Night Court (TV Series) Justice Buddies (2023) User Reviews

Young Injustice?

[jacobstaggs · 5/10 · 17 March 2023]

This time, I'm reviewing the sixth episode of the first season of the Night Court revival. This episode is called Justice Buddies.

This episode is imbued with a small but very noticeable uptick in quality from the first four entries and light years better than the abysmal fifth episode The Apartment.

I have to give credit to this episode for giving the viewer something to contemplate. Namely, should you always go strictly by the law or do what's right? What's right and what's wrong? These kinds of philosophical musings are nice. I always feel that the best media is that kind that makes you think.

Let's look at some more of what is working. This episode comes with some big improvements. While Neil is still sadly not given anything interesting to do for the third time in a row, the character of Olivia is given an emotional story and actress India de Beaufort is able to sell it in a surprisingly effective way to where the end result actually tugs at your heartstrings.

Gurgs here is actually toned down and is given something to do other than just be annoying.

Melissa Rauch is actually able for the first time...HUSH ...GASP! To give a consistent, likeable performance as Abby!

And John Laroquette is John Laroquette. I love the part where a kid tells Dan it was a pleasure learning from him in the courtroom and Dan says something to the effect of " I had fun too. I spent all of your lunch money on booze." That part cracked me up. The other two main positives are that the sets are well maintained an that nice laugh track is at our service.

The main flaw here, and it is a big one, iis not the character writing but the story writing. Some of it really blows.

Still, this episode has brought along some nice improvements and it is just the tip of the iceberg. More quality control is headed our way.

Next time I'll be reviewing the seventh episode. It is called Train Court. Stay Tuned!

Who is this for?

[mataidixiong · 1/10 · 16 February 2023]

I am really trying to like this show and am willing to be patient with new shows as they find their feet, this one might eventually as well. The characters are all caricatures and that's fine, that can even be funny at times. This show has a decent cast who are all trying their best with the VERY limited material they have to work with. The first five episodes of this show have seemed to work really hard to set this up as light, fun but forgettable comedy, again that's fine and something I was actually looking forward to.

All that out of the way, let's now specifically talk about this episode. It just has to do what all shows seem to need to do these days and ram a hot topic down the audience's throat. I am not here for this, I am here for fun and to escape the miserableness of the world for a bit.

This episode man, what a mess. The whole criminal thing is stupid, regardless of the in your face issues this show VERY messily and stupidly handles about race and vandalism v artistic expression, why are we suddenly implying kids are smarter than adults? Is this suddenly a kids' show?

If so, a lot of the previous episodes' unfunny jokes aimed at adults become quite inappropriate. If it is not a kids' show, why are they suddenly trying to make all the adults look stupid and the kids super smart? As an adult, this is not what I want to switch in to watch and that is also quite offensive. Is this 'protest' really the hill the bailiff wants to die on?

This show is bland and this episode an absolute mess, even in terms of the race topic, Abbott Elementary just did an episode around the same topic albeit a very different setting and managed to make it both funny and relevant. Watch that show instead.

Lazy/Illogical Premise

[stevenkawleski-93675 · 3/10 · 15 February 2023]

The writing this week was deaply flawed. Not exactly sure what point they were trying to make here..

When a Tiktok Celebrity vandalizes a Columbus statue, He gets four kids to stage a protest claiming Abby's court oppresses minority rights/freedom of expression.

1.) Why are children on a night fieldtrip?

2.) Why would Abby feel bad for/apologize for sentencing a man who admitted to/profitted from/recorded vandalism?

3.) Why would the bailiff risk losing her job to support someone who is obviously guilty?

4.) Are there no other bailiffs or police on duty that could remove the children or call their parents?

5.) What happened to all the other cases that night?

6.) Are kids even allowed on TikTok?

7.) Wouldn't his defense attorney plead him out as guilty?

Bad to worse

[JodyKibler · 1/10 · 15 February 2023]

I had hope Night Court would get better over time, then they put on this load of junk. I will be deleting all future recordings. I was just a little kid but watched the original Night court growing up. I loved it, I should not be surprised that a NBC show put on a slanted political junk theme but yet here I am disappointed. I can't believe the cast thought this would be the way to go, to be honest it wasn't just this episode, the jokes are dry, the writing is horrible. This is why network TV is heading to the way of an extinct animal. All the talent has left to use their abilities with less restriction. So long Night Court. I will just watch the old ones on IMDB TV.

