The original Night Court ran on NBC from 1984 to 1992 and chronicled the lives of staffers working the late shift in Manhattan’s municipal court. Like NBC’s newest iteration of Quantum Leap, Night Court isn’t a reboot so much as it’s a continuing story stemming from the original. It's more like Night Court: The Next Generation, if you will.
In this case, the gavel has been passed to Judge Harry Stone’s daughter, Abby. Harry Stone was played to perfection by the late Harry Anderson, who passed away in 2018. Abby Stone is following in her father’s footsteps, but her courtroom features a very memorable person from her father’s days with John Larroquette’s Dan Fielding, formerly an assistant district attorney who frequented Harry’s courtroom.
Not surprisingly, NBC announced an early second season renewal for the show, paving the way for more Night Court goodness to come.
Here’s everything we know about Night Court.
Next episode of Night Court
The next new episode of Night Court airs Tuesday, May 9, at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC. The title of the new episode is "The Honorable Dan Fielding Part II." It's the second part of the two-part season finale. Here's the episode description: "Abby is on trial, and she and Dan are fighting for her professional life; District Attorney Jeff Dewitt returns and forces Olivia to choose sides; Abby and Rand find their relationship at a crossroads."
There is currently no information about when Night Court will be available in the UK, but as soon as we have that information we’ll have it for you here.
Night Court episode guide
Here's a handy guide to keep track of the first season of Night Court:
Night Court season 1 episode 1: "Pilot"
"Abby Stone, the daughter of the late Harry Stone, takes over the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court and hires former prosecutor Dan Fielding as public defender."
Night Court season 1 episode 2: "The Nighthawks"
"Abby pushes Dan to embrace his new role as public defender; Neil helps Abby improve the courtroom and learns why trying is for the birds."
Night Court season 1 episode 3: "Just Tuesday"
"After Abby makes a mistake in the courtroom, she decides to adopt an all-business approach to get things back on track, but her new style catches everyone off guard."
Night Court season 1 episode 4: "Dan v. Dating"
"With Abby's encouragement, Dan attempts to venture back into the dating world, but reigniting his love life proves more complicated than anticipated; Gurgs and Olivia search for a new office and find something they weren't expecting."
Night Court season 1 episode 5: "The Apartment"
"In desperate need of a new apartment, Abby turns to Gurgs and her unconventional real estate skills; Dan helps Olivia prepare for the biggest case of her career and a shot at redemption."
Night Court season 1 episode 6: "Justice Baddies"
"Gurgs' tween nephew and some of his fellow students visit the court for a school project; things get out of hand for Abby, Dan and the night court team when the kids reveal their true motive is to grind the wheels of justice to a halt."
Night Court season 1 episode 7: "Train Court"
"When a train delay causes issues, Abby sees an opportunity to serve underground justice; Gurgs tries to stall the proceedings so Abby can meet her favorite celebrities, Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski, but Dan has dinner reservations he won't give up."
Night Court season 1 episode 8: "Blood Moon Binga"
"A blood moon brings out some of the weirdest cases New York has to offer along with a surprise visitor: Abby's mum, who's carrying some secrets; Gurgs suspects Dan knows more than he's letting on; Olivia and Neil stumble on the truth."
Night Court season 1 episode 9: "Two Peas on a Pod"
"Abby tries to get the court featured on a popular podcast, but the host only has eyes for Dan, who soon learns that being the center of attention can have its downsides."
Night Court season 1 episode 10: "Marathon-Thon-Thon-Thon-Thon"
"When Abby's fiancé, Rand, learns she's struggling to connect with Olivia, he encourages Abby to embrace a side of herself she rarely shows; Dan and Gurgs team up to save his favorite thing in the courthouse: a bench."
Night Court season 1 episode 11: "Ready or Knot"
"When the court is overrun with cases from a wedding expo gone awry, the team looks to help Abby plan her wedding; a wedding planner shows Dan the finer things in life; Olivia and Gurgs wrestle over who will serve as maid of honor."
