S01.E01: Pilot; S01.E02: The Nighthawks

[merylinkid]

I never thought a comedy would make me cry.  I loved the original.  This has some rough spots.  Abby is waaaay too perky.  But I will give it a go.  Because it did remind me so very much of the original.

[Irlandesa]

7 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I would love it if it turned out Dan’s wife was Christine.  The OG show tried desperately hard to ship Harry and Christine throughout but Christine and Dan was a fan OTP so having them ultimately get together even after the show ends would be cool.   

I've read some reviews covering the first six episodes and...

Spoiler

Neither Harry or Dan ended up with Christine.  (I'm still going to pretend the 30 Rock ep is the last ep.

6 hours ago, TheOtherOne said:

I thought I'd read that Marsha Warfield hadn't been approached to come back, but she apparently had some supportive things to say about the show and wished everyone the best, so she would likely be open to it if they did approach her:

Marsha retired from acting around 2000 and only started acting again recently.  She appears on 9-1-1 as Athena's mother.  It'd be nice if they could create a good story for her that didn't feel too gimmicky so she could appear.

But I think limiting the major characters to just Dan for now makes sense. Most everyone else from the show would have retired from their work and I think it's important to establish the new characters.

Although, I do think having Roz be a cranky woman working (a la the original bailiffs--both of who ended up dying) having to work to pay off some kid or grandkid's college tuition would have worked better than whatever they're doing with this current bailiff whose voice they don't quite have yet. 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Irlandesa

[festivus]

This show needs Roz.

I'm in for now, I think it was a bit clunky but hopefully will jell better later. The best part for me were the names on the board. I missed dialogue because I was trying to read them. My fave was Bjorn Free. Lol.

Dan's apartment was so cool. Once again I missed (probably heartwarming) dialogue trying to check that place out.

[juno]

It was pretty good. The ADA was pretty bad. There is no charm from her. I didn't like her but on the other hand, loved the bailiff and of course Dan and Melissa.

[Gharlane]

On 1/17/2023 at 1:07 AM, kariyaki said:

Pilot.

Judge Abby Stone follows in the footsteps of her late father Judge Harry Stone as she takes over the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court. When the court finds itself in need of a public defender, Abby sees potential in an unlikely candidate from her father’s past: former night court prosecutor Dan Fielding.

I normally hate remakes and reboots and revivals, but the tone reminded me of the original show. I was a bit bored by the table-setting, but that is to be expected. I don't like Olivia the prosecutor and Donna the Bailiff, and I barely noticed Neil (what is he?). I'm willing to see how this goes...

[Lovecat]

21 hours ago, kirinan said:

Mr. kirinan (my Night Court partner in crime from the very first original series broadcast) and I enjoyed both episodes last night, although we agreed it was a little rough. But we laughed out loud several times, and are ready to watch for however long the show lasts—which might be a while, considering that the ratings were some of NBC's best in a while. I miss the original cast, of course, but I actually liked the new supporting characters (except I agree the bailiff needs to tone it down). I like the character of Abby, but I think she also needs to tone down a bit, in her case the heavy-handed moralizing (I'm trying to think of a better word but it escapes me right now). Harry didn't seem quite so pushy. But I like Melissa Rauch so much I'm willing to be patient. 

Mr. Lovecat and I are right there with you and Mr. kirinan...we thought the premiere was a little rough, but we did have several LOLs and will give it a little more time to find itself.  I also thought Abby was a little much, but definitely in the spirit of Harry Stone.  Hopefully she'll settle down a bit.

3 hours ago, Gharlane said:

I normally hate remakes and reboots and revivals, but the tone reminded me of the original show. I was a bit bored by the table-setting, but that is to be expected. I don't like Olivia the prosecutor and Donna the Bailiff, and I barely noticed Neil (what is he?). I'm willing to see how this goes...

