We've seen several spinoffs fail. Why did this one in particular triumph?

Some of my ideas:
1. The character was already popular and interesting enough to hold interest
2. The supporting cast was entirely different
3. The location was different (and far far away from Boston)

Many people say that its a "show of its own" and that it didnt even need Cheers to be successful.
I have to disagree -- if it weren't for Cheers, the entire premise of the show would be different.

A divorce would be pointless -- because we never met the wife, which means no children.

Having him move from a different town to his hometown would be akward.

I know -- this isnt what you were asking, but I just had to point it out.

I think it worked because it was just plain funny, with loveable characters, and the best writing of all time.

It was perhaps the most well written, intellectual comedy I've ever seen.

No doubt about it though, Cheers helped alot. It already established a built in audience.

I never thought about it like that, barwars. I'm glad you pointed it out.

I have to agree with the above. But I never could find interest in Cheers no matter how many times I watched and 'tried' to like it. It just wasn't for me. However with Frasier, you have Seattle (which IMO, is the COOLEST place on the planet!), Niles who is just adorable and Frasier's other family member-Martin. They don't fight constantly from what I've seen so far and there are some touching moments. I'm always a sap for stuff like that. But on other shows the familes are fighting constantly and it really gets old. I think that Frasier contains a lot more for everyone to watch. Perhaps because Cheers was set in a bar 99% of the time that it just didn't interest me. Honestly that's why I wasn't about to watch Frasier; because I figured it was just a continuation of Cheers. But wow... I'm so happy that I've found this show! I can't get enough of it!

Frasier is one of the few spin-offs in sitcom history that is not only was a fantastic series, but IMHO rose above the source material (Cheers) to actually become a better & funnier series.

I definitely agree that Frasier's inclusion in Cheers was what made Frasier as a character so successful, which led to this own series. I.e., I don't see that the Frasier series would have been as popular without the character's "back-story" that was presented in Cheers.

However, while Cheers is hilarious & iconic, and arguably the better-known show - Frasier was the superior series.