The Wheelers, unlucky to their core, were an endearing recurring element of the original episode of Night Court season 3, "A Few Good Hens."
Annie O'Donnell earned her SAG card working on John Cassavettes' 1970 film, Husbands, and she's kept her nose to the grindstone ever since, working across stage and screen and appearing in hundreds of projects, from sitcoms like Mama's Family and Married With Children, to dramas like ER and The X-Files, big-budget movies like Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Oscar winners like The Artist. To say she's seen it all during her career as a character actor would be an understatement.
Night Court Clip Sees The Return Of The Wheelers (Again) & They’re Having A Clucking Hard Time
Exclusive: ScreenRant presents a clip from the next episode of Night Court season 3, which features the return of the unfortunate Wheeler family.
ScreenRant interviewed Annie O'Donnell about returning to the role of June Wheeler on Night Court and the joy of reuniting with old co-stars Brent Spiner and John Larroquette. She reflected on her career and shared stories of getting it off the ground in the 1970s in New York City. She also shouted out to her 2023 film, Two Lives in Pittsburgh, one of the few leading roles she's played in her five-decade career.
Annie O'Donnell on The Wheelers' Origins, From West Virginia To Yugoslavia
"The Governor Of West Virginia Was Very Upset"
ScreenRant: This show is so great. Every time I watch the show, I have to pinch myself because this show is so recognizably Night Court. I never would have thought it possible.
Annie O'Donnell: I know, it's exciting! So, you the old Night Court?
I didn't watch it until syndication when I was in high school because I was born in '91. But the original show shaped so much of my personality, it's almost embarrassing.
Annie O'Donnell: (Laughs) Well, it was a lot of fun, I'll tell you that. It was crazy, crazy, crazy. And it's held up very well! It seems to be running all the time, somewhere.
When you stepped onto the set to reprise June Wheeler for the first time in 35-ish years, was it like coming home, or did you have to relearn how to do it?
Annie O'Donnell: Oh, God, no. I never forgot June. She's my favorite TV character. It was pretty amazing when I got the call to do it. There had been whisperings. I had seen online fans of the old Night Court when the new reboot was announced, a lot of the fans from the original Night Court were going, "Well, are the Wheelers coming back?" All that.
I thought something might happen, but I was shooting another show called Not Dead Yet, and I was in my dressing room, and the phone rang. It was my agent telling me that they wanted me to do the new Night Court. I was so excited! You know? It's an actor's dream of working on one show and being in the dressing room and getting the call to do another show. It was fantastic.
What was it like when you showed up on the set?
Annie O'Donnell: When I got there, there was a little bit of trepidation because I had not done a live audience sitcom in quite some time. So, when I got there, it was like, oh, "I hope this is going to be fine." But it was the same set. And there was my same husband! (Laughs) And John. I just immediately relaxed because everyone was so wonderful. They treated Brent and me very well. Everyone was so excited that we were there.
They treated you like Yugoslavian royalty!
Annie O'Donnell: Oh, exactly. Exactly. Oh, my God. (Laughs) Yes. That was one of my favorite episodes. "Isn't the accent obvious? We're from Sarajevo. It wasn't like that in Sarajevo." I love that. At the time when we were first on the show, I don't know if you know the history of this, the Governor of West Virginia was very upset because here were these two people, these two sad sacks, saying they were from West Virginia and he was protesting that. So, when we came back for another episode, they wrote in that we were actually from Yugoslavia.
And just like the governor of a state to turn the blame outwards instead of going, "Hey, maybe it's me."
Annie O'Donnell: Exactly. Exactly. It was so much fun. And even though Brent and I had not seen each other, except once, in 35 or 40 years, we had instant Wheeler chemistry. And the same with John. Back in the old Night Court, he was always trying to get me to laugh. He'd have his back to the camera and to the audience and he'd be making faces at me. But as I recall, I did not break!
It was great. Brent and John are just such fantastic actors, it was such a pleasure. We had a great time, as we did with this new episode.
June Wheeler's Time On Night Court After More Than Three Decades
"They Treated Me Like I Was Carol Burnett!"
When they called you back to do this new episode, there was no trepidation at all, I imagine?
