One of the most recognisable characters in the history of sitcoms is Niles Crane from “Frasier,” played by David Hyde Pierce. David Hyde Pierce has had a remarkable 11 Emmy nominations and four wins thus far in his career, and every single one of them was for the role of Niles. In fact, Niles easily won the title of “Frasier” fan favourite in a poll on Reddit in 2020.
Writing for Joe, Conor Heneghan offered a distinctive viewpoint on what makes Niles such a terrific character. He cites Niles’ arrogance, his frailty, his funny on-going arguments with his brother Frasier (Kelsey Grammer), and Pierce’s gift for physical humour. Few actors could thrive in a six-minute scene entirely on their own (or, at least, without any other human presence) and without a word of dialogue, but Hyde-Pierce… managed to turn it into a masterclass. This is true of the Season 6 episode “Three Valentines,” which features a hilarious opening scene with Pierce as the only human performer.
It’s incredibly difficult, but not impossible, to conceive what “Frasier” would have been like without Niles. The “Frasier” reboot is still in development, and Niles doesn’t appear to be involved.
David Hyde Pierce didn’t want to repeat his performance
David Hyde Pierce has been incredibly evasive about whether or not he would be willing to participate in the “Frasier” revival for quite some time. Pierce stated in an interview with The Guardian in April, “It is happening, but I have no idea how or when it will take place, so I have no idea where I will be or what I will be doing. Undoubtedly, I’m curious to see what they come up with.” The reboot was then confirmed to have been picked up by Paramount+ in October, with Kelsey Grammer being the sole original cast member anticipated to make a comeback as a series regular.
Grammer recently provided an explanation for Pierce’s decision to skip the revival of the programme in an interview with People. According to Grammer, “David just decided he wasn’t particularly interested in recreating Niles’ performance.” The actor also stated that a new city would be featured in the forthcoming series, and new supporting players would be highlighted. “In a really amusing way, it simply led us to a different location, which was what we initially desired to achieve, which was a Fraser third act. He is living a totally new life “said Grammer. He used the term “third act” to allude to the fact that the new series, which will follow “Cheers” and “Frasier,” will be the third to include the character of Frasier Crane.
