Comparing Frasier Reboot’s David To Niles & Daphne Isn’t “Fair,” Showrunners Defend Approach – Armessa Movie News

The Frasier reboot co-creator Joe Harris defends the show’s version of David — the grown-up son of Niles and Daphne. Although Jane Leeves and David Hyde Pierce turned down the chance to come back for the Paramount+ project, the Crane-Moon family has their representative in the revival via David. In the Frasier reboot pilot, David traveled back to Boston with his Uncle Frasier to continue his studies at Harvard after attending Martin Crane’s funeral.

Speaking with The Wrap, Harris addresses the criticism of the character by revealing that David is “not fully formed yet.” This means that he will continue to grow as a person as the Frasier reboot progresses, with the showrunner saying that although he will be reminiscent of his parents, he will become his own character. Read the full quote below:

We were not trying to do a 1 to 1 replacement. I think that will be an instinct to many people when they’re watching it to say ‘Oh, that’s a little bit Niles or that’s Daphne.’ I don’t think that would be fair to the old show or the new show but obviously that’s an instinct even in several of the reviews. You can feel people trying to find the old characters in the new.

Obviously, we see David as a hybrid of his two parents. He’s got a lot of the neuroses of Niles. He’s got a lot of the empathy and humanity of Daphne and he’s also his own character.

We talked about him almost being not quite at the adult stage of his metamorphosis yet because he’s a college freshman. So this is someone who’s awkward in his own body and not quite sure who he is yet,” he continued. “And we definitely have had fun seeing glimpses of his father, glimpses of his mother, but we ultimately want him to feel like his own character.

How David Can Be Integral To The Frasier Reboot

Playing two of the most beloved characters in the original Frasier is no easy feat. The revival and Anders Keith have their work cut out for them. However, it sounds as if Harris and his team have a clear plan to develop David’s character moving forward. Currently, he is mostly a supporting player. He pops up in some of the scenes and is mostly used as a comedic source. Beyond that, however, there’s not much focus on him. As the show progresses, however, David has the potential to be an integral player in the Frasier reboot in a couple of ways.

For starters, since he is one of Frasier’s students at Harvard, David can be a factor in how his uncle eventually gets comfortable in his new job. Episode 3 entertains the idea briefly but doesn’t really pay it off. However, that may change in the future as he grows into a more mature person. Secondly, his mere existence in the Paramount+ show can pave the way for his parents’ much-clamored appearance. The Frasier reboot initially had plans for Niles, but that was dropped after Pierce declined to join the endeavor. Despite that, it will be fairly easy to bring him and his wife to Boston since their son is there.

Related: 10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching The Original Frasier Series, 30 Years Later

Admittedly, it would have been great to see Niles as a father in the Frasier reboot. He had a lot of worries about being one in the old show and tackling that in the revival would be a great way to lean into those. While it is unlikely that it will happen, considering Pierce’s stance on the Paramount+ project, it does seem like Niles and Daphne did a wonderful job raising their son. Granted that he can be awkward and odd, it’s possible that it’s only a matter of time before he outgrows that period and becomes more confident in himself.

Source: The Wrap