"Table-setting" is a good way to put it.  If I had taken a shot for every time Abby referred to her dad, I'd have been blotto before the first half hour was up!  They've set the table, now they need to make the show their own.  I didn't like the prosecutor much, either.  Neil is Abby's clerk.  I loved the actress playing the stenographer when she was on Atypical, and hope she sticks around and is given more to do.  She's always plays delightfully odd characters, and I believe she is neurodivergent herself, so yay representation!

Did anyone else notice teeny-tiny Melissa Rauch's GIGANTIC shoes (like, 5-inch heels + platform soles), especially when she had standing-up scenes with the very tall John Laroquette?  If nothing else, I'm going to have a good time scoping out her footwear.  Bless her heart, it can't be easy to spend a whole day shooting in shoes like that.  I hope she's wearing bunny slippers when she's on the bench!

[libgirl2]

15 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I came to see if this was worth watching (was going to watch tonight but it's not listed OnDemand yet). Looks like some mixed reviews...

Give it a try. People have differing opinions. I found it nice and comforting. I miss sitcoms the way they used to be. Just fun. 

12 hours ago, festivus said:

This show needs Roz.

I'm in for now, I think it was a bit clunky but hopefully will jell better later. The best part for me were the names on the board. I missed dialogue because I was trying to read them. My fave was Bjorn Free. Lol.

Dan's apartment was so cool. Once again I missed (probably heartwarming) dialogue trying to check that place out.

Oh my that was really funny! 

[Bort]

5 minutes ago, Lovecat said:

If I had taken a shot for every time Abby referred to her dad, I'd have been blotto before the first half hour was up!

That’s the part that I think they really need to lighten up on. I’m sorry, but just about every viewer tuning in is a watcher of the original show. We knew this going in, it was explained in the first 30 seconds, we don’t need it hammered into our skulls in every single one of Abby’s scenes.

[MrAtoz]

20 hours ago, TheOtherOne said:

Ten years ago Richard Moll said there was no way he'd be involved in a reunion. Would he feel the same about a scripted reboot a decade later? (I thought I'd read he'd turned them down, but like the above, I can't find a link.)

From what I understand, Richard Moll does not have fond memories of his time on Night Court.  In particular, he and John Larroquette apparently did not get along at all, so I suspect he's out as long as Larroquette is in.

[Msample]

I get that the original Dan Fielding character would be problematic in todays environment, but they have pretty much performed a labotomy on him, removing any and all of the sarcasm and wit of his former self. I'll keep watching to see if it gets better but I am not hopeful. 

[theartandsound]

I'm going to give this time to settle in, but I will say this, this is much better than the MURPHY BROWN reboot from a few years ago. Maybe it is because NIGHT COURT doesn't feature most of the old cast. Watching the MB reboot, it felt really strange at times, like watching a zombie.

[Gharlane]

On 1/17/2023 at 1:07 AM, kariyaki said:

The Nighthawks.

Abby pushes Dan Fielding to embrace his new role as public defender. Neil gets on board with Abby's quest to improve the courtroom and quickly realizes why trying is for the birds.

I liked this one better, now that they got the pilot table setting out of the way. It reminds me of the wackiness of the original, so that's a good omen. I still don't like Olivia the prosecutor and Donna the Bailiff.

[libgirl2]

41 minutes ago, theartandsound said:

I'm going to give this time to settle in, but I will say this, this is much better than the MURPHY BROWN reboot from a few years ago. Maybe it is because NIGHT COURT doesn't feature most of the old cast. Watching the MB reboot, it felt really strange at times, like watching a zombie.

I think the problem with MB (and I loved the show back in the day), was that the concept didn't age well. 

[greekmom]

8 hours ago, Gharlane said:

I normally hate remakes and reboots and revivals, but the tone reminded me of the original show. I was a bit bored by the table-setting, but that is to be expected. I don't like Olivia the prosecutor and Donna the Bailiff, and I barely noticed Neil (what is he?). I'm willing to see how this goes...

