David Hyde Pierce reveals real reason he didn't return for Frasier reboot

Frasier star David Hyde Pierce has explained his decision not to return for the reboot.

The 64-year-old actor played the titular character's younger brother Niles Crane for the hit US sitcom's entire run from 1993 until 2004.

In 2021, it was confirmed that Kelsey Grammer would be reprising his role of Frasier Crane in a revival of the series on Paramount+.

Hyde Pierce confirmed at the time that he knew it was going ahead, but declined to comment whether he would be involved.

Grammer however later said that his former co-star would not be returning, saying: “David basically decided he wasn’t really interested in repeating the performance of Niles.”

Now, Hyde Pierce has elaborated further, explaining that he “never really wanted to go back”.

In a new interview with Los Angeles Times, he said: “It’s not like I said, ‘Oh, I don’t ever want to do that again.’ I loved every moment. It was that I wanted to do other things.”

Hyde Pierce said that other work commitments, including the US series Julia, enforced his decision, stating: “When we got into real talks about the reboot, I had just started on Julia and was working on a musical and going to do another musical. I just thought, ‘I don’t want to be committed to a show and not be able to do stuff like this'."

He also said he thought “they don’t actually need me” as “Frasier has moved on to a new world”.

He added: “They have new characters. And I think I’m right. It’s doing great. And the new people they have are great.”

Among those who have joined the reboot's cast are Only Fools and Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst as an old friend of Fraiser's called Professor Alan Cornwall, and Jack Cutmore-Scott, who plays Frasier’s now-adult son, Frederick.