The NBC revival of the comedy series Night Court follows Abby Stone (Melissa Rauch), the daughter of the late Judge Harry Stone, who’s following in her father’s footsteps as she oversees the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court. While her eternal optimism seems unshakable, former night court district attorney Dan Fielding (John Larroquette), who’s now serving as public defender, assistant district attorney Olivia (India de Beaufort), court clerk Neil (Kapil Talwalkar), and bailiff Gurgs (Lacrette), help keep her idealistic nature from slipping.

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Rauch (who’s also an executive producer on the series) talked about how endlessly grateful she is for the show’s success, paying homage to the original, getting Larroquette back on board for his character, the desire to make people laugh, playing the daughter of a beloved character, the joy of driving onto the studio lot to go to work in front of a live audience, how cool it is to have Faith Ford play her mother, and her hopes for Season 2.
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Collider: Congratulations on Season 2 pickup because that’s a huge deal and a huge accomplishment, especially these days. What’s it like to know that you have the highest ratings for a comedy series on NBC in the last few years, and you were able to do it with a revival? When it seems like all the odds are stacked against everybody these days, how does that feel?

MELISSA RAUCH: Oh, my goodness, I’m endlessly grateful. It feels very surreal. I’m always cautiously optimistic, but more on the cautious side. After years of projects fizzling out or just never going anywhere, I was like, “Well, let’s see what happens.” I was really proud of everything that we were doing and I was personally really excited about it, but it just feels a bit like a dream come true.

Image via NBC

When and how did you first discover and see the original Night Court series?

RAUCH: I caught it first in syndication, as a kid, when it was on Nick at Night. I was like, “What is this world? This is so interesting.” I was sitting on the couch, watching with my parents. It was still airing at the time, so then I jumped into the season, at that point. I just loved the humor. Of course, a lot went over my head, but I loved how it was this big broad comedy. Even though I didn’t really know what it was at the time, I was very drawn in by the fact that they also had these really beautiful moments of heart. Now, as an adult looking back, it was something that I really loved about the show, and I was really excited to see if we could recreate that. I also remember, as a kid, seeing the episode where Michael J. Fox guest starred, I was a huge Family Ties fan, and a huge Michael J. Fox fan, and sI couldn’t believe that the guy who was Alex P. Keaton was in this other show that I liked. And then, when I saw in TV Guide, that the episode was coming up again, I got a VHS tape and recorded it, and I played that episode, over and over and over again.

When it came to comedies, especially when I was growing up, I liked to watch ones where I felt like the ensemble was an ensemble of people that I wanted to hang out with, and I feel the same way with the show. It seems like this is the most fun ensemble, and who wouldn’t want to hang out with these characters?

RAUCH: That’s so nice. Thank you. That’s exactly how I felt about the original. They created such a beautiful workplace family, on the original incarnation, and it was really built into the construct of the show. There’s a beautiful episode where Harry talked about how he didn’t have the family life that he always wanted, and so he was really actively creating this family life in the court. And that’s very much what Abby’s doing in this iteration as well. Those scenes where we’re all sitting around in the cafeteria, like they did in the original, is so thrilling to me, especially because those are the original Night Court chairs in the cafeteria. It’s very cool.

Is there anything other than the original cafeteria chairs that have worked their way into the show?

RAUCH: Because it’s a Warner Bros. property, there are things that we were able to get. The green couch is in Abby’s chambers, which is so cool. I actually had an incident where I went flying off that couch. John [Larroquette] and I were trying to do a scene together where I jump up to his level on the couch. I’m not, not clumsy, and I just went flying off the couch. I flew off of the original Night Court couch. Our incredible production designer also tracked down the original plans for the set, so everything is built to the scale of what it was in the original. And then, we talked about how a government building would actually look all these years later, so we didn’t really wanna change it much because it probably wouldn’t change, other than putting a fresh coat of paint and patching up some of the cracks in the wall that were there in the original. Otherwise, everything is, to a T, what it was. And then, in the cafeteria, rather than the stand where they were selling cigarettes, that’s now a little coffee bar, but the windows and everything are all the same.

