Melissa Rauch Says Being on Night Court with Legendary Costars Is Like an Induction to the 'Comedy Hall of Fame' (Exclusive)

Melissa Rauch couldn’t be more thrilled to be in the company of her talented Night Court costars.

The NBC revival, which returns Tuesday, Nov. 19, sees Rauch, 44, reprise the role of Abby Stone. The third season, Rauch told PEOPLE during a recent visit to the set, picks up where the previous season’s finale left off, with a two-part episode revealing whether Abby’s boyfriend Jake (Ryan Hansen) is actually the son of Dan (John Larroquette). Wendie Malick also becomes a series regular this season, lending her special brand of humor to her character Julianne, while Julia Duffy once again plays Susan.

“Getting to be around these women who I've admired for so long and they're truly… I mean it's seeing between John and Wendie and Julia, it's like you're getting to see inductees into the Comedy Hall of Fame just on your set,” she explains. “It was just awesome.”

Working with Larroquette, 76, who portrayed Dan on the original Night Court from 1984 to 1992 for nine seasons, has been a “dream come true” for the actress.

“We developed this really special friendship as we were working on the pilot together, and that's just continued to grow and blossom as we've done this series together,” she says. “He's such a wonderful human in addition to being the consummate professional.”

“There's sort of like a meta aspect of Abby&# -

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39;s relationship with Dan as there is to my relationship with John in the fact that Abby went and pulled him out of… He John was in no way wanting to be a part of Night Court and Abby pulled him back in and when I first asked John to do that, this show, he said, ‘Absolutely not,’” says the actress, adding it took a year of convincing before Larroquette signed on.

Reflecting on the revival’s third season, Rauch can’t help but point out its “nostalgia factor.”

“I think something that has come out of doing this show that was a surprise to me — and I think one of the most special elements of doing the show — is a lot of people have said that they watched the original with a family member that meant a lot to them that is no longer here,” she explains. “So getting to watch the show, it feels like a time machine back to that time with that person and that to me — I know it's the case for me — but I wasn't thinking that would resonate with others in that way, and that just makes my heart so happy.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Season 3 of Night Court premieres Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

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