Night Court Season 3’s Roz Return Highlights Fans’ Biggest Issue With Abby

Warning: SPOILERS for Night Court season 3, episode 10, "Pension Tension."

Night Court season 3 has seen a drop in the ratings, and Roz’s return as bailiff in the recent episode “Pension Tension” highlights why many fans of the original Night Court believe Abby is to blame. Marsha Warfield’s Roz Russell previously featured twice in Night Court season 2, establishing that she’d left the courthouse behind to become a private investigator. In Night Court season 3, episode 10, Roz dons her dress blues for the first time in years after learning that she’s still a few days short of qualifying for her pension.

After the latest season had to once again shuffle Night Court’s cast of characters to accommodate India de Beaufort’s exit from the show, there were already questions about whether season 3 would keep enough viewers to ensure Night Court’s season 4 renewal. Roz isn’t the first high-profile guest star this season, but guest stars can only do so much to boost Night Court's success when a number of viewers feel the main character herself simply isn’t strong enough to carry a series.

Abby’s Attempts At Managing Roz Are Rife With Meekness And Indecision

It Shouldn’t Be This Hard To Fire Someone Who’s Supposed To Be Retiring

Marsha Warfield as Roz Russell in Night Court season 3

Roz has always been a no-nonsense character, but it isn’t long into “Pension Tension” before she starts becoming aggressively antagonistic toward just about every character except Dan. It presents a similar problem to Night Court season 3’s appearance by The Big Bang Theory’s Mayim Bialik, in which an exciting reunion between two former costars is quickly pushed aside to make time for discomfort. Both episodes even end similarly, with the guest in question explaining their behavior as part of an ultimately harmless ruse. But the real problem with repeating this story structure is in how Abby addresses Roz’s behavior.

Betsy Sodaro speaking to Melissa Rauch in Night Court season 3

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In short, she doesn’t. After promising her colleagues that she’ll speak with Roz, Abby lets herself get steamrolled into hiring Roz permanently. Rather than resolve the issue herself, Abby throws Roz an “unretirement” party while asking Wyatt and Julianne to come up with a solution for her. Their solution is naturally to just fire Roz, but Abby doesn’t threaten unemployment until Roz aims a confetti cannon at Julianne’s face. Even then, Abby waits until Roz has already pulled the trigger to fire her. But it’s not that surprising, since this kind of indecision isn’t exactly a recent character trait.

Abby's Lack Of Backbone Has Been A Recurring Issue Throughout Night Court

She’s Struggled To Make Basic Decisions Since The Show First Began

When Night Court premiered, Abby’s indecision was a little more justified. She was in a new location with new people, and the death of her father Harry had just caused her wedding to be postponed. It wasn’t until the end of Night Court season 1 that Abby finally decided between moving back home with her fiancé and staying in New York. With more time in Manhattan under her belt and her primary dilemma resolved, it would have been nice to see Abby go into season 2 as a stronger leader. But by Night Court season 3, she’s actually become less decisive than ever.

Abby is timid to such an extreme degree that it makes her unconvincing as a judge.

In this season alone, Abby’s lost a boyfriend because she stole Jake’s cheerleading doll instead of just asking him about it, allowed Heather to ditch her baby DiGiorno in the courtroom, and helped Julianne revive a pyramid scheme to get out of telling a few women she didn’t want to be friends anymore. It’s unrealistic to expect any sitcom character never to have doubts or problems, but Abby is timid to such an extreme degree that it makes her unconvincing as a judge. Abby feels like two entirely different characters in and out of the courtroom. Luckily, there’s a fix.

Night Court Already Has Everything It Needs To Fix Abby’s Character

Abby Doesn’t Need To Be Exactly Like Harry To Be Better

John Larroquette as Dan Fielding and Wendie Malick as Julianne Walters pointing at each other in Night Court season 3, episode 6

Roz ends “Pension Tension” by remarking on how similar Abby is to Harry, but fans of the original Night Court remain largely unconvinced of any such resemblance. That said, Abby doesn’t need to be a carbon copy of Harry to carry the show, nor should she be. Making the characters too similar would likely just fuel some fans’ nostalgia-based dissatisfaction even more. But with Melissa Rauch’s production company at the series’ helm, Abby’s not going anywhere. The show’s best shot at quieting viewers’ complaints about her is simply to use the tools they already have to bolster her inner strength.

Abby smiling at her office while three characters look at a sheet in Night Court

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Dan’s influence really should have beefed up Abby’s backbone at least a little bit by now, but the addition of Wendie Malick’s Julianne as a series regular introduces another strong figure into Abby’s daily life. Either one of them could give Abby the crash course she needs in being less submissive without necessarily sacrificing the more optimistic side of her personality. And since Night Court has been dancing around a relationship between the two of them, using Abby to give Dan and Julianne a project to work on together might just bring them even closer.

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