This Is the ‘Frasier’ Scene Where David Hyde Pierce ‘Almost Died’
With the exception of Dick Van Dyke’s death trap of an ottoman, most sitcoms don’t seem to be especially dangerous to make. And Frasier, specifically, appeared to be a pretty safe working environment, barring some kind of severe allergic to farcically off-the-rails dinner parties.
But weirdly enough, the making of one Frasier episode actually put actor David Hyde Pierce in the hospital. And somehow it wasn’t the episode in which Niles Crane nearly burns down his brother’s apartment.
Season 10’s “Door Jam” found Frasier and Niles visiting a luxurious day spa, only to become fixated with its increasingly exclusive sections, none of which seem to satiate their lust for status. At one point, Niles is bound in a highly-constrictive wrap as part of a treatment, but still attempts to hop his way into the forbidden “platinum” area with Frasier. In a fitting twist, it turns out that the platinum door leads to a trash-filled alley.
A fan on Reddit recently shared a clip of actor and comedian Hal Sparks, who played the role of “Receptionist” in the episode, discussing the production in an interview with the Media Path Podcast.
“David Hyde Pierce almost died on that episode,” Sparks explained. “They were doing a wrap, like a seaweed wrap on him. And he was wrapped like a mummy. His arms and his legs (were) completely tied together.”
“He was sitting on a gurney for this scene,” Sparks continued, “and he sat up on it, and his arms were completely tied to his sides, and they hadn’t secured the gurney and it tipped over. And he landed headfirst on the cement floor.”
“My back was to (him), and I heard him go down,” the Queer as Folk star added. “It was like somebody dropped a bowling ball.”
Sparks rushed to Pierce’s side to assist him, and “made sure he stayed conscious” while waiting for the paramedics to arrive. Work on the episode was halted because Pierce “was in the hospital all weekend.” Thankfully Pierce was fine, and later thanked Sparks for saving his life when he returned to tape the scene.
Frasier writer and executive producer Joe Keenan described the same incident during a 2024 interview. While he wasn’t on set, Keenan recalled “people being very concerned for David,” noting that “he was okay, but it could have been bad.”
Had his injury been worse, it’s not like the producers could have just bought another David Hyde Pierce at the pet store like they did with Eddie the dog.