‘Night Court’: Is Dan Fielding a Dad? Stars Tease Season 3 Mystery & Wendie Malick’s Bigger Role

Disorder in the court! Premiering Tuesday, November 19, Night Court Season 3 kicks off by quickly addressing the Season 2 finale cliffhanger, which teased that Judge Abby Stone’s (Melissa Rauch) new man, HR rep Jake (Ryan Hansen), could be defense attorney Dan Fielding’s (John Larroquette) son. In the premiere, Abby visits Jake’s mom, Susan (Newhart’s Julia Duffy), in the hospital to get answers about the paternity mystery, which will be resolved in the first two episodes.

The Abby of seasons past would have loved this close connection to her colleague Dan, whom she already feels bonded to through her late father, Judge Harry Stone (Harry Anderson, star of the original Night Court). But now, dating Dan’s potential son is a psychological nightmare for the eternally optimistic judge.

“It’s twofold for Abby, if he is in fact Dan’s son,” Rauch explains. “Because this father-daughter relationship between Abby and Dan [already exists], so does that make Jake surrogate brother-ish material? If that were to be the case, it also sets up a really interesting dynamic of, which child of Dan’s does he prefer?”

Dan isn’t particularly happy with Abby anyway, since she hired his ex-fling, former convict Julianne (Shrinking’s Wendie Malick, now a series regular) to be the replacement prosecutor after Olivia’s (India de Beaufort) exit. “Who would hire her, other than someone with a huge heart like Abby?” Malick says, adding with a laugh that Julianne “probably didn’t get that many offers.”

Dan and Julianne will, of course, squabble, but everyone else, including bailiff Donna “Gurgs” Gurganous (Lacretta) and clerk Wyatt Shaw (Nyambi Nyambi), will enjoy working with her. Even Abby gets surprisingly close. They’re “polar opposites,” Rauch admits, “but there’s a lot about the world that Julianne knows that Abby does not, so it’s this really special work friendship that’s extremely unexpected.” See an exclusive clip of Malick’s welcome on set of the sitcom in the video above.

Larroquette says he’s “very much” enjoying sparring with Malick in the court room, even if Dan doesn’t.

“At first it was very upsetting to him considering their history with her sort of being a stalker and trying to ruin his life last season,” Larroquette explains, “but the object of having her as a regular was to burnish those rough edges and make her one of the family, as it were, and still keep the eccentricity and the wild side of her alive from the comedy aspect of it. It has been working out very well. She’s fitting in and she’s still a bit of a wild card, which is great. That provides a good comedy relief for her.”

Malick “shows up and she suits up and she’s ready to play,” Larroquette adds of his new costar.

Nicole Weingart / NBC

As for the show’s central relationship, the paternity mystery may make Abby panic about Dan’s possible reaction, but Larroquette says there’s nothing to worry about in this friendship.

“He is in jest always ribbing her, but let’s remember that he would never have left his apartment if it hadn’t been Harry Stone’s daughter that knocked on his door,” the Emmy winner explains. “She pulled him back into life reluctantly and hesitatingly, and he still is always chomping at the bit to leave, but she keeps him there because I think that his love for her as Harry’s daughter is very palpable and real. And so at the end of the day, he’s going to be there to try and protect her.”

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There will be much to learn about Gurgs and Wyatt’s lives in Season 3 as well. Rauch raves that there are some “really fantastic Gurgs storylines” this season, one of them involving some new information about her English nobleman boyfriend, the Duke (played by Rhys Darby in Season 2). Single-dad Wyatt will introduce his daughter to his colleagues as well “in an episode that is a really fun storyline between Gurgs and Wyatt and Abby,” Rauch shares. As Larroquette adds, “We learn more about [Wyatt] and his trials of being a divorced father, how he deals with his children at this point, and his goals of trying to be a lawyer.”

Rauch and Larroquette both sing the praises of Gary Anthony Williams, who plays Flobert. Williams “has become such a mainstay of the workplace family as well and is very much involved in so much of the stories this season,” Rauch says. Larroquette points Williams out as one of the season’s highlights, saying, “If there is going to be a fourth season, I really want to make him a [series] regular.”

“He’s the funniest guy I’ve worked with in a very, very long time,” Larroquette raves. “You can throw him an ax and he’ll make a flower out of it. He’s just remarkable.”

Night Court will also continue its tradition of welcoming a boatload of guest stars throughout the season. Rauch will reunite with her Big Bang Theory costar Mayim Bialik, who guest stars in Episode 12 as a version of herself. Gilles Marini, Andrew Rannells, Eden Sher, and more will also make appearances. As previously announced, Marsha Warfield will be back as Roz in an episode that also features the return of Star Trek‘s Brent Spiner and Annie O’Donnell as the Wheelers. TV Insider exclusively announced every guest star for Season 3 Episodes 1-12. Get a full breakdown here.

Night Court, Season 3 Premiere, Tuesday, November 19, 8:30/7:30c, NBC