By Peter Bowes BBC News in Hollywood

As season openers go, this episode of Frasier was disappointing. The much-hyped wedding show, in which Niles and Daphne finally tie the knot, had an air of staleness.

The Ring Cycle kicked off the tenth series, starring Kelsey Grammer as the neurotic psychiatrist Frasier Crane, David Hyde Pearce as Niles and Jane Leeves as Daphne.

Picking up from the last instalment, when Daphne told Niles she wanted to marry him "right then and there," the show delivers with the happy couple exchanging wedding vows in the opening scene.

Daphne's mother is excluded from the second wedding

Niles took his bride-to-be at her word and whisked her off to a cheesy casino chapel in Reno, Nevada, for a quickie wedding.

The nuptials are over before the first commercial break - about two minutes into the show on US TV - courtesy of The All-New Lucky 7 Resort and Casino.

But when the newly weds return home, they are overcome with guilt - having excluded Frasier and Martin (John Mahoney) from their happy day.

With only Roz (Peri Gilpin) in on the deception, they decide to have a second wedding.

The story follows a familiar pattern of secrets and lies. It culminates in a third ceremony after Daphne's belligerent mum (Millicent Martin) is excluded from the second wedding.

The gaffe is blown when Niles fluffs the lines of his vows and Daphne breaks down unable to continue the deception.

"I can't stand here and rattle off a bunch of words that don't mean anything anymore. I'm sorry everyone but Niles and I are already married," she blurts out.

Has Frasier reached the end of the line?

Momentarily insulted and taken aback by the fiasco, the guests vent their anger at Niles and Daphne - only to forgive the remorseful couple and send them off on their honeymoon.

There are simply not enough laughs.

The sitcom's stories are necessarily contrived at the best of times, but too many lines seem to fall flat.

Perhaps die-hard fans will simply interpret the lack of freshness as good old-fashioned familiarity.

The writing has been on the wall for Frasier for some time. The Cheers spin-off had its day in the mid-90s and won a record five consecutive Emmys for outstanding Comedy Series.

This year, wins in the major categories eluded the series but a clutch of gongs for technical achievements helped the show become the most Emmy honoured series of all time.

Frasier's place in TV history is assured but as Kelsey Grammer has acknowledged, the show is moving towards its "natural conclusion".

The marriage of Niles and Daphne should open new doors for the scriptwriters - and possibly pave the way for another spin-off.