I'm not a fan of the actress myself (last seen her in Firefly Girls).  The thing is that the original Night Court had a few different public defenders before they settled on Markie Post. They could do the same with the Prosecutor. 

I wonder who Abby's fiancé is and how he's going to play into the overall comedy.

And for goodness sake show. Bring back Spiner and O'Donnell as the Wheelers!

[babyhouseman]

3 hours ago, Msample said:

I get that the original Dan Fielding character would be problematic in todays environment, but they have pretty much performed a labotomy on him, removing any and all of the sarcasm and wit of his former self. I'll keep watching to see if it gets better but I am not hopeful. 

Yes. He is older and supposedly more mature and can't go around sexually harassing women these days. He still has charm, and I'm going to give the show a chance. 

[ams1001]

8 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

Give it a try. People have differing opinions. I found it nice and comforting. I miss sitcoms the way they used to be. Just fun. 

Just checked OnDemand; it's there now. Will watch tonight after Celeb Jeopardy.

  

8 hours ago, Lovecat said:

I hope she's wearing bunny slippers when she's on the bench!

I just started watching and noticed she was wearing platform sneakers as she walked to her chair the first time. Probably put her just over 5 feet (she's 4'11" according to wikipedia).

I like it well enough so far.

Edited January 20, 2023 by ams1001

[roseha]

I see the new show is on Peacock which I have anyway, so I will have to give it a try. 

[Irlandesa]

4 hours ago, theartandsound said:

I'm going to give this time to settle in, but I will say this, this is much better than the MURPHY BROWN reboot from a few years ago. Maybe it is because NIGHT COURT doesn't feature most of the old cast. Watching the MB reboot, it felt really strange at times, like watching a zombie.

That's an interesting point.  The best part of the MB reboot, IMO was her relationship with her son. 

I might be the only one but I liked the DA character more than I thought I would when I learned who had been cast.  I didn't dislike her but I didn't know if she'd be any good in a comedy. 

2 hours ago, babyhouseman said:

Yes. He is older and supposedly more mature and can't go around sexually harassing women these days. He still has charm, and I'm going to give the show a chance. 

But I do hope they do an episode about his past.  I think it could be funny. I doubt Abby knows about it.

[Moose135]

We really enjoyed this! I was a big fan of the original and loved Harry Anderson. There were a few rough spots, but we laughed out loud at a lot of stuff.

On 1/18/2023 at 11:41 PM, festivus said:

The best part for me were the names on the board. I missed dialogue because I was trying to read them. My fave was Bjorn Free. Lol.

We loved that! Hugh Janus!

[Gharlane]

On 1/17/2023 at 9:34 PM, DanaK said:

Don’t real night courts just work in the buildings and rooms as the day shift? If so, the falling down nature of the infrastructure doesn’t make sense

I always had the impression that their night court was treated like a third-tier part of the court and thus was held in the basement or otherwise unused or well-maintained building or room.

 

On 1/17/2023 at 11:04 PM, Twilight Man said:

Oh, and Bull got abducted by aliens.

Or was he? 

(I recall they jokingly implied he was being taken home)

 

On 1/18/2023 at 4:54 AM, nora1992 said:

Small matter, but I’m a bit annoyed by the reference to the original taking place in the 90s. Roughly 2/3 of the episodes were products of the 80s, so why try to shave some years off?  

OK, I wondered about that but thought I was having an old person moment (some days I still think the 1980's were 20 years ago. LOL)

 

On 1/18/2023 at 11:33 AM, ajsnaves said:

As a criminal defense attorney, I tend to avoid law shows now. (Much like many doctors avoid medical shows, and world famous detectives avoid Agatha Christie style who-dobe-its.) But this is just so far from reality that I’m able to hand wave it. Hopefully that does not get too hard in future eps.  

I could not think of the word earlier when describing the show, but I would describe it as wacky and surreal.

