Kelsey Grammer’s prison experience came in handy on The Simpsons

Kelsey Grammer may be known for playing one of the clearest characters on television, but the man himself doesn’t match Frasier Crane in that regard. Notably, during the ’80s, the actor was arrested for a drug crime and a DUI. In the case of the first, as Los Angeles Times Reportedly in 1990, Grammar received 90 days of house arrest, which remained in effect while he was still playing Dr. Crane on “Cheers.” (He was given permission to leave his house to film.) However, in the case of his DUI, Grammar was sentenced to 30 days in jail after failing to attend a court-ordered alcohol abuse program following his drunken driving arrest in 1987. In fact, Grammer He went to jail but, according to the Times, was “released after 14 days due to jail overcrowding.”

So, it’s not the kind of thing one would imagine Frasier Crane doing. But these episodes from Grammer’s life really came in handy when he had to play another of his most beloved characters: supporting actor Bob on “The Simpsons.”

The Sideshow Bob episodes are among some of the best in “The Simpsons” history, and Grammer quickly made the character his own; his booming baritone voice and clear announcement create an absurd juxtaposition with Bob’s clownish appearance and refined manners. However, it turns out that that jail stint also helped Grammer when one particular episode came in which the character was mistreated during a stint behind bars.

Sideshow Bob is a staple of “The Simpsons” and even appeared in season 36 (during an episode where he is on vacation with the titular family). But as with most things “The Simpsons” related, the character’s best episodes are from earlier seasons.

in his book “Springfield Confidential”, Writer and former showrunner Mike Reiss remembers one particular installment from those early seasons that included a scene in which Sideshow Bob was shoved into a jail cell. During the episode’s recording session, he asked Grammer to make a particular noise that the actor seemed more than willing to make. According to Reiss:

“Kelsey is as smart as the characters he plays; we’ve never written a Sideshow Bob line so esoteric that he wouldn’t understand it. And while he’s not as evil as Bob, Kelsey is a staunch Republican. And like Sideshow Bob, he was a bit in jail in the ’80s. I was directing him in a scene where Bob is pushed into a prison cell and he says, ‘I need you to make a noise like you’re being beaten by the police.’ , “I can do that,” he said with a smile.