When Night Court fans left Jake, played by Ryan Hansen, his girlfriend, Abby, played by Melissa Rauch, was leading the way to discover Jake’s father. Although their dating relationship is going strong, Jake’s family background could pose a wrinkle to their relationship. In this interview and exclusive clip from episode 2, Ryan Hansen shares why the cast’s camaraderie is key to the hilarity.
Ahead of the Night Court Season 3 premiere, Ryan Hansen graciously spoke to Culturess. While the successful actor has had numerous well-known characters, his current Night Court role allows him to stretch a little.
As he explained, “Melissa and I have such a great back and forth off camera. We both have families, have kids, and live in the Valley. All those similarities allow us to bring that off-camera relationship on camera in a very natural way. It is nice to be able to vibe with someone. She is so easy to work with, and it makes it easy and natural.
While the relationship between Abby and Jake is sweet, Night Court fans are wondering if Dan Fielding (played by John Larroquette) really is Jake’s father. Although the potential is there, only time, and a DNA test, will reveal the truth.
When asked about this plot, Hansen said, “I think that everyone is looking forward to figuring out if Dan Fielding is actually Jake’s dad. Jake has a lot of feelings about that because he didn’t have a dad. He starts to picture what it would be like and they start to bond.
Check out this exclusive clip from Night Court Season 3 episode 2.
Hansen continued to explain, “It was cool for me to work with John because I didn’t have many scenes with him last season. We got to do a lot of really fun stuff together and it was a blast. He is incredible.”
While Night Court is all about the laughs, Hansen appreciates that there are some real sentiments woven into the comedy. He said, “it gets emotional when you think about it even though it is a silly comedy.” A dad, himself, Hansen appreciates that parent-child bond.
That nod to a relatable idea or a real-world moment is what makes the comedic moments resonate with the audience. Few people work in a courtroom, but many people can relate to a complicated relationship dynamic between all the co-workers.
In addition to Jake’s dad storyline, his and Abby’s relationship is part of Season 3. Hansen believes that their relationship is relatable to many people. He believes that bringing some comedy to the ups and downs of being a couple is a good thing.
During our conversation, I had to ask about another upcoming episode where Hansen is quite spirited. Apparently, the writers' room got wind of his previous sports experience. Kudos to Hansen and his ability to do a backflip. That episode might be the most talked about one of the season.
Ready to have some laughs this holiday season? Be sure to watch new episodes of Night Court every Tuesday night at 8:30 ET/ 7:30 CT on NBC. Episodes can be streamed the next day on Peacock.