Night Court cast member Kapil Talwalkar will not be returning for season 2

Last Updated on January 12, 2024

The revival of Night Court on NBC has actress Melissa Rauch of The Big Bang Theory pick up the gavel at the courthouse as the daughter of Harry Stone. In our review of the new show, Alex Maidy pointed out, “The reboot of Night Court comes from the production team of Melissa Rauch, her husband Winston Rauch, and John Larroquette. All three are avid fans of the original series and have an invested interest in making this series feel like a worthwhile successor to the sitcom without turning it into a woke recreation…Showrunner and writer Dan Rubin, a veteran of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Scrubs, keeps his staff on the ball with episodes that are as wacky as the original series and consistently feel like they could have been storylines thirty years ago.”

The strikes of the writers and the actors this year delayed production on season 2. However, Deadline has revealed that as the next season develops, the show will be taking a new creative direction and Kapil Talwalkar, who played Neil, the court clerk, will not be returning. Season 2 is said to be more in line with “the tradition of the original Night Court, which showcased different personalities, characters and perspectives,” according to sources close to the production. Season 1 saw Neil being set up as a possible love interest for the show’s lead character, Abby Stone. Rauch’s character, Abby, had been conveyed to be in a rocky engagement, and Neil would be there for Abby had things completely fallen through. Prior to season 2, Night Court had aired a standalone special episode for Christmas.

When Rauch spoke with Deadline in an interview just before the sequel series premiered, she teased what might be in store for Abby and Neil, “She’s in this relationship with Rand, which is a part of her life before she comes [to NY] and she’s really trying to hold on to that. We hear her talk about him a lot. But as she’s finally finding her footing in New York and realizing what she wants, she’s also coming to terms with what she wants in her relationship, too. And it also sets up a sort of love triangle with Neil and what the potential there could be in his feelings for her—which we will discover down the line and see how that unfolds.” Rauch joked about her character, “She’s very much a country girl and a country mouse who is now trying to become a city mouse. That is not a comparison to my size, though accurate.”