| Night Court | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Format | Sitcom |
| Created by | Reinhold Weege |
| Starring | Harry Anderson John Larroquette Markie Post (1985-1992) Richard Moll Charles Robinson (1984-1992) Marsha Warfield (1986-1992) Selma Diamond (1984-1985) Florence Halop (1985-1986) Ellen Foley (1984-1985) Karen Austin (1984) Paula Kelly (1984) |
| Opening theme | Jack Elliott |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. Reinhold Weege (born December 23, 1949) is an American Television Writer, producer and director. ---- Harry Anderson (born October 14 1952 is an Emmy Award -nominated American Actor and magician. John Bernard Larroquette (born November 25, 1947) is an American film and television Actor. Marjorie Armstrong "Markie" Post (born on November 4, 1950, in Palo Alto, California) is an actress best known for her 1985–1992 Richard Moll (born January 13, 1943) is an American actor He is perhaps best known for playing Bull Shannon the tall shaven-headed Bailiff Charles S Robinson (born April 13, 1945, in Houston, Texas) is a Television actor who has been performing since the 1960s Marsha Warfield (born March 5, 1954 in Chicago Illinois) is an American Actress and Comedian, best known for her Selma Diamond ( August 5, 1920 - May 13, 1985) was an Emmy Award -nominated comic actress and Radio and Television Florence Halop ( January 23, 1923 – July 15, 1986) was a diminutive mostly comic actress and the sister of Billy Halop, one of the Ellen Foley (born June 5, 1951 in St Louis, Missouri) is an American singer and actress who has appeared on Broadway and on Karen Austin (born October 24 1957 is an American Actress. Austin has made many TV appearances since the 80's Paula Kelly (b October 21 1943, Jacksonville Florida) is an Emmy Award -nominated African-American dancer and actress in motion pictures and For the US folk performer see Ramblin' Jack Elliott. Jack Elliott, a well-known musical composer arranger and producer was born Irwin Zucker The United States of America —commonly referred to as the of seasons | 9 |
| No. of episodes | 193 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes (with commercials) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | January 4, 1984 – May 31, 1992 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 1984 until May 1992. This is a list of episodes for the NBC sitcom Night Court. 1st Season (January-March 1984 1 The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The setting for the show was the night shift of a court in Manhattan, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. A court is a forum used by a power base to adjudicate disputes and dispense civil, labour administrative and criminal Justice under its Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York "Harry" Stone (played by Harry Anderson). ---- Harry Anderson (born October 14 1952 is an Emmy Award -nominated American Actor and magician.
Night Court was created by comedy writer Reinhold Weege, who had previously worked on the award-winning and wry series Barney Miller in the 1970s and early 1980s. Reinhold Weege (born December 23, 1949) is an American Television Writer, producer and director. Barney Miller is a comedy Television series set in a New York City police station in Greenwich Village that ran from This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989.
Contents |
Description
Night Court, according to the first season DVD, was created without comedian/magician Harry Anderson in mind, but Anderson auditioned with the claim that he was Harry Stone. A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh Anderson had developed a following with his performances on Saturday Night Live and made several successful appearances as "Harry the Hat" on another NBC sitcom, Cheers. Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City Cheers is an American Situation comedy television series that ran eleven seasons from 1982 to 1993 (For the first several years of its run, Night Court aired on NBC Thursday nights after Cheers. ) In later seasons, while Anderson remained the key figure, John Larroquette became the breakout personality, winning a number of awards and many fans for his performance as the lecherous Dan Fielding. John Bernard Larroquette (born November 25, 1947) is an American film and television Actor.
The comedy style on Night Court could best be described as broad, almost slapstick comedy. Slapstick is a type of Comedy involving exaggerated physical violence or activities which exceed the boundaries of common sense such as a character being hit in the face with The main characters had personality quirks which made them slightly off-kilter. Logic and realism were frequently abandoned for the sake of a joke: cartoon animal Wile E. Coyote (a Warner Bros. property, like Night Court) once appeared in a brief gag as a defendant ("I know you're hungry, but leave the poor bird alone!"), and a group of Trekkies "beamed out" after stating they answer only to Starfleet Command and not Harry's authority. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and A defendant or defender ( Δ in Legal shorthand) is any party who is required to answer the Complaint of a Plaintiff Trekkie (or Trekker) is a term used to describe a fan of all or part of the Star Trek Fictional universe. A typical plot might have Judge Stone trying to stop a group of rival ventriloquists and their dummies from assaulting each other, (then NBC chairman) Brandon Tartikoff bailing out a Nielsen family so they could get home to watch Misfits of Science, or Harry pushing the court staff to meet a deadline of 200 cases to be adjudicated before midnight. Mythos (Aristotle In literature the plot comprises all the events in a story particularly rendered towards the achievement of some particular Artistic or Emotional Brandon Tartikoff ( January 13, 1949 &mdash August 27, 1997) was a television executive who was credited with turning around NBC's low Nielsen Ratings are audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the Audience size and composition of television This article is about the television series for the New Zealand hip hop group of the same name see Misfits of Science (group.
