Spring finale season can be a stressful time of year for network TV fans whose favorite shows didn't receive early renewals, and now NBC has added another series to the list of cancellations in the 2025 TV schedule. Night Court, starring Emmy winner John Larroquette and Big Bang Theory alum Melissa Rauch, has been axed after three seasons on the network.
The sad news reminded me of how Larroquette enthusiastically hyped the cast that came together for Season 3 when speaking to CinemaBlend, which we've seen the last of on NBC after the finale aired just days before the cancellation.
Night Court Cancelled After Three Seasons
While Night Court got off to a strong start when the reboot premiered back in 2023 with an almost entirely new cast compared to the original series, NBC's silence on its future this spring even as it renewed comedies like St. Denis Medical and Happy's Place didn't seem to bode well. Now, just days after the Season 3 finale that delivered some Big Bang Theory reunions for Melissa Rauch, it's official: Night Court is no longer in session.
According to Deadline, NBC was looking to make cuts to its lineup with NBA coverage on the way in the 2025-2026 TV season, despite the reported push for a shortened fourth and final season for a Night Court swan song. The sitcom may be shopped around by Warner Bros. Television, although I'm not sure where it would best fit if not remaining in the NBCUniversal world and streaming with a Peacock subscription.
Alas, if Night Court isn't picked up by another platform, the show will have ended on a cliffhanger that likely would have meant Simon Helberg returning as Abby's surprise husband.
What John Larroquette Told Us About The Season 3 Cast
Night Court has gone through a surprising number of series regular swaps for a sitcom only three seasons in, with Wendie Malick most recently joining Season 3 with Julianne taking on the unlikely role of prosecutor, replacing India de Beaufort as Olivia Moore. The new team – comprised of Melissa Rauch, Lacretta, Nyambi Nyambi, Gary Anthony Williams, Malick, and of course John Larroquette – really seemed to find a groove with each other, so when I spoke with the original Night Court actor in April, I asked for his thoughts on the latest incarnation of the cast. After sharing his Season 4 thoughts, Larroquette said:
I think it's very good. As I've said before, and I'm sure you know, if you know the history of the show at all, it took the original two and a half, almost three seasons to finally settle to when finally we got Markie [Post] on board, and we got finally got Marsha Warfield on board. Markie would have been there from Day 1. That's who [creator] Reinhold Weege wanted, but she was not available because she was on another show. Anyway, it took a little while to get all the gears greased properly and the cogs together, and I think we have that now... with the addition of Nyambi, and the addition of Wendie, and [Gary Anthony Williams].
Considering that the original Night Court ran for nine seasons and nearly 200 episodes, I took it as a very promising sign when John Larroquette compared the current reboot cast to the one he was part of for all those years in the '80s and '90s. Of course, I spoke with him ahead of the cancellation, when he was hyping the arrival of big guest stars. The star went on to praise Gary Anthony Williams in particular, as Flobert has slowly but surely earned more screentime. He said:
I call him Crazylegs Hirsch. Crazylegs Hirsch was a football player who was never part of the huddle. He just went out on the left side and just did something, and if he was free, they would throw it to him. And that's how I consider Gary [Anthony Williams]. He's sort of our Crazylegs Hirsch. Just put him in a scene and let him be funny and find a way to shoot him. It's great. I love working with him. I really do love working with him.
As a fan of Flobert myself, I had to agree with Larroquette. After all, the character has a knack for coming out of nowhere with incredibly wild lines, and as far as I'm concerned, they always hit thanks to Williams' performance. Larroquette responded:
Yeah! And what happens is writers either feel insecure with an actor or they feel confident enough to just [write] anything. Gary is one of those guys where you can say he comes in wearing an army helmet and flip flops, and you'll make it funny. So yes, I'm glad he's there.
So, have we truly seen the last of this cast, which seemingly finally came together so well to remind Larroquette of when the original show found its groove with Markie Post and Marsha Warfield? It all depends on whether Night Court finds a new home after being axed by NBC. It's not unprecedented for a network TV sitcom to get a second life elsewhere, ranging from The Mindy Project's move from Fox to streaming with a Hulu subscription to Brooklyn Nine-Nine leaving Fox for NBC.
For now, fans can always revisit the latest episodes of Season 3 streaming on Peacock and just start crossing fingers that the cast will be back again.
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