Posted in: NBC, Peacock, TV | Tagged: Annie O'Donnell, Brent Spiner, Kate Micucci, melissa rauch, nbc, Night Court

Night Court: Kate Micucci Discusses NBC Series, Health Update & More

Kate Micucci discussed her guest stint on NBC's Night Court, voice vs live-action acting, Garfunkel & Oates, health status, and more.

Kate Micucci is a rare talent where she's established herself not only as an accomplished actress on screen and in the voiceover world but also as a creative comedy force as one half of the comedy duo Garfunkel & Oates with Riki Lindhome. Other figures that come to mind that are equally noted as dual threats are Jack Black and Steve Martin, and that's quite the company. With over 160 titles to her name, Micucci's latest is playing Carol Ann Wheeler, a returning legacy character in the upcoming episode of Night Court, played by Keri Houlihan in the original series opposite Brent Spiner and Annie O'Donnell, who are reprising their respective roles as Bob and June Wheeler. The Wheelers are infamous for hitting every single negative stereotype of the impoverished in their deadpan manner. The actress spoke to Bleeding Cool about her role in the episode "Wheelers of Fortune", why she thinks the original sitcom held up for so long, comparing her live-action and voiceover work and how the pandemic changed the experience, using her musical talents on her guest appearances, and her music future.

Night Court: Kate Micucci on Embracing the Wheeler Family as Carol Ann

Bleeding Cool: How did you get involved with 'Night Court', and what were your initial thoughts on getting to be a part of it?

Micucci: I was so excited and stoked. Melissa [Rauch]'s a friend, and I'm such a fan of her and what she does. I also love to hang with her so it was like a double whammy to get to see your friend and also get to watch Melissa work in her element was a real joy. Everybody on the show is so kind, and I'm a fan of this reboot. I've been watching it, so it was fun to jump into it when Melissa called me; it was a big easy "Yes!"

Did you watch your original show growing up?

I didn't; I wasn't allowed to watch a lot of television that was on later at night. My parents were strict, so I was always aware of it though. It was on for so long, and I'm a kid of the 80s, so it was impossible not to know of it. Having watched the new series, I've started going back and watching the old ones, and man, you can see why it lasted so long. It is such a good show, and it's one of those things where everybody plays their part. That's what makes a great sitcom, seeing everyone stay in their lane and then play off against each other so perfectly. 'Night Court' does that so well.

Before you filmed your 'Night Court' scenes, did you meet with Brent and Annie to get into the Wheeler mindset?

I spent a lot of time watching clips of them and scenes from the original. Already, I got to work on Monday super excited to be in that family, the Wheelers. We have with the sitcom, we start on Monday, and then we rehearse on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then on Friday, we have the tape night. We had a few days to play with it and figure out how we all fit into this oddball family. It was quick that we found our rhythm and how we would work together. We didn't even have much of a conversation about it. It felt seamless. I was excited to get to play such an odd character, and it's my favorite thing to do.

Were you able to do things on 'Night Court' you couldn't do in your other live-action roles?

I've been lucky to get to play a fair number of odd characters, so it's like, 'guess one of my favorite things' [laughs], but this one with the accent and the layer of a character that existed as a child in the original series. Making sure that I would match the Wheeler family was fun. I wouldn't say it wasn't even quite a challenge. It was a fun thing to get to take on.

How do you compare your work in voiceover to live-action? Are there things you're able to do in one you wouldn't be able to in the other?

It's funny because even though people always say, "Oh, voiceover is easy because you can wear your pajamas and go to work." Ever since the pandemic, you don't even need to leave your house to go to work. Although I prefer going into the studio, I'm a little old school, and I also love a lot of the studios here in LA. They have a great vintage vibe to them. What makes it fun with voiceover and helps me as an actor is I envision everything happening. My imagination is going at full speed ahead when doing voiceover and I'm picturing myself in this world and if I'm running through a thing or whatever. Whatever's happening in the scene, I'm visualizing. It's still an exhausting process, and I always leave work like, "Whew," because it takes a lot out of you. Even though I might still be in my pajamas, mentally, I've gone to that place.

The difference is hair and makeup and then actually acting from people because often these days, with voiceover, there haven't been many group records, sadly, since the pandemic. That is a magical thing when that happens, like when I was doing 'Scooby-Doo' and we'd have Frank Welker, Grey Griffin, Matt Lillard, and myself in a booth, you hear everybody, and you're playing off each other. That's a dream scenario and ever since the pandemic, we don't have as many group records. One to answer your question, being in a room with actors might sound silly to say, but it's such a joy and sometimes a treat, especially when I do a lot of voiceovers. It can get a little lonelier, I guess [laughs].

How often are you in projects that you're able to stretch your talents not only as an actor but also as a musician?

I wouldn't say it's super often, but I've been lucky enough that we've I've gotten this thing on a lot of TV shows, and it wasn't even something I was seeking out. It just happened. I sang a lot on 'Raising Hope' and even on the show 'Til Death,' which was a sitcom. When I came to that show, they had me playing Ally a bunch, and obviously, I played the ukulele on 'Scrubs' and 'Raising Hope.' We had some great musical numbers. Just the other day, someone posted a picture of the musical number we did with Cloris Leachman and Shannon Woodward [in 'Raising Hope'] when we were, singing like a doo-wop group in a grocery store. I feel like I've been lucky to have some fun music in the shows that I get to be in. I wouldn't necessarily say it's something that I seek out. It just happens sometimes.

Where things are with you musically? You've been doing some solo stuff lately, and I was wondering what is going to be happening with Garfunkel & Oates.

I'm sure we will get back to it. Riki and I – we're currently doing some separate projects and things, but we're friends. We talk and I feel like there will be a day when we get back to Garfunkel & Oates. I am currently recovering from and dealing with lung cancer. It's hard for me to do a big live show right now. I can do about 2 or 3 songs, and then I'm too winded to keep going, but I'm getting better. I'm hoping by the summer I'm going to be able to get back to doing like an hour show on stage. That's my goal.

Night Court, which also stars John Larroquette, India de Beaufort, Lacretta, and Nyambi Nyambi, airs Tuesdays on NBC and is available to stream on Peacock.

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