Markie Post was brilliant in the original. Too bad she passed away back in August. I could see Melissa in her spot, but I guess she'll be the judge. Wait and see on this one.
Gender-swapping a character is the worst excuse for a premise ever. Just screams lazy and unimaginative.
Yes, when you gender swap a character, it generally can't be the same character as the original character. Let's look at it this way, how much imagination and creativity did it take to create Superman, vs. how much it took to create Supergirl some years later?
As has been noted, they had little choice but to do a legacy character, since Harry Anderson is dead. Whether it's a son or daughter makes no difference whatsover since it's a new character. Having Harry's progeny be female actually opens up some joke possibilities, since it seems likely Dan will get inappropriate with her.
Then again, "getting inappropriate" in this climate, won't probably play as well as that would back when the original series was on the air. My guess is Dan will be more of the focus of moral turpitude than before, and there will be another character to take on that mantle, he'll be more of a "lovable-yet-irascible" focus. My theory is, no matter how you play a series, be it a re-boot or the same series years down the road, main characters simply have to develop and re-define themselves constantly so as not to get stale with an audience, but also to allow the viewer to see them in a more favorable light as the seasons go on. How many times have you seen a show where the Big Bad to one scooby-gang ends up being their ally the next season? That doesn't happen by chance.
Melissa Rauch on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd6WXSyvEQd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
I get it if they want to do a sequel. But the whole “Harry had a daughter who is a judge” concept is terribly contrived. Harry Stone didn’t have any children when the show ended 30 years ago. It’s too much of a stretch to believe that he had a daughter right after the series ended, who then went on to become a lawyer and judge in the same exact courtroom, at the age of 30. Just create a new character. They already have Dan Fielding there for continuity. It reminds me of that other silly TV trope where they create siblings to step in for departed characters (think Judy McCoy on Love Boat or Carlene on Designing Women). If I leave my job, I guarantee you that my brother, whose name does not rhyme with mine, is not going to take over my job. He has his own life.
Has this show even aired yet? This topic sure has a lot of easily offended broflakes for something no one has even seen.
I have been watching streaming reruns of the original series recently. Given the amount of "willing suspension of disbelief" the original, and most sitcoms in general require, I am not sure that having a daughter follow in the father's footsteps is going to be the most unrealistic aspect of this. As far as Larroquette's age, he's playing a DA, not a super-athlete. It's not like there aren't a lot of lawyers still active in their later years. I guess when you can't actually watch the show, it gets challenging to come up with real criticism.
I can’t speak for others, but I’m not offended at all. Discussing the pros and cons of a series - from premise to acting to scheduling, etc - is the point of these boards.
They are trying to revive an old series yet only one of the original cast is involved. Revivals depend to some degree on familiarity and nostalgia. Creating a legacy character is an obvious way to make more of a connection to the old series. Sure it's contrived, but this is a sitcom, not a serious realistic drama. A little contrivance doesn't hurt. The average person who's watched the old series is going to be more interested in seeing Harry's daughter than they would be in seeing some new character. There's certainly more story opportunities in seeing how Dan relates to Harry's daughter as opposed to some random female judge, and it creates an emotional connection between the two of them that would not otherwise be there.
I see this not as a reboot of the characters - because really that can't happen - but as a reboot of the structure and premise. Night Court wasn't just a courtroom comedy, it was partly about a courtroom that brought in nutso situations and the main characters reacted or played off them. If they can create the same funny, whimsical environment then they will have a chance.
Here's the thing that chokes me about all of this - John Larroqette has time to be part of this reboot but can't be bothered to release the first season of the John Larroqette show? Come on!
Yeah. my singular comment in this thread basically covered how since the original Night Court no longer appealed to me, & that I'm not a fan of Melissa Rauch, so I had no interest in this reboot/reimagining/creatively bankrupt idea. I certainly wasn't offended by it returning, in any form, I just don't plan to watch it. It seems that actual "broflakes" have to search for a scintilla of what they perceive as someone being "offended" in order to make some sort of inane & inaccurate "point" that only they can discern Or imagine... But I guess it's far better if we all link arms & sing "Kumbaya" as we march in lockstep & praise a show that has yet to be broadcast. After all, it just has to be the "greatest thing ever"!