#lacretta

I told you I needed to get Night Court out of my system after it got canned, and here they are!

I tried to go for an anime look, but they ended up being a bit Disney-esque.

Night Court - NBC  -  January 17, 2023  -  May 6, 2025

Sitcom  (47 episodes)

Running Time:  30 minutes

Stars

Melissa Rauch as Abby (Abracadabra) Stone, the daughter of the late Harry Stone, who fills her father's former position as judge on the night shift at the Manhattan Criminal Court

India de Beaufort as Olivia, the assistant district attorney assigned to Abby's court (season 1-2)

Kapil Talwalkar as Neil, Abby's clerk (season 1)

Lacretta as Donna "Gurgs" Gurganous, the bailiff for Abby's court

John Larroquette as Dan Fielding, the former assistant district attorney for Harry's court who comes back to serve as the public defender in Abby's court

Nyambi Nyambi as Wyatt Shaw (seasons 2–3)

Wendie Malick as Julianne (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2)

Guest starring

Faith Ford as Gina Stone, Abby's mother and Harry's widow

Recurring

Gary Anthony Williams as Murray Flobert, an eccentric judge who substituted for Abby

Pete Holmes as Rand, Abby's fiancé

Ryan Hansen as Jake, Abby's boyfriend

Marsha Warfield as Roz, a former bailiff of Judge Harry Stone's court, now working as a private investigator, and who briefly takes back her bailiff position to obtain her pension

Brent Spiner and Annie O'Donnell as Bob and June Wheeler, a frequently down on their luck hillbilly couple. Spiner and O'Donnell reprise their roles from the original series

Dimiter Marinov as Nikolai, the court's maintenance man

I know there's a lot of folks who aren't feeling the new Night Court series, and it's likely not going to get renewed for another season. But I am proudly in the minority of folks who are enjoying the show and I appreciate what it's trying to do and the laughs it provides.

And this week's episode is a great example of that. Setting aside my pro-anyone-associated-with-Broadway-is-awesome bias, this week's episode was fantastic!

Sidenote: Yay! Andrew Rannells!

This episode was grounded in what felt like an honest commentary of what is going on in the world. And I especially adored it because my personal backstory is that the episode was probably born from an actual conversation someone had about or with John Larroquette in real life.

There was both silliness (the whole bit about the EDM festival in Flushing) and heart (the conversation at the end where Dan expresses how it hurt that the people he cared about were just humoring him because of his age). I love it when the show does that!

The B storyline (the lie detector test/crush on Wyatt) was just as funny as the A storyline, and it helped reveal just a little bit more about the characters as well, which is always appreciated. Character development has always been a must when it comes to any show truly resonating with me, and it's nice to see they haven't forgotten that.

I also appreciated the balance of this episode. Sure, there was a commentary about generational differences, but Julianne got to represent the cooler members of the older generations. And Andrew Rannells' character Tad represented how a bit douche-y and annoying some members of younger generations can be, especially toward older gens. The point being that ageism can go both ways. But in the end, everyone got to be funny and showcase how each person in the cast is talented in their own way.

I understand that this might be the last season of the new version, but I am unapologetically enjoying it and wish the network would give it space to find its rhythm like the original series got a chance to do. As much as I enjoyed the OG Night Court, I won't pretend that it didn't need a couple of years to find the right cocktail of talent and its own singular voice.

Surely, I'm not the only one who remembers that there was an entirely different court clerk before Charles Robinson joined in the 2nd season, 2 public defendants before Markie Post joined in the 3rd season, and 2 bailiffs before Marsha Warfield joined in the 4th season. And even though there were funny and heartfelt episodes in the first 3 seasons, the show didn't really hit its stride until the 4th season when Marsha joined the cast.

But unfortunately, audiences have shorter attention spans now, and any series that doesn't deliver nonstop gut-busting laughs in the first 2 or 3 episodes is often automatically considered "unwatchable" by the audiences who rely on a popular influencer or YouTuber to tell them what to think.

Oh well, I am determined to be grateful for what we have been allowed to enjoy. Because the show has really delivered some great laughs at a time when I most certainly needed them.

Now to convince NBC to release each season on DVD or in a downloadable permanent streaming format for those of us who would like to watch the show any time we want in the future.

When life feels a bit too heavy, there’s nothing quite like laughter to lift the spirit. That’s where Night Court comes in. With 12 seasons under its belt, spanning the original beloved series and the reboot, this sitcom has become a go-to for audiences seeking hilarious, feel-good entertainment.

What makes Night Court stand out after all these years? Star Lacretta shares in a sound clip that the show offers a much-needed moment of levity, helping viewers unwind and enjoy a break from the demands of everyday life. Whether it’s the outrageous courtroom cases or the colorful cast of characters, Night Court continues to deliver humor in a way that resonates across generations.

FIC LIST + SUMMARIES: