We could’ve seen Frasier and Niles running a theater

Had David Hyde Pierce agreed to appear, the Fraiser sequel series could’ve been a lot different

By Matt Schimkowitz  |  October 17, 2023 | 2:41am
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We could’ve seen Frasier and Niles running a theater
David Hyde Pierce and Kelsey Grammer Photo: Kevin Winter

Nothing dashed our excitement for the Fraiser sequel series quite like David Hyde Pierce’s absence. Sure, Kelsey Grammer’s performance as Frasier belongs in the Smithsonian, but a Frasier without a Niles is like a double decaf non-fat latte, medium foam, dusted with just the faintest whisper of cinnamon without a biscotto. A Frasier and Freddy pairing will have to do this season on Paramount+, but in a new interview with Vulture, writer Joe Cristalli and co-creator Chris Harris whet our appetites with amuse-bouche for a meal we’ll never taste. Before Pierce put the kibosh on it, Niles and Frasier were going to open a theater together.

“For a long time, the idea was that Frasier and Niles were going to run a black-box theater, like how they bought that restaurant and brought it back to life,” Cristalli told Vulture. “But it’s hard for Frasier and Niles to run the theater when you don’t have Niles, so we had to step back from that.”

Had they gone ahead with plans to purchase this black box, Harris warns, it would’ve made “Niles the new Maris,” which he admits would’ve been “weird.” One can imagine how frustrating the revival series would’ve been had Niles been frequently derided from afar, and we’re thankful that Frasier can go about his business without reminding us of the one who got away.

The whole interview is packed with interesting tidbits about Dr. Crane, including why he’s wearing jeans and drinking beer (“He’s on the cutting edge). One particularly interesting moment came when Cristalli explained his view of Frasier as a father.

“You look at the original series, and you saw Freddy 11 times. But to be fair, it’s always presented as a good relationship. Frasier’s on the phone, he’s just coming back from Boston, he’s doing the holidays,” said Cristalli, giving Frasier an easy out for three decades of absentee fatherhood. “Kelsey was very firm on this from the beginning: Frasier is a good father and wants to be a good father, but the distance between them grew. I don’t think you can call him a deadbeat dad.”

To be fair, the only thing worse than being called a “deadbeat dad” is a “Frasier father.”

 
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