The show featured several defendants who appeared before the court again and again—notably the Wheelers (Mr. Wheeler was played by Brent Spiner of Star Trek: The Next Generation), who initially pretended to be stereotypical hicks from West Virginia but were later revealed as Yugoslavians, and at one point even ran a concession stand in the courthouse. Brent Jay Spiner (born February 2, 1949) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the Android Lieutenant Commander Star Trek The Next Generation ( STTNG or TNG) is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning science fiction television program created by Gene Roddenberry Yokel is a derogatory term referring to the Stereotype of unsophisticated country people West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian Concession stand is the term used to refer to a place where Patrons can purchase Snacks or Food at a cinema, Fair, Stadium
Episodes
Nielsen Ratings
The show was a hit for the first 6 seasons
- 1984-1985 #20
- 1985-1986 #11
- 1986-1987 #7
- 1987-1988 #7
- 1988-1989 #21
- 1989-1990 #29
The series finale brought in 24. This is a list of episodes for the NBC sitcom Night Court. 1st Season (January-March 1984 1 6 million viewers (26% of all Americans watching television that night)
Primary cast
- Harry Anderson as Judge Harry Stone, a young, good-humored jurist and an amateur magician whose father was a former mental patient. ---- Harry Anderson (born October 14 1952 is an Emmy Award -nominated American Actor and magician. Harry loved movies and fashions from the 1940s, and idolized crooner Mel Tormé. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be Melvin Howard Tormé ( September 13, 1925 &ndash June 5, 1999) nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician known as
- The public defenders:
- Gail Strickland as Sheila Gardner (in the pilot episode only). Gail Strickland (born 18 May 1947) is an American character actress.
- Paula Kelly as Liz Williams (in the first season only, after the pilot). Paula Kelly (b October 21 1943, Jacksonville Florida) is an Emmy Award -nominated African-American dancer and actress in motion pictures and
- Ellen Foley as Billie Young (in the second season only). Ellen Foley (born June 5, 1951 in St Louis, Missouri) is an American singer and actress who has appeared on Broadway and on A romantic interest for Harry Stone.
- Markie Post as Christine Sullivan (from the third season until the show's end), who, though attractive and voluptuous, was honest to a fault and somewhat naïve. Marjorie Armstrong "Markie" Post (born on November 4, 1950, in Palo Alto, California) is an actress best known for her 1985–1992 The primary romantic interest for Harry Stone throughout the series' run.
- John Larroquette as Reinhold Daniel "Dan" Fielding, a sex-obsessed narcissistic prosecutor who would do anything to get a woman to sleep with him. John Bernard Larroquette (born November 25, 1947) is an American film and television Actor. Narcissism describes the trait of excessive Self-love, based on Self-image or Ego. The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the Common law Adversarial system, or the civil law It is revealed late in the series that his real first name is Reinhold (an obvious joke about the show's writer and producer), and he goes by Dan out of embarrassment.
- The bailiffs:
- Richard Moll as Nostradamus "Bull" Shannon, a (seemingly) dim-witted hulk of a figure who was actually gentle and often childlike. Richard Moll (born January 13, 1943) is an American actor He is perhaps best known for playing Bull Shannon the tall shaven-headed Bailiff He was known for his catchphrase, "Ohh-kay". A catch phrase (or catchphrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance
- The various female bailiffs (the first two of whom died early in the show's run), who were acerbic and comically gruff:
- Selma Diamond as Selma Hacker (in the first two seasons). Selma Diamond ( August 5, 1920 - May 13, 1985) was an Emmy Award -nominated comic actress and Radio and Television
- Florence Halop as Florence Kleiner (in the third season only). Florence Halop ( January 23, 1923 – July 15, 1986) was a diminutive mostly comic actress and the sister of Billy Halop, one of the
- Marsha Warfield as Roz Russell (from the fourth season until the show's end). Marsha Warfield (born March 5, 1954 in Chicago Illinois) is an American Actress and Comedian, best known for her
- The court clerks:
- Karen Austin as Lana Wagner (in the first season only). Karen Austin (born October 24 1957 is an American Actress. Austin has made many TV appearances since the 80's The original romantic interest for Harry Stone.
- D. D. Howard as Charly Tracy. Clerk for the last two episodes of the first season after Karen Austin's departure from the show.
- Charles Robinson as Macintosh "Mac" Robinson (from the second season until the show's end), a veteran of the Vietnam War, who was very sweet and would do anything for anyone (with the usual exception of Dan Fielding). Charles S Robinson (born April 13, 1945, in Houston, Texas) is a Television actor who has been performing since the 1960s A veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning "old" is a person who has or is working in the armed forces The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia He always wore a cardigan, plaid shirt, and a knit tie. A cardigan is a type of Sweater / Jumper that ties Buttons or zips down the front by contrast a pullover does not
- Denice Kumagai as Quon Le Duc Robinson (occasional from second season on), Mac's wife, a refugee from Vietnam who was somewhat naive about America and its customs, but was loving and very devoted to him.
