The Reboot

This week, the men of GLoP (that’s Jonah Goldberg, Rob Long, and John Podhoretz) perform a little Rank Punditry® on the Mueller investigation, Stormy, and the Roseanne phenomenon. Then a GLoP exclusive: Rob Long pitches his Cheers reboot to you, our faithful listeners. Are you buying it “in the room” as they say in showbiz, do you want want to sleep on it, or is it a hard pass? Tell us in comments. And call our agent.

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There are 26 comments.

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  1. Duane Oyen Member
    Duane Oyen
    @DuaneOyen

    That may be Ed Hill’s best Photoshop yet.

    • #1
  2. RPD Inactive
    RPD
    @RPD

    When you talk about Bag men my thoughts go more to Luca Bratzi than Tom Hagen.

    • #2
  3. J Ro Member
    J Ro
    @JRo

    I wish I “owned some characters.” It sounds like some kind of virtual slavery. 

    • #3
  4. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    J Ro (View Comment):

    I wish I “owned some characters.” It sounds like some kind of virtual slavery.

    I had a bad dream about that with imagery from the Jain religion. 

    • #4
  5. EJHill Podcaster
    EJHill
    @EJHill

    With all the necessary recasting, of course…

    • #5
  6. Majestyk Member
    Majestyk
    @Majestyk

    @roblong: Notes on the pilot script.

    I love the pitch!  Frasier was always great anyways, but just a couple of things… I’m a little sad regarding what you wrote about Niles and Daphne… can you make that a little bit happier, maybe?

    Also, is there a way we could work Danny DeVito in there?  He’s been reduced to doing M&Ms commercials and I owe his agent a favor.

    • #6
  7. Eustace C. Scrubb Member
    Eustace C. Scrubb
    @EustaceCScrubb

    @majestyk  “Also, is there a way we could work Danny DeVito in there? He’s been reduced to doing M&Ms commercials and I owe his agent a favor.”

    Actually DeVito has continued to be very, very funny for 14 seasons and counting on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but more DDV is always a good thing.

    • #7
  8. Majestyk Member
    Majestyk
    @Majestyk

    Eustace C. Scrubb (View Comment):

    @majestyk “Also, is there a way we could work Danny DeVito in there? He’s been reduced to doing M&Ms commercials and I owe his agent a favor.”

    Actually DeVito has continued to be very, very funny for 14 seasons and counting on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but more DDV is always a good thing.

    I guess I’ve never watched an episode of it, somehow.  My bad!

    • #8
  9. EDISONPARKS Member
    EDISONPARKS
    @user_54742

    Majestyk (View Comment):

    @roblong: Notes on the pilot script.

    I love the pitch! Frasier was always great anyways, but just a couple of things… I’m a little sad regarding what you wrote about Niles and Daphne… can you make that a little bit happier, maybe?

    Also, is there a way we could work Danny DeVito in there? He’s been reduced to doing M&Ms commercials and I owe his agent a favor.

    If any Frasier television show fan recall Niles ongoing lust for Daphne, then the notion of Niles discovering his “true sexuality” becomes highly implausible.

    • #9
  10. Cato Rand Inactive
    Cato Rand
    @CatoRand

    Rob, please, please, please, please, please make the reboot.  I am still watching the reruns of both shows daily.  I would cancel open heart surgery to see the pilot.

    • #10
  11. Pete Inactive
    Pete
    @user_579445

    Can’t buy into the Niles and Daphne divorcing angle.  What’s the point of a trip down memory lane if it undermines a central point of the original series?  I actually didn’t care that much for Frasier but wouldn’t watch a reboot with such a downer start.

    Other than that, could be fun – especially if try to figure out some way to marry the pretentiousness of the Seattle cocktail revival/scene and the Cheers beer drinkers with a new owner (Frasier?  Frasier and Niles?) trying to attract a new clientele. 

    A lot has changed in the alcohol arena since Cheers aired.  Of course, good chance only I care.

     

    • #11
  12. mildlyo Member
    mildlyo
    @mildlyo

    Fantastic podcast! Loved the pitch, loved the energy. 

    • #12
  13. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    Pete (View Comment):

    Can’t buy into the Niles and Daphne divorcing angle. What’s the point of a trip down memory lane if it undermines a central point of the original series? I actually didn’t care that much for Frasier but wouldn’t watch a reboot with such a downer start.

    Other than that, could be fun – especially if try to figure out some way to marry the pretentiousness of the Seattle cocktail revival/scene and the Cheers beer drinkers with a new owner (Frasier? Frasier and Niles?) trying to attract a new clientele.

    A lot has changed in the alcohol arena since Cheers aired. Of course, good chance only I care.

     

    Speaking as a dude who lives in Boise, there is a lot of bisexuality going on. Niles needs to be totally for Daphne, but maybe he likes other stuff too. That can work. 

    • #13
  14. Miffed White Male Member
    Miffed White Male
    @MiffedWhiteMale

    EDISONPARKS (View Comment):

    Majestyk (View Comment):

    @roblong: Notes on the pilot script.

    I love the pitch! Frasier was always great anyways, but just a couple of things… I’m a little sad regarding what you wrote about Niles and Daphne… can you make that a little bit happier, maybe?

    Also, is there a way we could work Danny DeVito in there? He’s been reduced to doing M&Ms commercials and I owe his agent a favor.

    If any Frasier television show fan recalls Niles ongoing lust for Daphne, then the notion of Niles discovering his “true sexuality” becomes highly implausible.