OG Yes! Reboot No! Lecretta's Gotta Go

[castlegirl09 · 2/10 · 18 February 2023]

The original Night Court had an episode where school children took a field trip to the courtroom. That episode ranks somewhere near the bottom 10 of the series for me. This episode has to be near the bottom 5 episodes of all tv shows for me. Both episodes beg the question, why are children visiting a courtroom active from 10 pm to 3 am??

It's true that sitcoms are an endangered species, and this episode is a good reason why. Does everyone have a right to have their opinion heard? Absolutely. Do I want politics and social issues thrown at me every time I watch a tv show to unwind from this crazy world? Absolutely not.

A bailiff who joins in a protest against their judge's decision while on the job?? How does Gurg still have a job? All acting is stiffer than a board and the episode that is supposed to take some sort of action scratches the surface. One two minute conversation fixes everything. I really hope this series gets better.

Political Garbage

[jcrsx · 1/10 · 2 March 2023]

This reboot is not that great to begin with. This episode is exactly what is wrong with society. Some people can't except the outcome no matter what the truth is even if the person confesses to a crime and a protest breaks out any way. Instead of kids learning and getting an education about the court system, it turns into a political tripe with kids protesting. Just like schools today. How about just making a show for fun and unplugging yourself for a little bit? Instead we get political garbage and adults not teaching the kids right from wrong. This episode absolutely sucked. Not even a 1 star.

Harry, Christine, and Mac would be embarrassed

[markaaronwagner-53878 · 1/10 · 22 February 2023]

I really wanted to like the reboot - but this episode prolly was the last straw. So poorly done - from the preaching to the acting and the characters in general (except for Dan) this show is some of the worst comedy I've seen. Why do the actors deliver their lines while looking at the camera or off in the distance and not who they're talking to? I get it, it was Malcolm X's assassination day but even he would puke at what's being put out in his memory. I truly don't even know the characters names and I've seen every episode. Not much else to say other than this show is trash! Do not hate watch this abomination.

This was appalling and the last straw

[freshie8888 · 1/10 · 20 February 2023]

Let me just start with this review by saying I was an original night Court fan as a young man and watched every episode in the 80s that I could get my hands on. The show was fresh. The show was funny and some of the best situation, comedy television in the history of television. When night Court was revisited with this new series, I wanted to give it every opportunity to show me that it could be the same as it was before however, it's stumbled out of the gate with the first episode, and the subsequent episodes got more and more absurd. Bringing us to episode six "justice buddies". Who green lit this episode? Who thought this was a good idea at all? What was the show written for? Forget all that I've deleted all future recordings of this blasphemous attempt to do something cool and watchable. It is none of those things. It is trash and this episode was the last straw for me.

An unfortunate descent into political preaching

[Peanut_Gallery_Viewer · 1/10 · 18 February 2023]

I was hoping for a true reboot of a fun show, and the first several episodes gave me hope, but this episode took that hope out in back of the barn and end ended it. What we got was progressive political preaching for the entire episode. It wasn't funny or fun, and it certainly wasn't entertaining. What do they hope to gain from this virtue signaling? Do they think this is going to change people's minds? Do they actually think there is anyone alive that isn't aware of the issues they addressed and that these viewers have made their own personal decisions?

Maybe just let a sitcom be a sitcom, and let people enjoy nice heartwarming stories, instead of shaming your audience and holding yourself as a paragon of virtue. I won't dig into the shameful distortion of our justice system to these same ends.

This episode is everything wrong with TV today

[skribs · 1/10 · 26 February 2023]

Up until this episode, I had been enjoying that the episode is here to entertain instead of to preach. This episode broke that promise. This episode preached.

It preached that courts are evil. It didn't use that word, but that was the general idea. That the court was unjust and unfair. That it's a problem we've had in America for 400 years.

The problem is that this is a show about a courtroom. So it does what so many other shows have done in the 2020s. The justice system is corrupt...except for our stars! I've seen it The Rookie, in Brooklyn 99, in shows I've previously enjoyed.

