Abby’s mother in the Night Court revival will be played by a sitcom icon as Faith Ford joins the cast of the newly premiered sequel series.
Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Night Court revival episodes 1 & 2It has been confirmed who will play Abby Stone’s (Melissa Rauch) mother in the Night Court revival. The NBC sitcom, which premiered earlier this month, serves as a sequel series to the 1984 comedy show of the same name, which ran for nine seasons until 1992. In the new Night Court, Rauch plays the daughter of the original lead, the late Harold “Harry” T. Stone (Harry Anderson), as she steps into her father’s shoes as a judge on the night shift at the Manhattan Criminal Court. Other cast members include India de Beaufort, Kapil Talwalkar, and Lacretta, with original star John Larroquette returning to reprise his role as Dan Fielding.
Now, a new report from The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Murphy Brown alum Faith Ford has joined the Night Court revival cast as Abby’s mother. The details about Ford’s character remain under wraps, and it’s not exactly clear when would she appear on the show. However, Ford, a sitcom icon in her own rights with the likes of Murphy Brown and Hope & Faith, is expected to have a prominent presence when she does arrive.
How Does The Identity Of Abby’s Mother Affect The Night Court Revival
Lately, there have been several fervent theories about the potential identity of Abby’s mother. Unsurprisingly, the most popular one suggested that the late Markie Post’s Christine Sullivan is Abby’s mother in Night Court, considering that since the character’s first appearance in season 3 of the original sitcom, she remained a romantic interest of Harry. There was also a love triangle in the original Night Court, as Dan Fielding also harbored feelings for Christine, but that arc was not resolved until the revival aired as the original Night Court never got a proper ending when it was canceled after season 9.
At the moment, Ford’s casting doesn’t necessarily debunk the theory about Christine being Abby’s mother in the Night Court revival, as there is the possibility that in wake of Post’s death, the showrunners decided to recast the character, but that is an unlikely scenario as doing so could potentially be seen by some as dishonoring the late actor’s memory. Still, if Ford is playing a new character in the revival, it means that the original Night Court‘s canon would be retconned, as 30 Rock season 3 saw Tracy Morgan’s Tracy Jordan producing a Night Court series finale where Harry officially tied the knot with Christine. For years, fans of both sitcoms have regarded that episode as canon, but with the revival now picking up from the events of the original show, the connection between Night Court and 30 Rock could possibly be erased.
If Abby’s mother eventually doesn’t turn out to be Christine, it would surely leave some disappointed. But given that the original actress is no longer around to reprise her character, it’s probably best that Ford is being added as a new character in the Night Court revival to give some familial relevance to the show. Ford’s potential new character also doesn’t automatically mean that the revival is ignoring Harry and Christine’s romance, as it can still show them as once married, opting for a less desirable conclusion where their marriage did not work out, and the former ended up marrying Abby’s mother. Ford’s casting surely ignites some burning questions for the Night Court revival, but those will be answered in due course once the episodes featuring the actor air at some point in the near future.
Source: THR