TV Source

Making a "Good" TV return ... David Hyde Pierce walks onto the "Good Wife" political stage By Jay Bobbin ... How much difference does a decade make for a familiar actor? David Hyde Pierce is about to supply an answer. A four-time Emmy winner as Niles on "Frasier," the television and stage star starts his first continuing series job since as he joins CBS' "The Good Wife" Sunday (Nov. 2). He'll recur as media personality Frank Prady, who decides he can have more impact by entering Chicago politics ... attracting the attention of Alicia and Eli (Julianna Margulies, Alan Cumming). Also preparing for his Broadway directing debut with next spring's musical "It Shoulda Been You," Tony Award recipient Pierce confirms a big reason for his "Good Wife" involvement is that "it shoots in New York, and that is very appealing. I remember when we were doing 'Frasier,' the casting director and the producers had a big attraction to bringing in New York theater actors. "It was always about what they brought to playing the scenes more than just name recognition, and that's what I'm loving about this show," Pierce tells Zap2it. "The core actors are all so fine, many of them -- like Alan, Julianna, Christine Baranski and Chris Noth -- with solid grounding in the theater. "Maybe I'm prejudiced, but I think that says something about why they're so good. And at the simplest level, these people are my friends, so it's a group I wanted to hang out with." Discovering his "Good Wife" character as he films is "a lot of fun," Pierce claims. "It forces you to let go and just trust the writing, trust your fellow actors and trust your instincts. It's a kind of television that's new for me, and I'm really enjoying it." Though his Niles portrayal remains on view in "Frasier" repeats, Pierce feels enough time has passed for him to build a new home-screen image. "I've been away from acting the character for so long, maybe the mannerisms and voice patterns have faded away. Also, it's 10 years since we finished the show, but it's been 20 years or more since we started it ... so I'm significantly older than in those reruns people keep seeing. That's a little depressing, but it helps."

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