Lacretta is having the time of her life on NBC’s Night Court as Donna “Gurgs” Gurganous. Not only is the reboot to the 1984 series a critical and ratings hit, but its cast is also refreshing and hilarious. When cases aren’t being heard, viewers watch staff tackle situations from courtroom changes, hackers, pretending to be Santa for a little girl. But underneath the comedy are more serious issues, including favoritism in the workplace, Dan’s inability to connect with his clients, the removal of NYC statues and the criminal systems’ injustices. What’s more important are the interpersonal relationships and bonds these characters form both in and out of the courthouse.
In celebration of the continued success of Night Court, The Koalition spoke to fan-favorite Lacretta to learn more about Gurgs, Lacretta’s desire to dive into Gurgs’ past, learning boundaries and introducing audiences to ‘The Duke.’
The multifaceted Gurgs, is an upbeat and caring woman with a quirky spark. But this quick-witted bailiff for Abby Stone’s court is sometimes known to have a short fuse which viewers saw more of in season two. In Night Court’s ‘Taught and Bothered,’ episode’ tempers started to flare when Gurgs’ patience was tested after Olivia used her (toxic) coffee creamer without permission while living together. But like most arguments, the creamer wasn’t the issue but a side effect of a deeper issue in Gurgs’ life that Lacretta would love to explore in future episodes.
“What I love about this season, is Gurgs’ has had some moments of vulnerability. We didn’t get a ton of them last season and I’m okay with that because we established her joy, we establish her heart, and we have these moments. But the bigger question I’ve been trying to get them to answer for a season and a half is, ‘What was her childhood like?’ We know she has two sets of twin brothers; we know they were in a band together; we know she has at least one nephew, we know she has Sunday dinners. We also know she’s a novelist, we know she’s well-traveled, but what was that childhood like? I need it. I want to find it.”
“I kind of spiraled back to my childhood but it wasn’t the same. I was an only child, but I didn’t have much. So, I really resonated with Gurgs in that moment because to know there was only a couple of things that were just yours growing up, were magical to me. Like my McDonald’s Playdoh Playset, my toaster had little cardboard you put down in it. I know how much I valued those things. I don’t have them now, but that informed my childhood. I want to know more about her family life. What was that like? I hope as we continue, we’re going to put that out there into the universe as we go into season nine, we will get to come to the bottom of all of that for her.”
“The argument with Olivia wasn’t really about the creamer, she doesn’t even value the creamer. The creamer just happened to be an issue. I think sometimes, when you have two grown women living in this a small place together, the personalities are dynamic. [Simple things] can blow [up]. I really don’t think it had anything to do with the creamer. I think both of them were like, ‘Yeah, it’s time to go. We had fun.’ [It’s] like going back to your mama’s house. You got a good week, maybe a week and a half, then you two as adults are now living in this house together and how difficult that is. So no, it didn’t really have much to do with the creamer.”
While Olivia and Gurgs’ surprising ‘work wives’ friendship appears to be safe for now and will continue to blossom through shared experiences, quirky conversations, and genuine affection; there was a massive lesson about boundaries learned.
In Night Court’s ‘Taught and Bothered,’ the series introduces viewers to Jake, portrayed by Ryan Hansen, as a Human Resources representative who is assigned to observe the staff. Jake’s role is pivotal, as he clashes with Abby Stone (Melissa Rauch) after observing questionable workplace conduct within the court. As the voice of reason, Jake challenges workplace norms and aims to bring professionalism to the court setting. As a result, the staff learn how they can deal and interact with each other that’s both respectful and beneficial.
The group gives Gurgs’, “stability, structure [and] order. They are the law, and she is the order. They bring her balance.” Olivia grounds Gurgs, which is needed because she can be a bit flighty at times and the audience gets to see Olivia through Gurgs’ perspective. They genuinely love and care about each other, but Jake’s interaction allowed Gurgs’ to effectively communicate how she would like to be treated by others.
“I don’t think we’ve really established boundaries with each other. I think we are an open book and until we encroach upon whatever that space is, then we’re like ‘Oh.’ But we’ve [never said], ‘Don’t call me.’ We’ve [never said] ‘I don’t want to hang out with you.’ [It was] interesting to see that HR episode. We’re just like, ‘Oh no no no you don’t do this, and you don’t that, do that!’ That’s why we’re both having those moments of, ‘Oh oh gosh, okay.’ But then we also move forward to say, ‘Okay, that’s what these boundaries are and we’re going respect those, now that we know what they are.’
In season two’s upcoming twelfth episode titled, ‘The Duke’s a Hazard,’ Gurgs’ royal boyfriend will pay a surprise visit that questions their compatibility. Fans are familiar with The Duke, but this will be the first time he’ll appear onscreen. While Lacretta was coy on the final outcome of their relationship, she did tease a wedding could be in the future. “We’re going see her romantic side coming up pretty soon. We’ve been teasing about the Duke all this time and as we come down to our last couple of episodes, we are going get to lay our eyes on the Duke. I think it’s serious. I think it’s serious, so we also get to see more of her vulnerability [and possibly I could become a] Mrs. Duke [or a] Lady Gurgs. Maybe Duchess? Is it Duke and Duchess? Yeah, [a] Duchess G.”
To learn more about Night Court, Lacretta’s portrayal of Gurgs including bringing her singing talents to the show, check out the full interview in the video above. Also, check out The Koalition’s interview with Nyambi Nyambi to learn more about court clerk Wyatt Shaw.