Annie O'Donnell: No, no. Not at all. And the writing was all there. The writers for both episodes really caught the flavor of the Wheelers. When you have a good script, it's easy to do. Melissa and her husband, Winston, they're just the most loving people, and funny. It's like a dream job to work on that show.
She is just so talented, so funny, and just the kindest person you could ever imagine. And then the rest of the cast, Nyambi, fantastic, lovely. Lacretta. Oh, my God. Wendy. They're just amazing people, amazing people. And our new daughter, Kate. Oh, my God. Kate Micucci is just fantastic. And now we have a son, played by Andy Ridings. That was fantastic, too. The family is growing.
For the new Wheelers, for Kate and Andy, did you have to put them through any kind of Wheeler boot camp?
Annie O'Donnell: No, not at all! I think they both checked out the old episodes. They were able to crack the code. When I met Kate, I read that she was almost Sheldon's girlfriend on the Big Bang Theory. She ended up being another character. I didn't know that. Yeah, it was evidently between her and Mayim, and I played Mayim's mother.
When I figured that one out, I was like, "Oh, my goodness, we're getting to play mother and daughter on this!" (Laughs) We missed our opportunity on the Big Bang Theory, but here we are. Life and show business are so interesting.
I feel like that's a testament to what you were saying about Melissa. I interviewed her for season 1, and she was so kind. I was like, "Is she for real?" And she is!
Annie O'Donnell: She is for real! Look, she is really amazing. She and I were, I believe, in the same episode of The Big Bang Theory, but we didn't work together, have any scenes together, so I didn't really get to meet her. And when I got hired to play June Wheeler, I don't think she even realized that I was in The Big Bang Theory.
But it's a great group of people. The loveliest, kindest set I've ever been on. After I did the show, my friends asked, "Well, how was it?" I said, "Oh my God, they treated me like I was Carol Burnett!" Who's one of my idols, of course.
Annie O'Donnell On Her Earliest Film And Stage Roles
"'John Cassavetes Is Having An Open Call For This Movie"
You mentioned Carol Burnett as one of your idols, but you've had such an incredible career over the year. Can you tell me a little bit about your early days of breaking into television and becoming this prolific actor?
Annie O'Donnell: Well, it's interesting. It's been an interesting life. I won't say it was an easy thing, but it was just what I wanted to do. And as a character actress, your career trajectory is a little different than if you're a leading lady. You do so many different things. I would be doing a play, and then I would come out of the stage door, and people wouldn't recognize me! Because I looked like my normal self instead of whatever character I was doing at the Almond Center, or whatever I was.
But I got my SAG card doing Husbands with John Cassavetes. I lived at The Rehearsal Club in New York, which is where the wonderful play and movie Stage Door, that was written about where I lived. And Carol Burnett lived there, but before me. She's a little bit older than me. And one of my friends at The Rehearsal Club said, John Cassavetes is having an open call for this movie. So we went down and stood in line at eight o'clock in the morning, and ended up in the movie, Husbands. That's how I got my SAG card.
That's a huge step.
Annie O'Donnell: I had done a lot of plays in Philadelphia, which is my hometown, and some in New York, but that movie was my SAG card. And then I did Taking Off with Milos Forman, that was my next thing. And then I just went on from there. I'd say that the original Night Court was my best role on TV or film at that time. I auditioning for it, and I going to the audition and rolling around in the grass before going into the audition, because I wanted to look like a homeless June Wheeler! I had sort of semi-retired for a couple of years after my husband ed away. And then I did a film I'm very proud of, called Two Lives in Pittsburgh.
Ooh, can we watch that on streaming?
Annie O'Donnell: Yes, it's playing on all the platforms, Amazon, Apple, whatever, for free, I believe. I'm one of the leads in that. And we won awards at major film festivals all over the country, and I've won some, individually, myself. You know, at my age, to have this film role of a lifetime, it's pretty amazing, you know. So take a look at that if you have a chance!
