Ooookay, tonight's big return... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

McFly121 · 01-18-2023, 03:15 AM

About as bad as I thought it would be. Typical of sitcoms the last 10+ years, the hurricane nature of the pacing is nearly unbearable to start. Characters so quickly firing off jokes - and massively bad ones - that you can't even nearly understand what they just said. In one of those universes where people talk without taking a breath in between statements for nearly every second of the episode.

I think I laughed maybe twice. I know the non-PC Dan Fielding and the circus-like atmosphere of the OG show can't be replicated, but this was really beneath even some of the other 80s/90s reboots. And just the idea alone of Dan now being a public defender so robs him of the opportunities he used to have to skewer the weirdos who would pass through.

The cast if fine but just victims of bad writing, and I was pretty disappointed that a sitcom directing veteran like Pamela Fryman couldn't get anything else out of this. And, of course, one of the unsung charms of the original was how FULL the courthouse felt of all the late-night dregs that populated it. From the gallery to the cafeteria, they added so much character; this group of workers seems to exist on an alternate plane of about 10 total humans on the planet.

But most of all I was reeeally wishing they would give John at least one moment of quiet to reflect on the recent deaths of the others, but nope. Everything is rushed, and just when you think they might be letting some heart slip in, they abandon it. For the 16th mention of the fifty steaks Dan keeps in his freezer.

Verdict: guilty of not being able to go home again.

Avilos · 01-18-2023, 07:47 AM

Some of that I agree with. The first episode was very rushed. Also that the sets need more background extras. Did you watch the 2nd episode? First week had two episodes. Both are on NBC and Peacock now. 2nd episode is improvement without needing to introduce Dan and less rushed.

Critics were given first 6 episodes to view already. Most are saying the quality improves drastically after the first couple episodes. I am willing to give it a shot for awhile.

Given John’s talent and Dan’s history of huge mood and personality swings - it would not surprise me if the new show finds excuses to see him relapse into his old ways. Even if temporary.

Alan Brady's Hair · 01-18-2023, 07:59 AM

Thanks to OP for a useful review.

McFly121 · 01-18-2023, 08:08 AM

I did watch both and agree that ep 2 at least had some good moments (the birds out of the ceiling was very vintage NC) and I loved Dan's line "Don't sing sentences." The mural thing was kinda funny. But it was still very underwhelming.

I will check out ALL eps cuz I revered (and still do) the original run, so I'll be looking out for cameos and maybe at one point, hopefully, they'll give John a scene to reflect.

McFly121 · 01-18-2023, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

Thanks to OP for a useful review.

👍👍👍

jessm78 · 01-18-2023, 11:46 AM

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I came away from the show pretty much the same way. A bit too fast-paced for my liking, especially in the first episode. I thought maybe it was just the fact I hadn't watched any more current sitcoms for several years and wasn't used to them. *shrugs* I also wasn't sure what to expect with Dan being a public defender instead of a DA. I thought it could be interesting, but I was hoping they wouldn't soften him too much. I did like the second episode a bit more (the pigeons made me laugh and I did get a little chuckle out of the maintenance man's line at the very end), and if it's true that they improve quite a bit as they go on, that does sound promising.

Having been a fan of the original show for at least 35 years I will stick with it, hopefully my opinion of it will change for the better.

Avilos · 01-18-2023, 03:04 PM

Marsha Warfield posted a video of her happy that the show is returning and happy for John to be doing it. No mention of herself appearing at some point. But that she is publicly supporting it and still active as a standup makes it more likely.

Avilos · 01-18-2023, 03:30 PM

McFly121, sorry if it looked liked I was questioning your opinion. Honestly I was very underwhelmed as well. Given some of the glowing reviews I read before last night I was surprised. Though I guess that is why NBC sent out 6 episodes. I agree the birds flying in the court house was the first glimmer of the tone of the original show.

I will keep watching but I am highly skeptical. It’s very common for shows to take time to get things right. But this was announced at end of 2020. This was being written and developed for a long time. They should have lead with better written episodes to start.

opus · 01-18-2023, 03:58 PM

Started off strong…

‘Night Court’ Revival Is Big Ratings Hit on NBC Debut

TMC · 01-18-2023, 05:59 PM

So, What Happened To Christine Sullivan In Night Court?

The classic sitcom Night Court is back with a reboot, but what happened to Christine Sullivan, Night Court's original star, after the show ended?

