A month after NBC canceled its Night Court revival following three seasons, Melissa Rauch is bidding farewell to the show.
The star and executive producer recently shared a heartfelt statement about the end of the sitcom after trying “everything in our power” to save the revival of the 1984-’92 show, which premiered in 2023.
“I have held off on posting anything about Night Court not continuing until I knew we did everything in our power to find another home for it,” she wrote on Instagram. “Perhaps it was being raised on The Goonies ‘Never Say Die’ motto or straight up denial that I didn’t want this incredibly special experience to come to an end. That said, after turning over all the stones there were to be turned over, we’ve learned that it is officially the hour to say ‘farewell.’ Or at least ‘Until next time.’”
Rauch continued, “Words won’t be able to properly convey my gratitude to each and every incredible individual who worked on this show and poured their hearts into it. I love them all dearly and am so thankful that I have their friendships to take with me. Thank you so very much to everyone who watched and supported us. As a kid whose best friend was TV, getting to play make believe with comedy legends on the recreation of a set I watched as a little girl felt like stepping through the looking glass in the best possible way. Walking through those iconic halls. Sitting at the cafeteria tables with the chairs from the original. Feeling the electricity from the live studio audience on a tape night while doing a courtroom scene surrounded by a brilliant, powerhouse group of actors, phenomenally gifted writers and the best crew in the biz. It all felt exceptionally dream-like.”
The actress recalled OG Night Court creator, “the great Reinhold Weege,” telling her “the courtroom doors were key to the show’s engine as they ushered in endless stories.”
“And I like to think that’s how Night Court carries on,” added Rauch. “Just as it did in the 30 years between the first incarnation ending and us beginning. The evergreen revolving door of oddballs and cynics populating that Manhattan arraignment court in the wee hours of the night and at the center of it all a workplace family that will forever be… until next time.”
A followup to the original, Night Court follows Judge Abby Stone (Rauch), the daughter of the late Harry Stone (played in the original by Harry Anderson), as she follows in her father’s footsteps, presiding over the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court. Similarly to her dad, Abby tries to bring order to her crew of oddballs and cynics, most notably former night court prosecutor Dan Fielding (John Larroquette), a character from the original series.