The Frasier reboot doesn’t feature Niles Crane, but it features a replacement, who is breaking one golden rule from the original series.
The Frasier reboot introduces its Niles replacement, who is breaking 1 rule from the original show that made it so great. When Kelsey Grammer returns on the small screen for Frasier Crane’s fourth and final act, he will be without his brother, Niles. Despite being asked to join the Paramount+ project, David Hyde Pierce opted against partaking in the project, which forced the show’s creative team to find another creative route for the revival. For starters, physically separating Frasier from his brother and seeing him return to Boston effectively explains Niles’ absence, considering that he is based in Seattle.
Niles’ absence follows Martin’s death, in light of John Mahoney’s passing in 2018. This means that none of the Crane family members from the Seattle show will be physically present in the Paramount+ endeavor. It has been confirmed that Martin’s legacy will be honored in the show, with his presence looming large on the narrative as Frasier repairs his relationship with his own son, Freddy. As for Niles, the Frasier reboot takes it one step further in filling the void that he leaves by introducing a replacement for the beloved character as Frasier’s partner-in-crime in Nicholas Lyndhurst’s Alan Cornwall.
Frasier’s Niles Replacement Is Different In 1 Key Way
The Frasier reboot trailer offers a snippet of Alan, as Frasier reconnects with him when he returns to Boston. According to the official synopsis of the series, Frasier and Alan’s relationship goes way back. Despite never appearing or even being referenced, Alan was Frasier’s old classmate from Harvard, where he now teaches. Alan actually paves the way for his buddy to also take a spot at the Ivy League’s psychology department. Grammer claims Alan is Frasier’s first actual adult friend, but while that’s debatable, it may be more accurate to call him the beloved character’s first true equal.
While there’s still a lot to learn about Frasier’s dynamic with him, Alan is clearly not going to be the victim of his friend’s barbs, which Niles very much was, especially during the early years of the original show. As Frasier goes on his rant about preferring drinking beer instead of wine in Boston, Alan sarcastically calls him an “everyman,” his way of calling him out for his pretentious tendencies. Since Niles was more self-aggrandizing than his older brother, Frasier was the one who always called him out on his ostentatious antics. This time, however, Frasier is the subject of the same scrutiny.
Why Frasier’s Reboot Will Make Him The Butt Of The Joke
It’s an understatement to say that Paramount+’s Frasier reboot has its work cut out for it. The original series holds the most Emmy wins for a comedy, meaning that it was both popular and critically acclaimed. As Frasier returns to Boston, the new show will have to revisit his old role in Cheers as the butt of jokes. Considering how he lived his life in Seattle, it’s becoming increasingly clear that he had never fit in the New England city. Seeing him come back means that he will be more pretentious than ever. That’s where the likes of Alan come in to ground him when he’s becoming too self-absorbed.