Reinhold_Weege · 01-18-2023, 09:04 PM

Highlights:

The birds flying out of the ceiling, that was brilliance on par with the original series.
The court handyman who I think will exploit the foibles of the rest of the courtroom staff.
They gave lines to the stenographer. That hadn't happened in the original until season 8.
Melissa Rauch and John Larroquette performed well.

Lowlights

The prosecutor is grating and one dimensional.
The court clerk is stiff and boring.
The bailiff's personality is all over the place.

I'll continue to watch the show for the season and see how it develops.

Avilos · 01-18-2023, 10:35 PM

The original showed cast members can be replaced. The format easily allows characters to leave and new ones take over their job with little or no explanation. It’s still early but I wonder if there will be any cast adjustments for 2nd season once they learn who is effective and who is not.

McFly121 · 01-19-2023, 12:16 AM

Avilos, nah I was totally fine with your thoughts, don't give it a second thought

.

Reinhold Weege (lol ), my only objection (haha) is yes, the steno girl gets to talk...and then they try to fire her! What the hell! And it was "oh sh*t, doesn't look good" from the moment the bailiff goes to intro Abby by stumbling on her lines. Like, really? And it jumps from Abby at a metal detector to onto the bench. Where's her meeting the staff?? Ish, wrong moves everywhere.

As far as cast replacements or a 2nd season (that'll be a shock for me), I don't think with a reboot that they're going to invest a lot of effort in trying to get it right.

Like you were saying, Avilos, nearly 3 years in development, and this is what they came up with??

Alan Brady's Hair · 01-19-2023, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Lowlights
The prosecutor is grating and one dimensional.
The court clerk is stiff and boring.
The bailiff's personality is all over the place.

Agree with all of these. I also think that it's a mistake having just the one bailiff. They often served as funny hecklers, shooting off one liners to each other, and one person can't do that. My guess is it's a budget thing, and they opted for the maintenance guy and court reporter over the second bailiff.

rusty spike · 01-19-2023, 05:04 PM

I watched episode 2. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't very funny either. It was just there or bland.

01-18-2023, 03:15 AM	#1
McFly121 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 18, 2004 Location: calif Posts: 812	Ooookay, tonight's big return... About as bad as I thought it would be. Typical of sitcoms the last 10+ years, the hurricane nature of the pacing is nearly unbearable to start. Characters so quickly firing off jokes - and massively bad ones - that you can't even nearly understand what they just said. In one of those universes where people talk without taking a breath in between statements for nearly every second of the episode. I think I laughed maybe twice. I know the non-PC Dan Fielding and the circus-like atmosphere of the OG show can't be replicated, but this was really beneath even some of the other 80s/90s reboots. And just the idea alone of Dan now being a public defender so robs him of the opportunities he used to have to skewer the weirdos who would pass through. The cast if fine but just victims of bad writing, and I was pretty disappointed that a sitcom directing veteran like Pamela Fryman couldn't get anything else out of this. And, of course, one of the unsung charms of the original was how FULL the courthouse felt of all the late-night dregs that populated it. From the gallery to the cafeteria, they added so much character; this group of workers seems to exist on an alternate plane of about 10 total humans on the planet. But most of all I was reeeally wishing they would give John at least one moment of quiet to reflect on the recent deaths of the others, but nope. Everything is rushed, and just when you think they might be letting some heart slip in, they abandon it. For the 16th mention of the fifty steaks Dan keeps in his freezer. Verdict: guilty of not being able to go home again.
	__________________ "That was Bob's donut!"

01-18-2023, 09:04 PM	#11
Reinhold_Weege Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 15, 2020 Posts: 231	Highlights: The birds flying out of the ceiling, that was brilliance on par with the original series. The court handyman who I think will exploit the foibles of the rest of the courtroom staff. They gave lines to the stenographer. That hadn't happened in the original until season 8. Melissa Rauch and John Larroquette performed well. Lowlights The prosecutor is grating and one dimensional. The court clerk is stiff and boring. The bailiff's personality is all over the place. I'll continue to watch the show for the season and see how it develops.
	Last edited by Reinhold_Weege; 01-18-2023 at 10:59 PM.

01-18-2023, 07:47 AM	#2
Avilos Member Occasional Poster Join Date: May 29, 2008 Location: Plymouth, WI Posts: 83	Some of that I agree with. The first episode was very rushed. Also that the sets need more background extras. Did you watch the 2nd episode? First week had two episodes. Both are on NBC and Peacock now. 2nd episode is improvement without needing to introduce Dan and less rushed. Critics were given first 6 episodes to view already. Most are saying the quality improves drastically after the first couple episodes. I am willing to give it a shot for awhile. Given John’s talent and Dan’s history of huge mood and personality swings - it would not surprise me if the new show finds excuses to see him relapse into his old ways. Even if temporary.

