'We Have Bad Chemistry': Night Court's Wendie Malick And John Larroquette Talk Dan's Relationship With Julianne As She Becomes A Series Regular

Night Court is finally returning in the fall 2024 TV schedule , just shy of eight months after the Season 2 finale back in the spring that ended with the reveal that Jake just might be Dan's son. Season 3 will also premiere with former guest star Wendie Malick returning as Dan's once-murderous nemesis Julianne, and she'll be sticking around this time. Malick and John Larroquette opened up about their characters' relationship now that she'll be a series regular, including "bad chemistry" in a very funny, Night Court sort of way.

The Season 2 finale (available streaming with a Peacock subscription ) ended with Olivia on board as the prosecutor opposite Dan; India de Beaufort is out of the cast with Wendie Malick stepping in for the upcoming third season. While that means a sticky situation for Dan, how exactly could jailbird Julianne even become an attorney in Abby's court? At NBC's press junket for Season 3, I asked the Shrinking alum how the premise was pitched to her, and she explained:

Wendie Malick certainly has more experience than most in front of a live studio audience, with all seven seasons Just Shoot Me! with David Spade , all six seasons of Hot in Cleveland, and recurring gigs on Frasier (although she doesn't expect to return for the revival ) and The Ranch, to name just some. With Night Court Season 3, she's back as more than just a guest!

And while that's great for Malick (and fans), it may not be so great for Dan Fielding's peace of mind. When asked by press during the Night Court junket what the Julianne/Dan dynamic would be like once they'd be around each other every day, the new series regular shared:

"Bad chemistry" would probably be a bad thing for most characters on most shows, but certainly not for Dan and Julianne and not on Night Court! Wendie Mallick and John Larroquette's love-hate dynamic as their characters was fun when she was a guest star, so it's a safe bet that it will continue now that she'll be around regularly. Larroquette shared his own take, saying:

The "insanity" from Julianne's first two episodes – the latter of which was in an already crazy episode, including Dan going full Star Trek and Gurgs alluding to a dalliance with Christopher Meloni – will be muted now that she'll be around on a weekly basis, but Julianne will still be Julianne. Larroquette continued:

All in all, Julianne would probably not be Dan's first choice to join the motley crew of the night court! Melissa Rauch, who of course plays Abby, previewed that "we're off to the races with Wendie in that episode as she comes in as the new prosecutor."

So, would Dan rather deal with Julianne or with the Wheelers on a daily basis, after the Wheelers returned in Season 2 ? I asked John Larroquette that very question during NBC's junket, and he shared:

Fortunately, the wait to see Julianne and Dan in her series regular era is nearly over, as Night Court Season 3 premieres on Tuesday, November 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC, following St. Denis Medical. A promo gives a taste of what's to come with these characters, and it's worth at least one watch. Take a look:

The Season 3 premiere won't all be about Dan dealing with Julianne's arrival as the new prosecutor. Called "The Judge's Boyfriend's Dad," the first Night Court episode of the fall will feature Abby doing some investigating into her suspicion that Dan might be Jake's biological father. If you need a refresher on how Season 2 ended, you can find last spring's finale streaming on Peacock now.