"The Good Son" is the

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in television in the United States, United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a te ...

of the television sitcom ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...

''. It premiered on September 16, 1993, on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

. It introduces the primary characters and settings, and distances itself from its parent series ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

''. The final draft of the script was published on April 29, 1993. Excerpts from the show were promoted as the series finale of Cheers aired on May 20, 1993. This episode set up a number of recurring gags for the series, such as Martin's recliner and the unseen character of

Maris Crane The main character of the American television sitcom ''Frasier'' is Frasier Crane. Other regular characters include: his father Martin, brother Niles, producer Roz Doyle, and his live-in caregiver Daphne Moon. Other minor characters made regula ...

Plot

Six months after the conclusion of ''

'', Dr. Frasier Crane is

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving th ...

d from

Lilith Sternin Lilith Sternin (formerly Sternin-Crane) is a fictional character on the American television sitcoms ''Cheers'' and '' Frasier'', portrayed by Bebe Neuwirth. The character first appears as a date for Frasier Crane, though mutual hostility and d ...

and has moved back to his hometown of

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

, looking for a fresh start. Since the move, Frasier has been hosting a talk-radio show on KACL 780 AM Talk Radio as an on-air

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

, alongside producer

Roz Doyle Rosalinda Doyle (born May 5 1963 or 1964) is a fictional character on the American television sitcom ''Frasier''. Roz is the producer of Frasier Crane's ''Dr. Frasier Crane Show'' on KACL (Frasier), KACL 780 AM. The role initially went to Lisa K ...

. Frasier is approached by his brother, Niles, who informs him that their father,

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...

, a retired police officer injured in the line of duty, can no longer live by himself due to his injuries. In hopes of renewing their father-son relationship, Frasier offers to take his father in. Martin moves into Frasier's apartment but Frasier is appalled when Martin brings in his thread-bare recliner and Parson Russell Terrier Eddie, both of which greatly upset Frasier. Some time afterwards, Niles and unseen his wife, Maris, offer to help Frasier take care of Martin by jointly paying for a

health care provider A health care provider is an individual health professional or a health facility organization licensed to provide health care diagnosis and treatment services including medication, surgery and medical devices. Health care providers often receive ...

. Martin convinces Frasier to hire

Daphne Moon Daphne Crane (née Moon; born September 1961) is a fictional character on the American television sitcom '' Frasier'', played by Jane Leeves. An English immigrant from Manchester, Daphne is employed by Frasier as a live-in housekeeper and phy ...

, an eccentric immigrant from

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, who claims to be "a bit psychic,” much to Frasier's displeasure. After Daphne reveals that she needs to move in, Frasier, who doesn't want more people living in his apartment, rejects her. This leads to an argument with Martin, which ends with Frasier walking out of the apartment. The next day at work, Frasier confides his troubles with Roz. In turn, she tells him the story of

Lupe Vélez María Guadalupe Villalobos Vélez (July 18, 1908 – December 13, 1944), known professionally as Lupe Vélez, was a Mexican actress, singer and dancer during the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Vélez began her career as a performer in Mexican ...

; she points out that although things might not go as planned, they can work out anyway. Frasier then takes his next call, only to find an apologetic Martin on the line. Frasier then atones for his arrogance and reconciles with his father. The next call is from a woman, upset and tearful about breaking up with her boyfriend. Frasier proceeds to tell her the story of Vélez. The episode ends with Daphne, Martin, and Frasier watching TV in his apartment in the evening while Eddie silently stares at a disturbed Frasier.

Awards

David Angell David Lawrence Angell (April 10, 1946 – September 11, 2001) was an American screenwriter and television producer. He won multiple Emmy Awards as the creator and executive producer of the ''Cheers'' spin-off shows ''Wings'' and ''Frasier'' wit ...

Peter Casey Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

, and David Lee won the

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

for writing this episode. *

James Burrows James Edward Burrows (born December 30, 1940), sometimes known as Jim "Jimmy" Burrows, is an American television director who has been working in television since the 1970s.Stated in interview on '' Inside the Actors Studio'' Burrows has dire ...

won the

Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Catego ...

and the

for directing this episode. * For his performance in this episode,

Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained notoriety and acclaim for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984-1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993-2004), ...

won the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The award is presented to the best performance by a lead actor in a television comedy series. Beginning with the 18th Primetime Emmy ...

. This was his second nomination in this category and his first win.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Good Son 1993 American television episodes Frasier episodes American television series premieres Television episodes directed by James Burrows Emmy Award-winning episodes