Niles believed was the heiress to the Mulvihill Wine Cellar. The real-life New Jersey location got Grammer thinking about ways to bring that plotline back. If Kirby were to return for the Frasier reboot, it would create the perfect opening for a Lana cameo too.
New episodes of the
Frasier
reboot’s season 2 air on Paramount+ through November 14, 2024.
Although many Frasier actors and characters are missing in the reboot, it would make more sense for the Paramount+ series to focus on bringing back minor, recurring, and guest stars, as opposed to, say, David Hyde Pierce’s Niles Crane. Lana (and, by extension, Kirby) is the perfect type of character to bring back into the fold. Plus, Jean Smart’s Emmys success and pop-cultural relevance make the move a no-brainer for the team behind the Frasier reboot.