[MrAtoz]

3 hours ago, Gharlane said:

OK, I wondered about that but thought I was having an old person moment (some days I still think the 1980's were 20 years ago. LOL)

 

Probably best not to think about the timeline too much.  Melissa Rauch was born in 1980, and the original show started in 1984.  Granted, the age of the actor is not necessarily the age of the character.  But if she's playing anywhere close to her real age, then Abby should have already been born by the time Harry was presiding at Night Court.  Strange that he never mentioned having a kid.

Unless he either A., had abandoned her, or B., didn't know about her.  But neither one of those really fits with the warm and happy memories Abby seems to have of her father.

Like I say, we probably shouldn't think too hard about making the timeline work.

[Bort]

4 hours ago, Gharlane said:

I always had the impression that their night court was treated like a third-tier part of the court and thus was held in the basement or otherwise unused or well-maintained building or room.

I‘m pretty sure the day shift uses the same courtroom as the night shift. I think it’s just that it’s an old building, it was old and gross during the original show, 30-40 years later, it isn’t any fresher.

[TheOtherOne]

The court was supposedly on the 18th floor.

In the eighth season episode "Day Court," they switched to the day shift for a week. It was the same courtroom and cafeteria (but one that was much fancier during the day than it was at night, with maitre'ds and tablecloths and reservations required).

https://nightcourt.fandom.com/wiki/Day_Court

[Chaos Theory]

Night Court has always been one of those shows you can’t really think too hard about or the premise falls apart pretty quickly.   I can see how lawyers would get annoyed with the whole “that’s not how it works in RL” aspect of the show but it was always so easy to hand wave because it never took itself particularly seriously.   Once season 4 came around and the cast settled the show actually got pretty fun in spots but even as a non lawyer I can probably guess it was never all that realistic.    But it is still one of a handful of sitcoms I truly enjoyed and I can see promise in the updated version.   Of course Dan who is older, likely widowed and misanthropic isn’t going to sexually harass anything in a skirt which was is main character attribute and  the source of some of the funnier jokes during the original.    There may be some callbacks littered in but this is a show that can stand on its own and given its own voice.

[AD35]

On 1/17/2023 at 9:09 PM, stonehaven said:

Still, was hoping to get a Max or Christine shout out

I thought that Neil's sweaters were a shout-out of sorts to Mac, who along with Newhart's Mary Frann apparently had a sweater collection in the 80's that rivaled Bill Cosby's. I think the 2nd ep did show some potential with the Golden Girls mural and the birds. Abby and Dan were the best things about the two eps, although Abby's sunny optimism got a bit on my nerves at times. So I'm willing to stick with the show for now. Maybe we'll find out what happened with Mac and Christine through their respective children who would be adults now.

[shlbycindyk]

I've watched the first two episodes on Peacock and I like it.  The older version was my favorite show back in the day so I was prepared to hate this but I found it charming.  

One character I'd love to see them bring back is John Astin's character.  "I'm much better now!". He turned out to be Harry's father so he would be Abby's grandfather.  Astin is still alive however he's also 92 years old so I'm not sure he'd be up to it now.  His last acting job was in 2017.

 

[Gemma Violet]

As some have said, I thought it was a mixed bag.  Funny in parts and not as funny in other parts.  It doesn't compare to the original, but I'll give it a chance, at least for a few more episodes.

[Yeah No]

I really wanted to like this having watched the original and liking Melissa on BBT, but found it to be a big disappointment.  We didn't laugh once, in fact we suffered through both episodes.  The jokes, if you can call them that, are bad.  Plus the attempt to recreate aspects of the original seem tone deaf to the current reality in New York.  Maybe we're not supposed to expect much realism but after 30+ years this is even further from reality than it ever was, especially in terms of diversity.  Seriously, the hackneyed old fashioned flasher in a rumpled trench coat?  How 45 years ago....🙄

In spite of that I'll give it a chance but don't have much hope for it.

