If the Night Court reboot happened to fall through it’s fair to say that some folks wouldn’t be too disappointed. As negative as that might sound, one has to at least give thought to the idea that Night Court was created at the right time and had the right cast of characters to make it work, and while Melissa Rauch, who would be playing the daughter of Harry Stone and taking his place, might be loved by many people, she’s still not Harry. The fact that so many people are on board to create one reboot, remake, or revival after another is a little tiresome at times, even if some of the attempts really aren’t that bad. But there is a select group of ideas that continues to grow that would be better off being left alone, a collection of movies and TV shows that were great in their time but should be allowed to rest. Night Court is among their number and for a good reason since it featured a cast that was put together with some of the most unlikely costars, but also those that managed to work together in a way that was comedy gold. The core cast of Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, Markie Post, Charles Robinson, Richard Moll, Selma Diamond, and Marsha Warfield, who came in after Selma, was great in a way that kind of defies easy explanation since they helped to create a show that was undeniably funny and didn’t pull a lot of punches. One has to remember that it was also created at a different time when some of the material that’s considered risque at this time due to a number of different factors. But trying to bring any of that back, since John Larroquette appears ready to head back to court, feels like a mistake in the making.
There’s no telling if any of the other actors want to come back at this time, and unfortunately for the show, this is really what’s needed since passing the torch in this instance wouldn’t be such a bad thing, but it would still be great to see the original actors make their way back to the court just to make it clear that this is what’s happening. There have been too many times lately when it feels as though the original actors don’t care enough, or the people making the show don’t care enough, to follow tradition. Like it or not, the people that made the shows and movies of the past happen kind of need to be involved simply to say ‘it’s yours now, carry on’ just to make it clear that there is a transition, not a simple takeover that doesn’t take into account what came first. It might sound silly and sentimental, but the blessing that’s given by the actors that came first still feels like it’s needed, and it feels like it might set the new show off on a much more acceptable course. I know, I know, talking about tradition and such isn’t exactly popular any longer for a lot of reasons I won’t go into, but it does feel that ignoring this means that we’re going to lose our way as a people, not just one race or one ethnic group, but as species. Night Court was great in its own time because it knew how to utilize every bit of material that was thrust into the script and the actors were there to tell a story, which is the mark of any great show or movie. Leaving all agendas behind, which doesn’t really feel possible anymore, is what helps to make entertainment what it is.
The upside, as of now, is that it doesn’t really feel as though the new Night Court has an agenda, but at the same time there’s a concern that the same political leanings and pressures that have been felt throughout Hollywood in recent years might still touch upon the show simply because it deals with the legal system. That alone is enough to worry about if one is inclined to do so. The one thing that managed to save Night Court in the past, and could possibly do so now, is the sense of humor that the show has had for so long. There’s nothing to say that it wouldn’t work this time, apart from the fact that people who remember the old show would need to get used to the new version. That’s not too tough, but the downfall of the new show, one of the factors at least, would likely be that it would be working off of the issues that are prevalent today, as it should, which are so incredibly sensitive that the show might get a call for cancelation in the first season if they step one toe over the wrong line.
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