Kelsey Grammer explains why David Hyde Pierce won’t be in the ‘Fraser’ revival

CNN
 — 

Kelsey Grammer is bringing Dr. Frasier Crane back.

He’s doing a revival of his hit series “Fraser,” which originally ran on NBC from 1993-2004.

He told People magazine rehearsals start in February for the show that has been in development “for about six or seven years.”

“It’s been on the slow burner,” Grammer said. “We were like, this is not a bad idea. Maybe this is a good idea!”

He said the plan had been to bring the original cast back for the revival, set to stream on Paramount+. John Mahoney, who played Fraser’s father Martin Crane, died in 2018.

Grammer said David Hyde Pierce opted out of returning as Fraser’s brother.

“David basically decided he wasn’t really interested in repeating the performance of Niles,” Grammer said.

That’s not a bad thing, he said.

“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 Fraser third act,” Grammer said. “It’s an entirely new life for him.”

The new show will honor the characters who aren’t there, he said.

“We’ll certainly be responsive about the fact that there was a brother and such,” Grammer said. “But the new world for Frasier is one of new friendships — and some new twists and turns he didn’t know were still in there.”