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Melissa Rauch is returning home in more ways than one.
Getty Images (main image);The Big Bang Theory(CBS/Warner Bros.);Night Court(Jordin Althaus/NBC/Warner Bros. Television)
I vividly remember being transfixed by it in my childhood bedroom.
(The series premieres tonight, January 17, withtwo episodeson NBC and Peacock.)
It was shows likeNight Courtthat made me fall in love with sitcoms, she says.
Melissa Rauch as Abby Stone and John Larroquette as Dan Fielding in NBC’sNight Court
Melissa Rauch:I had every intention of just producingNight Court.
I’m so grateful to them.
Rauch serves as executive producer onNight Courtin addition to her starring role as Abby Stone.
Rauch serves as executive producer onNight Courtin addition to her starring role as Abby Stone.
When you filmed theNight Courtpilot, several of theBig Bangfamily came to support you.
What was it like to have them there?
It was really sweet.
From left: Iris Bahr (as Gilda), Jim Parsons (as Sheldon), Johnny Galecki (as Leonard), and Amanda Walsh (as Katie) inThe Big Bang Theory’s original, unaired pilot. Bahr guest-stars in the first episode of NBC’sNight Court.
They were so awesome as always.
I love those guys and myBig Bangfamily forever.
Theres also another funBig BangEaster egg in theNight Courtpilot, which is a guest-star appearance by Iris Bahr.
“As much as we all want andneedto laugh, I also think it’s important to have moments that speak to grief, struggles, and our imperfect, complicated human journeys,” Rauch says of some ofNight Court’s more emotional scenes.
Did you know that when she was cast onNight Court?
Isn’t that amazing?
It was a total coincidence.
Melissa Rauch and Simon Helberg inThe Big Bang Theory(“The Meemaw Materialization”)
Our wonderful casting director, Juel Bestrop, sent us Iris’s audition.
I didn’t connect the dots right away.
Also, can we insert a shameless plug forJessica Radloff’s book aboutThe Big Bang Theoryhere?
Guys, get it wherever you get your books!
I will be mad if you don’t.
I sense some Bernadette rage coming out here, so Im going to allow it.
Bahr guest-stars in the first episode of NBC’sNight Court.
Abby Stone is a very different character than Bernadette Rostenkowski Wolowitz.
What do you love about her?
I love that Abby really looks to see the good in people.
Much like her father, she genuinely cares for others and wants what’s best for them.
I also admire how she makes an effort to see the positive.
What kind of stories are you looking forward to telling?
I find that I laugh the hardest in life with the people who know me deeply and vice versa.
I think there is something to that with sitcoms.
But more than anything, this show exists to make people laugh and give them some comfort through comedy.
As an EP, what was important to you to implement on your set?
It’s important to confirm that everyone is wildly terrified of me.
In fact, I feel like I haven’t yelled enough at you during this interview.
Im glad your real personality is finally coming through in this interview.
The question I always get asked is Was that her real voice onBig Bang?
What excites you about speaking in your natural register onNight Court?
There is something I need to tell you…itwasmy real voice.
I’ve always used the voice of a character as my way in.
This is the first time I’ve done a TV role in recent years that speaks as I do.
Precut veggies or fruit at the grocery store.
I have a block against it.
I’m paying a lot extra for a mealier or soggy version of something I can cut up myself?
Whats one thing you wish you were better at?
Whats your go-to snack on set when you need a pick me up?
I love a good, bright, newly turned yellow banana.
It’s exciting to me that they come in their own carrying case.
I love how the theme of these rapid-fire questions are becoming about fruit.
Final one: If you had a superlative on set, what would it be?
Most likely to not have their feet reach the floor when sitting in any given scene.
