It is never really a surprise, these days, to hear that a classic TV show is coming back in some way, shape, or form. However, that being said, the resurrection of some titles have been just a bit more unexpected than others, such as how the announcement of a new edition of Night Court was for me.
To be clear, I think that creator Reinhold Weege’s long-running, Emmy-winning sitcom about what goes on during the late shift at a New York City court house is absolutely hilarious, and if any ‘80s NBC comedy deserves an encore, that would probably be my choice. However, of all the hit comedies from that era, Night Court is not quite the one I would have expected to receive such an honor - and with Melissa Rauch involved, at that.
I will explain what the former Big Bang Theory cast member’s role on the new Night Court is soon enough, as we explore all the basic facts about the show to take note of. But first, I call the case of where and when viewers will be able to watch this series.
Night Court Is Set To Premiere On NBC During The 2022-2023 Season
After nine seasons, adored by critics and audiences alike, Night Court called itself “adjourned” in the spring of 1992. Three decades will have passed by the time the series comes back to its original parent network, NBC, according to a report by Deadline from November 2021.
The article explains that the revival was developed in December 2020 and secured a pilot deal with NBC Universal Television in May 2021 before receiving a full series order the following September. We cannot say at the moment exactly when Night Court will debut on the 2022 TV schedule, but it is somewhat refreshing to confirm that it will be a network show instead of a streaming exclusive, as many other series revivals tend to be (i.e. Fuller House on Netflix, for instance). Although it is likely that cord cutters will be able to stream it the next day on Peacock like anything else on NBC.
Night Court Is A Continuation Of The Original Hit Sitcom
In case anybody needs this cleared up, the new Night Court is not going to be a remake, but a direct continuation of the original in the form of a 10th season arriving 30 years late. So, anybody who would object to the idea of someone else filling in for the late, great Harry Anderson as Judge Harry T. Stone does not need to worry.
In fact, the series’ primary character will be Harry’s daughter, Abby Stone, who has followed in the footsteps of her father to preside over the latest unusual cases brought to the court house after hours. Also like her father, Abby has an unwavering, optimistic view on life that puts her at odds with the some of her older and more cynical colleagues, including one familiar face.
Melissa Rauch Leads And John Larroquette Returns To The Night Court Cast
Leading the new Night Court cast as Judge Abby Stone is Melissa Rauch. The talented actress got her start in stand-up comedy before her role as Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on the long-running CBS comedy, The Big Bang Theory, made her a household name. It also launched an impressive voice acting career that includes the second-billed lead of 2017’s Batman and Harley Quinn (which is ironic, since fellow former Big Bang star Kaley Cuoco now voices the Clown Princess of Crime on her own HBO Max series).
Joining Melissa Rauch is John Larroquette, reprising the role that earned him four Emmy Awards during Night Court’s original run: the slimy, sarcastic prosecuting attorney, Dan Fielding. He would actually receive a fifth Emmy for his guest role on a more serious courtroom series, The Practice, as a murderous, narcissistic defense attorney named Joseph Heric. Still, Night Court remains his best-known achievement, which is why it is wonderful to see him involved with the revival from both in front of and behind the camera.
Night Court Stars Melissa Rauch and John Larroquette Also Have Producing Credits
In addition to being the focus of the series, Melissa Rauch is helping run the show on Night Court from behind the scenes. The actress is also executive producing the series with Dan Rubin and her husband, Winston Rauch, whom she has collaborated with before on the 2009 short film, The Condom Killer, as co-directors, and on the script for the 2015 sports comedy, The Bronze, which also starred Melissa in the lead role.
Also serving as producer for Night Court is star John Larroquette, who actually directed a couple of episodes of the original series’ third and fourth seasons in 1986. His previous producing credits include The John Larroquette Show - his self-titled follow-up to Night Court that had a decent, three-year run in the mid-1990s - and Payne - an American remake of the John Cleese-led British classic Fawlty Towers that was not quite as successful when it premiered on CBS in 1999.
Longtime Sitcom Veteran Pamela Fryman Directed The Night Court Pilot
Someone with experience working on countless sitcoms of both the extremely successful and obscure variety is Pamela Fryman, who has directed some of the best Friends episodes, many installments of Two and a Half Men, and most of How I Met Your Mother’s entire run, to name just a few. Among her latest ventures is helming the pilot episode of the Night Court revival. She also directed the premiere of Hulu’s upcoming HIMYM spin-off, How I Met Your Father, for which she is also credited as an executive producer, along with co-creators Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, and HIMYM creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Writer Dan Rubin Wrote The Night Court Pilot
In addition to executive producing the new Night Court series, Dan Rubin also penned the pilot episode. His previous writing credits include Scrubs and Happy Endings, and he even worked as a production assistant on the M. Night Shyamalan thriller, The Village, in 2004. He is likely best known as a writer and a co-executive producer of Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series four times.
While it is a little early to reach a final verdict, we find that the upcoming Night Court revival looks like it could be pretty good. Until it finally premieres, fans can catch up on the original classic (which used one of several funny TV shows sadly not available on streaming) by binging it on IMDb TV.
Article is adjourned.
