Court is back in session as NBC renewed “Night Court” for a second season Thursday.
The sequel series, which features a lengthy list of guest stars including Wendie Malick, Melissa Villaseñor, comedian Pete Holmes and skaters Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski, has hit 25.7 million total viewers across all viewing platforms since its Jan. 17 premiere, making it the highest performing broadcast premiere of the 2022-23 season among all viewers and and among adults 18-49.
Starring Melissa Rauch, John Larroquette, India de Beaufort, Kapil Talwalkar and Lacretta, “Night Court” has also climbed to the highest performing comedy premiere of the 2022-23 season across broadcast and cable in both total viewers and among adults 18-49.
“It’s so rewarding to have audiences respond and return to a show in which they have such incredibly warm feelings, and, more broadly, it’s testament to how broadcast is still a huge driver of communal viewing,” NBCUniversal president of scripted content Lisa Katz said. “A huge thank you to our studio partners, a wonderful cast, incredibly talented writers and producers, and a crew that has transformed a lower Manhattan courtroom into a true family.”
The series also saw a season-high performance of any NBC series episode this season in both the demo and total viewers while drawing in the highest total viewers for any comedy premiere since “The Connors” in 2018. The Jan. 17 also marked the network’s best comedy premiere since “Will & Grace” in 2017.
“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,” Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman and CEO Channing Dungey said. “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.”
Following in the steps of the original series, which first aired in 1984 for nine seasons, Melissa Rauch (“The Big Bang Theory”) assumes the role of optimistic judge Abby Stone, the daughter of the late Judge Harry Stone (Harry Anderson) who presides over the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court.
