Frasier’s pilot episode was inspired by the underrated 1990s Rom-Com series

When one thinks of “experimental and pioneering television,” one probably doesn’t jump straight to the sitcom “Frasier,” itself a spinoff of the Boston workplace sitcom “Cheers.” However, they may be wrong, because “Frasier” was significantly more subversive than modern audiences give it credit for, with… The book aims to create an “anti-Seinfeld”. The show turns sitcom tropes on their head at every opportunity, eschewing musical cues and establishing shots that have become part of the sitcom’s audio-visual language, and in one adventure episode in particular, playing with the idea of ​​multiple timelines.

Although it would stop short of presenting the concept of a universe-style multiverse “Society” episode “Therapeutic Chaos Theory” The Season 8 episode “Sliding Frasiers” showed the audience how the smallest changes can completely change the course of an evening. Mental health professional and radio host Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) is trying to decide whether to wear a suit or a blazer to a speed dating event, noting that the decision can have a big impact, and we’ll see how his different decisions can play out. There’s a jacket timeline and a suit timeline, and they each have their own effects on his love life, which is really fun. It is also inspired by a 1990s romantic comedy starring Gwyneth Paltrow called “Sliding Doors.”

In the episode, Frasier’s night goes very differently depending on whether he’s wearing a jacket or a suit and we see the results of both, much like the conceit at the heart of Peter Hoyt’s 1998 indie romantic comedy “Sliding Doors.” In “Sliding Doors,” the deciding factor is whether or not newly fired Helen (Paltrow) catches the train home rather than a fashion decision that changes everything, but it also follows the double-story format. Sliding Doors is one of the best romantic comedies of the 90s And it turns rom-com tropes on their head just as “Frasier” subverts those of the sitcom format. It’s basically a match made in subversive comedy heaven, and in both cases the unusual narrative framework is held together by pitch-perfect lead performances.

What’s interesting about both “Sliding Doors” and “Sliding Frasiers” is that there aren’t any truly “happy” endings and they both put their heroes in some pretty terrible situations no matter which timeline is followed. The idea that such a life so different from small decisions could end up in a similar place is more than a little nihilistic, but it’s… He was 1990s. Since then, a host of other shows have done their own takes on “Sliding Doors,” from “Doctor Who” to “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” each with their own spin on the split-story format.

In the hilarious fourth season of the Comedy Central sitcom “Broad City,” New York City best friends Abbi (Abbi Jacobson) and Ilana (Ilana Glazer) have their own version of “Sliding Doors” with the episode titled “Sliding Doors.” ” The episode shows when the two met while waiting for the subway and how their lives would have changed depending on how the day progressed. Like both the movie and the “Frasier” episode, it plays with sitcom stereotypes and is a real blast of a story that helps show basic truths about life, but is less sad Because we know that Abbi and Ilana will continue to be close — inseparable.

Other shows worthy of praise for Sliding Doors include, once again, “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” in which we see a version of Kimmy’s life where she wasn’t kidnapped because she didn’t want to miss a show of “Sliding Doors,” an episode of “Doctor Who” where a companion must Donna (Catherine Tate) has to decide whether or not to continue working with the doctor, and even… An episode of the amazing “Malcolm in the Middle” series The strengths and failings of both Malcolm’s parents are shown in detail when their children go bowling and only one of them can take them. It seems that no matter how writers choose to adapt an idea, there are always different and compelling ways to delve deeper into characters and storytelling by simply showing the audience what it could be. Sliding Doors rules, as well as all these very diverse honors.