20 Ways Your Favourite TV Shows Were Almost Completely Different

7. Frasier - Niles Originally Didn't Exist

Frasier Niles
NBC

It's impossible to imagine Frasier without Niles. The character is crucial to the success of the show, giving Frasier someone to spar with and elevating its farcical nature, with David Hyde Pierce and Kelsey Grammer complementing each other perfectly.

But there's a reason the character of Niles, or just the idea of Frasier having a brother, was never mentioned on Cheers: he didn't exist.

There were no plans to introduce a sibling for Frasier during the conception of the show either, until one of the casting directors found a photo of Pierce and showed it to the creators, pointing out how much he looked like a younger version of Grammer. Before long they were looking at tapes of his previous performances, and the character of Niles was created.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.