‘Night Court’ – ‘A Few Good Hens’ Postmortem Interview with Brent Spiner

NIGHT COURT -- "A Few Good Hens" Episode 313 -- Pictured: (l-r) Brent Spiner as Bob Wheeler, Annie O'Donnell as June Wheeler, John Larroquette as Dan Fielding -- (Photo by: Nicole Weingart/NBC)

It is definitely safe to say, that Brent Spiner is a living legend in Hollywood. Simply because he is well-known for his ability to morph into the characters he plays and he’s made a major impact on several iconic franchises, such as Star Trek, and Night Court on NBC. In fact, the latter is of note today, because Brent continues to keep audiences in stitches, courtesy of the revival of his character, Bob Wheeler, and we had the incredible honor of sitting down with Brent to discuss his now, multi-season return to the show.
John Betancourt: I would love to start by getting to know what it was that kind of brought forth this whole reunion of the Wheelers and Night Court.
 
Brent Spiner: Well, you know what? I think. I'm not sure whose idea was, but I'm happy they thought of it. Whoever it was. It may have been Melissa (Rauch), I don't know, but it was fortuitous for me and for Annie (O’Donnell) and for Kate (Micucci), that we're all happy to be doing it. Yeah.
 
John Betancourt: Well, the fans are glad too, since everyone was wondering where the Wheelers were in season one. Now, I'm curious too, was it difficult at all to slip back into the kind of mind and world of Bob Wheeler?
 
Brent Spiner: No. You know, really, I'm putting on now. I'm actually exactly like Bob Wheeler, and I'm pretending to be a… normal sort of guy right now talking to you. (Laughter from John.) I actually, I've been doing Bob Wheeler since I was a kid. And the first time I auditioned for the original series, I thought, “I wonder if I could do my character that I've been doing for this part,” and so I gave it a shot, and they cast me, and I've been happy ever since.
 
John Betancourt: Well, that’s just incredible, that you get to play something from your childhood. Now, it’s a huge deal that the Wheelers are back, that this series is back, and I have to know what it was like or been like, to walk back into that courtroom over the past couple of seasons.
 
Brent Spiner: Well, it was kind of wonderful. You know, it's identical to the original sets. I mean, the sets are just perfect. And I keep having this experience, you know, because I had sort of a similar experience on the Picard series of walking back onto the Enterprise-D set, and it was identical. And then I go over to do Night Court again, and I'm walking on that set again, and it's identical. So, it's really amazing that these guys can pull it off so perfectly. I love it, and it's a great set.
 
John Betancourt: I’m with you there, I was blown away by how they perfectly replicated it. Now, this really is a great opportunity for me, to talk to a living legend in the industry and pick your brain about the craft. Because you have this innate ability to be… just be a chameleon and instantly transform into your characters. And I'm curious how you're able to do that with such ease and with such incredible believability.
 
Brent Spiner: You know what? I don't know. Honestly, I… think, really, it's just a matter of, you know, I'm always up for a challenge, and if I can just let go and relax and go for it, generally, I can find my way in, and I've been lucky. I’ve had some really wonderful roles to play, including Bob, yeah, who knows. It's, you know, acting is, is a really bizarre, ephemeral thing, and sometimes you hit lightning, and sometimes you completely strike out. But I've been lucky. I've had pretty good batting average.
 
John Betancourt: Now, obviously, you've done it all. You'v done film, you've done television, you've done single cam, you've done multi cam. How do you prepare for a show like Night Court as an actor?
 
Brent Spiner: Well, I learn my lines (Laughs) which I think is really important. Some people don't do that. I do. I want to make sure I know what I'm doing, I make choices just like any actor. I mean, it's a role, like any role, and then you show up, and then if you know your stuff already, and you've thought about what you want to do with it, then you're available for anything they throw at you that can change because you're already in the character. And one of the wonderful things about Night Court is the fact that they do continually change things while you're shooting, you know, you'll do one take, and they come up and give you a completely different line, or an added different set of lines, and, and it's a really fun process. It's almost like, you know, improv, except for they give you the dialogue.
 
John Betancourt: Well, thank you for those insights. It's so cool to get to know your process. Now, obviously, you've been a part of just one iconic franchise after another, and you’re just beloved actor through and through. What does it mean to you to be part of so many important franchises and stories.
 
Brent Spiner: Well, you know, I love it, and I love the fact that I've had these, you know, just lucked into these wonderful projects that have had legs and have had, I mean, you know, with Night Court, I've been with -- the first episode of Night Court we did was 40 years ago, and just bizarre. And, you know, the same with Next Generation, when we did Picard, it was, I don't know, 35 years later, and trying to find these same characters only, who they would be now. And I don't think the Wheelers have actually changed much since the old days. I think that's the beauty of the Wheelers, is they never change. But you know, so it's been good. It's been just great.
 
John Betancourt: The last question I have for you, today, Brent, since you've been so much a part of Night Court’s fabric and you're so close to it. Why do you think it resonates so with audiences and has maintained such longevity?
 
Brent Spiner: Well, I think it's unique. I think Night Court is surreal, and I think that's the best thing about it. I mean, it does have an occasional moment of reality, of real reality, and real feelings and that kind of thing. But I think it's at its best when it's off the wall, zany, surreal, which is, what it's always been. And I don't think anything else quite on television in the comedy area, does that sort of thing.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.