After opting not to reprise his role as Niles Crane, David Hyde Pierce has given his opinions on the current Frasier remake.
Fans of the original series, a Cheers spin-off, were disappointed when it was announced that the actor, who played Kelsey Grammer’s titular character’s younger brother for 11 years, would not be returning in any way.
Despite the fact that Anders Keith got the role of his kid, references of Niles and Daphne Crane (Jane Leeves) have been few throughout the first season.
In a new interview, David discussed his choice to leave the show despite Kelsey’s pleadings, as well as his opinions on how the series has progressed.
‘I never really wanted to go back,’ he told the LA Times. ‘It’s not like I said, “Oh, I don’t ever want to do that again.” I loved every moment. It was that I wanted to do other things.
‘And when we got into real talks about the reboot, I had just started on the Julia TV show and was working on a musical and going to do another musical, not this one.
‘And I just thought, “I don’t want to be committed to a show and not be able to do stuff like this.”
‘And I also thought, “They don’t actually need me.” Frasier has moved on to a new world. They have new characters. And I think I’m right. It’s doing great. And the new people they have are great.’
While David and Jane did not participate in the Paramount+ episodes, several of their previous co-stars rejoiced at the chance to see Kelsey again.
Bebe Neuwirth joined the pandemonium in a mid-season episode, seamlessly recreating her role as Frasier’s ex-wife, Lilith Sternin.
In the conclusion, Peri Gilpin appeared as Roz Doyle, who travelled to Boston to spend Christmas with her old colleague.
When we last left Roz, she had been promoted to KACL station manager and was staying in Seattle while her best friend went to Chicago to pursue a romance with Charlotte (Laura Linney).
The actress suggested the potential of returning to Roz’s shoes in the future after spilling the beans about leaping back into her shoes after years.
‘It was fun to revisit and felt really good. I wasn’t expecting it not to be, but I really was surprised at how great it felt to be there again,’ she told The Wrap.
‘I genuinely love this character. So I would love to do it [again]. It just depends on what happens next.’
We need to make this happen immediately!
Frasier is available to stream on Paramount+ now.