Roz is back! Marsha Warfield, who played the caustic bailiff on “Night Court” for six seasons, made a surprise appearance on Tuesday night’s episode of the series’ 2023 revival.
Warfield’s appearance came on Tuesday during part 2 of the episode “The Honorable Dan Fielding.” In the episode, Dan Fielding (as reprised for the revival by Emmy winner John Larroquette) has taken a job as a judge and is reading what’s next on his docket: “Another fight at a bachelorette party in the French Quarter. OK bailiff, bring in this bride to be!” Turns out it’s Roz, wearing a “bachelorette” banner. “Fielding? They made you a judge?” she stares at disbelief, and then storms out of the courtroom. (Scroll down to watch.)
Warfield told Variety that she had no expectations of returning when the new “Night Court,” starring Melissa Rauch as Abby Stone (the daughter of the original series’ Judge Harry Stone) and Larroquette was first announced. “I didn’t have that on my bingo card,” she said. “But I was excited, an opportunity to work with John again and to get back on the set. It’s kinda like reliving old memories, while you make new ones. And that was very interesting. And it was kind of surreal, in a good way.”
Warfield’s recent credits include an arc on Fox’s “9-1-1.” She compared the “Night Court” return to getting “an opportunity to try on your prom dress and see if it fits. To realize it might look a little better than it did 50 years ago. The only hope I have is that people give the new show a chance for what it is. And not what it was. So I wish him all the best. I’ve wished him all the best from the beginning.”
The original “Night Court,” created by Reinhold Weege, ran on NBC from 1984 to 1992 and starred Harry Anderson as Judge Stone. Larroquette and Richard Moll, as bailiff Bull, were the other stars to stick with the show throughout its entire run. Warfield joined in the show’s fourth season, after the deaths of Selma Diamond (seen in Seasons 1 and 2) and Florence Halop (Season 3).
“He’s still John, still the same guy who got so many Emmys he had to turn them down,” Warfield said of reuniting with Larroquette. “He’s still the same actor I learned from when they threw me into the fire of a top four show.”
Warfield did add that it was a bit bittersweet to return when many of her “Night Court” co-stars have passed away in recent years — including Anderson, Markie Post (who played public defender Christine Sullivan) and Charlie Robinson (Mac Robinson).
“You can’t deny that you look over at on the set where people were when you were there and say, ‘they’re not there,’” Warfield said. “Yeah, John and I discussed that, had a moment, raised a toast with our water bottles and acknowledged that.”
The new “Night Court” also stars India de Beaufort, Kapli Talwalkar and Lacretta, who plays the bailiff. Warfield said she had a chance to chat with Lacretta, bailiff-to-bailiff. “I told her, ‘just do you baby, just be you and enjoy it and enjoy the ride.’ It’s life changing.”
Indeed, Warfield said “Night Court” had a lasting impact on her life. “I went from being a stand up, which is what I did for 12 years before I got ‘Night Court.’ I had limited experience and I was thrown into a top four TV show. People don’t realize just how big Must See TV was. Everybody’s TV in the country was tuned to NBC from 8 to 11. It was very, very beneficial for me, but it took some adjusting to get used to. I told Lacretta that I hope that the show does for her, what it did for me.”
Watch Warfield’s appearance on Tuesday night’s episode below.