It’s writers Chuck Ranberg and Anne Flett-Giordano’s second episode this season. They sort of established the show in the first season, so it’s nice to see them back. Even if this episode doesn’t age well. Some of the jokes are great and the performances are fantastic, but the situations associated with said jokes and performances are extremely cringe.

Roz in the Doghouse is about Roz (Peri Gilpin) going to work for sports show guy Bulldog (Dan Butler) after Kelsey Grammer’s just too much of an unappreciative dick to her too many times. Grammer tells Gilpin it’s all because Butler wants to sleep with her. Now, Grammer makes this observation with his entire family looking on. John Mahoney and Jane Leeves in horror, David Hyde Pierce in agreement. It’s an extraordinarily rude move from Grammer, especially after we’ve seen Gilpin busting ass for the show already.

Once Gilpin gets over to Butler’s show, turns out she’s a perfect fit and the show’s a great success and she’s professionally fulfilled in ways she could never imagine. It’s also where the show goes down the worse path of history and contorts itself to ensure no matter what happens, Grammer will never have to apologize to Gilpin.

It’s a deliberate, unfortunate move.

But really good acting from Gilpin and Butler in the episode. Grammer’s okay, but his material isn’t good. Quite the opposite. Because there’s also stuff with him gossiping, which is really crappy given he and Gilpin’s character development.

Maybe more appropriate as a first season episode?

Anyway. Celebrity callers are Rosie Perez (see Birds of Prey if you haven’t) and Carly Simon. I recognized Perez (if you’ve already seen Birds of Prey, see it again), not Simon.

There’s a whole sequence with Grammer trying out new producers while he’s learning he should appreciate Gilpin (though not fast enough), which doesn’t play out as funny as it should. Most of them aren’t credited because they don’t have any lines but none of them jumped out. Again, ought to have been better. Grammer’s plot this episode is a slog.

So, very funny and reasonably problematic.