Melissa Rauch Teases Surprises Fans Will Love in New ‘Night Court’ Reboot
The court is back in session!
When she thinks about it now, Melissa Rauch admits that her parents probably shouldn’t have let her watch Night Court back in the day. “A lot of the jokes went over my head,” she says. “But I was such a TV junkie. And I distinctly remember looking at it in my bedroom and feeling like this was something I hadn’t seen before.”
The kid from suburban New Jersey went on to star as Bernadette on CBS’ The Big Bang Theory for seven seasons. She landed a production deal. And when she and her husband, writer Winston Rauch, were weighing new projects, she thought about those Thursday nights from the ’80s. “The show was golden because it was vaudevillian with this emotional pocket,” she says. “And I liked the idea of developing a new version from a female perspective.”
Related: Dan Fielding Returns! Night Court Reboot Cast, Premiere Date, Trailer and How to Watch
This means that her judge, Abby Stone, is now presiding over the court to fill in the footsteps of her late father, Harry. “She’s a real optimist who’s really excited about this new chapter in her life,” she says. She is joined by a new district attorney (India de Beaufort), bailiff (Lacretta) and court clerk (Kapil Talwalkar).
The new “Night Court” reboot will premiere on January 17.
However, Rauch says the show wouldn’t be complete without the presence of Larroquette standout Dan Fielding. “John was just this incredible force, and we knew early on that if we could get him, it would be amazing,” she adds. “Really, there was no way we could have done it without him.”
Related: John Larroquette confirms he was paid in Weed for one of his early roles
On screen, the two characters share a father-daughter bond. (“He’s shut off from the world, and Abby realizes he needs some saving.”) Behind the scenes, Rauch marveled at how Larroquette eased back into the role after a 30-year hiatus, especially while filming in front of a live audience. in the studio. “We all looked at her in awe because she was so quiet,” she says. “He’s like a comedy ninja because he can always find the joke and nail it.”
And though Larroquette is the only returning cast member this season, she’s open to future visits from alums like Richard Moll and Marsha Warfield. Until then, she teases, “There will be surprises throughout the season for fans of the original. We’re paying respect to that by also creating this fresh new world.”
Then John Larroquette says he auditioned for a role as TV’s most famous bartender
