NBC might have their biggest comedy hit in years. Just a few episodes in, the reboot of 1980s classic Night Court has earned an early pick-up for Season 2. The revival boasts the highest ratings for a comedy series on NBC in years, since 2017 (when the network revived , How I Met Your Mother, and Sex and the City revamped by streamers over the past year. But for the most part, the skyrocketing number of splashy reboots in the past decade has come from the streaming wars, not network television. And rebooting a less popular series—Night Court, in this case—is a daring choice from NBC.
The incredibly massive success of Night Court might be owed to one person—or one previous show. Perhaps The Big Bang Theory is to thank for the show’s popularity, as Rauch starred as Bernadette in the massive hit for over 200 episodes. Night Court not only stars Rauch in the leading role, but she also produced the show and came up with the revival concept.
Rauch’s Big Bang Theory co-stars have found similar success in their breakout series and ventures. Kaley Cuoco, for example, earned Emmy nominations for her critically-acclaimed performance in The Flight Attendant. Mayim Bialik has found success hosting Jeopardy! and her sitcom Call Me Kat. Simon Helberg just starred in the Peacock series Poker Face. Then there’s the success of Young Sheldon as proof for how loyal fans of The Big Bang Theory are.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t give a shoutout to 30 Rock, which, time and time again, has boasted the ability to predict the future. MILF Manor was just ripped straight out of a sketch from Tina Fey’s NBC sitcom, and now, Night Court’s reboot is too.
Night Court’s success does feel like a bit of an irregularity. Not only is it doing well, the ratings are incredible, only dipping slightly week after week. There’s no way to forecast exactly why America has taken a liking to this, but who doesn’t like a bit of an underdog story?
Night Court airs every Tuesday on NBC at 8 p.m. ET.
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