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

Kelsey Grammer may be known for playing one of the most accurate characters on television, but the man himself doesn’t quite measure up to Frasier Crane in that regard. In particular, in the 80s, the actor was arrested for narcotics and drugs. In the case of the first, as Los Angeles Times reported back in 1990, Gramatik was given 90 days of house arrest, which remained in place while he was still stars as Dr. Crane in Cheers. (He was given permission to leave his home for filming.) In his DUI case, however, Gramatik was sentenced to 30 days in jail for failing to participate in a court-mandated alcohol program after a 1987 DUI arrest. Grammer did go to jail, but, according to the Times, was “released after 14 days due to overcrowding.”

It’s hard to imagine what Frasier Crane is doing. But these episodes from Grammer’s life really came in handy when he got to play another of his most beloved characters: Sideshow Bob on The Simpsons.

Sideshow Bob episodes are some of the best episodes in The Simpsons history.and Grammer quickly made the character his own; his booming baritone and crisp declamation make for an absurd juxtaposition with Bob’s clownish looks and refined manners. However, as it turns out, being in prison also helped Grammer when it came to a particular episode in which the character was abused while behind bars.

Sideshow Bob is a staple of The Simpsons and even appeared in Season 36 (during an episode in which he vacations with the titular family). But as with most things The Simpsons, the characters’ best episodes come from previous seasons.

In his book Springfield Privacy writer and former showrunner Mike Reiss recalls one particular episode from those early seasons that included a scene in which Sideshow Bob is shoved into a jail cell. During the taping of the episode, he asked Grammer to make a certain noise, which the actor seemed more than willing to do. According to Rice:

“Kelsey is as smart as the characters he plays – we’ve never written a line about Bob so esoteric that he couldn’t understand it. And while he’s not as evil as Bob, Kelsey is a staunch Republican. Bob, he served a short prison term in the eighties. I shot him in the scene where Bob is shoved into the prison cell and they say, “I need you to make some noise.” the cops are ripping you off.” “Oh, I can do that,” he said with a smile.