While the second season of "Night Court" gets underway in the 2024 TV schedule officially on January 2, the hit NBC sitcom already aired a Christmas special to celebrate the holiday season. It was a festive way to bring the show back after a prolonged hiatus due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and delivered a treat for fans of "The Big Bang Theory" with a fun reunion. "Night Court" brought a "Big Bang" guest star into the mix for a reunion with Melissa Rauch, and the leading lady/executive producer has shared the story behind how Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's guest appearance happened.

The "Night Court" cast spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets ahead of the Christmas episode and official premiere. Speaking with Melissa Rauch, I noted that there were a lot of guest stars who cycled in and out of Season 1, and asked if there were any she'd like to bring back. Rauch described recruiting Marsha Warfield as Roz as "the dream of dreams" after her surprise Season 1 finale appearance, then went on to address the arrival of none other than basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Season 2.