NBC’s continuation of the hit 1980s comedy series Night Court will be premiering in less than a month, and the first look that dropped last week has people excited. However, those of us who weren’t around when the original aired are now asking ourselves, “Will this make sense if I haven’t seen the original?” While we don’t yet know the answer to that question, you don’t need to worry. The original series is available to stream now.
Running for nine seasons on NBC between 1984 and 1992, Night Court followed the proceedings of the night shift of a Manhattan municipal court lead by a young unorthodox judge, Harold “Harry” T. Stone, played by Harry Anderson who passed away in 2018. The show earned three Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy nominations and three Creative Arts Emmy Awards during its run and was an audience favorite! With beloved and sometimes wacky characters, the show was one of NBC’s biggest hits.
A comedy for all ages, Night Court made judicious use of both childish jokes and adult humor to bring a smile to everyone’s face. However, despite being a comedy, the show never shied away from difficult, complicated, or emotional topics. From addressing Dan’s fear of dying alone, to Harry’s complicated childhood, to Bull outsider status, to the realities of the foster system, the show often turned a comedy into something so much more. In the end, the heart of the show was just as important to its popularity as the brilliant comedic moments were.
Currently you can find every season of the show streaming on Amazon’s Freevee channel. So if you haven’t seen the show before, or you just want a refresher, you have time to get to know the beloved characters before the new series premieres on Tuesday, January 17. In particular you can watch John Larroquette’s multi-Emmy winning performance as Dan Fielding before he reprises the role in the upcoming series.
