Tuesday, May 04, 2021

NBC Orders Night Court Revival to Pilot; House of Payne and Assisted Living Return May 25 and Ordered for Additional Season

Melissa Rauch and John Larroquette

NBC has ordered the Night Court revival script to a pilot order. So, if it gets picked up to series, we will have Night Court back on NBC once again sometime in 2021-22, nearly 30 years after the series ended in 1992. Based on the original series created by Reinhold Weege, unapologetic optimist judge Abby Stone (series star Melissa Rauch), the daughter of the late Harry Stone, follows in her father's footsteps as she presides over the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court and tries to bring order to its crew of oddballs and cynics, most notably former night court prosecutor Dan Fielding (series star John Larroquette). No word on if any of the other original cast members will make appearances, which include Markie Post, Richard Moll, Charles Robinson and Marsha Warfield. A few members of the cast of Night Court (the late Harry Anderson, Markie Post, and Charles Robinson) reunited on an episode of 30 Rock back in 2008.

A true multi-hyphenate, Ms. Rauch is coming off the hit CBS/Warner Bros. TV comedy series The Big Bang Theory, which celebrated its final season in 2019. After The Big Bang Theory, Melissa appeared in Steven Soderbergh's The Laundromat, alongside Meryl Streep, as well as Ode to Joy, opposite Martin Freeman. John Larroquette most recently joined the cast of The Good Fight on CBS All Access, and starred on the CBS comedy series Me, Myself & I. He has recurred on ABC on both The Practice and Boston Legal. His work on The Practice garnered Larroquette two of his seven total Emmy nominations and one of his five wins. The others were for his previous work on NBC's Night Court, which enjoyed a nine-season run for a whopping 193 episodes from 1984-1992. Larroquette won four consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal of Dan Fielding from 1985 to 1988, before withdrawing his name from the ballot in 1989. Night Court itself was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series three times (1985, 1987, and 1988). Night Court scribe Dan Rubin's credits include his tenure for the full-run of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (where he was nominated for four Emmys and three WGA awards). He continued his work with Tina Fey and the Kimmy Schmidt producers, working on their latest project Mulligan over at Netflix. He also recently served as a Co-Executive Producer on Fox's series Outmatched. Other credits include Happy Endings, Scrubs, Worst Week and The Michael J. Fox Show.


Tyler Perry's House of Payne - Keshia Knight Pulliam, Allen Payne and Cassi Davis Patton

This May, come home to BET for a night of Black joy, entertainment, and MORE of the Tyler Perry content we all can't get enough of; you bring the family, we'll bring the funny. New episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne season eight and Tyler Perry's Assisted Living season two return Tuesday, May 25, starting at 9 PM ET/PT on BET and BET Her. Executive Produced by Tyler Perry, House of Payne and Assisted Living occupied the #1 and #2 spots for comedy series on cable for African Americans 18-49, 25-54 in the calendar year 2020, respectively. In anticipation of their premieres, BET has green-lit Tyler Perry's House of Payne for a ninth season and Tyler Perry's Assisted Living for a third season.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - David Mann and Tamela Mann

The eighth season of the hilarious comedy House of Payne features retired fire chief Curtis Payne and his lovely wife Ella. Together the loving couple navigates the problems of life with their quirky modern-day family. In season two of Tyler Perry's comedy series Assisted Living, Mr. Brown, Cora, and the gang open their Assisted Living facility and a hilarious variety of personalities come to live in the home, bringing with them a ton of laughs and experiences.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, November 7

Happy's Place - "Promises, Promises" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Emmett continues his nightly check-ins with Bobbie to ensure her safety, Isabella pays the price as she's kept up by their loud late-night chats, prompting her to tell Bobbie to advance their relationship or at least take it out of the house.

Stumble - "Pilot" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Courteney Potter is fired from her job after being involved in a cheer scandal; to salvage her reputation and career, she must put together a competitive team in a tiny school with an unpronounceable name and only one cheerleader.

