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Should comedy be censored? Most comedians seem not to think so. And chances are more comedy fans than not agree. But that doesn't mean that certain jokes that worked in some circles in decades past still work today. Given the rapidly changing times, some things just don't sit the right way. The eyes of the audience have been opened. While many classic sitcoms are still better than anything on TV today, they contain a number of problematic jokes, situations, and characters that just wouldn't fly today. Even Friends is filled with moments that are offensive by today's standards and possibly even back then too. The same is true for Frasier.
There's no doubt that Frasier was one of the most successful and beloved sitcoms of all time. While Frasier was canceled before it should have been, it wasn't because things started to go downhill. Frankly, most episodes still stand up making it one of the most binge-able series of streaming apps. But a few of the episodes on the show are so problematic that they simply just wouldn't make it to air today. If they did, there's no doubt that they would get the show canceled. Here are the worst offenders...
10 Martin Pretends To Be Gay In "Out With Dad"
Gay jokes and a general awkwardness around the subject of homosexuality were typical in the 1990s and early 2000s. Nearly every episode of Friends deals with one of the men being afraid of being seen as gay. While many of these jokes were written by gay men (particularly in the David Crane co-created Friends), that doesn't mean it wasn't offensive to some. By today's standards, it simply wouldn't work. This is especially true of an episode in the seventh season of Frasier where Martin pretends to be a stereotypical gay man.
9 Frasier Nearly Pulls A Harvey Weinstein In "Maris Returns"
Like most of the borderline offensive moments on Frasier, this one was a total accident. Of course, the accidents and misunderstandings are what made the show so funny. But this one was cringe-worthy and certainly wouldn't fly after the #MeToo Movement. When a patient walks into Frasier's new psychiatry practice complaining about being seen as a sex object, Frasier's pants accidentally come undone and he falls on top of her. The moment briefly addresses sexual assault but not with much depth.
8 Niles Is A Jewish Stereotype In "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz"
Just how Martin pretending to be gay delivered outdated stereotypes, Niles pretending to be Jewish did the same. While Fraiser pretending to be of the Jewish faith to appease the mother of a woman he just met is a classic example of a hilarious situation on the show, Niles takes things much further than they needed to go. There's no doubt that some would find this offensive today.
7 Bulldog's Racist Ad In "Selling Out"
There was a bit of racism on display in this episode from the first season and it comes from Bulldog Brisco as he reads a commercial for a Chinese restaurant on air. Of course, the character of Bulldog was designed to be out of touch, especially with how to respect women (the same episode features him barking at Roz's butt), but this may have been over the line even in the 1990s. At the very least, it wouldn't fly today.
6 Frasier Took Inappropriate Photos Of A Woman Without Her Knowledge In "Frasier's Imaginary Friend"
In another funny mix-up set-up, none of Frasier's family believe he's dating a scientist supermodel. In order to prove it to them, he tries to take photos of her while she's barely dressed and completely asleep. Given the lack of consent, there's no doubt that people would see this as offensive. Even the character in the show di as she left him as soon as she found out what he'd done.
5 Daphne Was Fat-Shamed In "Hungry Heart"
There's no shortage of cringe-worthy moments on Frasier but the fat-shaming throughout the entirety of Season 8 is famous amongst Frasier fans. While the show was trying to conceal Jane Leeves real-life pregnancy behind a story of her character Daphne becoming overweight, the result was relentlessly offensive. It's just fat joke after fat joke after fat joke. The gag even came back in an episode in season 11.
4 All The Gay Stereotypes And Borderline Homophobia In "The Doctor Is Out"
While Season 2's "Matchmaker" won a GLAAD Award due to its lighthearted stereotypes of gay men, Season 11's "The Doctor Is Out" doesn't fair as well. There's actually no shortage of gay jokes in Frasier... ahem... ahem... Gil, Chesterton. Mostly, the characters are extremely uncomfortable with the idea of being seen as gay. This episode, where Frasier goes into a gay bar in very tight tennis shorts and gets 'outted', is by far the most offensive.
3 "Something About Dr. Mary" Has Frasier Imitating A Black Woman
The entire premise of the Dr. Mary storyline may be seen as problematic. After all, it follows Frasier struggling to fire Dr. Mary as he doesn't want to be seen as racist. While the episode has some moments with interesting commentary on race relations it mostly just deals with stereotypes. Things totally dissolve when Frasier and Niles act out a potential firing situation where Frasier makes some extremely offensive comments while playing Dr. Mary.
2 Every Episode Where Roz Doyle Is Sl*t-Shamed
In almost every episode of Frasier, Roz is made fun of for her propensity for sleeping with men. In fact, so much of her character is designed around an insatiable lust for men. While a lot of this works, Niles comments to her don't. While Bulldog and Frasier certainly make their offensive comments about Roz's romantic life, Niles' insults are by far the most offensive and just wouldn't make it to air today.
1 Every Episode Niles Is Inappropriate With Daphne
Much like the previous entry, it's impossible to nail down just one episode where Niles is inappropriate. His hidden desire for Daphne in the first half of the series' run is one of the best running gags... but it also has a ton of offensive moments. In particular, every time Niles tries to look down Daphne's shirt or even sneakily get permission to touch her wouldn't fly nowadays.