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What was it like to bring this to John Larroquette? Were you nervous about getting him to agree to do it? Was there a backup plan for if he had said no?

RAUCH: I should be better at backup plans. I’m not. My parents were wonderfully supportive. They were the type of parents who were like, “Go after your dreams. Don’t have a backup plan, or you’re gonna end up doing that.” And I think I take that too literally because I did not have a backup plan in place, at the time. Kidding aside, John was very much in the story that we wanted to tell for the pilot. When we had those initial conversations with him, he was really not on board, at first. He was very kind and very grateful, but was just like, “This is not really something that I ever planned on revisiting.” But he left the door open, so I kept on prying that little door open. We’d go back and talk to him some more. He was just wonderful in the development process, talking about how Dan Fielding would come back and how he would re-enter this world. So, I feel very, very lucky that I got to do this with him. It was really over the pandemic. I hadn’t met him in person until we were on set, filming the pilot, because our relationship was during lockdown, over the phone and on Zoom.

What has it been like to work alongside someone like him, who has done it as long as he has? What’s it like to just have him there, on a daily basis?

RAUCH: Oh, goodness, it’s wonderful. He’s a master class in acting. He’s a masterclass in this format. Seeing him in front of a live audience, I liken it to the equivalent of doing multi-camera Olympics. He’s on fire, in the best possible way. His relationship with the audience is like a dance. He creates this electricity on a tape night that is so special. It’s just wonderful to watch him work. I feel such a deep affection for him. Abby and Dan have this surrogate father-daughter relationship, and I very much feel that with him.

What are the biggest challenges in doing a show like this, where you do want to tackle some interesting cases and different types of subject matter, but make sure that it always comes back to the comedy?

RAUCH: First and foremost, it’s a comedy and we’re there to make people laugh. That’s one of the reasons that I wanted to bring this show back. I think that we all really need some comfort right now, and there’s nothing better than to do that inside these walls that are so familiar to us. That’s something that really excites me. I wanted to have a place where people could tune in, every week, and know that this is just gonna be laughter with some heart sandwiched in, for the next half hour.

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What’s it like to play the daughter of this character and to live with the memory of this actor on this show? How do you keep his spirit a part of the show while never allowing it to totally overshadow what you’re doing now?

RAUCH: It’s such an honor to play his daughter. I was such a big fan of his, and I’ve heard the most amazing things about him, as a human being. Everyone just has the most extraordinary things to say about Harry Anderson. So, that’s not something that I take lightly, in that I’m getting to play the daughter of this incredible man and follow in his footsteps in the courtroom. We’re always making sure that everything is an homage to the original and that we’re paying respect to the original. We’re mindful and respectful of that canon, and sprinkling it in where we feel is necessary to drive story and to really ground what we’re doing. Everything in the courtroom can get very big and broad because the cases can be anything. And so, the relationships are really at the heart and the center of everything, and then we can crank up everything else from there. It’s about finding that balance and when just when you’re gonna sprinkle that in, so you’re not over saturating audiences with it, at the same time.

I love a good Island of Misfit Toys ensemble, which is what this ensemble feels like, in a lot of ways.

RAUCH: I love that.

They’re all very quirky characters that somehow work, even with all their differences. What was it like to all get together for the first time, and how did that compare to the last day?

RAUCH: I’m very grateful that I felt it was very much an instant connection. It felt very comfortable, from day one. It’s just a lovely group. It felt like there was a synergy. What’s wonderful about multi-cam is that the way the week is constructed, you have a few days of doing rehearsal, and then, by the end of the week, you’re putting up a show. It’s like this little mini theater troupe that you get to work with every week. It’s just a really special format that lends itself to creating a workplace family, both on camera and off.

For people who aren’t familiar with the inner workings of how a TV show works, how it’s shot, and how it all comes together, as an actor, what’s it like to show up at a famous studio, drive onto the lot, go to your soundstage, and make your sitcom? Does that ever get old?

