Frasier: Who Plays Niles' Son David Crane In The Reboot?

Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) has become one of the most enduring characters on television, making his debut in "Cheers" in 1984, then headlining his own series from 1993 to 2004. But don't think of the latest iteration of "Frasier" as just another reboot; co-creators Joe Cristalli and Chris Harris think of the new series, which hit Paramount+ on October 12, as more of a third act.

The new series follows Frasier as he moves from Chicago — his home for the past two decades — back to Boston, where he joins Harvard's psychology department and reconnects with his estranged son, Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott). Peri Gilpin and Bebe Neuwirth will make appearances as their respective characters, Roz and Lilith, but for the most part, the "Frasier" cast is entirely new. Most notably, David Hyde Pierce, who plays Niles on the original series, elected not to be involved in the reboot.

"Obviously that was crushing for all of us, including Kelsey, who had hoped to bring everyone back," Harris recalled to Variety. "But it also freed us ... We decided we were going to try to still be a lot like the previous 'Frasier,' but as more of its own third chapter."

One new character is Niles' son, David Crane, who is played by Anders Keith. In some ways, David is a stand-in for Niles. "David definitely inherited his father's clumsiness and neuroses," Keith said in a behind-the-scenes interview, "but he also has his mother's heart."

"Frasier" marks Anders Keith's first major on-screen role, where he appears as David Crane. Keith's other on-screen credit is a short film called "Variations."

Outside of "Frasier," Keith got his start in theater — a bug he caught at age 10 when his grandparents wrote him a role in a play he performed at their senior center. That passion extended to high school, where he participated in a Pasadena community theater, then at Juilliard, from which he graduated in 2022.

Most recently, Keith appeared in the play "The Sound Inside" alongside Amy Brenneman, who is known for her work in "Judging Amy," "The Leftovers," and Michael Mann's "Heat." Funnily enough, Brenneman also had a recurring role as Faye Moskowitz in Season 6 of "Frasier."

Written by Adam Rapp and directed by Cameron Watson, "The Sound Inside" follows a creative writing professor at Yale, played by Brenneman, and one of her students, the intelligent albeit abrasive Christopher (Keith), and the events that unfold when he barges into her office one day without an appointment.

Although his career is just beginning, Keith is already being typecast as brainy characters. "It's funny, the two roles I've played out of college — this and ['Frasier'] — are both Ivy League freshman, one Yale and one Harvard," the actor told LAexcites. "It's humorous because I wouldn't have gotten into either with the grades I had in high school."