Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: interview, John Larroquette, Kapil Talwalkar, melissa rauch, nbc, Night Court

Night Court Interview: Kapil Talwalkar Discusses NBC Sequel Series

Kapil Talwalkar spoke with Bleeding Cool about joining NBC's Night Court, working with Melissa Rauch & John Larroquette, and more.

When Kapil Talwalkar took on the role of court clerk Neil in NBC's legacy sequel Night Court, it was already going to be a new experience. Not just because the series was building on an already successful sitcom created by Reinhold Weege that lasted nine seasons during the network's 80s golden age of the Brandon Tartikoff era, but also because he would be tackling the multi-cam format. Before joining the series, he established himself with memorable roles on The Loud House, Charmed, and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. Talwalkar spoke to Bleeding Cool about how he approached the series, working with sitcom veterans in stars Melissa Rauch and John Larroquette, and how he adjusted and differentiated his character from Charles Robinson's Mac.

Crash Course in Night Court & Multi-Cam Sitcoms

Bleeding Cool: What were your initial thoughts on getting cast on 'Night Court?'

Talwalkar: My initial thoughts after getting cast for this were first, "Is this real life?" Because I've always dreamt of being on a multi-camera sitcom since I was a kid. I grew up watching that kind of stuff, so it was surreal. And then two, "I hope I don't get fired because I've never done this before," and I hope it works.

Did you watch the original series growing up?

I did not. I watched it when I researched the show for my audition. I watched the first half of the first season to get an idea of the tone.

You're surrounded by a mix of fresh faces & sitcom vets like Melissa and John. What was that experience like?

Melissa is a unicorn of a human being. She creates the most amazing work environment ever. She's so positive, and she's like her character in so many ways that she plays. She creates an environment for us to all succeed, and be heard, has a tremendous level of love and respect for each other, and gives each other enough space for input. I love pulling up to work every single day because she is an EP on this project and creates an incredible workspace. Not to mention she's TV royalty, is incredibly talented, and will go down in history as one of the greatest actresses in sitcoms.

On the other side, you have someone who won four Emmys from the original show John Larroquette. Watching him is like a master class in sitcom acting [that] I got to experience a few feet away from him because I play the clerk, and I get to see him every single day in the courtroom. I had to pinch myself. "Is this real life?"

What lessons did you get going into this multi-cam sitcom?

John and Pam Fryman, the EPs and director of the pilot, helped me a lot because I had a hard time adjusting from single-camera comedy to multi-cam. I had to realize I had to relax, let the joke speak for itself, and don't try to play the joke. John mentioned to me, he's like, "Don't try so hard. Bury the joke. Don't let the audience see it coming. That's what's going to make it funny. If the audience telegraphs it and sees the joke, it's not going to be as funny as because you're they're expecting a joke."

That blew my mind, and even though it's the most obvious thing, I had to be reminded of it at that moment. Pam mentored me throughout that pilot process to get me in really good shape. By the end of it, I felt so confident. I still remember to this day, in the first three days of that pilot, I was like, "Am I going to get fired?! Oh, no!" She helped me tremendously. Kudos to her! She changed my life.

It looks like you came at it with a fresh perspective on this compared to the original series. Did you feel any pressure, or did it become a reference point for you?

One of the things is that there's no way I could fill the shoes left behind by Charles Robinson, who played Mac in the original. It's an iconic role. I decided that I'm going to do my thing and I was going to let people decide. If I do it too similar to what he's doing, I don't want to be compared apples-to-apples because he is the epitome of what that character could be. I'm creating an orange, and I want you to judge me by the orange instead of that. The writers, creator, and Melissa were all on board. We created this character that's very unlike Mac on the old show. I'm looking forward to the sorting of seeing how it turned out, and I'm proud of it.

I saw there was this balance of emphasizing building the new characters and getting the rapport down. At the same time, it was also about establishing the link to the past with Melissa's character, Judge Abby Stone, trying to build upon the legacy of the character's father Harry Stone. How much referencing of the past can viewers expect?

It's safe to say that we have respected the original show in many ways that the work everyone did in the 80s is honored. I don't want to give too much away because that will get into sort of the plot and stuff like that. But it is safe to say that you'll be in for a few surprises.

Night Court, which also stars India de Beaufort and Lacretta, premieres January 17th on NBC.

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