01-18-2023, 07:59 AM	#3
Alan Brady's Hair Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 30, 2014 Posts: 1,822	Thanks to OP for a useful review.

01-18-2023, 08:08 AM	#4
McFly121 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 18, 2004 Location: calif Posts: 812	I did watch both and agree that ep 2 at least had some good moments (the birds out of the ceiling was very vintage NC) and I loved Dan's line "Don't sing sentences." The mural thing was kinda funny. But it was still very underwhelming. I will check out ALL eps cuz I revered (and still do) the original run, so I'll be looking out for cameos and maybe at one point, hopefully, they'll give John a scene to reflect.

01-18-2023, 11:46 AM	#6
jessm78 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 04, 2014 Location: New York Posts: 46	Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I came away from the show pretty much the same way. A bit too fast-paced for my liking, especially in the first episode. I thought maybe it was just the fact I hadn't watched any more current sitcoms for several years and wasn't used to them. shrugs I also wasn't sure what to expect with Dan being a public defender instead of a DA. I thought it could be interesting, but I was hoping they wouldn't soften him too much. I did like the second episode a bit more (the pigeons made me laugh and I did get a little chuckle out of the maintenance man's line at the very end), and if it's true that they improve quite a bit as they go on, that does sound promising. Having been a fan of the original show for at least 35 years I will stick with it, hopefully my opinion of it will change for the better.

01-18-2023, 03:04 PM	#7
Avilos Member Occasional Poster Join Date: May 29, 2008 Location: Plymouth, WI Posts: 83	Marsha Warfield posted a video of her happy that the show is returning and happy for John to be doing it. No mention of herself appearing at some point. But that she is publicly supporting it and still active as a standup makes it more likely.

01-18-2023, 03:30 PM	#8
Avilos Member Occasional Poster Join Date: May 29, 2008 Location: Plymouth, WI Posts: 83	McFly121, sorry if it looked liked I was questioning your opinion. Honestly I was very underwhelmed as well. Given some of the glowing reviews I read before last night I was surprised. Though I guess that is why NBC sent out 6 episodes. I agree the birds flying in the court house was the first glimmer of the tone of the original show. I will keep watching but I am highly skeptical. It’s very common for shows to take time to get things right. But this was announced at end of 2020. This was being written and developed for a long time. They should have lead with better written episodes to start.

01-18-2023, 03:58 PM	#9
opus VB Forum Superstar Join Date: May 16, 2015 Location: VB Galaxy Posts: 32,115	Started off strong… ‘Night Court’ Revival Is Big Ratings Hit on NBC Debut

01-18-2023, 05:59 PM	#10
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,744	So, What Happened To Christine Sullivan In Night Court? The classic sitcom Night Court is back with a reboot, but what happened to Christine Sullivan, Night Court's original star, after the show ended?

01-18-2023, 10:35 PM	#12
Avilos Member Occasional Poster Join Date: May 29, 2008 Location: Plymouth, WI Posts: 83	The original showed cast members can be replaced. The format easily allows characters to leave and new ones take over their job with little or no explanation. It’s still early but I wonder if there will be any cast adjustments for 2nd season once they learn who is effective and who is not.

01-19-2023, 12:16 AM	#13
McFly121 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 18, 2004 Location: calif Posts: 812	Avilos, nah I was totally fine with your thoughts, don't give it a second thought . Reinhold Weege (lol ), my only objection (haha) is yes, the steno girl gets to talk...and then they try to fire her! What the hell! And it was "oh sh*t, doesn't look good" from the moment the bailiff goes to intro Abby by stumbling on her lines. Like, really? And it jumps from Abby at a metal detector to onto the bench. Where's her meeting the staff?? Ish, wrong moves everywhere. As far as cast replacements or a 2nd season (that'll be a shock for me), I don't think with a reboot that they're going to invest a lot of effort in trying to get it right. Like you were saying, Avilos, nearly 3 years in development, and this is what they came up with??

01-19-2023, 05:04 PM	#15
rusty spike Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 08, 2015 Location: Southwest Posts: 1,124	I watched episode 2. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't very funny either. It was just there or bland.