Night Court Premiere Recap: Roz's Return Lands Dan In Legal Trouble
Night Court is back for Season 2, and Dan Fielding is back in Abby's courtroom... except he's the one facing charges this time.
We pick up where we left off, with Dan working as a judge in his native Louisiana and reuniting with his old pal Roz (hi, Marsha Warfield!) in his courtroom's holding cell. She got arrested for throwing a bouncer through a window during her bachelorette party — which is one way to celebrate your upcoming nuptials, we guess. Roz is now working as a private investigator ("I've broken up more marriages than Vegas and nanny cams combined") and marrying a woman named Loretta. She gently chides Dan for disappearing on her years ago, but he makes it up to her with a strawberry daiquiri. Those solve everything!
Back in New York, Abby is getting over her breakup by dating... herself! She's sending herself flowers and flirty texts: "Me up?" Plus, Gurgs is still speaking in British slang after her time at Scotland Yard, Olivia is starting a side hustle as a sports agent — and Neil is nowhere to be found. Flobert is filling in as clerk, and as Abby tells us, "Neil moved to Tahoe with his girlfriend." (As TVLine reported last week, cast member Kapil Talwakar won't return for Season 2.) Abby hasn't heard from Dan, but she gets an unexpected update when he shows up in her courtroom as a defendant! He's charged with destruction of property, and he's wearing a tie-dyed T-shirt, so we know there's a story here.
Roz is there to explain: Dan was helping her investigate a cheating partner, so he went undercover in a yoga class (hence the T-shirt) and snuck a look at the accused cheater's phone. When he saw what was on it, though, he was so stunned that he ran off, destroying a gong in the process. What did he see on her phone? Roz's face, meaning the alleged cheater is Roz's fiancée Loretta. Roz is convinced she's cheating, but Abby thinks Roz's suspicions might have more to do with herself. Yep, she's as nosy as her dad was, Roz grumbles. Meanwhile, Gurgs is raving about her sexy British adventures with a duke (!), and Olivia's sports agent ambitions take a hit when she lands a New York Ranger as a client... but it turns out to be a bootleg Power Ranger in Times Square.
Abby invites Loretta to the courthouse to try to suss out what's happening with her and Roz — when she demonstrates her flirting techniques, Dan snipes, "You look like a puppet I wouldn't want to buy" — but later, Roz arrives at Dan's door to tell him she and Loretta have reconciled. Loretta was just being secretive because she wanted to surprise Roz with a wedding song, and Roz advises Dan to stick around in New York: "I'm glad you found another Stone to look after you." So Dan heads back to Abby's chambers and admits he hates being a judge: "All this listening, very little arguing." Plus, everyone he knew in Louisiana is gone now... which means, to Abby's delight, that he's coming back to New York. She forces a hug on him, and he must be in a good mood, because he (reluctantly) accepts it.
How'd you like the premiere, Night Court fans? Give it a grade in our poll, and hit the comments to share all your thoughts on Season 2.