Kunal Nayyar’s Night Court Role Does What The Big Bang Theory Failed To Do For Raj

Night Court will make up for The Big Bang Theory‘s 12-year crime regarding its depiction of Raj. As part of the original Pasadena gang after the unaired The Big Bang Theory pilot was reworked, Kunal Nayyar played the role of Raj for the entire duration that the nerd-centric sitcom was on the air. Unfortunately, unlike his fellow lead players, Raj was mostly treated as an afterthought. He did have some compelling storylines, including the time he had to make ends meet after being cut off by his parents, but for the most part, he was always on the sidelines.

Regardless, it’s difficult to imagine what The Big Bang Theory would have looked like without Raj. The Big Bang Theory creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady had several ideas for the character. At one point, he was going to be named Dave — a first-generation American. Ultimately, they veered away from that, and kept Raj’s ties to India more prominent, although the show never made it a narrative location. One defining character of Raj, however, is being a hopeless romantic, which is why his The Big Bang Theory ending is so divisive.

Kunal Nayyar’s Night Court Role Explained

Night Court season 2 brings Nayyar as Martini Toddwallis.

Almost half a decade since The Big Bang Theory series finale aired, Nayyar returns to broadcast TV with a guest spot at Night Court season 2. Starred and produced by his former sitcom co-star Melissa Rauch, he will play world-renowned fashion designer Martini Toddwallis in Night Court season 2’s “A Crime of Fashion” episode. According to the synopsis for the outing, the NBC revival will have a New York Fashion Week-themed arc. Not much has been revealed about how Martini gets caught up in Judge Abby Stone’s court, but their entanglement will result in a whirlwind romance between the pair.

Nayyar’s Night Court outing marks the first time that the pair are collaborating since they ended their stints in The Big Bang Theory. They follow in the footsteps of Mayim Bialik and Simon Helberg working together in the film As They Made Us. Helberg and Bialik also made separate cameos in Young Sheldon as Howard and Amy, respectively, which is The Big Bang Theory‘s prequel produced by Jim Parsons. Meanwhile, Night Court previously brought in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for a guest appearance, making him the first celebrity to appear in both The Big Bang Theory and the revival, aside from Rauch.

Nayyar’s Night Court Role Solves His Raj Flaws In TBBT

Night Court makes Nayyar better in the romance department.

While Night Court has been keeping Nayyar’s role mostly under wraps, the promo image and description of his role suggest that he will be the one to pursue Abby. As it turns out, Toddwallis wants to make her his next muse in time for fashion week. The fact that Nayyar’s character will be pursuing Abby is a significant departure from his role as Raj, who struggled not just to find a relationship but just to even talk to women. Although Raj dated many girls in The Big Bang Theory, he couldn’t maintain a romance, initially because of his selective mutism.

In the end, he was the only one from the Pasadena gang who didn’t have a life partner. This proved to be divisive, especially considering Raj’s romantic nature. The Big Bang Theory did try giving Raj an Indian wedding when he got engaged to Anu in season 12, but the love line was suddenly dropped because the partnership supposedly wasn’t working for the show’s creatives. While The Big Bang Theory can’t change its past, at least Night Court is showing what Raj’s life would have been like if he had been a bit more confident.

Why Nayyar’s Night Court Role Is So Interesting For TBBT Fans

Nayyar is no longer the Wolowitzes’ third wheel.

Seeing Nayyar play a more romantically suave character in Toddwallis is already interesting enough. However, what makes it more special is that he will do it opposite Rauch, whose Bernadette was married to Raj’s The Big Bang Theory best friend, Howard. Unlike Raj, Howard was confident about his chances with women — perhaps too much on some occasions that he would seem like a creep. Raj would often tag along as a third wheel to the Wolowitzes, and while he was often linked to his best friend, considering their close friendship, he also harbored a crush on Bernadette early on.

Granted that they will be playing different characters in Night Court, watching Nayyar and Rauch flirt will be an interesting experience for those who followed them for more than a decade as Raj and Bernadette in The Big Bang Theory. It’s curious if Helberg or any of their old co-stars will tune in, but one thing is for sure — the pair will be comedic gold. They had great chemistry in The Big Bang Theory and they’re likely going to bring it to Night Court.