NBC’s ‘Night Court’ features Marlboro native Melissa Rauch on the bench

The new ‘Night Court’ includes a cast of likable characters, including assistant district attorney Olivia Moore (played by India de Beaufort), court clerk Neil (Kapil Talwalkar), bailiff Donna ‘Gurgs’ Gurganous (Lacretta), and Dan Fielding (John Larroquette), who steps back into court as its public defender. Photo by Jordin Althaus/NBC

Taking on a role in the revival of a classic sitcom series can be intimidating, but Marlboro native Melissa Rauch feels honored to play the daughter of “Night Court” Judge Harry Stone, who “holds such a special place in my heart as one of the TV sitcom greats,” she said.

Rauch, a fan of the original, revisited the NBC series that aired from 1984 – 1992 to get “some of the cadence and rhythms” in her head as she prepared for her role as Judge Abby Stone, an optimist with a passion for justice who has taken over the seat that her late father had once filled during the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court. Rauch joked that she hit the gym to work out her forearm — hard — to build up her gaveling strength.

“Abby is guided a lot by her father’s philosophy on life and how she approaches her job on the bench,” Rauch said. “I love that her endless optimism is rooted in the fact that she has been through her fair share of struggles, but is actively choosing a positive approach to the world.”

The new “Night Court” includes a cast of likable characters, including assistant district attorney Olivia Moore (played by India de Beaufort), court clerk Neil (Kapil Talwalkar), bailiff Donna “Gurgs” Gurganous (Lacretta), and Dan Fielding (John Larroquette), who steps back into court as its public defender.

Marlboro native Melissa Rauch feels honored to play the daughter of ‘Night Court’ Judge Harry Stone.
Photo courtesy of Sela Shiloni

“There’s a lot that feels very surreal. Most of it really,” Rauch said about her experience working on the show. “It is never lost on me that I’m stepping onto the sets of this iconic sitcom that I loved so much growing up and getting to sit across from John Larroquette, who I’ve always admired deeply. To have a front-row seat to watch him revisit Dan Fielding in all of his brilliance feels like a true dream come true.”

Rauch, who attended Marlboro High School and currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Winston Beigel, a writer, and their two children, doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t want to be an actress. Back in 2011, she told NJ.com about the wonderful opportunities she had in New Jersey to pursue her passion for acting. “I did a lot of community theater in New Jersey growing up and my brother (actor Ben Rauch) and I were always putting shows on in our basement. … I went to Brookdale Arts Camp for my entire childhood and had a fantastic theater counselor there who gave me some of my first comedic sketches to do. I also had a terrific theater teacher at Marlboro High School who taught me a great deal and was very encouraging.”

Rauch’s most notable role is playing Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on the CBS series “Big Bang Theory” from 2009 until its series finale in 2019.

“The ‘Big Bang Theory’ will forever be so near and dear to my heart. It was such a gift to my life,” Rauch said. “I think my favorite experiences all have to do with the wonderful people I was surrounded by. I always loved the scenes where we were all together eating Chinese food. … We would laugh so much between takes and during rehearsal.”

She even recalled the first time she joined the cast around the coffee table for a scene. “I had watched the show prior to becoming a part of it and I remember that episode so vividly. I didn’t know if there would be more after that one at that point, but I will eternally feel so incredibly lucky that there were.”

And, don’t worry, there are more courtroom hijinks with heart in store for Rauch. It was announced in February that “Night Court” has been renewed for a second session. Rauch is “over the moon,” she said, and excited to continue to learn more about all of the series characters and to see her workplace family continue to form. “And, of course, we can always expect left-of-center cases to come barreling through those doors.”

Melissa Rauch’s 5 favorite things about New Jersey

DELICIOUS ORCHARDS

“The apple cider and apple cider donuts are the greatest. It’s totally the taste of my childhood.”

POINT PLEASANT AND SEASIDE HEIGHTS

“I love strolling along the boardwalk with my family, playing some games, and taking the kids on rides. It’s extremely magical.”

RED BANK

“There are so many great restaurants and shops. Seeing shows at the historic Count Basie Theater and later performing there really helped foster my love of plays and musicals as a kid.”

THE MALLS

“I wouldn’t be a true Jersey girl if I didn’t give them a shout-out. My main mall was Freehold Raceway, which will always remain a favorite. But give me any enclosed New Jersey shopping situation with high ceilings and tile floors, and I will feel right at home.”

PIZZA

“I’ll take a slice from any local place. Jersey just does it right!”