Night Court has survived the axe! Season 3 is coming to NBC

The court remains in session! NBC has given Night Court a third season so how many episodes are in it?

In case you haven’t noticed, revivals of classic sitcoms have been a popular trend in the last few years. It’s no shock NBC followed suit by reviving Night Court, the quirky 1980s sitcom about a Manhattan courthouse that somehow attracts the biggest weirdos in New York City. 

The revival has Melissa Rauch as Abby Stone, the daughter of the late Harry Stone (Harry Anderson) following in his footsteps as judge of the same courtroom. Returning from the original series is John Larroquette in his Emmy-winning role of former prosecutor Dan Fielding, now the public defender. Like her dad, Abby deals with some strange characters wandering into her court while handling her personal life. 

The show was an instant success, earning a second season renewal just a month after its premiere in early 2023. As it happened, work on season 2 began just before the 2023 Hollywood strikes hit. As such, Night Court was able to start its sophomore season with a Christmas episode in December 2023 and then new episodes began airing in January 2024. 

The show’s renewal was never in doubt thanks to its top ratings but there was talk on the episode count that put off the official renewal. Now, the answer is coming.

How many episodes are in Night Court season 3?

According to Deadline, the only reason the show’s official renewal was delayed was that NBC and Warner Bros TV were debating just how many episodes would be in season 3. It now appears to have been settled on 18 episodes with an expected premiere date in September.

This is different from the standard 22 episode count most network sitcoms have although the strikes obviously cut that down for the past season. Night Court season 1 had 16 episodes with season 2 having 13 episodes before wrapping up in March 2024. 

NBC has yet to finalize its 2024-25 schedule, so comedies Lopez vs Lopez and Extended Family are still on the bubble, with a few comedy pilots in the works, including Happy Place, starring Reba McEntire which Deadline reports is getting good buzz and in line to be picked up. Night Court would likely anchor a comedy block, but we’ll have to wait for the upfronts to find out what shows will surround it.

At least fans can be assured the successful revival is coming back with Night Court still providing laughs 40 years after the original aired.

Night Court seasons 1-2 are streaming on Peacock.