RAUCH: It doesn’t. I know, for me, in no way does it ever gets old. Being a kid who just would dream of what it would be like to work on a TV show, it’s never lost on me when I drive onto that lot. It’s the same lot that I worked on for The Big Bang Theory. I feel very lucky that I get to drive through that Warner Bros. gate. Even during my time at Big Bang, it took me a long time not to tear up, every time I drove on that lot. There was even a time on Big Bang where I got my official parking spot. I would park in a guest star spot, and park in different spaces each time, and the day that I got my spot, I took so many pictures of it. I still walk by my old spot a lot. It feels like going home, every day. I love it there so much. There’s so much about a multi-camera sitcom and the experience of doing that, that is so special. It doesn’t really give you the ability to forget how unique and how grateful you should be. For the tape night, there’s an electricity in the air that truly reminds me of the same feeling I would get, when I was a kid doing community theater or doing a school show, and falling in love with this art form. It’s the same feeling that I get, every night, when we get to do a taping in front of a live audience. I had never gone to a live taping before I was on Big Bang, but I remember watching those episodes, and it was usually the final episode, where they would show the cast come out for a bow. The beloved memories I have in my head about my favorite TV shows is when you got to see that. It’s really special. I really hope that the format continues to thrive and that there are more opportunities to see more multi-camera sitcoms because it’s such a special format.

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It was such an incredible casting choice to have Faith Ford play your mother. You guys were just so in sync, as actors, and it was so fun to watch you together. Did you know that would be such a great relationship and that it would work so well?

RAUCH: We were all on set, filming an episode, and we were sitting around talking because we knew that episode was coming up. All at the same time, we were like, “Faith Ford would be so amazing.” Everyone was in total agreement. We were like, “I wonder if she would do it.” And then, we heard that she was interested and we were so excited. She is every bit as wonderful as you would want her to be. She’s one of the kindest human beings that I’ve ever met in this business. I adore her so much. I loved her, as a kid, watching her on Murphy Brown. So, to see that this woman who I loved on Murphy Brown was on set with us on the Night Court sets, my childhood brain probably wanted to explode. She’s terrific. I’m so glad that we had the opportunity to work together. It was really cool.

I loved that she revealed to you that your name is really Abracadabra. There was something so fun and funny about that.

RAUCH: Thank you. It was just such an incredibly fun storyline and another prime example of the beautiful job the writers have done with having these little moments of heart sandwiched in between the broader comedy. And getting to watch Faith and John together, it was just really cool to see those two legends getting to play against each other.

As the audience, we know that Neil has a crush on Abby, and he’s someone who’s in Abby’s orbit on a daily basis. Would you like to see that explored? What do you enjoy about that dynamic?

RAUCH: I think it’s really fun, and it shows different sides to Neil and to Abby. That will play its course throughout the rest of the season. I’m excited for everyone to see where it goes. It was a really fun dynamic to play and I’m looking forward to everyone watching that arc.

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A show with a story structure like this really allows for endless opportunities for great guest stars. One of the things that’s really fun is when you get people like Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir to guest because they’re unexpectedly funny. Those of us who have watched them host or do sports commentary know how naturally funny they are together, but a wider audience doesn’t necessarily know that, so what was it like to see how they fit into the show? Do you hope to have more sort of unexpected guest stars like that?

RAUCH: Absolutely. They were so funny and just really nailed it. They came in and, 10 out of 10, did such a wonderful job. I’m such fans of theirs. It was so cool to get to meet them and get to see them do their thing. They’re just such pros. They came on and, for anyone coming onto a set that you’ve never been on before, I’m sure there’s a learning curve, but they were just perfection, out of the gate. It would absolutely be so fun to bring on, an array of guest stars. Hopefully, we get to dive into that in Season 2.

Have you thought about what you’d like to do more of, or what you’d like to do differently, or what you’d like to build on with Season 2?

RAUCH: We’re just starting to talk about it now. The writers’ room has started and we’re figuring out what those things are gonna be. I’m excited to learn more about all the characters. Since these relationships are newly formed, I can’t wait to see where all of those are gonna go. I love the cases that come into that courtroom so much, and I’m excited to see what other amazing, fun, left-of-center cases will come through those doors in Season 2.

Night Court airs on Tuesday nights on NBC and is available to stream at Peacock.