- Mike Finneran as Art Fensterman (occasional throughout the entire run), a bumbling "fix-it man" attached to the courthouse
- Joleen Lutz as Lisette Hocheiser (occasional last two seasons), a ditzy court reporter. A court reporter, stenotype reporter or stenographer is a person whose occupation is to transcribe spoken or recorded speech into written
Supporting players and notable cameos
- John Astin appeared occasionally as Harry's eccentric stepfather Buddy (he had been married to Harry's mother), a former patient in a psychiatric hospital. John Allen Astin (born March 30, 1930) is an Oscar -nominated American Actor who has appeared in numerous Films and A psychiatric hospital (previously called insane asylum, mental hospital; or derogatorily looney bin, nut house or Funny Farm) is His catchphrase was the capper to stories involving his hospital stay or past strange behavior: ". . . but I'm feeling much better now. " He was later revealed to be Harry's biological father.
- Mel Tormé played himself in several appearances (in the first episode, it is revealed that Harry is a fanatic of his). Melvin Howard Tormé ( September 13, 1925 &ndash June 5, 1999) nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician known as
- William Utay played Dan's homeless lackey Phil Sanders (and, later, Phil's evil twin brother Will). William Utay is an American Character actor known for roles as Stockbroker turned bum Phil Sanders and Phil's evil twin Will on the American television Evil twins are antagonists found in many different Fictional Genres They are physical copies of Protagonists but with radically inverted
- Brent Spiner (who later gained greater fame as Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation) played Bob Wheeler in a recurring role. Brent Jay Spiner (born February 2, 1949) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the Android Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant Commander Data, played by actor Brent Spiner, is a character in the Star Trek Fictional universe. Star Trek The Next Generation ( STTNG or TNG) is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning science fiction television program created by Gene Roddenberry
- Yakov Smirnoff played Russian immigrant Yakov Korolenko. Yakov Naumovich Pokhis (Яков Наумович Похис born January 24, 1951) better known as Yakov Smirnoff, is a Ukrainian-born
- Micheal J Fox appeared in the first season as a runaway, Eddie Sims. Michael J Fox (born Michael Andrew Fox; June 9 1961 is a Canadian / American
Cast changes
The first few seasons of Night Court had an unusually large number of cast changes for such a long-running series. The only actors to appear consistently throughout the show's run were Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, and Richard Moll.
- When Selma Diamond, the first female bailiff, died after two seasons, Florence Halop played a replacement character, only to die one season later. Night Court scripts addressed the deaths of both characters, which was uncharacteristic for a sitcom. There were whispers and jokes that both actresses had fallen prey to some sort of "Night Court Curse"; this is said to be one of the reasons that the show decided not to bring in a third elderly actress and instead replaced Halop with Marsha Warfield, who played Roz Russell. All three characters were written as mother-figures for Bull. Warfield's arrival marked the show's final cast change, and the ensemble remained intact for the remainder of the show's run.
- Karen Austin only appeared as Lana Wagner for the first ten episodes, after which her character was only subsequently mentioned in the eleventh episode as "out sick" by a one-time character, and never again by regular cast members. She was kept in the titles of the remaining three episodes of the first season. Also cut from the show after the first season was Paula Kelly; the public defender role was filled by Ellen Foley for the second season, after which she in turn was replaced by Markie Post. The character of Lana had been planned to be a romantic interest for Harry Stone, but when Austin departed, that role was transferred to the new public defender characters.
Awards
During its nine season run, Night Court received a number of awards and nominations. Both Selma Diamond (in 1985) and John Larroquette (in 1988) earned Golden Globe nominations, but lost to Faye Dunaway and Rutger Hauer respectively. Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) known as Faye Dunaway, is an American actress. Rutger Oelsen Hauer (rʏtxər ulsən hʌuər born January 23, 1944) is a Golden Globe -winning Dutch Film Actor. The show has had more success with the Emmys and the first season earned a nomination for Paula Kelly. While the second season came around, the show had more success with the fans and critics and higher recognition came from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. John Larroquette won four consecutive Emmys for best supporting actor in a comedy series from 1985 to 1988, before he withdrew his name from the ballot in 1989. Selma Diamond also earned a nomination in 1985, as a tribute for her sudden death, and the show's star Harry Anderson earned three consecutive nominations (from 1985 to 1987). The show earned three nominations for best comedy series, in 1985, 1987, and 1988. The show also received many minor awards and nominations in the areas of lighting, editing, sound mixing, and technical direction. In total, the show was nominated for thirty-one Emmys, winning seven.
DVD releases
Season releases
Warner Home Video released Season 1 of Night Court on DVD in Region 1 on February 8, 2005. Warner Home Video is the Home video unit of Warner Bros Entertainment Inc Due to low sales, no further releases are planned. A year later, in 2006, a "Best-Of" DVD was released to test fans' appetite for further releases, but as of 2008, no further releases are planned.
| DVD Name | Release Date | Ep# | Additional Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | February 8, 2005 | 13 |
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Special releases
| DVD Name | Release Date | Ep# |
|---|---|---|
| Television Favorites | February 28, 2006 | 6 |
External links
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