NBC’s Night Court is changing things up.
The sequel to the 1980s/early ’90s comedy has added India de Beaufort in a recasting. The actress, who currently appears in HBO Max’s Kimi, replaces Ana Villafañe in the series toplined by Melissa Rauch and original star John Larroquette.
Picked up to series in September after being developed during last year’s pilot season, the new Night Court — like its predecessor, it will be a multicamera show — will center on Judge Abby Stone (Rauch), the daughter of the late Harry Stone (played by Harry Anderson in the original). The unapologetically optimistic Abby follows in her dad’s footsteps and presides over the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court while trying to bring order to the assortment of oddballs and cynics who pass through her courtroom. Larroquette will reprise his role as Dan Fielding, the former night court prosecutor.
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De Beaufort will play Olivia, a prosecutor. Villafañe previously played Monica, the court’s assistant district attorney, in the pilot. The role was reimagined for de Beaufort. Villafañe departed the project months ago and has already been cast as a regular in Apple’s Bad Monkey, which like Night Court, is produced by Warner Bros. TV.
Rauch brought the idea for a Night Court follow-up to Warner Bros. TV, where her After January Productions has an overall deal. She originally signed on just as an executive producer but later took on the lead role as well. Warner Bros. TV and Universal TV are producing the series along with After January. Dan Rubin (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Happy Endings) wrote the pilot and executive produces with Rauch and her producing partner and husband, Winston Rauch. Larroquette is a producer. Pamela Fryman directed and exec produced the pilot. Reinhold Weege created the original Night Court. The cast also includes Lacretta and Kapil Talwalkar.
A premiere date for Night Court has yet to be determined. It’s unclear if the series will bow during the current 2021-22 season or in 2022-23.
De Beaufort next has Jason Momoa’s Netflix feature Slumberland. She is a recurring player in the streamer’s Firefly Lane. She’s repped by Gersh and Think Tank Management.
