There are a lot of good things you can say about the “Frasier” revival series. Acting as the television equivalent of the traditional sequel to the original sitcom, the show is, in many ways, wholesome, comforting, non-threatening television. The streaming era. The revival has some solid episodes that recall the magic of the original, and the Season 1 finale compares well to previous “Frasier” Christmas episodes. Season 2 also made former Frasier producer Rose Doyle a recurring character, elevating the show beyond where it was with its existing supporting cast.
Elsewhere, star Kelsey Kramer doesn't miss a beat as a psychiatrist and is as adept as ever at portraying lovable pomposity. Kramer also has ambitious plans for “Frasier.” More than 100 episodes of the revival will require Paramount to greenlight future seasons.
But while streaming-era “Frasier” plays all of these positives in its favor, and while Kramer's vision of many future seasons is mind-blowing, the revival has a lot more baggage. The biggest of these is the aforementioned supporting cast, which, while good, is absolutely nothing compared to the original ensemble. Now that Gilpin returns again and again, the show is starting to fix that apparent problem, but There is one cast member who has been the most missing since the revival debuted: David Hyde Pierce.
The actor played Frasier's equally breathless brother in the original comedy and has yet to return for the revival, which, when it debuted, he apparently did. There was no hope that Pierce would agree to return. However, in recent months, the general tone of this discussion regarding Niles' return has become more positive, now that Kramer has spoken out on the subject.
If Niles gets back with Frazier, it will be quick.
When the “Frasier” revival was first announced, there seemed to be no hope for Niles to return. In fact, only Kelsey Grammer agreed to appear, leaving the “Frasier” revival without one of the original show's most important features: the cast. But if David Hyde had agreed to return as Pierce Niles, I think fans would have been happy with the series led by Brazier and his brother, who defined the '90s show. That's not to say fans would have been thrilled if the rest of the cast wouldn't have been involved, but they would have been much happier with the Crane brothers than what we got.
Unfortunately, Pearce made all the wrong noises at the time, telling The Eagle in 2022: “I don't have a strong feeling that I can't think of anything else to say about this. [Niles]He added: “I love those characters, but I don't miss them.”
Then, after the first season of the revival ended and a second season of “Frasier” was greenlit, the actor suddenly became more outspoken. A chance to play Niles again. In an interview with UK, the actor suggested that he would be willing to reprise the role of Metro Niles, even if briefly. “Once we had the idea that we were going to do a special episode or something, it would have been a lot easier to do,” Pearce said. It's much better than “I like those characters, but I don't miss them.”
Now, in even better news, it looks like Kelsey Kramer is ready to meet her former co-star in the middle.
Kelsey Grammer wants Niles back for an episode
Before the “Frasier” revival began, Kelsey Kramer was asked about David Hyde Pierce's involvement. People: “For a while we're going to try to bring back the entire cast, the entire legacy cast…David basically decided he wasn't really interested in reprising the role of Niles.” Like Pearce, Kramer changes tone a bit and is a little more concerned with returning the Niles actor to Dr. Crane's world.
During a roundtable with Deadline, Kelsey Kramer talked about Pierce's possible return. “If he comes back, we will find a way. But it won't be more than one episode.” That doesn't seem like much to fans eager to see Niles back on screen. But again, that's much better than saying, “Pierce turned down the offer, so the opportunity is out.”
If things slowly move in the direction they've been, maybe we'll see the Crane brothers reunite in the future. For now, Perry Gilpin should be happy he agreed to come back. The “Frasier” revival resulted in its best episode yet.
