Why David Hyde Pierce ‘Never Really Wanted’ to Return to ‘Frasier’
David Hyde Pierce is speaking out about why he’s not in the Frasier reboot, telling the Los Angeles Times that he “never really wanted to go back” to playing Kelsey Grammer’s younger brother on the beloved sitcom.
“It’s not like I said, ‘Oh, I don’t ever want to do that again,’” Pierce clarified to the Times. “I loved every moment. It was that I wanted to do other things.”
Ever since the reboot premiered on Paramount+ in October, fans have mourned the disappearance of Frasier’s baby brother, whose neurotic displays always matched (or exceeded) the titular character’s own. When the reboot started ramping up, however, the prospect of returning became less abstract for Pierce. At that point, he said, scheduling helped make the decision for him.