Night Court: Sitcom revival lands series order at NBC

Grab your gavel and get ready for some kooky complaints from a circus of strange characters because Night Court is in session. NBC has issued a series order for a revival of the classic legal sitcom.

Written and executive produced by Dan Rubin (The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), NBC’s Night Court revival is based on the original series created by Reinold Weege, which centers on the 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 (Larroquette). (via Deadline)

The original Night Court, which ran for nine seasons from 1984-92, was a smash hit with fans of scripted off-color comedy. It never really gelled for me, but holy hell is our own Chris Bumbray excited about this one. You should see the emails.

Joining Rubin as co-executive producers of the revival are Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory) and Winson Rauch through their After January production label. Pamela Fryman exec produced and directed the pilot, which also stars Ana Villafañe (Younger), Lacretta, and  Kapil Talwalkar of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.

For now, NBC is uncertain if Night Court will air midseason in the 2021/22 broadcast season or the 2022/23 season. Regardless, the show is happening, barring any unfortunate circumstances, of course.

Can this oddball comedy recapture the magic after so many years? Do the players of the original Night Court still have that chemistry that made the original such an event? We’ll find out once Night Court returns from its very long adjournment.