    Eh.  You may recall, in an episode of Cheers Frasier said his parents were dead and he was an only child.   Yet they still managed to give him a dad and a brother on the new show.

    On a separate note, the Roseanne reboot pilot was awful.  Unfunny, badly acted, bad script.  We watched it a couple days ago just out of curiosity and even my 11-year-old, about halfway through said “This is really bad, right?”

    • #14
  15. Majestyk Member
    Majestyk
    @Majestyk

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):
    Eh. You may recall, in an episode of Cheers Frasier said his parents were dead and he was an only child. Yet they still managed to give him a dad and a brother on the new show.

    Frasier was merely embarrassed of his family…

    • #15
  16. Eustace C. Scrubb Member
    Eustace C. Scrubb
    @EustaceCScrubb

    They did deal with the dead father issue on Frasier:

    • #16
  17. Franz Drumlin Inactive
    Franz Drumlin
    @FranzDrumlin

    The concluding episode of Frasier has Dr. Crane traveling to Chicago to pursue Charlotte, the matchmaker. For weeks there were articles in the local press about which apartment/condo space Frasier would choose to live, (Lake Point Tower seemed to be everyone’s first choice) which restaurants he would frequent (the late Charlie Trotter’s, of course), etc. The staff writers of Rob’s reboot would have a fun session or two coming up with reasons for why Frasier decided to move back to Seattle. (Oh oh – I know I know . . . maybe Charlotte turned out to transgendered, only Frasier was so inept in the sack that he didn’t notice that he/she had been somewhat, um, rearranged down below. Maybe Frasier hated the cold winters in Chicago, or the in-your-face blaring of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra brass section.) Hey Rob, where do I send my resume?

    • #17
  18. clmac Inactive
    clmac
    @clmac

    I haven’t gotten caught up in the reboot fever at all, but I would watch Rob’s Cheers/Frasier reboot every day and twice on Sundays. HOW DO WE MAKE THIS HAPPEN?

    • #18
  19. Johnnie Alum 13 Inactive
    Johnnie Alum 13
    @JohnnieAlum13

    The only way that you could make the Niles being without Daphne thing work is if you were to have Daphne die. The trip to Boston could even be Niles and Frasier visiting Niles’ son at Harvard.

    • #19
  20. danok1 Member
    danok1
    @danok1

    Told SWMBO about the reboot premise. She agreed that we’d watch the hell out of that show. Let’s go!!

    • #20
  21. kylez Member
    kylez
    @kylez

    Pete (View Comment):

    Can’t buy into the Niles and Daphne divorcing angle. What’s the point of a trip down memory lane if it undermines a central point of the original series? I actually didn’t care that much for Frasier but wouldn’t watch a reboot with such a downer start.

    Other than that, could be fun – especially if try to figure out some way to marry the pretentiousness of the Seattle cocktail revival/scene and the Cheers beer drinkers with a new owner (Frasier? Frasier and Niles?) trying to attract a new clientele.

    A lot has changed in the alcohol arena since Cheers aired. Of course, good chance only I care.

     

    I suppose since it was already an upscale bar, there would be a lot of craft beer. 
     

    • #21
  22. Mike Balfe Inactive
    Mike Balfe
    @MikeBalfe

    Re Niles’ sexuality, the first time I heard Frasier was its 1993 premier episode, when listening from another room overheard the two main characters’ banter and I thought, “Finally, a show about/with gay people.”  What a surprise when I discovered they were both portrayed as straight.

    OTOH: Don’t be so confident of Nile’s straightness because of his protestations of love for Daphne.  I know lots of gay men who loved Daphne (and liked the same actress when she was later on Hot in Cleveland).

    I’m all for a reboot.  Maybe Mr. Long could set up a Go Fund Me page.

    • #22
  23. EDISONPARKS Member
    EDISONPARKS
    @user_54742

    Mike Balfe (View Comment):

    Re Niles’ sexuality, the first time I heard Frasier was its 1993 premier episode, when listening from another room overheard the two main characters’ banter and I thought, “Finally, a show about/with gay people.” What a surprise when I discovered they were both portrayed as straight.

    OTOH: Don’t be so confident of Nile’s straightness because of his protestations of love for Daphne. I know lots of gay men who loved Daphne (and liked the same actress when she was later on Hot in Cleveland).

    I’m all for a reboot. Maybe Mr. Long could set up a Go Fund Me page.

    The transgendered Daphne??  Fascinating plot twist.

    • #23
  24. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    Mike Balfe (View Comment):

     

    I’m all for a reboot. Maybe Mr. Long could set up a Go Fund Me page.

    He already has a GoFundMe page. You’re on it right now. 

    • #24
  25. Majestyk Member
    Majestyk
    @Majestyk

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Mike Balfe (View Comment):

     

    I’m all for a reboot. Maybe Mr. Long could set up a Go Fund Me page.

    He already has a GoFundMe page. You’re on it right now.

    Sick burn…

    • #25
  26. Bartholomew Xerxes Ogilvie, Jr. Coolidge
    Bartholomew Xerxes Ogilvie, Jr.
    @BartholomewXerxesOgilvieJr

    Yeah, I’m sorry … Rob’s not-a-pitch pitch was amusing, but it was hardly the “genius” idea it was made out to be. Niles and Daphne’s romance was the heart of Frasier, and to casually end it off-screen like that would be a thumb in the eye to every viewer who watched that show. One of the smartest and most refreshing things about Frasier was that that show allowed those two to be happy together, rather than playing on-again off-again games with their relationship.

    • #26
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