
Kelsey Grammer Eyes Huge NBC Comeback With EMT Drama 'Pops'
The Emmy-winning icon is teaming with a 'Chicago Med' veteran to bring an incredible real-life first responder story to primetime.
By Rae MitchellPublished Updated 2 min read
Kelsey Grammer could soon be scrubbing in for a dramatic homecoming at the network that turned him into television royalty. The beloved actor is currently developing a fresh emergency medical drama titled *Pops* for NBC, teaming up with former *Chicago Med* co-executive producer Danny Weiss. The project marks a major potential reunion between the network and its longtime primetime anchor. Produced through Universal Television, the series would see Grammer front and center as both lead actor and executive producer, portraying an older rookie diving headfirst into high-stakes emergency rescues.
What Is The True Story Behind Pops?
Rather than spinning a routine procedural yarn, the drama takes direct inspiration from the lived experiences of Ed Levien. A Maryland resident who spent decades working in the advertising industry, Levien decided to completely reinvent himself in his sixties. He trained to become an emergency medical technician at age 64, going on to spend twelve full years saving lives on the front lines before finally hanging up his shears at 76. Grammer will tackle the central role of an individual making that exact daring pivot, abandoning comfort to navigate chaotic ambulances, frantic hospital bays, and the relentless emotional strain of emergency response alongside colleagues decades younger than him. Weiss, a former United States Marine who climbed through the ranks across ten seasons of Dick Wolf's *Chicago Med*, is steering the writing and development process. His seasoned medical procedural background, paired with real military service, promises a gritty, authentic lens on Levien's late-career heroics.
Why Is This NBC Partnership Significant?
For Grammer, heading back to NBC would close an incredible full circle. The performer reigned over the peacock network's comedy lineup for more than twenty years, achieving legendary status as high-strung psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane across three separate series: *Cheers*, *Wings*, and his own smash self-titled spinoff. That era yielded five career Emmy wins, four of which recognized his work as Frasier. While television viewers know him best for witty repartee and refined comedy, Grammer continues expanding his dramatic footprint across major franchises. He is also slated to make an appearance in Marvel Studios' forthcoming blockbuster *Avengers: Doomsday* later this year. If NBC hands *Pops* an official series order, audiences will witness one of TV's most recognizable comedy giants swapping intellectual psychoanalysis for flashing sirens, proving that second acts can happen at any age.
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People also ask
- What is Kelsey Grammer's new show 'Pops' about?
- The drama chronicles an older man in his sixties who leaves behind his corporate career to face the chaotic and emotionally intense world of emergency medical services as a rookie EMT.
- Who is Ed Levien?
- Ed Levien is a Maryland resident whose real life inspired 'Pops.' After retiring from advertising, Levien worked as an EMT from age 64 until retiring at age 76.
- Who is producing the series 'Pops' alongside Kelsey Grammer?
- Danny Weiss, a former Marine and long-tenured writer and co-executive producer on 'Chicago Med,' is developing the drama with Grammer under Universal Television.
- kelsey grammer
- danny weiss
- ed levien
- pops
- nbc
- universal television
- chicago med
- frasier
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