Melissa Rauch executive produces and stars as Abby Stone in Night Court, which is based on the original hit series that ran for nine seasons. New episodes air Tuesdays on NBC at 8:30 PM ET/PT.

Eternally optimistic Abby Stone (Melissa Rauch) follows in the footsteps of her revered late father, Judge Harry Stone, as she takes on the challenge of overseeing the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court.

I caught up with the actress to discuss how the show has evolved throughout the seasons, why comedy brings people together, reuniting with her former The Big Bang Theory co-star, and more. Keep reading for our full discussion!

It is so nice to talk to you. I’ve been waiting to reunite with you since our season one interview, I’m so excited that we’re getting to do this again.
Melissa Rauch: Aw, thank you. I love that interview so much. It feels like both yesterday and 10 million years ago, but I was very excited to get on with you today because I remember it very, very well.

Still to this day, it is genuinely one of my favorite memories and interviews. I was such a big fan going into it, but you made me an even bigger fan leaving it.
That really makes me so happy. It was a very special interview for me too. It was like one of my very, very first ones for the show and you just asked such good questions. It just holds a very special place in my heart, so when I saw that we were going to get to do it again, I did a fist pump in the air because I was very excited. So thank you.

The feeling is definitely mutual and as you were saying, it feels like it was both yesterday and a million years ago. Now, we’re on season three of the show, which is so crazy to me. As both an actor and an EP, how has it been to see the series evolve?
Oh my gosh, I feel so incredibly grateful. There’s not a day that I drive on the lot that I don’t feel overwhelmed with just such gratitude that I get to do this job and get to continue making this show. It’s been such a wonderful ride and as you know, when we spoke about it the first time, I was such a huge fan of the original. So getting to come into work and walk onto these sets, I thought at some point, it would feel old, like, ‘Oh, this is just where I work now,’ but it truly doesn’t. I still get very tickled every time I get to sit in the chairs in the cafeteria, knowing that those were the OG chairs. It’s just very, very special. I’m so glad that we get to continue telling these stories and dive deeper into the characters. What I think is so special about this was just [the] unexpected bonuses that came from getting to do the show that I didn’t necessarily think about when we were first pitching it.

I had talked about, when we were first developing the show, that the nostalgia factor was such a big part of it and the comfort of having this familiar world from potentially a simpler time in our lives. But I think one of the most special takeaways for me is hearing from people who are watching the show, both [those] who are new to it and then also, of course, ones who watched the first incarnation and they watched this show with a family member in the ‘80s and ‘90s who meant a lot to them and who potentially is not with us anymore. And so, getting to watch this show now feels like a time machine back to when that person was there. It’s something that we keep hearing and I can’t tell you how happy that makes me that this was something that came out of doing the show.

I want to go off of that because I’m someone who watches comfort shows with my own family and I think comedy is such an underrated genre in how it can bring people together, how it brings families together, not only Night Court, but The Big Bang Theory. Why do you think comedy is able to do that, especially when it’s so difficult to sit down and find a show that everyone in the family loves?
Oh, I love that you said that. I couldn’t agree more. I think that there is something in the fact that laughter is the great unifier, and getting to sit down and laugh with someone, you’re instantly connected. I think that it’s a common ground. You don’t necessarily have to dig deep or agree but that feeling of laughter, I think there’s a reason that there’s laughter therapy because it does release feel-good, happy feelings. I know that when I’m sitting with family members and I hear their laughter at something, even if I necessarily in that moment didn’t find what they’re laughing at funny, their sense of joy in that moment brings out joy in me.

I think that there’s no way that you could see someone laughing and smiling when it’s coming from a genuine place and not feel a little of that joy yourself. I think that it’s just human connection and I think it’s really wonderful to be able to have a show with everything going on in the world, that you’re just going to be able to sit, relax, and not think about life’s hardships and get that release, get those endorphins, and feel a sense of just peace and happiness. It sounds a little Pollyanna, but I think that there’s something there and I think that there’s a reason why you look back even during The Great Depression and you see how comedy was getting people through a difficult time. It’s a timeless genre that I think is very, very needed now.

Well, I know you’re going to bring audiences a lot of happiness because there is a The Big Bang Theory reunion on Night Court, which I am so happy about. Tell me everything. How did it happen? What was it like to get to work with Mayim Bialik on this different dynamic? Obviously, Bernadette and Amy had such a beloved friendship but the plot for this episode is so much fun. It’s great to see you two sharing the screen again.
Oh, thank you. I’m over the moon about it and it was something since the show started that we wanted to do, and just the fact that the timing worked out perfectly on this one was thrilling. It stemmed from this idea that when I started on The Big Bang Theory — I guess it wasn’t when I initially started as a guest star, but it was a little later on when both of us had already come onto the show, so it was season four and we didn’t know at that point if both of us were going to continue on together.

But we were seated next to each other at the table read, we were both guest stars at the time and our dress rooms were next to each other with a bathroom in between. So I knew for that week, we were going to be in close quarters together. Now, my secret was I was a huge Blossom fan. We’re not talking like, “Oh, I watched the show and enjoyed it,” I’m talking I dressed as her for Halloween, I knew the dance from the opening credits, like hardcore, hardcore Blossom fan. I was sitting there during the table read going, ‘Oh, my God, do I tell her? Do I tell her? Do I tell her,’ because what if we continue on together, become close friends, we’re sharing a bathroom and then it comes out years from now that I was this weird super fan of hers and I never told her?

So after the table read, I made the executive decision that I was going to tell her everything, and I just let loose and was like, “You don’t understand, I am number one, like could be the president of your fan club,” and she was so kind and so gracious. We’ve talked for years about like, “Was that the right move? Was I scary?” But anyway, when we were talking about what would be the right role for Mayim to come and join us in Night Court, I asked her if she’d be up for playing herself and she was like, “Count me in for whatever, make me whatever bizarro version of myself that you want me to be.”

In talking to our wonderful writers and them knowing this about my history with her, they then came up with the hilarious and wonderful angle to do a spin on that with Mayim becoming her own super fan and stalker in her own right. She just hit it out of the park and was so amazing, and our writers did such a wonderful job with this episode, as they always do. It was just a dream. It was so wonderful being on set with her. I kept on looking at her, it was the same as when Kunal was there, where I would look over and be like, “Oh my god, you’re really here. This is really happening.” We just had a blast. It was super fun. I cannot wait for people to see it and there’s many, many little surprise nuggets in store throughout the episode that I think The Big Bang Theory fans will get a kick out of, and Blossom fans as well, like myself.

Lastly, if you could pick any other show to have Night Court do a crossover with, past or present, that you’re a fan of, which would you pick and why?
Oh my goodness. Oh, this is such a good question. This is a really, really great question. Okay, because this is a dream question, I say I want to do a Night Court 2.0 crossover with OG Night Court and just have worlds collide. I think that might put John in an interesting situation, having to play the new version and old version but I would like to see him existing in both worlds. I think that would be it for me because every time I hear stories of the original, everyone just seems like they were so incredible. We have Marsha there. It’s just so special, so yeah, as a Night Court super fan, I would have to say OG and 2.0 merging together.

Love it. Melissa, thank you very much. You are just always the sweetest to me and I really appreciate it. It never goes unnoticed and I can’t wait to see season three.
Aw, you’re awesome. Thank you so much, I’m really excited to hear what you think. Thank you again for the great questions. I have the hugest smile on my face right now getting to talk to you, so thank you.