Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday! This week, we’re covering the first season of NBC’s 2023 revival of Night Court, which, as of this writing, is currently airing its second season.
Night Court stars MELISSA RAUCH as Abby, INDIA DE BEAUFORT as Olivia, KAPIL TALWALKAR as Neil, LACRETTA as Gurgs, and JOHN LARROQUETTE as Dan Fielding.
The 2023 revival of Night Court is the least well-received “reboot” we’ve covered this month. But it’s the most simply built, and with only a few, albeit major, improvements, it has the most chance to enjoy a decent-sized run. For starters, the classic design of an ensemble workplace sitcom set in and around a court at night will always be conducive to the type of idea-led humor that’s currently popular, for while there must obviously be regular characters with clear relational dynamics that can and should influence the storytelling (and validate our definition of what a sitcom is), the success of both the original Night Court and any series similarly constructed (like the police station-set Barney Miller, from which creator Reinhold Weege hailed) resides in the strength of its weekly notions — specifically, the cases brought into the courtroom, or sheer court-related events, that are then able to inspire the ensemble interactions that uphold the “situation.” The funnier and/or more emotionally compelling the setup, especially through some kind of personal stake for the regulars, the more likely it is to yield a winning installment. Thus, greatness on Night Court, like many sitcoms, is predicated two-fold: on there being a reliable ensemble, both collectively and individually, and on said ensemble having a reliably premise-appropriate stream of episodic ideas to encourage smart utilization. Now, on both of these fronts, the 2023 Night Court needs significant work — but, frankly, so did the original during its 13-episode first season, which goes to say that I expect there to be improvements. In fact, as of this writing, the new show is already airing its second season with a new clerk — just as Mac replaced Lana back in 1984 — which tells me that this series recognizes its shortcomings. In particular, its first season’s leads need help… some more than others. Melissa Rauch is solid as a Harry Anderson-esque anchor, whose quirky optimism upends the status quo of the night court, and her connection to the original series via Harry encourages emotional investment without being too forced. Also, the returning John Larroquette (the only carryover from Night Court 1.0) provides a historical gravitas that grounds the storytelling, even when silly. Yes, his persona has been very diluted — the 1980s Dan Fielding was way too much of a jerk for today’s audience — but he’s basically there to be a cynical foil to Abby, and he does just that.
Similarly on target is India de Beaufort’s Olivia, who battles Dan in the courtroom as the new district attorney (to his public defender — a fresh angle for him) and carries a lot of his original spirit, serving as a fine contrast to Abby as well. Currently weaker, meanwhile, are Lacretta as bailiff Gurgs — a seeming amalgam of Bull and Roz that’s yet to receive enough personal exploration to be a viable story-encouraging character, and the already replaced clerk, Neil, whose crush on Abby isn’t quite the pull that the series needs it to be. Fortunately, again, the show is immediately open — like its predecessor — to tweaking the cast, and with more episodes coming in the near future, there’s plenty of time for all the regulars to be better developed. And, incidentally, unlike on That ’90s Show, where it feels like the older characters (the adults) are narratively in competition with the newer ones about whom we care less, I think Dan’s singularity as an ambassador from the original keeps him from being able to dominate the proceedings. He needs scene partners, and this keeps him more entrenched within their ranks, where he, and Abby Stone, are naturally centrally located. Accordingly, I maintain that this simple ensemble design, which matches the original in terms of job arrangement (well, with only one bailiff this time, not two), can set up Night Court for success. It just needs to refine several of the players, with an eye to how they can be both funnier and more narratively useful, for ultimately, as an idea-led sitcom, this show needs to have better episodic stories. This is where the new series is most disappointing in its debut season, and the reason that I would have to lament this collection as the weakest of the three revivals covered this month — there are very few courtroom-based (read: premise-based) ideas here that are genuinely creative and comedic, let alone a smart display of the regulars. If the new Night Court is to take advantage of its proven format, it must have funnier, more memorable narrative fodder — with leads who encourage and can handle it. Right now, this Night Court is not good, but it’s the easiest to get right with some textbook sitcommery: emphasizing strong characters who inspire bold stories. Of course, that’s always easier said than done… Heck, I could only choose three favorites from this first season of 16 because so much of it is subpar, but, again, I see potential…
01) Episode 3: “Just Tuesday” (Aired: 01/24/23)
Abby changes her judicial style after making a mistake.
Written by Mathew Harawitz | Directed by Anthony Rich
With a story nevertheless reminiscent of something we’d see on the original series, this excursion develops Melissa Rauch’s Abby Stone in a way that both reveals her affiliation to her father Harry and also feels necessary for the sake of this new show going forward, as she is the centralized comic force whose unique attitude provides the most contrast, and therefore conflict, when juxtaposed against other members of the ensemble. Thus, this is an important character showing for her, even if some of the beats are indeed clichéd.
02) Episode 4: “Dan V. Dating” (Aired: 01/31/23)
Dan tries to get back into dating.
Written by Lon Zimmet | Directed by Anthony Rich
Wendie Malick enjoys a memorable guest appearance here as Dan’s episodic love interest — the ex-lothario’s first in a while. It’s a fun comedic twist to have her turn out to be a career criminal seeking revenge on the former prosecutor, but in general, Malick is a material-elevator who shares decent chemistry with John Larroquette. A focus on these two naturally makes the half hour stand out, and in being the funniest entry for Dan from this season — divorced from overbearing narrative concerns — it was a must-include. No classic, but likable.
03) Episode 8: “Blood Moon Binga” (Aired: 02/28/23)
Abby’s visiting mother has a secret history with Dan.
Written by Rebecca Delgado Smith & Jessica Elaina Eason | Directed by Pamela Fryman
Easily the best episode from this otherwise unimpressive first season, “Blood Moon Binga” notably guest stars Murphy Brown’s Faith Ford as Abby’s mother (and thus, Harry’s wife) who shares a secret with Dan — the way that she met Harry was when he was her judge and Dan was her prosecutor. Some of the jeopardy surrounding Abby’s eventual discovery of this history is a little forced, yet because it’s rooted in not only her character’s backstory, but also the Night Court format’s own DNA and the emotional continuity its targeted audience has with the series, the stakes are inherent. Plus, the idea features a lot of the central courtroom setting (which is vital to any outing being actually great) and utilizes the ensemble well as a collective entity.
Other notable episodes that merit mention include: “The Nighthawks,” the second entry, which establishes the dynamics within the courtroom following the pilot’s sometimes heavy-handed narrative maneuverings and tries for an ambitious comic climax.
*** The MVE Award for the Best Episode from Season One of the Night Court Revival goes to…
“Blood Moon Binga”
Come back next week for more sitcom fun and another Wildcard Wednesday!