Melissa Fumero was a fixture on the small screen for the better part of a decade thanks to her role on Brooklyn Nine-Nine for eight seasons, but the actress is coming to a very different comedy with NBC’s Night Court on March 5. For Night Court in the 2024 TV schedule, Fumero acted in front of a live studio audience in a big change from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and she spoke with CinemaBlend about playing a type of “extra” character who definitely won’t be confused with Amy Santiago.
The March 5 episode of Night Court is called “Chips Ahoy,” and not because it’s about the perfect chocolate chip cookie. While Dan tries to get into an underground poker game during the Navy’s Fleet Week, Melissa Fumero guest stars as a ruthless PTA president by the name of Jasmine who could cause trouble for Wyatt with a guilty verdict from Abby. When I spoke with the actress ahead of “Chips Ahoy,” she shared:
I was very flattered to be asked to come and do a guest star of a really fun character, who is I would say, like a really extra PTA mom, who's overly dedicated to her goals. And I have been a big fan of Melissa [Rauch]'s for a long time, and of course, John Larroquette. The whole cast are powerhouses. I also know India [de Beaufort] socially from things, and it just felt like a really fun opportunity to go play a really fun character and also work with these actors that I very much admire.
While a "really extra PTA mom" doesn't exactly sound like the hero of the new episode of Night Court, Melissa Fumero was flattered that the team asked her to come to the sitcom to portray the character! Considering that Fumero played a different kind of "extra" as Amy Santiago, fans should have fun seeing her alongside Melissa Rauch, John Larroquette, India de Beaufort, and the rest of the Night Court cast.
When I noted that a lot of people might be able to relate to encountering a PTA parent who would qualify as "extra," Fumero responded:
Oh, yeah! I mean, hopefully, there are no PTA moms exactly like her because I feel like we might need to address that in society. [laughs] While I was trying to think of how I wanted to play her, there definitely were a few people that came to mind that I was like, 'Oh, she's kind of like this person, dialed up to a ten.’
Melissa Fumero is a mom of two kids, both of whom were born during the run of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, prompting the show to get hilariously creative in hiding her first pregnancy in particular. She apparently has some experience with PTA parents, but not quite on the level of her Night Court character! While viewers will have to tune in on March 5 to find out just how passionate Jasmine is about school events, it sounds like a good thing that PTA parents like her are rare in real life.
Just like in Season 1 with the arrivals of celebrities like figure skating icons Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, Night Court Season 2 has recruited some very fun guest stars, ranging from Kunal Nayyar for a Big Bang Theory reunion with Melissa Rauch to Paul Scheer with a spinoff idea. We can now add Melissa Fumero to that list!
Tune in to NBC on Tuesday, March 5 at 8 p.m. ET for Melissa Fumero's episode of Night Court, followed by Extended Family with Jon Cryer. You can also revisit earlier episodes of the Night Court revival streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
