Frasier had always acknowledged the show it was spun off from but prided itself on standing alone. And for the first seven seasons of the show it didn't need to parachute former 'Cheers' cast members in too often because everything was going well. If anything 'Frasier' was a better show than 'Cheers' in the first seven years.
But come season 8 there was a real slump in the quality and the episodes weren't always the most consistent. For me while there was a marked improvement in the ninth season the show was still not back on form and that's why it almost feels that by bringing back the folks from 'Cheers' it feels like the show is breaking the glass because there's an emergency.
Overall, while it's nice to see the 'Cheers' gang, I think I prefer it when they don't pop by. Frasier had moved on, and so had we.
But come season 8 there was a real slump in the quality and the episodes weren't always the most consistent. For me while there was a marked improvement in the ninth season the show was still not back on form and that's why it almost feels that by bringing back the folks from 'Cheers' it feels like the show is breaking the glass because there's an emergency.
Overall, while it's nice to see the 'Cheers' gang, I think I prefer it when they don't pop by. Frasier had moved on, and so had we.