Though audiences may have tuned in for the fussy goings-on of radio psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane and his screwball family, Roz Doyle stole the spotlight on Frasier with her witty burns and her unmatched self-confidence. Peri Gilpin played Dr. Crane’s producer throughout nearly all eleven seasons of the Emmy Award-winning series, continuously proving a foil to his unmitigated pomposity. Like his father, Marty Crane, she represented the blue-collar folks that didn’t get excited over sherry, opera, and Faust.
Roz was brazenly open with everything from her sex life to her opinion of Frasier’s love life, and audiences could always count on her “tell it like it is” candor. As beloved as Roz was as a character, her bon-vivant attitude often got her in trouble. From dating the wrong type of guy to setting Frasier with the wrong type of women (including herself!), she made her fair share of messy missteps. Here are 10 of the worst things that Roz has ever done, ranked.
TRIED TO SET FRASIER UP
For the vast majority of the series, Roz was single and ready to mingle. She went on several dates in a single week (memorably three on a single Saturday while still finding time to rotate her tires) and knew all the best places to meet available men in Seattle (which she kept in her little black book).
Roz also had plenty of information on available women, as evidenced by her repeated attempts to set up Frasier. Unfortunately, they tended to never work out, causing Frasier no end of vexation. One date, Sharon, even preferred Bulldog’s company over Frasier’s.
MADE FUN OF NILES
From the moment the two met when Frasier gave Niles a brief tour of the KACL station, there was nothing but animosity from Roz. If she wasn’t calling him effeminate or making jabs at his sexuality, Roz was making fun of Niles’ allergies, medical conditions, and attachment to antiques (she even licked one of his priceless books to prove a point).
In some ways, Roz had every right to castigate him. After all, Niles could be insensitive when it came to her dating life. He found her crude, crass, and lacking in the genteel traits of a sophisticated woman. It came as a shock to fans than when they ended up kissing many seasons later!
DATED A WOMANIZER
Roz may have seemed like she wasn’t picky when it came to the men she slept with, but that was by her own design. She simply didn’t want to close herself off from potentially meeting a great catch and tended to play the odds. If she went on enough dates, eventually she’d find a winning prospect.
Roz’s open and generous approach backfired, however, when she started to date one of Niles’ patients, a habitual womanizer. Furthermore, not only did Roz fail to discern Frasier’s hints when he was trying to inform her about the man’s history, she thought Frasier was admitting to having feelings for her himself.
Considered Not Telling Father About Baby
While Roz is mostly seen as a worldly woman who has a healthy sex life and opinion of herself, she has been known to make some real head-scratching decisions that could rival Frasier’s biggest blunders. One of the biggest arrived early in Season 5 when Roz was revealed to be pregnant.
Roz had a brief fling with a 20-year old college student, who was going to be a father before he’d ever been outside of the United States. Initially, she didn’t even want to tell him because she didn’t want to ruin his academic career; however, ultimately, Roz realized he’d have to take some responsibility in the baby’s life.
TRIED TO STEAL DAPHNE’S EX-BOYFRIEND
When Daphne’s ex-boyfriend arrives in Seattle looking to rekindle their romance, she’s less than thrilled to see him. When she left him to come to America, he was a deadbeat with no work ethic; therefore, to throw him off the scent of pursuing something with her, Daphne pretends to be “married” to Niles.
Meanwhile, with Niles “attached,” Roz gets pulled into the charade posing as Frasier’s “wife” Maris. Clive turns out to be a success story now, prompting Daphne to want to give him another chance. Roz shamelessly flirts with him the entire time and insinuates that Daphne is the one pregnant so that he might choose her instead. In all fairness, Daphne does the same.
TRIED TO COME ON TO DAPHNE’S NEW BOYFRIEND
When Niles needed a great divorce attorney to resolve his separation from Maris, Roz came to his rescue and recommended Donny Douglas, an old flame of hers. He’s one of the best divorce lawyers in the state, and makes mince-meat of Maris and her divorce terms, allowing Niles the chance to be a free man.
It’s also at this time that Donny gets acquainted with Daphne, who in Season 7 would become his fiance. After seeing how well Donny takes to her young daughter Alice, Roz hatches a plan to steal him away from Daphne by setting up a trip for him and her in a cozy cabin.
LIED TO HER FAMILY & CALLED FRASIER HER BOYFRIEND
Roz thought she may have finally found love with Roger, a waste disposal provider. However, his career as “just a garbage man” weighed on her, especially when she thought of how their relationship would appear to her family. When they eventually break up due to Roz’s inability to curtail her prejudice, she’s left with no boyfriend to show off to her relatives back home.
In a desperate attempt to combat the snide remarks from her judgmental sister, Roz has Frasier pose as Roger and fly home with her to meet the rest of her brood. It goes about as well as can be expected, with both Frasier and Roz making fools of themselves. Somehow, her sister doesn’t mention anything when she meets Frasier again as himself in Seattle.
SLEPT WITH BULLDOG
At the KACL station, Roz often has to fight off advances from radio host Bulldog Briscoe, who dominates the ratings with his successful sports program. He’s smug, entitled, and a known womanizer. Roz hates him with every fiber of her being, especially since his interactions with her at work border on harassment.
During a particularly low period of Roz’s life when she’s depressed and lonely after having her baby and feeling unlovable, she decides to sleep with Bulldog. It’s a horrible decision that haunts Roz later, especially since he gloats every chance he gets.
SLEPT WITH FRASIER
For a large portion of the series, Frasier fans wondered if the fastidious radio host and his firebrand producer might strike up a romance. His arrogant sophistication pitted against her salt-of-the-earth moxie made for some natural chemistry that could electrify the booth.
Writers decided to explore the possibility of them sleeping together later in the series, but it wasn’t until Season 9 that they consummated anything. It almost damaged their friendship, but they decided that their bond was too strong to let that happen.
MADE FRASIER CHOOSE BETWEEN HER & JULIA
Roz and Julia Wilcox, the icy financial reporter for KACL, never got off on the right foot. Roz found Julia egotistical, power-hungry, and rude, while Julia found Roz unsophisticated, crass, and boorish. When Frasier started dating Julia, Roz was more than a little upset.
Roz tried to get used to Julia but, after a series of tumultuous encounters, decided it wasn’t possible. She told Frasier that he’d simply have to make a decision: Either remain her friend and dump Julia or she would leave KACL forever.