This is a very politically charged episode, and it doesn't do anything to present the other side of the debate. You have a group of people who are already supporting the protest, and the other side is a group of people who already agree and just need to be pushed into following. There is no other voice.

I had previously rated this show a 9/10 for being good family fun. This episode was not. This episode was preaching. Another episode like this and I won't watch anymore of it.

It had potential, until this episode.

[shooter7507 · 1/10 · 16 March 2023]

I loved the original series, and I have watched this one, until now. Just like the original it's kinda campy at times and you of course have to suspend reality to enjoy the show... That being said this one was ridiculous. The last thing I want to watch is bs like this this. Pushing the left leaning agenda that felonious criminals are really just poor misunderstood activists instead. Because that's you know, the truth of the new world. Honestly, I would have expected this 3 years ago during all the riots, but apparently the writers felt bad that they missed out on that "joyous" time for them. Some days I don't know why even get out of bed...

Confusing premise

[dmperrino · 1/10 · 5 March 2023]

The entire premise of this episode doesn't make any sense. Except to prove that children are dumb and we can and should ignore their ideas. The criminal admits he broke the law. The judge is very lenient with the punishment. And yet, the children have NO IDEA what is going on. Gross that the courts would cave to these pestilent little know-nothings.

This show had been doing quite well. If they continue with ridiculous premises like this, it will tank.

Stop pretending children are intelligent. You insult the intelligence of your viewers when you pretend 8yos know more than literally anyone. Sad.

Justice Buddies

[Prismark10 · 2/10 · 11 February 2024]

Judge Abby Stone announces that there is a school project in Night Court.

Some tweenagers inclduing Gurgs nephew and other students will buddy up with the court staff or court users such as the defence or prosecuting attorneys.

Dan is happy as two of the students compete to get him coffee.

However it soon transpires that the kids want to hold a protest and the grind the court to a standstill.

Apart from what school kids were doing shadowing Night Court, given it is unsociable hours.

I had no idea just what the purpose of the protest was for. In fact the episode was infantile. It was also not funny.

...and this is where they lost me.

[FuriousGeorge1967 · 1/10 · 13 March 2023]

Not exactly groundbreaking work in any arena to begin with, this particular episode couldn't be any more ham-handed if it were written by Porky Pig.

The first three episodes could be described as "pedestrian and innocuous" at best. The team then tries to dip into their mother corporation's politics and just.. good lord, what dreck.

Paper thing characters, non-existent plot, acting straight out of a kindergarten Christmas pageant (Laroquette had better talent in cast mates when he narrated the OG Texas Chainsaw Massacre),

To be fair though, this is exactly what network (or network streaming in this case) television has become. It's blandness is only outdone by it's transparent bludgeoning or groupthink and lack of talent of all participants involved in it.

And it finally goes into the garbage

[midnightcub · 2/10 · 11 January 2024]

5 episodes in, and then the agenda hammer goes into full swing.

There was an obnoxious episode in the middle of the season where a bunch of 11 year olds want to tell the judge and lawyers what's wrong with this country and how they're all part of the problem all while causing a mini riot in the court room protesting the ruling against a street "artist" defacing statues of the world's biggest villain, Christopher Columbus.

It gets even better when the black balliff abandons her post to join the protest. The writing was spot on unfortunately. These are the people you hear on way too many social medias. Unfortunately it's not ever written correctly with everyone educated appropriately. Instead the black lady lets the white judge know life is unfair sometimes and that can be frustrating. The judge of course realizes that she as the the judge is the real villain in this scenario. Are you kidding me?

The black balliff explains to one kid she took the job so people will see someone from their community and will treat them like people and not just assume they're guilty. Um.... YOU'RE A BALLIFF!! You have no purpose except to say "all rise" and then remove people from the court room. That's it.

Also, IDK if you're all familiar with the original Night Court or this one. But the entire point of this show is she, and her father from the original series, do exactly that. That's why they became judges. To look beyond the lawyers and the papers and see the HUMAN standing before them. That's the entire point of the shows!!!

So in the end, the kids don't get any repercussions, the balliff doesn't either, and no one learns anything about anything.

This is why we can't have nice things.