'Night Court' Revival Finds a Network

Night Court is heading back to NBC. The Emmy-nominated comedy, which ran as part of NBC's Thursday lineup from 1984-92, is coming back to the network, with NBC putting in a formal pilot order for a sequel series starring returning star John Larroquette and Big Bang Theory's Melissa Rauch, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The sequel will be based on Reinhold Weege's original series but follows new character Abby Stone, played by Rauch, the "unapologetic optimist judge" daughter of the late Harry Stone, once played by the late Harry Anderson. Abby is ready to follow in her father's footsteps presiding over a Manhattan arraignment court, complete with all the characters that come with it, including former night court prosecutor Dan Fielding, played by Larroquette in his original Emmy-winning role. Larroquette would take home four Emmys for his portrayal of Fielding throughout the original run, and Night Court was nominated three times for best comedy.

Rauch originally agreed to develop the project as an executive producer but signed on to star in the comedy as her first regular role after wrapping up her role as Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory, which she joined in 2009. "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 in a statement, as per THR. "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."

Rauch has a lot of love coming her way from the Big Bang Theory cast after she announced the Night Court news on her Instagram with the caption, "Court. Is. In. Session!" Former co-star Kunal Nayyar, who played Raj Koothrappali, commented, "Beautiful!", while regular guest star Wil Wheaton, who played himself on Big Bang Theory, added, "Oh. My. God." Kaley Cuoco, who starred alongside Rauch as Penny Hofstadter, and was nominated this year for a Golden Globe for HBO's The Flight Attendant, had an equally excited take, commenting, "Loving this sooooooo much!"

Rauch first broke news of the project back in December, writing on Instagram alongside news of the sequel that she was "SO incredibly excited about this!!!" much to the excitement of her followers. "About time! Thank you for taking the reins on this," one fan commented, as another chimed in, "That is awesome!!"