Paramount+ has axed the reboot of hit 90s sitcom Frasier after just two seasons, with the streaming service deciding not to renew for a third.
The hugely successful series returned after almost 20 years since it aired its final episode back in 2004, but the much-awaited return was short-lived. After it aired in 2023, CBS Studios are now reportedly searching for a new home for the series, after Paramount+ declined to continue it.
Starring original cast member Kelsey Grammer as the titular character Dr Frasier Crane, the reboot followed the retired psychologist as he relocates from Seattle to Boston. Frasier was first introduced in Boston in bar-based sitcom Cheers in 1984, before going on to star in his own spin-off.
The former radio host moved back to Boston to be closer to his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott). But when the reboot aired in 2023, two years after it was announced, die-hard fans were disappointed by the notable absence of one major character – Frasier’s brother Niles.
Now, Deadline reports that producer CBS Studios is “committed” to finding another taker, with its own sibling network CBS reportedly unlikely to take it on as it has no space. Other targets are major streamers Prime Video and Hulu, both of which carry the original run, with the two revival series said to be remaining on Paramount+ to stream.
Niles’ absence didn’t go unnoticed, with the character’s actor, David Hyde Pierce declining to appear. The actor took part in all 264 episodes of the original 11-season run.
David even bagged four Emmy awards for his portrayal of Frasier’s neurotic younger brother. In an interview with The Guardian in 2022, Pierce has said he was “interested to see what they come up with.”
But after his on-screen brother decided to give it a miss, Grammer said it actually helped the story. He told the Associated Press: “I approached our legacy cast, and David honestly wasn’t very interested in playing that role again, and I get that. He’s an actor, which in a weird way propelled us to a whole new story and that actually is what I wanted to do anyway.”
In Niles’ absence, the creative team brought in new characters, including Niles’ son David, who was born in the show’s finale in 2004. Meanwhile, Only Fools and Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst plays Frasier’s old college friend Alan.
Also absent from the Frasier reboot was Frasier and Niles’ father, Martin, who was originally played by John Mahoney. The actor died aged 77 in 2018, after developing complications from throat cancer. The opening episode of the reboot featured a touching tribute to the Blackpool-born actor.
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