As previously teased for years and then confirmed, Frasier is getting a revival series on Paramount+.
Amid reports that most of the original cast would not be coming back for this new series, Kelsey Grammer is setting the record straight.
The man behind the titular character has confirmed David Hyde Pierce is not coming back.
“David basically decided he wasn’t really interested in repeating the performance of Niles,” Grammer told People in an interview.
Hyde Pierce has had steady work since the conclusion of the comedy, and sometimes, people want to go forward instead of backwards.
The good news is that Grammer said that his on-screen brother’s decision to not return has worked out well for the storyline.
“In a very funny way, it just took us to a new place, which was what we originally wanted to do, anyway, which was a Frasier third act,” Grammer told People.
“It’s an entirely new life for him.”
For his part, Hyde Pierce had been vocal about potentially not returning.
“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,” he said in an interview with Vulture.
“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,” he added
“But by the same token, because it’s so valuable to me, I also wouldn’t do it just do it. And I believe it can be done without me, too — finding new stories to tell, in the same way that Frasier did after Cheers. 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.”
“And maybe they will find that and I’ll be in it, or maybe they’ll find it and they won’t need me to be in it.”
Deadline reported the series order back in October.
At the time, the outlet said that original cast members David Hyde Pierce (Niles), Jane Leeves (Daphne) and Peri Gilpin (Roz) are “not expected to be series regulars, but could make guest appearances.”
What are your thoughts on the show returning without most of the original cast?
Hit the comments.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
