Here’s Why David Hyde Pierce Shot Down Return to ‘Frasier’
Based on the cheesy-looking promotional videos for Pirates! The Penzance Musical, you’d think David Hyde Pierce could have chosen a better vehicle for his theatrical talents. It’s unclear what his options were, but donning massive mutton chops on Broadway must have sounded better than reprising his role as Niles in the Frasier reboot.
CBS News
When the classic sitcom got the green light to start up again, producers gave Pierce a call. But he remembered why the show’s creators decided to pull the plug in the first place. “We wanted to make this decision on our own,” Pierce told Variety, “instead of letting somebody else make it for us.”
Since he’d already made that decision, why reverse it? Sure, Kelsey Grammer was back in, but Pierce wasn’t worried about hurting his old co-star’s feelings. “I did not think it would hinge on my participation. I thought it should move on from what we were doing,” he explained. “When Frasier happened, he didn’t bring the gang from Cheers. It was successful because they made it something different. Creatively, I thought, I have nothing else. I don’t think I’m going to be much fun or be that enthusiastic about returning.”
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No hard feelings, right, Kelsey? “I really wanted David Hyde Pierce to join us,” Grammer admitted to Variety in 2023. “I did my best to have him come along for the ride. And at one point, he finally just said, ‘I don’t really want to play the character anymore.’ And that was fine.”
Grammer made do by including Niles’ son, David, as a reboot character instead.
Pierce, a two-time Tony Award winner, opted for a return to the theater. “As much as I love film and TV, there’s something more completely fulfilling to me about being on stage,” he said. “As an actor, when you’re in the theater, it ultimately is on you. The whole thing has been designed, all these amazing people have put it together, and there’s the crew that’s keeping it going. There’s the band that’s playing in the pit, but nobody else is editing the performance. It comes down to what you can bring.”
So that’s that then — no more Frasier for David Hyde Pierce. Or is there? Like any good actor with a worthwhile agent, he knows never to say never. One way producers could convince a streamer to pick up another season of Frasier is by writing someone a big paycheck for a guest spot.
“If there was a reason for me to appear,” Pierce offered, “I’m not against it at all.”
