Nearly 30 years after Night Court aired its (thought-to-be) series finale on May 31, 1992, NBC has confirmed that a sequel to the hit 1980s sitcom has been given a pilot order.
Melissa Rauch, who is best known for her role as Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory, is set to executive produce the project and star as Judge Abby Stone, who is following in the footsteps of her father, Judge Harry Stone (played by the late, great Harry Anderson in the original show) by presiding over the late-night antics of a New York City arraignment court. John Larroquette, who played lecherous prosecutor Dan Fielding in the original series, is set to reprise his role (though his current level of sleaziness is not known).
Rumblings of a reboot first began circulating in December 2020, when Rauch approached Warner Bros. TV about securing the rights to Night Court, a show she loved growing up. Shortly after, she managed to attach Larroquette, who was the series’ breakout star in its original run. In 1985, Larroquette won the first of what would become a record-breaking four consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series—at which point he asked to no longer be considered for the honor.
While Rauch had not initially planned to step in front of camera on this one, her excitement for the project led her to take the lead. “My intention was purely to be behind the camera on this project, but my plans quickly changed after falling in love with the incredible script from the brilliant mind of Dan Rubin,” Rauch said of the writer and co-executive producer behind Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, who will serve in the same capacity on Night Court: The Redux (no, that’s not the official title—but it sounds good, so we’re just throwing it out there). “I couldn’t be more thrilled to join forces with Dan, the immense talent that is John Larroquette, and the two powerhouse institutions of comedy that are NBC and Warner Bros. to bring Night Court back to television.”
We just hope that the horn-happy, bass-slapping theme song will remain intact.
(Via The Wrap)