Vampirina: Teenage Vampire - "First Villain" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Sophie directs Vee and Elijah in a romantic scene; a new student from Transylvania, Lucien, disrupts the chemistry; Demi and Britney have kitchen duties.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 3)

Friday, November 7

  • Kristen Bell (Nobody Wants This/Central Park/The Good Place) - Watch Kristen on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Dave Franco (The Afterparty/Scrubs/Do Not Disturb) - Dave is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Janelle James (Abbott Elementary) - Janelle dishes on ABC's Abbott Elementary on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Rainn Wilson (The Office) - Rainn chats about Soul Boom Workbook: Spiritual Tools for Modern Living with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Jeff Hiller (Somebody Somewhere/Nightcap) - Jeff talks about Lost and Found in Cleveland and Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Taran Killam (Stumble/Single Parents) and Jenn Lyon (Stumble/Saint George) - Taran and Jenn talk about Stumble on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Lil Rel Howery (Rel/The Carmichael Show) - Lil Rel, Tabitha Brown and the cast of the new holiday movie Unexpected Christmas stop by Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Laura Dern (F Is for Family/Enlightened) - Drew Drew sits down and chats with Laura on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Sydney Sweeney (Everything Sucks!) - Sydney talks about her new movie Christy on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Rachel Sennott (I Love LA/Call Your Mother) - Rachel tells Drew about her upcoming show I Love LA on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listirngs.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

11/06 - Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas 2025 Schedule; Single Drunk Female Star Gets Hulu Film
11/05 - ABC 2025 Holiday Specials; Netflix Renews Nobody Wants This for Season 3
11/04 - Fox's Best Medicine Premieres January 2026; Final Season of Bel-Air Trailer
11/03 - Apple TV Holiday Schedule; Another Week and Dancing with the Stars Rises Again
11/02 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 3, 2025)
11/01 - SitcomsOnline Digest: King of the Hill Renewed for Two More Seasons on Hulu; MTV Cancels Ridiculousness
10/31 - Hulu Renews King of the Hill for Seasons 16 and 17; FX Renews Adults for Season 2; Remembering June Lockhart
10/30 - ABC's The Golden Girls 40th Anniversary Special on November 11; NBC 2025 Holiday Specials
10/29 - ABC Midseason 2026 Schedule; Hulu Renews Only Murders in the Building for Season 6, Now in London
10/28 - Hulu Debuts Trailer for Original Holiday Film; Sidelined Returns for Sequel on Tubi
10/27 - Netflix Grabs Victorious Spinoff Hollywood Arts; Dancing with the Stars Up for 5th Straight Week
10/26 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 27, 2025)
10/25 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Frankie Muniz Shares Photo Outside Studio for Malcolm in the Middle Reboot; Warner Bros. Discovery Still Looking for New Owner
10/24 - USA Network Renews The Rainmaker; Reba Hosting Christmas in Rockefeller Center
10/23 - The CW Holiday Specials Schedule; Apple TV Fraggle Rock Special
10/22 - Apple TV's Shrinking Returns in January 2026; Season 2 of Idris Elba Series Also Returns in January 2026
10/21 - FETV Acquires Here Come the Brides; Netflix's Mo Amer Special Trailer
10/20 - SNL November Guests Lineup; It's a Wonderful Lifetime 2025 Schedule
10/19 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 20, 2025)
10/18 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at NBC Comedy Stumble; Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Showrunner Talks When the Inevitable May Happen
10/17 - Apple TV's Palm Royale Returns November 12; Pop Culture Jeopardy! Moving to Netflix
10/16 - Kathleen Madigan Prime Video Special; His & Hers Premiere Date for Netflix
10/15 - ABC Wednesday Comedies Premiere Strong; Sebastian Maniscalco's Hulu Comedy Special Date
10/14 - Tubi's Breaking Bear Premieres March 2026; NBC's Stumble Trailer
10/13 - Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Final Season; Bat-Fam Premieres November 10 on Prime Video
10/12 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 13, 2025)
10/11 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at Upcoming Paramount+ Sitcom Crutch; Yellowjackets to End After Upcoming Season
10/10 - Prime Video Releases Trailer for The Mighty Nein; Season 2 Premiere Date for Cross
10/09 - Rachel Sennott's I Love LA Comedy Series Trailer; Kaley Cuoco Heads to MGM+
10/08 - Prime Video's Kevin Details; Trailer for Crutch with Tracy Morgan
10/07 - The CW's TV We Love Docuseries; Happy's Place Season 2 Trailer
10/06 - Dancing with the Stars Surging in Viewership, Especially Among Younger Viewers; Remembering Kimberly Hébert Gregory of Vice Principals