Frasier's Kelsey Grammer reveals why Niles won't be back for reboot
The reboot is set to take the psychiatrist-turned-radio-host's story in a new direction.
Frasier star Kelsey Grammer has opened up about why his former co-star David Hyde Pierce won’t be appearing in the show’s upcoming reboot.
Hyde Pierce played Niles, the brother of Grammer’s titular psychiatrist Dr Frasier Crane, in the hit comedy which ran for 11 seasons from 1993 to 2004.
A spin-off from the comedy Cheers, the show was set in Seattle, and followed Crane as he returned to his hometown, reconnecting with his family and taking on a new job as a radio show host.
A revival of the show was confirmed in 2021, and will eventually air on Paramount Plus.
Speaking to People magazine, Grammer revealed that “David basically decided he wasn’t really interested in repeating the performance of Niles”.
According to the star, Hyde Pierce’s decision not to take part worked out well, as it allowed the show’s creators to take the story in a new direction.
“In a very funny way, it just took us to a new place, which was what we originally wanted to do, anyway, which was a Frasier third act,” Grammer explained. “It’s an entirely new life for him.”
Few details about the reboot, which will follow the lead character in a different US city, have been confirmed so far, though Grammer has hinted that the script gets emotional.
“I’ve had a couple of runs through it, and I cried, so you know, I’m happy,” he told The Talk in July.
Hyde Pierce, who has since gone on to appear in shows like Julia and The Good Wife, previously suggested that he was uncertain whether he would return to the show.
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“That whole time of my life, the writing on those shows, the actors I got to work with — all of that is deeply important to me,” he told Vulture earlier this year. “And I would never disrespect that in such a way as to say just offhandedly, ‘Oh, no, thanks. I’m not going to do that again.’ It’s too valuable to me.
“But by the same token, because it’s so valuable to me, I also wouldn’t do it just [to] do it. And I believe it can be done without me, too — finding new stories to tell, in the same way that Frasier did after Cheers.”
A release date for the show is yet to be confirmed, though Grammer revealed earlier this month that rehearsals will begin in February 2023.
The Frasier reboot will be coming to Paramount Plus UK – you can sign up to Paramount Plus now. Want something else to watch? Check out our full TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our Comedy hub for the latest news.
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