[arachne]

I too had high hopes for this show. I'll give it a few more shots before relegating it to the "nice try" bin, but I pray the writing gets better. John Larroquette is a national treasure, but he and Melissa can't carry the show without good material. 

Slightly OT: I thought of Larroquette the other day when I learned that David Crosby had passed. Crosby had a recurring role on The John Larroquette Show back in the 90s. (Sigh -- get used to it, the boomers are disappearing one by one.)  

[Chaos Theory]

Shows written to be ensembles always have one or two people that come out as stars.   For this is was John Laroquette even though Richard Moll and Harry Anderson were original cast members as well.     Sometimes it does affect the actors and the set because the show suddenly starts to be written around the “new star” instead of the whole ensemble.  It is just a guess but as Night Court started to get long in the tooth it also started to transition a lot in trying to redeem Dan Fielding.  

[Chyromaniac]

The worst part was not recording episode 2, and having to watch it on demand.  No commercials, just endless “the more you know” anniversary psa’s.  On the other hand, it’s nice to get a preview of what hell is like.

Overall I think this show can be good- the dynamic between Abby and Dan is obviously the strongest element so far.  John is doing a good job of giving us a Dan that’s a continuation of who he was thirty years ago, but also not the same person.  Dan went through a lot back in the day (speaking of cameos, can we get William Utay back as another Phil Sanders relative?), so it makes sense to have him somewhat mellowed out.  I also like the bailiff, she’s kind of a good blend of Bull and Roz.

The weak notes so far are the clerk and ADA- they’re not making much of an impression, and they kind of act like they know they’re in a sitcom.  Let’s hope they calm down a bit going forward.

Edited January 22, 2023 by Chyromaniac

[Cloud9Shopper]

I don’t remember the original show (wasn’t born when it started) but my mom told me my grandfather loved it back in the day (my grandmother thought it was stupid 🤣) so I decided to watch the reboot. I enjoyed it….laughed out loud several times, especially when the birds got loose in the second episode. 

I need to fill my Tuesday nights now that New Amsterdam is over and The Resident had their season finale so this is a good short time gap while I look for another drama. 

[Annber03]

I have vague memories of seeing bits and pieces of the original series when it was on back in the day, and I've caught parts of reruns on the Laff channel whenever I've tuned in to watch something else on there, so I've got a basic idea of the original premise, but that's about it. 

But I did check this out anyway, just out of curiosity, and it's cute so far. I agree that the interaction between Abby and Dan is the high point already, I like the dynamic they're setting up between them and I liked the scene with Abby coming to Dan's place to encourage him to come back. I also like the interaction between Abby and Neil. I'll stick around, 'cause I'm curious to see how these characters continue to develop and how these dynamics continue to be fleshed out as time goes on. 

On 1/19/2023 at 11:35 AM, Lovecat said:

I loved the actress playing the stenographer when she was on Atypical, and hope she sticks around and is given more to do.  She's always plays delightfully odd characters, and I believe she is neurodivergent herself, so yay representation!

I laughed at the bit where one of the others asked her to read back something they'd said and she was like, "Oh, you guys already started?" :p. 

[Chyromaniac]

2 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I laughed at the bit where one of the others asked her to read back something they'd said and she was like, "Oh, you guys already started?" :p

That was a standout joke.  Tbh, the Steno and the Maintenance guy were the characters that arguably felt the most like classic Night Court.

[brisbydog]

On 1/21/2023 at 2:40 PM, Chyromaniac said:

 

Overall I think this show can be good- the dynamic between Abby and Dan is obviously the strongest element so far.  John is doing a good job of giving us a Dan that’s a continuation of who he was thirty years ago, but also not the same person.  Dan went through a lot back in the day (speaking of cameos, can we get William Utay back as another Phil Sanders relative?)

