Night Court

I was looking forward to this and was cheering for it to work. Wow. Talk about a disappointment. (Note the 4 stars.)

The original was a staple in my home - and brilliant! The laughs were consistently rolling by, subtle, smart and witty. Yes, some were slapstick, but not ALL of them were like on the new version.

The new version is a bad copy. Really bad. It takes slapstick to a new level - and that's hard to do, and not at all attractive or appealing.

Then there's the laugh track. PLEASE. OMG! It is singularly AWFUL. The show treats its audience as if we are idiots who don't know when to laugh and need a LOUD massive reminder. We do not.

We are smart, fun loving people who were a built-in audience for this program! And they threw us all away by not providing a quality show. Everyone lost on this one.

Thank God for John Laroquette. If not for him I wouldn't have bothered watching this reboot at all. By the way, who asked for this reboot? NOBODY.

One thing that the original NC was great at (and there were many things, at least back in the 80's) is that it didn't feel forced. There were goofballs coming in left and right, Harry played off of John well, everyone had their own thing and everything just worked. Nothing felt forced. This new NC feels just like every other comedy show made after the 90's (with a few exceptions)...canned. I don't think that John can carry this show andI don't see it lasting more than maybe two seasons though I'd be shocked if they make it to two seasons.

Not sure they can re-create the magic. The characters aren't very likeable with the exception of course of John plus the bailiff. But even the bailiff's schtick is going to get old if they don't get these scripts and characters dialed in. It is nearly impossible to reboot a show and have it be as good as the original and so my hope is that they cut this nonsense out. If the studios decide to reboot The Jeffersons, Three's Company, MASH, Different Strokes, Alf, Golden Girls or anything else on my list, I'm jumping off the planet (lol).

Outside of Rauch and Larroquette, the casting is just terrible. Most of them overact nearly every line. Then again, it could be the writers. But then again, poor writing would not account for terrible acting in every episode, and all the time. Or at least, that was my initial thought.

As the season goes on, the writing becomes worse. They try to get cheap laughs but the genuine funny is few and far between. And having the lame laugh track audible for every flat joke, makes the bad jokes stand out.

If it were not for Melissa Rauch and John Larroquette, I would wish that this show be one and done.

I wanted so badly to like the show, and I have stuck through it into the second season simply because John Larroquette has. It has departed so far from what the original was supposed to be. The jokes are terrible. The majority of the characters are unlikable. The cuteness that Melissa Rauch had on big bang is just annoying now. I will probably finish out this season for John, but unless there are major improvements in the remaining episodes, I'm giving up on it, and I think everyone else should too. It's clear now that this show never should have happened. The charisma and talent of the original cast is what it made so special. None of that is present here.

Most people reviewing here seem to be honest fans of the original show, and it was indeed funny .... every episode. Harry was a treat, and the surrounding cast played off of his humor very well, and he off of theirs.

The reboot uses the device of his supposed daughter showing up as the new Night Court judge. Harry was funny. She has yet to be.

Olivia, the DA, is simply annoying. Her part is badly written and she responds by going over the top. WAY over the top.

The only saving grace is John Laroquette, but he can't carry the show on his own. He's trying his best, I'll give him that. And the idea of bringing him back as the Public Defender was an interesting touch. I hope the show improves, but already my wife refuses to watch it anymore :-(

The laugh track does NOT help. When the laugh track plays for something you found no humor whatsoever in, that's a bad, bad sign.