Steven Prusakowski
Pound the gavel, Night Court is back in session tonight on NBC. The current version of the series is a revival of the hit sitcom which ran from 1982-1992. Season one ended as the top new comedy on television for good reason. As a direct extension of the original series, it marked the return of John Larroquette as Dan Fielding, a role that won the actor four Emmy awards. In addition, the series stars another sitcom favorite, Melissa Rauch (Big Bang Theory) as Judge Abby Stone, the daughter of Harry Stone from the original (played by Harry Anderson who sadly passed away in 2018).
Even though she was a huge fan of the original series, Rauch almost did not wear the robes. “I was just going to come on board as an executive producer,” recalled Rauch. “That was really as far as I thought my involvement would go on this. I just kept on thinking to myself, I’m going to be kicking myself for years.”
Thankfully for fans, Rauch came on board as the series lead – a decision influenced as much by the future of the series as its past. “Number one, it had to do with getting to work opposite John, getting to say the great words that were on the page, and also having the honor to follow in Harry Stone’s footsteps in this role,” explained Rauch. “Being such a tremendous fan of his and the magic that he created on this show. It’s not a job that I take lightly, both as playing the character and then also just as a human, being such a fan of both Harry Stone and Harry Anderson.”
Remembering the history of series was really important to the producers going as far back in the process as the development of the pilot. “It definitely pays homage to the original,” said Rauch. We have all these nuggets and special Easter eggs for fans of the original.” One of the biggest surprises that surely delighted fans was the return of the tough on the outside court bailiff Roz, played by Marsha Warfield.
It is a reunion 30 years in the making between Warfield and Larroquette whose characters had a unique chemistry dating back to the original. That chemistry carried right over to the new series, explained Larroquette, “It was just like the old bicycle thing. It was immediate and intimate and hilarious to be with her again. In some ways, I won’t say bittersweet, but certainly it was reminiscent because the fact that when we looked at each other, we realized we were the only two left from the original.”
Not only was in an onscreen reunion, but an offscreen reunion as well. “It was heartwarming to see her. We’ve communicated over the years via e-mails, et cetera. but I hadn’t seen her again. The last time I saw her was at Markie Post’s memorial,” recalled Larroquette. “So it was happy to see her in circumstances where we got to work together again instead of just being in a place where we had to be, because of our love of the people who had passed.”
The power of the moment was not lost on Rauch or fans of the original series. “It is one of my favorite moments ever at a live taping of a show, watching Marsha come out and seeing her stand across from John. I mean, I had tears streaming down my face,” said the actress.
The series tapes in front of a live audience which make the return of a beloved character even more powerful. Rauch recalled the amazing audience reaction she witnessed when Warfield entered the set for the first time. “I looked over to see some of the people that I knew had been fans of the original. And this guy did a double take,” she said. “I saw him grab the person next to him and he was going, ‘Oh my God! Oh my God!’ Watching the audience and watching them, there was such electricity in the air.”
For more from Melissa Rauch and John Larroquette watch the interviews from a recent press roundtable, which Awards Radar participated in. Watch the Night Court return for season two on NBC tonight. You can also watch all of season one and the recently aired Christmas special on Peacock.
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