Utay had a stroke recently and had to be recast on Days of our Lives. No updates on his condition but didn't sound good

[AnimeMania]

I found some pictures on the NBC Night Court website that were obviously from Episode 1, yet were not in the episode. I thought they were a little funny and tell a story all by themselves.

Spoiler

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by AnimeMania

[Amethyst]

On 1/21/2023 at 2:40 PM, Chyromaniac said:

I also like the bailiff, she’s kind of a good blend of Bull and Roz.

The weak notes so far are the clerk and ADA- they’re not making much of an impression, and they kind of act like they know they’re in a sitcom.  Let’s hope they calm down a bit going forward.

I liked the bailiff too.  Good catch on her similarity to Bull.

However, the clerk and ADA characters were so boring and vanilla, so any kind of cheer looked good by comparison.

[Chyromaniac]

7 hours ago, brisbydog said:

Utay had a stroke recently and had to be recast on Days of our Lives. No updates on his condition but didn't sound good

Damn- that’s really unfortunate.  To be honest, I looked him up on Wikipedia just to make sure he was still around, and didn’t see anything about it.  I do remember enjoying him on Days, with the wacky energy he brought as Stefano’s henchman Rolf.  In any case, I certainly hope he can recover over time.

[brisbydog]

7 hours ago, Chyromaniac said:

Damn- that’s really unfortunate.  To be honest, I looked him up on Wikipedia just to make sure he was still around, and didn’t see anything about it.  I do remember enjoying him on Days, with the wacky energy he brought as Stefano’s henchman Rolf.  In any case, I certainly hope he can recover over time.

He was on as Rolf as recently as last summer I believe, so it is very recent 

[ketose]

The first episodes were okay. I mostly found myself laughing at the lines or exchanges with John Laroquette and not so much with the other cast.

[DanaK]

On 1/18/2023 at 8:33 AM, Chaos Theory said:

I was trying to be nice.  Mostly.  Plus I just found the original on Freevee and just watches episode 2 which was a little better then episode 1 and season 1 gets steadily better after that but the show does have a lot of cast turnover for….reasons.  Season 4 is when it stabilizes and goes on from there until it gets long in the tooth like all shows do when they have been on for too long.  

I had forgotten about the frequent cast turnover, but to be fair, the first actress playing the 2nd bailiff died of cancer after 2 seasons, and her replacement also died of cancer after one season, and her replacement Marsha Warfield manages to remain through the rest of the series. No excuses for the turnovers of the public defender, but I recall liking Markie Post in the role the best

[WendyCR72]

This is probably common knowledge - or maybe not? - but Ellen Foley, who played Billie (before Christine) in the original series, was/is also a singer - and she had a huge song with (the now-late!) Meat Loaf, with "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" from the album, Bat Out of Hell, in 1977, as well as was some of the other songs on that album! (For example, "All Dressed Up and No Place To Go" and "You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth"!) Basically, if there were parts of songs on that album sung by a woman, it was Ellen Foley.

(The video for "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" is taken from a concert. Apparently, from what I understand, Ellen Foley was unavailable to tour, so Karla DeVito [the dark-haired woman in the video] lip synced Ellen's vocals, although Karla herself could/did sing, otherwise.)

[AncientNewbie]

IIRC, they originally wanted Post for the role, but she was under contract to the Fall Guy (a Lee Majors vehicle...remember him? I'm so old. Sigh.) After she was out of contract they returned to Plan A. 

To return to this decade, I always have a "meh" for pilots, because they have to cram introductions, comedy and some snippet of pathos in there for execs to see the whole palette of what they are offering. Biggest take away from the first couple for me is that I'm still not getting who Abby is, other than a surrogate (judge joke two people would get being skipped...) for Harry as the iconoclast on the bench. 

Night Court holds a special place for me as a lawyer. It often doesn't get the law right, but at the same time, the interactions between staff and lawyers are more like my daily work than the stuffy world of L&O. 

