Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Night Court season 3, episode 9.NBC’s Night Court revival has proven to be a hit for the network, and a steady stream of guest stars like Nico Santos have helped to keep things fresh. The original Night Court ran from 1984 to 1992, consisting of nine seasons and 193 episodes. While the reboot has quite a ways to go to match that, pairing original cast members with newcomers has been a strong creative decision by its showrunners.
In Night Court season 3, episode 9, “Ab-ventures in Babysitting”, Crazy Rich Asians and Superstore star Santos plays a TikToker named Dr. Nitelife. While the actor isn’t on TikTok himself, their portrayal still makes the character a highlight of the episode. Funny enough, the actor revealed that their Superstore character would almost certainly be a fan of the influencer.
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ScreenRant’s Rachel Foertsch interviewed Night Court season 3, episode 9 guest star Nico Santos about their turn as Dr. Nitelife. Santos discussed their own journey with multi-cam series, sharing their first acting roles and how Night Court felt like a welcome return to the format. The actor also talked about their guest spot on NBC’s well-reviewed St. Denis Medical.
Nico Santos Talks Returning To Multicams In Night Court Season 3 Episode 9
“The First Acting Jobs I Got … Were All Multicams”
ScreenRant: You’ve done St. Denis Medical, you’ve done Night Court, and you’ve done Superstore, but have you filmed in front of a live audience before?
Nico Santos: The first acting jobs I got before I got Superstore were all multicams. The very, very first one I did was Ground Floor on TBS. I had two lines. That was my first paying acting job. The following year I did Mulaney and Two Broke Girls, and then a couple of weeks after that I booked Superstore. I really do love the live audience. I come from standup, so it’s so nice to play off the energy of the crowd. You just don’t get that in a single-cam show, so it’s like, “Oh, I forgot about this.”
I love the character that they gave you here. What was your favorite thing about playing a TikTok influencer?
Nico Santos: I am not on TikTok and social media is not one of my strengths, but a lot of the characters I play are these goofy, annoying, insufferable characters in their own way. So I think Dr. Nitelife… I mean, with a name like Dr. Nitelife, he is probably the most insufferable character I’ve ever played. It was really fun to just lean into it, annoy the s**t out of everybody, and just be as crazy as possible. It was awesome.
You shared most of your scenes with Nyambi and Lacretta, so what did you find most comical about that duo?
Nico Santos: This entire cast is some of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life. You could tell that they were a family in the same way that Superstore was a family, and it was a really nice dynamic to be in there. I was really nervous. I was like, “It’s been a while since I’ve done a multicam. I don’t know how it’s going to go,” and everybody was super supportive. But Nyambi and Lacretta are so funny.
That scene with the clowns is maybe one of, if not the most chaotic scene in Night Court. Can you give any behind-the-scenes scoop on filming that?
Nico Santos: I had no idea that [it was going to be that busy]. I was like, “Are they really going to have this many people?” And then I was like, “Oh, it is a literal circus in here.” They were coming from every direction and these were real professional stilt walkers and clowns and I just kept imagining, “Is this truly their daily life?” It was fun listening to them in between takes because they were just like, “I’m going to go grocery shopping after this,” and then when we start filming, they’re in full clown mode.
Santos Shares How His Superstore Character Would Feel About Dr. Nitelife
“Mateo Would Definitely Know Who Dr. Nitelife Is”
I feel like [your Superstore character] Mateo is definitely on TikTok. Do you think that Mateo would know who Dr. Nitelife is?
Nico Santos: Mateo would definitely know who Dr. Nitelife is, because Mateo’s probably keeping tabs on anybody who’s sort of trying to sass out people and all that. So, Mateo definitely knows who he is. He probably follows [Dr. Nitelife] religiously and is like, “I can’t believe this courthouse is bonkers like this.”
Santos Talks The End Of The Episode & Dr. Nitelife’s Future
“It’d Be Interesting For Him To Be Taken Down A Peg”
I also want to ask you about the ending, because Gurgs actually didn’t mind the video. It’s not exactly the outcome that Dr. Nitelife was planning.
Nico Santos: Yeah. I think that is the best way to diffuse people like that. You diffuse bullies by letting them know that they can’t mess with you and that it doesn’t bother you. I feel like, in that moment, it was really just like, “You have no power over here,” and he just doesn’t know what to do with [it]. [He’s] like, “No, you have to react the way I want you to.” It was a really fun moment.
What do you think would be a fun storyline for Dr. Nitelife if he came back? I feel like he would be even more fueled now to make something bad happen.
Nico Santos: I think there are two ways to go. Either he leans into the Dr. Nitelife character and is going to try to get them again, or he has a change of heart. Maybe [he] has to be in court because he did something bad and now he has to know penance for his ways. It’s obvious that this is a put-on facade that he does, because nobody’s really like that. So, I think it’d be interesting for him to be taken down a peg, see the error of his ways, and maybe be annoying in a different capacity.
Santos Hopes For A Return To St. Denis Medical
Guest Starring On The Series “Was Like Coming Home”
Lastly, I’ve seen you pop up in St. Denis Medical. Do you have any plans to keep playing on that show?
Nico Santos: I would love to go back to St. Denis Medical. That was an incredible guest spot to be in. I’m so glad it worked out because I was filming The Z-Suite in Toronto at the time, and Justin Spitzer, who also created Superstore and created St. Denis Medical with Eric Ledgin, was also a writer. They had contacted me, like, “We have this part, are you available?” We worked things out and were able to do it. I flew in on a Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday I was back to Toronto to work on The Z-Suite.
It was like coming home because the background actors were all from Superstore. The writers were all from Superstore, a lot of the crew, cameramen, props, and costume [people] were all from Superstore. It was such a nice warm feeling to be surrounded by these people. We were working together for six years straight, so I would jump at the chance. If they had me back for just one more guest star or a series regular, or crafty–I’ll work crafty just to be around those people. They’re amazing.
About Night Court
Night Court is a 2023 series following optimistic judge Abby Stone, daughter of the late Harry Stone, as she oversees the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court, navigating a group of quirky and skeptical colleagues, including former prosecutor Dan Fielding.
Night Court airs Tuesdays at 8:30pm on NBC.
Night Court
- Release Date
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January 17, 2023
- Showrunner
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Dan Rubin
