Wondering Why There's no Niles in Frasier Reboot? D.H. Pierce Has an Answer

Summary

• Fans were excited about the Paramount+ comedy, but quickly became frustrated with it.
• The absence of Niles and many other original characters was the ultimate pet peeve.
• D.H. Pierce had many doubts about reprising his iconic role.

The Season 1 finale of the Frasier revival was released just ten days ago, but the fan buzz surrounding it and the entire sitcom hasn't stopped. Debuting in October, the reboot of the classic NBC comedy was one of the few premieres of the fall, which was marked by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. As a result, audiences welcomed it with open arms. But the enthusiasm didn't last.

While most Frasier fans cheered the reboot, which came nearly two decades after the end of the original show's eleven-season run, some were quickly disappointed by the revived sitcom. Primarily, viewers complained about the quality of the writing, saying that the new show wasn't funny. But perhaps more importantly, people were upset that most of the beloved original cast was gone, including David Hyde Pierce, who portrayed Frasier's brother Niles on the cult comedy. However, it turns out that the actor himself turned down the role.

D.H. Pierce's Reluctance to Reprise His Iconic Role

As one of the main characters, Niles was by far the ultimate fan favorite on Frasier during its original run from 1993 to 2004. The combination of his wit and childish antics drew hordes of fans to the character, as Dr. Crane's younger brother always provided ample comic relief for the audience. But as amusing and rewarding as the role was for David Hyde Pierce, he wasn't enthusiastic about reprising it.

'I never really wanted to go back. 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,' the actor revealed in a recent interview.

Sense of Responsibility

Aside from his general reluctance, David Hyde Pierce didn't take the role because he didn't want to do a sloppy job, as he was already committed to a couple of other big projects.

'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. 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,"' the actor shared his reasons to not have taken part in the revival.

'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.'

Indeed, Pierce is right that Frasier is now set in a different world. But it would be nice to see his beloved character in the revival one day.

Source: The Los Angeles Times.