Niles Isn't In The Frasier Revival - The Sad Reason May Not Be What You Think
Contains spoilers for "Frasier" Season 1, Episode 3
Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) might be older and wealthier, but the "Frasier" revival makes clear that he's otherwise largely unchanged. The same can't be said about the people around him, though, and one of the new show's glaring omissions is arguably Frasier's brother and sparring partner, Niles Crane (David Hyde Pierce). The story behind the scenes is that Pierce didn't want to repeat his old role for the "Frasier" revival, and had the actor chosen otherwise, the show might have been about Niles and Frasier running a theater.
Instead, Frasier has moved to Boston in order to reconnect with his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott) and take up a job in academia. "Frasier" Episode 3 reveals that he has good reason for both since it turns out that the Chicago TV job he had between the first and second "Frasier" isn't quite as prestigious as he liked. "Dr. Crane" may have provided Frasier fame and riches, but it's also a fairly ludicrous talk show that starts out as a "Dr. Phil" clone and eventually slides into "The Jerry Springer Show" territory.
Could this be why the show barely mentions Frasier's younger brother? Apart from the presence of his son, David (Anders Keith), the closest the revival gets to acknowledging Niles is when Olivia (Toks Olagundoye) brings up her ongoing sibling rivalry and Frasier gets a faraway look in his eyes. The brief moment of contemplation is played for laughs, but Frasier actually seems pretty sad. This might just be his usual exasperation ... or it might imply that the brothers aren't on speaking terms, having fallen out after Frasier's talk show career brought the tension between them to a breaking point. Let's take a closer look at this sad theory.
The brothers have clashed about Frasier's public image before
Niles is notoriously to Frasier what Frasier himself is to everyone else — an impossibly uptight and haughty man with eccentricities to spare. The brothers also maintain a fairly active sibling rivalry where both have plenty of reason to feel insecure about each other. From Frasier's viewpoint, Niles' social and professional standing in upper-crust circles is arguably far higher. Meanwhile, Frasier's far higher public profile and status as an older and (slightly) more well-adjusted brother give Niles plenty to gripe about.
"Frasier" Season 1, Episode 22 — "Author, Author" — is a perfect example of their dynamic. While Niles is a highly respected, much-published psychiatrist and a board member of the American Psychiatric Association, he also feels inferior to Frasier's fame. Though he always has a snide remark about his brother's radio show, he also begrudgingly envies and respects Frasier's public profile and the way he's able to help so many people, which he states in no uncertain terms on Season 7, Episode 19. When Niles agrees to fill in for Frasier on Season 1, Episode 23, he even turns out to be extremely good at it himself, slinging advice at the callers while displaying every sign he's enjoying himself.
While Niles' feelings on Frasier's fame have always been quite conflicted, the revival show's big reveal that Frasier's celebrity status and fortune have increased exponentially since we last saw him may have been just too much for the younger Dr. Crane to handle — either because Niles might be unable to cope with the ensuing sense of inferiority or because "Dr. Crane" must also have affected him more directly and personally.
Frasier's TV show may have hurt Niles both personally and professionally
Given the complex feelings Niles has about his brother's radio show host career, one can only imagine how he might be reacting to Frasier's years of national TV fame. The younger Crane's complicated feelings may stem from the level of wealth and celebrity status his brother has now attained, which in Niles' eyes could mean that Frasier has now conclusively won their competition for superiority. On the other hand, he might also find plenty of disdain for the way Frasier has gradually become a clownish TV presenter caricature.
Being a Dr. Crane himself, Niles must have suffered "Dr. Crane"-themed jokes and references for years, which could easily have frustrated him enough to distance himself from Frasier. The 2023 show even quietly hints at this possibility, if you know where to look. The revival makes a big deal of Frasier's inability to communicate with Freddy (and vice versa), thus reminding the viewer about the fact that the Crane family is perpetually tongue-tied when it comes to sorting out their familial troubles. Since Niles has the same issues as Frasier and then some, it's possible that he might be finding it equally hard to keep in touch with his brother after so many years of public embarrassment and uncomfortable social situations.
Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean Niles has cut ties entirely. The fan-favorite "Frasier" character is a genuinely kind and caring man behind his veneer of snobbery and eccentricities, and despite the countless times they've clashed, he and Frasier care about each other. As such, it seems unlikely that either would burn every possible bridge between them, especially since the revival begins soon after Martin Crane's (John Mahoney) death. This brings us to David Crane.
Thanks to David, Niles is still a presence in Frasier's life
The son of Niles and Daphne (Jane Leeves), David Crane seems to have inherited his parents' most awkward traits. It's also clear that he idolizes Frasier, which implies that he hasn't really spent all that much time with his uncle prior to the series. So, why is he suddenly such a constant presence in Frasier's life?
From a production standpoint, the show needs a Niles proxy to interact with Frasier and scratch the viewers' nostalgia itch. Plot-wise, pure chance plays a part, since Frasier doesn't know he'll stay in Boston until the opportunities to mend fences with Freddy and redeem his career lure him in. However, the fact that David keeps turning up so often could potentially imply that Niles is quietly encouraging his son to interact with his uncle. This would not only allow David to grow as a person from his interactions with Frasier — just like Niles does over the course of the original series — but also give Niles a stealthy way to stay up to date on Frasier's life.
This sort of convoluted plot would be perfectly in line with the Cranes' usual antics, as Frasier demonstrates during the disastrous dinner party of the 2023 series premiere. Of course, all of this is just a theory. Unless David Hyde Pierce changes his mind about returning or the "Frasier" revival specifically addresses Niles' current whereabouts, we may never know how the brothers' relationship is doing.