Contains spoilers for “Frasier” Season 2, Episode 2 — “Cyrano, Cyrano”

There’s nothing that the class-conscious “Frasier” protagonist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) likes more than a fancy meal and an excellent glass of wine, but he has to fight his way to a table at the fancy Le Charles in “Cyrano, Cyrano.” First, his Valentine’s Day date cancels. Then, Olivia Finch (Toks Olagundoye) and Moose (Jimmy Dunn) are matched up by a dating app. Since they’re both socially awkward, Frasier finds himself playing matchmaker and acting as a Cyrano to both of his friends, trying to make the more cosmopolitan Olivia seem more down to earth and the bar-hopping Moose seem more sophisticated. Eventually he gets caught — and his subsequent manipulation of the situation results in him scoring Olivia and Moose’s highly-coveted table at the exclusive Le Charles. But the less said about Frasier’s snake-loving date when she finally arrives, the better.

The name of Le Charles is a clear play on Les Charles and his brother, Glen. The Charles brothers have an incredible legacy in the sitcom world: They created the character of Frasier Crane, produced and created “Cheers” and “Taxi,” and have written a number of iconic sitcom episodes.

Les and Glen Charles are sitcom legends whose footprint goes beyond even the creation of “Cheers” and “Taxi.” They cut their teeth in the writing room of “The Mary Tyler Moore” show, where they co-wrote a single episode. They ended up working as head writers on “Phyllis,” which spun off from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and also worked as story editors there. They co-executive produced “The Bob Newhart Show” for one season before moving on to “Taxi” and then “Cheers.” They created and co-executive produced the “Cheers” spin-off “The Tortellis” before writing the film “Pushing Tin.” That was their last project since “Cheers” concluded its run, and while they aren’t involved directly with the day-to-day running of “Frasier,” the principles they put into running the show clearly continue to guide the sitcom. 

This isn’t the only tribute the reboot of “Frasier” — and indeed, the original sitcom –  has made to its roots; David Crane (Anders Keith) is named after co-creator David Angell, who died in the September 11 attacks. All in all, it’s a show that’s forever connected to its roots — and inspired by the people who made “Cheers” such a great sitcom in the first place.