"Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer revealed why David Hyde Pierce, his former co-star, will not return to the popular sitcom's reboot.
Hyde Pierce famously portrayed Niles Crane, the snobby and fussy brother of Grammer's titular Frasier Crane, for all 11 seasons of the Emmy-winning show, which ended in 2004, according to TV Insider. Fans rejoiced when news of a revival series broke, but their excitement was dulled by reports that Hyde Pierce will not appear.
"David basically decided he wasn't really interested in repeating the performance of Niles," Grammer said in new interview with People.
But Grammer said there's a silver lining.
"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," he said. "It's an entirely new life for him."
Earlier this year, Hyde Pierce discussed his reasons for not wanting to reprise his role in the upcoming revival during an interview with Vulture.
"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. "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. But by the same token, because it's so valuable to me, I also wouldn't do it just to do it."
Hyde Pierce added that he was confident the show could go ahead without him, and that writers could find "new stories to tell."
"They didn't bring along the 'Cheers' gang to make a new show," he said, referencing the hit '90s hit sitcom "Cheers," from which "Frasier" was a spin-off.
"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," Hyde Pierce said. "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."