Frasier Star Kelsey Grammer Reveals How David Hyde Pierce's Niles Could Return

There are lots of good things you can say about the "Frasier" revival series. The show, which acts the TV equivalent of a legacy sequel to the original sitcom, is comforting in many ways, providing a dose of non-threatening, wholesome TV that with its anachronistic sitcom setup feels at once familiar and oddly out of place in the streaming age. The revival has also had some solid episodes that recall the magic of the original, with the season 1 finale stacking up quite well against previous "Frasier" Christmas episodes. Season 2 has also made Frasier's former producer, Roz Doyle, a recurring character, elevating the show beyond where it sat with the existing supporting cast.

Elsewhere, star Kelsey Grammer never lost a step as the titular psychiatrist, and is as good at playing lovably pompous as ever. Grammer also has ambitious plans for "Frasier," envisioning more than 100 episodes of the revival should Paramount give the green light for future seasons.

But while streaming-age "Frasier" has all these positives working in its favor, and Grammer's vision of abundant future seasons is heartening, the revival still has a lot of kinks yet to work out. By far the biggest of these is the aforementioned supporting cast who, while pretty okay, are absolutely nothing compared to the original ensemble. Now that Gilpin is back in a recurring capacity, the show is starting to fix that glaring issue, but there's one cast member who has stuck out as the biggest missing piece since the revival debuted: David Hyde Pierce. 

The actor played Frasier's equally stuffy brother on the original sitcom and has thus far not returned for the revival — which, when it debuted, seemingly did so with no hope of Pierce ever agreeing to return. In recent months, however, the general tone of this discussion about Niles' return has become much more positive, and now Grammer himself has spoken on the topic.

When the "Frasier" revival was first announced, it seemed there was no hope for a Niles return. In fact, Kelsey Grammer was the only actor who agreed to appear, making this a "Frasier" revival without one of the original show's most important features: the ensemble cast. But had David Hyde Pierce agreed to return as Niles, I think it's fair to say fans would have been happy with a series led by just Frasier and his brother, whose dynamic very much defined the '90s show. That's not to say fans would have been excited that other cast members weren't involved, but they'd have been a lot happier with the brothers Crane than what we got.

Unfortunately, Pierce was making all the wrong noises at the time, telling Vulture in 2022, "I don't have a strong feeling that there's anything more that I can think of that I need to say about [Niles]." He added, "I love those characters, but I don't miss them."

Then, after the first season of the revival wrapped up and a second season of "Frasier" was greenlit, the actor suddenly seemed to be more open to the prospect of playing Niles again. In an interview with the UK's METRO, the actor spoke in terms that suggested he'd be open to reprising the role of Niles, albeit briefly. "If the idea of had we been going to do, like, a one-off special episode, or something, that would have been very easy to commit to," Pierce said. That's a heck of a lot better than "I love those characters, but I don't miss them."

Now, in even better news, it seems Kelsey Grammer is willing to meet his former co-star in the middle.

Before the "Frasier" revival debuted, Kelsey Grammer was asked about David Hyde Pierce's involvement, telling People, "For a while we were going to try to bring back the whole cast, the whole legacy cast ... David basically decided he wasn't really interested in repeating the performance of Niles." Much like Pierce himself, Grammer has since shifted tone slightly and seems slightly more sanguine about bringing the Niles actor back to the world of Dr. Crane.

During a panel discussion with Deadline, Kelsey Grammer spoke about Pierce's potential return saying, "If he would come back, we would probably find a way to do that. But, it probably wouldn't be for more than an episode." That might not seem like much for fans eager to see Niles on-screen again. But again, it's a lot better than essentially saying "Pierce declined, so the prospect is off the table."

If things keep moving slowly in the direction they have been, perhaps we will see the brothers Crane reunited in the near future. For now, we'll just have to be glad Peri Gilpin did agree to come back on a recurring basis, and gave the "Frasier" revival its best episode yet as a result.