How to watch the Night Court holiday special

John Larroquette as Dan Fielding, Melissa Rauch as Abby Stone in Night Court
John Larroquette and Melissa Rauch in Night Court (Image credit: Nicole Weingart/NBC)

It's Christmas on Night Court and NBC is offering fans a fun and festive holiday special ahead of Night Court season 2, The special holiday episode of Night Court airs Saturday, December 23, at 8:30 pm ET/PT on NBC, immediately following the Extended Family special preview; the episode will be available to stream the following day on Peacock.

As "newboots" go, Night Court has been a very pleasant and refreshing surprise. Melissa Rausch (Big Bang Theory) plays Judge Abby Stone, who presides over her father's old courtroom in the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court. John Larroquette reprises his role as Dan Fielding, offering a link between the past and present. Formerly the District Attorney, Dan has now become a public defender in Abby's courtroom. 

The series frequently pays homage to Harry Anderson, who played Judge Harry Stone in the original series, which took home seven Primetime Emmys over its nine season run from 1984-1992.

Night Court was one of the first shows to return to filming after the writers and actors strike ended, which helped to make the Christmas special possible. Not only that, but thanks to the timing on the return to production, Night Court season 2 arrives Tuesday, January 2. 

How to watch the Night Court holiday special

To watch the Night Court holiday special live you need a traditional pay-TV service, a TV antenna or a live TV streaming with NBC, like Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV. You can also stream it live if you have Peacock Premium Plus.

We don't have any information about when the special will be available for UK viewers. 

What is the Night Court holiday special about?

The Night Court holiday special will feature the full cast along with a special guest appearance from NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The holiday episode is titled "A Night Court Before Christmas" and here's the episode description: 

"It’s Christmastime at Night Court. Abby enlists Dan on her quest to track down a little girl's letter to Santa. Gurgs' gift for Dan isn't what she expected. Olivia is haunted by a witness who believes herself to be The Ghost of Christmas Present."

In addition to Rausch and Larroquette, Night Court also stars India de Beaufort as Olivia, Lacretta as Gurgs and Tapil Kalwalkar as Neil. 

Night Court returns for season 2 on Tuesday, January 2, in its regularly scheduled time slot at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC, followed by the new comedy Extended Family at 8:30 pm ET/PT.

Sarabeth Pollock
Editorial Content Producer

 

Sarabeth joined the What to Watch team in May 2022. An avid TV and movie fan, her perennial favorites are The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, true crime documentaries on Netflix and anything from Passionflix. You’ve Got Mail, Ocean's Eleven and Signs are movies that she can watch all day long. She's also a huge baseball fan, and hockey is a new favorite.  

When she's not working, Sarabeth hosts the My Nights Are Booked Podcast and a blog dedicated to books and interviews with authors and actors. She also published her first novel, Once Upon an Interview, in 2022.