Night Court season 1 episode 12: "DA Club"
"When Abby lands a meeting with the New York City district attorney to talk about her ideas for reform, Dan invites himself along to share his expertise in the art of 'backroom dealing.'"
Night Court season 1 episode 13: "Past Apps"
"A tech entrepreneur in court has Dan and the gang seeing a chance to get in on the ground floor of the next billion-dollar idea; Abby stumbles on the young CEO's history of fraud in a sealed file and must warn her friends without breaking the law."
Night Court season 1 episode 14: "When Abby Met Gabby"
"Neil's crush on Abby is making things uncomfortable for everyone, but Abby sees a way out when she meets a love from his past who just happens to be newly available; Gurgs fails to protect Dan from an unruly member of the gallery."
Night Court season 1 episode 15: "The Honorable Dan Fielding"
"Dan ponders his future after being offered the opportunity of a lifetime; Abby can't find time for her fiancé, Rand, and her heart lands her in some trouble; Olivia makes it a personal mission to help Gurgs pass the bailiff supervisor exam."
Night Court cast
Big Bang Theory alum Melissa Rauch stars as Judge Abby Stone. Rauch has considerable experience lending her voice to some of the most well-known animated characters including Harley Quinn in 2017’s Batman and Harley Quinn and Dinah in The Chicken Squad.
John Larroquette won four Primetime Emmy awards for his supporting role as Dan Fielding in the original series. Always quick with a joke or trying to defuse a tense situation with his client, Larroquette brought a combination of stoicism and levity to Harry Stone’s court. Over the years Larroquette has appeared in a number of shows and movies including The Good Fight, Me, Myself and I, and The Librarians.
Here’s the full cast:
- Melissa Rauch as Abby Stone
- John Larroquette as Dan Fielding
- India de Beaufort (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) as Olivia
- Lacretta (Gotham) as Donna Gurgs
- Kapil Talwalkar (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) as Neil
Night Court plot
The basic setup of Night Court follows the original series pretty closely. It’s the story of what happens when the sun goes down in a New York municipal courtroom. With the addition of new characters, though, it’s a whole new ballgame.
Here’s the official synopsis from NBC:
"The eternally optimistic Abby Stone follows in the footsteps of her revered late father, Judge Harry Stone, as she takes on the challenge of overseeing the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court.
"Abby always sees the best in people and her passion for justice is undeniable. In her quest to bring order and dignity to the court and reign in its colorful crew of oddballs, she enlists former night court district attorney Dan Fielding to serve as the court’s public defender. Still exceedingly self-confident, Fielding must adjust to a new boss and a new job – defending the downtrodden. And, beneath his arrogant demeanor, there is an empathetic side to Fielding that Abby is determined to unearth.
"They both must contend with Olivia, the court’s officious assistant district attorney. Driven and ambitious, she views the night court as a stepping stone on her way to bigger things. Neil is the court’s neurotic clerk who loved that his job came with low expectations. That is until a new idealistic judge showed up looking to push him out of his comfort zone.
"Rounding out the staff is Donna 'Gurgs' Gurganous, the night court’s sharp-witted bailiff. Gurgs takes her job very seriously and is fiercely protective of her night court colleagues.
"From executive producer and writer Dan Rubin (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Night Court is based on the original hit series that ran for nine seasons on NBC. Melissa Rauch and Winston Rauch executive produce through their After January Productions. Mona Garcea oversees for After January Productions and John Larroquette serves as a producer.
"Night Court is produced by Rauch’s After January Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group."
Night Court trailer
Take one look at the trailer below and you'll see that Night Court is absolutely keeping in the spirit of the beloved original series:
Here's the first look teaser at Night Court:
How to watch Night Court
Night Court season 1 airs on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock. If you’ve cut the cord, you can watch NBC through DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, FuboTV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.