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, AncientNewbie said:

Night Court holds a special place for me as a lawyer. It often doesn't get the law right, but at the same time, the interactions between staff and lawyers are more like my daily work than the stuffy world of L&O. 

One of my best friends is a lawyer and said pretty much the same thing.  Like me, he was also disappointed in this reboot so far.

[ajsnaves]

35 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

One of my best friends is a lawyer and said pretty much the same thing.  Like me, he was also disappointed in this reboot so far.

I can confirm that. I primarily practice in one county, and am “friends” with everyone in that courthouse.  If a lawyer is smart the first thing they do is get in good with the Clerks, Court Reporters, and Judicial Assistants.  They have the real power.  Also, you can’t be in a smaller county for long without some of your friends becoming judges eventually.  I am on a first name basis with all three of mine, and on a winning trivia team with one. 

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, ajsnaves said:

I can confirm that. I primarily practice in one county, and am “friends” with everyone in that courthouse.  If a lawyer is smart the first thing they do is get in good with the Clerks, Court Reporters, and Judicial Assistants.  They have the real power.  Also, you can’t be in a smaller county for long without some of your friends becoming judges eventually.  I am on a first name basis with all three of mine, and on a winning trivia team with one. 

My friend told me the humorous rapport between the cast in the first "Night Court" series was more like reality than the serious stuff depicted on other shows.  He once represented me on a speeding ticket and I was LOL at how he knew everyone at the court on a first name basis.  He got my penalty reduced to a donation in lieu of a fine (or words to that effect), BTW.

[magicdog]

On 1/18/2023 at 4:41 AM, EtheltoTillie said:

I was surprised to see Michael J. Fox on episode 2 when he was already a star in Family Ties.  Stunt casting?  Done with little fanfare. 

I remember the promos at the time the network was preparing to air the episode.  They were hyping it at the time, particularly the scene in which his character tells Harry he was "Batman" when asked what his name was.  I'd say it was a bit of stunt casting since Family Ties and Night Court shared time on NBC.  

[babyhouseman]

1 hour ago, magicdog said:

I remember the promos at the time the network was preparing to air the episode.  They were hyping it at the time, particularly the scene in which his character tells Harry he was "Batman" when asked what his name was.  I'd say it was a bit of stunt casting since Family Ties and Night Court shared time on NBC.  

I just remembered Johnny Carson was on the old Night Court. Yeah, NBC crossover. 

[kaygeeret]

I watched my first episode this evening and I was a bit underwhelmed.

Laroquette, as always, simply knocked it out of the park.  It was a real pleasure to see him in a show again.

Rauch underwhelmed me and I think it might be the writing or perhaps the conception (?) of the character.  Seemed very one note pony.  I always thought she showed real chops in BBT, but she underwhelms here.  Sometimes seems to be speaking almost in a monotone and way to rushed.

Boy do I miss Warfield.  She often was the observer/participant who tied everything together, and her 'cynicism' combined with her real liking and appreciation of the folks around her was a truly lovely acting performance.  The new bailiff is not up to snuff.  It certainly could be the way the part is written and the actor is directed, but her character is a waste of space and so very, very predictable as the 'stupid' woman in the show for laughs.

The actor playing the prosecutor speaks WAY too quickly and sometimes in a monotone.  I began simply ignoring her.  Again, the writing could be the problem but the way she is being directed could also be the issue.

I will check in when the show does not interfere with a show I like and perhaps it will improve.  I certainly hope so as I dearly love the original and had high hopes for this reboot.

 

 

[roseha]

On 2/2/2023 at 5:00 PM, babyhouseman said:

I just remembered Johnny Carson was on the old Night Court. Yeah, NBC crossover. 

Do you remember the episode?  Because I can't remember Carson on Night Court, though I think the head of the network appeared once as stunt casting.

I do remember Carson doing a memorable bit as a train conductor in an episode of Get Smart.