EXCLUSIVE: Frasier star David Hyde Pierce is returning to NBC with a new multi-camera comedy project. It comes from sitcom veteran Marco Pennette, co-creator of another 1990s NBC comedy, Caroline In the City, which aired alongside Frasier for four seasons.

Written by Pennette, the untitled comedy stars Pierce as a man who discovers that the unexamined life can bite you in the ass.

Pierce and Pennette executive produce the project, now in development, which comes from Universal Television, a division of Universal Studios Group.

The David Hyde Pierce project is looking to join NBC’s portfolio of multi-camera comedies headlined by sitcom veterans: hit Happy’s Place, starring Reba McEntire, and Newlyweds, starring Tim Daly and Téa Leoni, which debuts this fall.

Pierce is best known for his portrayal of Dr. Niles Crane for 11 seasons on NBC’s Frasier, for which he earned 11 Emmy nominations and won four, among other honors. On television, he most recently starred on HBO Max’s Julia. Pierce will next be seen in Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s Mouse, which premiered at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival and expected to release this fall, and Vivien & the Florist, opposite Carla Gugino and Matthew Modine. Pierce is repped by WME.

In addition to co-creating and executive producing Caroline In the City, Pennette has created/co-created a slew of other comedies, including Conrad Bloom, All About the Andersons, I’m with Her, Crumbs, Kirstie and, most recently, the 2020 CBS sitcom B Positive, executive produced by Chuck Lorre. He also is known for his work on ABC’s Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty and CBS’ Mom. Pennette is repped by WME.