END OF SEASON UPDATE:
As Season 1 has come to a close, I wanted to update my earlier review, And not only is it not good, I've dropped the review from 3 stars to 1 star.
Lots of problems with this reboot - writing, casting, and overuse of the laugh track top the list. Need to drop the actors playing Olivia and 'Gurgs" as they are thoroughly annoying and detract from the show. But since the original DID recast roles (several sadly due to the death of the actors), this would not be unheard of. Melissa Rauch is also totally unconvincing in the lead role. The only reason she has it is because she is the executive producer and this was her "passion project".
The one positive is John Larroquette. The Season 1 finale left the door open for him to leave after one season (maybe that's all he signed up for), or they could contrive something that brings him back in Season 2.
Bottom-line - A very poor reboot that was completely unnecessary to begin with.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ORIGINAL REVIEW: As a long-time fan of the original Night Court, like many others I was skeptical that a re-boot could capture the magic and heart of the original. Sadly, I was right, so what is wrong with the new version?
Let's start with the laugh track, which seems to have its volume pumped way up for some reason. Why didn't the producers opt for filming in front of a live audience? (Answer: money.) The laugh track is an annoying throw-back that needs to be replaced by a live studio audience. Think how much better Big Bang Theory was with a live audience.
Second problem - dialog. Melissa Rauch, while not in her high-pitched Bernadette register, talks WAY too fast for this role. What's she trying to do - win a "words per minute" contest? Also, you can barely understand what the actors in the Assistant DA and Bailiff roles are saying. They, too, need to deliver their lines convincingly, not in a rapid fire "sit-com-y" fashion.
Lastly, the new version of the original theme just sounds wrong. Why not re-use the old version, which is still good.
On the plus side, John Larroquette still has the "Dan Fielding" X-factor, even though he's now 75 years old, bearded, not as lascivious, and playing for the "other side" as the new public defender. Still, Larroquette's chops are as sharp as ever. He's the star of the show.
Also, it's amazing that either portions of the old set were in storage somewhere, or the plans were unearthed to accurately re-create such memorable set pieces as the judge's office, the courtroom, the cafeteria, and the hallway. Well done by the production crew.
According to articles written about this new version, it was Mellisa Rauch's passion project, who also serves as executive producer. But I'm sorry, she's woefully miscast in the lead, trying to fill the shoes of the late great Harry Anderson. She fails to command the screen, or any scene she's in. And it's not because she's 4' 11", although that doesn't help. She just doesn't have that combination of comic timing and gravitas that made Anderson and the original Night Court so memorable.
It appears there are only 5 episodes in the can for the new Night Court, so the question is "Will NBC give it a full season order?" Burning two episodes right off the bat on the first night doesn't sound promising. So the show has just another 3 weeks to find its legs or it's likely history.
I think the new Night Court can be saved. Fix the pacing and dialog issues, replace the laugh track with a live audience, and work on Melissa's character because she's lost as the supposed "leader" of this work-place comedy.
OVERALL SCORE - 3 out of 10, with a low percentage of survival unless significant changes are made.
Lots of problems with this reboot - writing, casting, and overuse of the laugh track top the list. Need to drop the actors playing Olivia and 'Gurgs" as they are thoroughly annoying and detract from the show. But since the original DID recast roles (several sadly due to the death of the actors), this would not be unheard of. Melissa Rauch is also totally unconvincing in the lead role. The only reason she has it is because she is the executive producer and this was her "passion project".
The one positive is John Larroquette. The Season 1 finale left the door open for him to leave after one season (maybe that's all he signed up for), or they could contrive something that brings him back in Season 2.
Bottom-line - A very poor reboot that was completely unnecessary to begin with.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ORIGINAL REVIEW: As a long-time fan of the original Night Court, like many others I was skeptical that a re-boot could capture the magic and heart of the original. Sadly, I was right, so what is wrong with the new version?
Let's start with the laugh track, which seems to have its volume pumped way up for some reason. Why didn't the producers opt for filming in front of a live audience? (Answer: money.) The laugh track is an annoying throw-back that needs to be replaced by a live studio audience. Think how much better Big Bang Theory was with a live audience.
Second problem - dialog. Melissa Rauch, while not in her high-pitched Bernadette register, talks WAY too fast for this role. What's she trying to do - win a "words per minute" contest? Also, you can barely understand what the actors in the Assistant DA and Bailiff roles are saying. They, too, need to deliver their lines convincingly, not in a rapid fire "sit-com-y" fashion.
Lastly, the new version of the original theme just sounds wrong. Why not re-use the old version, which is still good.
On the plus side, John Larroquette still has the "Dan Fielding" X-factor, even though he's now 75 years old, bearded, not as lascivious, and playing for the "other side" as the new public defender. Still, Larroquette's chops are as sharp as ever. He's the star of the show.
Also, it's amazing that either portions of the old set were in storage somewhere, or the plans were unearthed to accurately re-create such memorable set pieces as the judge's office, the courtroom, the cafeteria, and the hallway. Well done by the production crew.
According to articles written about this new version, it was Mellisa Rauch's passion project, who also serves as executive producer. But I'm sorry, she's woefully miscast in the lead, trying to fill the shoes of the late great Harry Anderson. She fails to command the screen, or any scene she's in. And it's not because she's 4' 11", although that doesn't help. She just doesn't have that combination of comic timing and gravitas that made Anderson and the original Night Court so memorable.
It appears there are only 5 episodes in the can for the new Night Court, so the question is "Will NBC give it a full season order?" Burning two episodes right off the bat on the first night doesn't sound promising. So the show has just another 3 weeks to find its legs or it's likely history.
I think the new Night Court can be saved. Fix the pacing and dialog issues, replace the laugh track with a live audience, and work on Melissa's character because she's lost as the supposed "leader" of this work-place comedy.
OVERALL SCORE - 3 out of 10, with a low percentage of survival unless significant changes are made.