‘Frasier’: David Hyde Pierce Addresses Absence From Show Revival
David Hyde Pierce, who is known for playing Niles Crane on Frasier, is addressing his absence from the Paramount+ revival which recently dropped its finale episode.
The Julia actor spoke to The Los Angeles Times, about his work and decision to keep from returning to the franchise for its latest iteration. “It’s not like I said, ‘Oh, I don’t ever want to do that again.’ I loved every moment,” the Frasier alum said.
(Credit: Joseph Viles / ©NBC / courtesy Everett Collection)
“It was that I wanted to do other things,” he explained, noting that it wasn’t about not wanting to do the revival, but rather his desire to explore new opportunities. “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. 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,'” Pierce recalled. “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.”
The actor whose role as Frasier’s (Kelsey Grammer) younger brother still delights, stated back in June of 2022, “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. 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.”
At the same time, Pierce added, “But by the same token, because it’s so valuable to me, I also wouldn’t do it just to do it.” Pierce believed, that the show could be done without him, as was proven when the revival debuted recently. “They didn’t bring along the Cheers gang to make a new show. They popped in from time to time and that was a blast, but there was something else that needed to be said, and it needed to be said in a different way.”
Whether the door is closed on Niles’ possible return someday in the future remains to be seen, but it seems for now Pierce is okay with it. Let us know your thoughts on Pierce’s latest statement in the comments section, below, and check out the Frasier revival anytime on Paramount+.
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