It's an independent film, with fabulous people involved in it. And I replaced someone at the last minute, so it was quite the ride. But it's, it's my favorite film role I've ever done. And it's got everything in it. It's funny. It's heart-wrenching. You know, you get it all. (Laughs)
Overcoming Adversity As A Working Actor
"I Had Good Luck And Some Really Bad Luck"
Did you ever think, "Man, I might have to become a dock worker or something?" What made you stay in the game?
Annie O'Donnell: I know, it's very interesting. I'm very stubborn, I guess. (Laughs) I had a career as a school teacher before I went into acting. I was a high school English teacher. And then I was a kindergarten teacher, believe it or not. And when I ran away from home, (laughs) at the age of 23, in New York, that was what I wanted to do. And things, things were very bleak. There were times when I didn't work at all, for a year.
But I thought, "I just love doing this." And I just kept in there. And I had saved a little bit of money from when I was a teacher, so I was never afraid that I was going to go totally broke, so I just kept at it. And there were highs, there were lows, I got to be in The Artist, which won the Academy Award in 2012. You know, there were highlights, there were lowlights. Night Court certainly was a highlight!
And now I seem to be working again. I have an episode of St. Denis Medical coming up, it's a very small part, but also very unlike June Wheeler. I always grab at the chance to do something different, you know?
Did you prefer teaching the kindergartners or the high schoolers?
Annie O'Donnell: Oh, kindergarten. I had no training whatsoever in teaching kindergarten, but it was a better fit. I hated teaching high school English! (Laughs) But I was quite a good kindergarten teacher, actually. I just had a feel for it. When I decided to be a full-time actor, at the time I was doing kindergarten teaching, I was doing a lot of plays in the Philadelphia area, which is where I'm from. And I did probably ten plays at different theaters all over Philadelphia.
When I decided to be a full-time actor, I still had my side jobs. I was the hat check girl at the Russian Tea Room for several years. And that's one of the reasons I got my second movie, which was Taking Off with Milos Forman. I was working there when the people who were producing it came in. I worked as a bookkeeper, you know, I did all kinds of stuff like that. But being an actor, it was always interesting to me. And being a teacher is very hard! And when I was teaching high school English, especially, it was like, I don't know if I want to get up this morning!
But I never felt that way, as an actor. And, you know, there were certainly a lot of rough times. But as I like to say, no one put a gun to my head and said, "be an actor." I had good luck and some really bad luck, you know, in the business. But I kept on keeping on. I've had some bad things happen, career wise. One of them was when Brent and I were probably about to become regulars on the original Night Court, and he got Star Trek!
Right? You guys bought the newsstand!
Annie O'Donnell: We bought the newsstand! Another one was, I played Miyam Bialik's mother on the Big Bang Theory. And then, when they decided to make it a bigger part years later, I guess Chuck went with Kathy Bates. I couldn't compete with an Oscar winner! I've won a lot of awards, but none of them were the Oscar! (Laughs) It's been an interesting life. And I have no regrets. I don't know how many people can say that.
In any business, I guess, you have to have a strong fiber, whether it's spiritual or psychological or whatever, you have to have some kind of a framework that keeps you from going to the dark place. Because the dark place is always there, if you want to visit it. I don't want to visit.
More About Night Court Season 3
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.
Check out our other Night Court season 3 interviews here:
- John Larroquette & Nyambi Nyambi
- Melissa Rauch & Lacretta
- Betsy Sodaro
- Wendie Malick
- Lacretta
- Andy Daly (season 3, episode 4)
- Joe Lo Truglio (season 3, episode 4)
- Giles Marini (season 3, episode 6)
- Eden Sher (season 3, episode 9)
- Nico Santos (season 3, episode 9)
- Mo Collins (season 3, episode 11)
- Richard Kind (season 3, episode 12)
- Brent Spiner (season 3, episode 13)
Night Court season 3 airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Night Court
- Release Date
- 2023 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- NBC
- Showrunner
- Dan Rubin
Cast
Abby Stone
John LarroquetteDan Fielding
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Pamela Fryman, Anthony Joseph Rich, Leonard R. Garner, Jr., Mark Cendrowski
- Writers
- Lon Zimmet, Mathew Harawitz, Azie Dungey
- Creator(s)
- Reinhold Weege
Your comment has not been saved