Editing Frasier (section)

=== Casting ===
Martin Crane was based on creator Casey's father, who spent 34 years with the [[San Francisco Police Department]]. The creators suggested to NBC that they would like to cast someone like Mahoney, to which NBC told them if they could get Mahoney, they could hire him without auditions.<ref name="Behind The Couch" /> Both Grammer and the producers contacted Mahoney, with the producers flying to Chicago to show Mahoney the pilot script over dinner. Upon reading it, Mahoney accepted. Grammer, who had lost his father as a child, and the childless Mahoney immediately built a close father-son relationship.<ref name="allinthefamily" />

In discussing Martin's nurse, [[Warren Littlefield]] of NBC suggested she be English instead of Hispanic, and suggested Leeves for the role.<ref name="Behind The Couch" /> Grammer was initially reluctant, as he thought the casting made the show resemble ''[[Nanny and the Professor]]'', but approved Leeves after a meeting and [[read-through]] with her. Mahoney and Leeves quickly bonded over their shared English heritage; Mahoney was originally from Manchester, the hometown of Leeves's character.<ref name="Behind The Couch" />

The character of Niles was not part of the original concept for the show. Frasier had told his bar friends on ''Cheers'' that he was an only child;<ref name="Behind The Couch">"Behind The Couch: The Making of Frasier", DVD Extra, Season 1</ref><ref name="allinthefamily">{{cite news|last=Newman|first=Bruce|title=All in Their Family|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-01-ca-24256-story.html|date=March 1, 1998|access-date=February 20, 2009|archive-date=January 27, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130127193538/http://articles.latimes.com/print/1998/mar/01/entertainment/ca-24256|url-status=live}}</ref> however, Sheila Guthrie, the assistant casting director on ''Wings'', brought the producers a photo of Pierce (whom she knew from his work on ''[[The Powers That Be (TV series)|The Powers That Be]]'') and noted his resemblance to Grammer when he first appeared on ''Cheers''. She recommended him should they ever want Frasier to have a brother. The creators were "blown away" both by his resemblance to Grammer and by his acting ability.{{r|casey20061206}} They decided to ignore Frasier's statement on ''Cheers'' and created the role for Pierce.<ref name="Behind The Couch" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Littlefield|first=Kinney|title=Custom Casting Got Pierce the Niles Role on 'Frasier'|work=Chicago Tribune|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/24205875.html?dids=24205875:24205875&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Dec+23%2C+1993&author=Kinney+Littlefield%2C+Orange+County+Register.&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=CUSTOM+CASTING+GOT+PIERCE+THE+NILES+ROLE+ON+%60FRASIER%27&pqatl=google|date=December 23, 1993|access-date=February 20, 2009|archive-date=July 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725044807/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/24205875.html?dids=24205875:24205875&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Dec+23%2C+1993&author=Kinney+Littlefield%2C+Orange+County+Register.&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=CUSTOM+CASTING+GOT+PIERCE+THE+NILES+ROLE+ON+%60FRASIER%27&pqatl=google|url-status=dead}}</ref> Pierce accepted the role before realizing he had not read a script. Once he was given a script, he was initially concerned that his character was essentially a duplicate of Frasier, thinking that it would not work.<ref name="Behind The Couch" /> The first table reading of the pilot script was notable because the producers had never heard either Pierce or Mahoney read lines, as they were cast without auditions.<ref name="Behind The Couch" />

The only main role that required an audition was Roz Doyle,{{r|casey20061206}} who was named in memory of a producer of ''Wings''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Harris |first=Joyce Saenz |title=Dallas actress finds second home on ''Frasier'' |work=The Dallas Morning News |date=May 5, 1996<!--|access-date=February 20, 2009-->}}</ref> The producers auditioned around 300 actresses, with no particular direction in mind. Women of all ethnicities were considered.<ref name="Behind The Couch" /> [[Lisa Kudrow]] was originally cast in the role, but during rehearsals, the producers decided they needed someone who could appear more assertive in her job and take control over Frasier at KACL, and Kudrow did not fit that role. The creators quickly hired Gilpin, their second choice.<ref name="casey20061208">{{cite web|last=Casey|first=Peter|title=FRASIER starring Lisa Kudrow?|date=December 8, 2006|url=http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2006/12/frasier-starring-lisa-kudrow.html|publisher=kenlevine.blogspot.com|access-date=December 25, 2010|archive-date=December 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225084701/http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2006/12/frasier-starring-lisa-kudrow.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = Zaslow | first = Jeffrey | title = Balancing friends and family | work = USA Weekend | date = October 8, 2000 | url = http://159.54.226.237/00_issues/001008/001008kudrow.html | access-date = April 17, 2010 | archive-date = March 3, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212441/http://159.54.226.237/00_issues/001008/001008kudrow.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>

The original focus of the series was intended to be the relationship between Frasier and Martin, and it was the focus of most of the first-season episodes. Once the show began airing, Niles became a [[list of breakout characters|breakout character]], and more focus was added to the brothers' relationship, and other plots centering on Niles, starting in the second season.<ref>"Marching On to Season Two", DVD Extra, Season 2</ref> The producers initially did not want to make Niles's wife Maris an [[unseen character]] because they did not want to draw parallels to Vera, [[Norm Peterson|Norm]]'s wife on ''Cheers''. They originally intended that she would appear after several episodes, but were enjoying writing excuses for her absence so much that they eventually decided she would remain unseen, and after the increasingly eccentric characteristics ascribed to her, they concluded that no real actress would be able to portray her anyway.<ref name="Behind The Couch" />