Melissa Rauch On Presiding Over a New ‘Night Court’ Era

It seems that reboots are a dime a dozen these days. Sometimes an entirely new cast tries to cash in on a beloved title or a cast of famous faces is brought back to ignite some nostalgia. Something very special is going on over at NBC with its revival of the much-loved comedy series Night Court. It brings back enough of what audiences cared about, but it introduces new characters in a familiar setting. It’s a unique animal in how it nods to the old, but is very optimistic and buoyant about its potential. Producer and star Melissa Rauch is not only looking forward to where Night Court can take us, but she is excited to honor the original show’s legacy.

Sitcoms can transform us without us even realizing it, and they become part of our education growing up. That’s one of the reasons why we can binge the same show over and over again. For me, that show was Will & Grace, because it hit at a specific time in my life, and Night Court help ping Rauch’s curiosity in comedy when she caught bits and pieces of the original episodes in syndication.

“I grew up like an indoor cat–television was very much a good friend,” Rauch said at the start of our interview. “I have such vivid memories of watching this show. I didn’t watch it when it was initially on, but I caught it in syndication and caught up with later seasons in real time. A lot went over my head. When my mom told my dad to cover my ears at a certain part, it made me perk up a little more. There was a lot of physical comedy that I was intrigued by, and I was obsessed–at a young age–with figuring out what made people laugh. Certain episodes stuck with me, but it was about the feeling of the show and this broad, Vaudevillian-esque comedy with these absurdist moments that sandwiched in these beautiful moments of heart. That’s a form of television that interested me in a young age. In rebooting this, that was something that excited me–getting these special moment mixed in with big comedy.”

In the third episode of the first season (it has already been renewed for season two), John Laroquette’s Dan Fielding confronts why Rauch’s Abby Stone changes her demeanor at work (she becomes more businesslike after she outs someone as an undercover cop in court), and Night Court takes a huge swing when Abby opens up about her sobriety. I don’t know of any other sitcom that has such a dramatic turn so early, but it’s essential for us in understanding Abby’s point of view.

The scene is so deftly performed. Think about how Abby has heard stories of Dan’s presence in the courtroom and how difficult it must be to share that part of her. Rauch brings a cautiousness to the scene that we have yet to see from her, and Laroquette shades another layer of Dan’s persona by doling our advice and listening to his colleague.

“We were talking about who Abby is and why she is there and why she approaches cases in the way that she does,” she says. “We knew that she is an eternal optimist, but we wanted it to be rooted in something more than just seeing the best in people. What is her why and what is her reasoning? We didn’t want her to be optimistic solely to bring light into this left-of-center courtroom, because we wanted her to make that an active choice for her. Abby has been through darkness and the alternative isn’t for her. Though she has adopted Harry’s philosophy in the courtroom, she sees people for more than their crime and she wants to dig deep into who they are. But it’s also about how she has gone through something, and she has been given a second chance. Anyone who comes before her is someone that she wants to pay that forward to. There’s also this idea of the acts of service that is mentioned in that episode–it’s really her due north at that point. The idea of helping other people is a way for Abby to be outside herself. She is recovering from addiction and she has lost her father, but, by helping others, it helps your recovery. It all came full circle when we realized that it was an idea that we wanted to lean into. Making up for that lost time with her father is something that is very important to her.”

There are sitcoms that make a positive character the punching bag. Sometimes the story calls for that and it’s equally hilarious, but Night Court would feel too acidic if everyone was bent on taking Abby down. Rauch never makes Abby cloying and obnoxious, because she has something to prove to not just the court but to herself. Rauch excels at painting a character who wants to make the world better one person at a time.

“There is a balance,” Rauch admits. “I think our writers do a wonderful at making sure that Abby doesn’t become too saccharine or too Pollyanna. Having this grounding force of why she is the way she is as an active choice rather than naivete about the world helps as well. In terms of what we have been through in the last few years, I think you have to find a level of grit there because of what we have all experienced together. If someone was happy and not acknowledging the human experience, I don’t think anyone wants to feel forced into being positive. If you saw someone just living in the sunshine, you would want to shake that person. Knowing that Abby as seen her fair share of hell, she knows that choosing positivity is the only way out. Her trying to find the best in people is how she lifts her own spirits. There is that idea that there is no selfless act, and she is creating her own happiness.”

Episode six touches on very important topics as Abby hears a case against an activist who defaced a Christopher Columbus statue. We see young kids inspired to exercise their right to protest, and we can’t help but think of the mountain of issues right outside our door. Instead of making this version of Night Court an after school special, Rauch knew they had to lean on the comedy to push idealism forward.

“First and foremost, Night Court exists to make people laugh, but we also want to be responsible storytellers in any of the stories that we are telling,” she says. “Comedy, oftentimes, hits harder when the truth is underneath and the humanity is at the base layer of that, and that episode leans into that. We can lean into the serious and topical moments, but then let the comedy hit you. We can deep as much as we can, but it is an opportunity for us to address things that are important to us.”

Rauch thrives in a comedic ensemble, because she has a firm understanding of when to give and when to push as a performer. I’ve said before that we are living through a Golden Age of network comedy ensembles, and Night Court is already dependable and balanced. It’s no wonder why NBC was quick to renew it for a second season. It’s exciting to think of how the writers are going to pair Abby with Laroquette as their bond evolves and flourishes but also with characters like Lacretta’s Gurgs.

“I was attracted to that as a kid, because I felt like I was becoming a part of a group of friends–unbeknownst to them, of course,” Rauche says with a laugh. “When you have a group that has so many different dynamic to play with, there are so many different aspects of relationships that you can lean into. I oftentimes have to pinch myself when we do those cafeteria scenes, because we are sitting in the actual chairs that were in the original. It’s so cool. I remember watching those scenes and seeing those scenes with this workplace family that is getting stronger with every episode. I am often on cloud nine when I get to do those scenes. It’s very much of the DNA of the show–this workplace family. In the original, Harry comes from a family where is is estranged from his mother, and he didn’t have that family comfort that he so desperately wanted. He talks a lot about these people becoming his family, and Abby, having lost her dad, is seeking that out for herself. She has probably heard stories about this family that they created at Night Court. These relationships are very important to Abby.”

Night Court drops new episodes on Tuesdays on NBC.