‘Night Court’ Reboot Gets NBC Premiere Date

The upcoming Night Court reboot has had fans of the original series very excited, and now the show finally has a premiere date at NBC. THR reports that Night Court will kick off with two episodes on Jan. 17, as part of the network’s new midseason Tuesday night comedy block that also features last season’s breakout hit American Auto. The updated Night Court will feature former Big Bang Theory star Melissa Rauch and original series actor John Larroquette.

In the series, Rauch will play “unapologetic optimist judge Abby Stone, daughter of the late Harry Stone, who follows in her father’s footsteps as she presides over the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court and tries to bring order to its crew of oddballs and cynics, most notably former night court prosecutor Dan Fielding,” per Deadline. The show is being written by Dan Rubin (The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), who will also serve as an executive producer, along with Rauch. It is currently unknown if other original Night Court stars such as Richard Moll may turn up as well.

The original Night Court aired on NBC for nine seasons, from 1984 until 1992. It earned three Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy nominations. Notably, Larroquette’s performance won him the Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series four years in a row, from 1985 to 1988.

Sadly, a number of the show’s original stars have since passed away, such as Markie Post, Charlie Robinson, and Harry Anderson, who played Judge Harry Stone in the series. Anderson passed away in 2018. His cause of death was due to a stroke he suffered in his sleep, brought on by both influenza and heart disease. Anderson’s untimely death brought a wave of sadness over his former co-stars, many of whom issued public statements of sorrow.

“Heartsick,” Larroquette tweeted, later adding, “He was wicked smart. He was wicked funny. He had a big laugh. He had a big heart. He delighted in legerdemain especially when he caused someone to scratch their head and proclaim; How the hell did you do that? And he could eat a hamster like no one I ever knew.”

Warfield, who played Bailiff Rosalind Russell, shared a heartfelt message on her Facebook page, after learning of Anderson’s death. “Harry was a good man, a good friend, he was good to me when I first got on Night Court,” Warfield said. “Harry was the first one to reach out and offer me advice, and any help I needed. And I needed a lot at that time.”