Thursday’s episode of Paramount+’s “Frasier” revival saw the return of Dr. Lilith Sternin – the ex-wife of Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and mother of Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott) – as the two parents compete for their son’s affection during his birthday.
Showrunner Joe Cristalli (“Life In Pieces”) told TheWrap that “nothing was more enjoyable as a fan to watch” than seeing Grammer and Neuwirth’s characters go toe-to-toe zinging each other again.
“There’s a version of this show where ‘Oh, Lilith and Frasier are a little softer now, they found a nice balance and they’re starting to come around’ and no, that’s not the case,” Cristalli told TheWrap. “They’re still going at each other hard and it’s so fun to write for that. It’s so fun for such a specific voice to come up with these insults and jokes that nobody else can perform except for Kelsey and Bebe. So that was incredible.”
Lilith was first introduced in the NBC sitcom “Cheers” as a date of Frasier’s, which ultimately ended poorly due to mutual animosity — a running dynamic that would continue throughout the series even as the two eventually begin a romantic relationship and marry.
“Frasier” later established they divorced after Lilith had an affair and gained custody of their child Frederick (played by several child actors across “Cheers” and “Frasier”).
In addition to starring in “Cheers” and appearing in “Frasier,” Neuwirth’s other television credits include Dick Wolf’s “Deadline,” the short-lived “Law & Order: Trial by Jury,” “The Good Wife” and its subsequent spinoff “The Good Fight,” “Madam Secretary,” “Blue Bloods,” “The Flight Attendant” and “Julia.”
On the film side, she’s appeared in “Jumanji” (1995), “The Associate” alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Spike Lee’s “Summer of Sam” and “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.”
New episodes of Frasier premiere Thursdays on Paramount+.