NBC's revival of the sitcom Night Court has been renewed for season 2. Led by The Big Bang Theory's Melissa Rauch, Night Court is a legal sitcom about a young judge assigned to preside over the night shift in a New York courtroom. The series is a revival of the original Night Court, which ran from 1984 to 1992, and starred Harry Anderson as Judge Harry Stone. The Night Court revival premiered on January 17 and has released four episodes so far.It has been reported via Deadline that Night Court will be moving forward with season 2. The series' premiere was a massive success for NBC, with Night Court ranked as the No. 1 broadcast premiere of the 2022-2023 season in total audience numbers. Read the statement from Channing Dungey, CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group, below:
“The verdict is in and the ‘new-boot’ of Night Court is a hit! The series’ razor-sharp humor makes the show a weekly must-watch. We’re overjoyed that court will remain in session and return with new cases for season two. We’re so grateful to our colleagues at NBC, to the richly talented creative team led by Melissa Rauch, Winston Rauch, Dan Rubin, and John Larroquette, and to the stellar ensemble cast.”
How NBC's Night Court Stacks Up to the Original Series
While reviews of Night Court have been average, the response to the series' premiere marked major milestones for NBC. The network has stated that the series reached an audience of 25.7 million in delayed viewing since January 17, and has raked in the most viewers for a comedy premiere on any channel since ABC debuted The Connors in 2018. To date, Night Court is NBC's best comedy premiere since Will & Grace's return in 2017.
With Rauch not only starring in the series but having also spearheaded its creation as an executive producer, the Big Bang Theory alum brought attention from a younger demographic to the revival. Night Court also saw John Larroquette returning to his original role as Dan Fielding, hooking in viewers of the '80s sitcom. There is a slight division between newcomers to the series and those familiar with the original show, with previous Night Court viewers showing more favorable reviews to the revival than first-time watchers. Though Night Court has been renewed for season 2, the original show ran for a total of nine seasons, a feat which few sitcoms manage to achieve on television today.
Though the original Night Court seems to have performed better than the revival series, the massive viewership numbers are incredibly promising for NBC. Though initial reviews of the series' premiere were mixed, subsequent episodes were more well-received, and NBC seems confident about the success of season 2. With several episodes left in Night Court season 1, there is room for the viewing audience to grow even more, further securing the revival's future on NBC.
Source: Deadline