Night Court is an American television sitcom that premiered on NBC on January 4, 1984, and ended on May 31, 1992, after nine seasons consisting of 193 episodes. The show is set in the night shift of a Manhattan Criminal Court presided over by a young, unorthodox judge, Harold "Harry" T. Stone (portrayed by Harry Anderson), and was created by comedy writer Reinhold Weege, who had previously worked on Barney Miller in the 1970s and early 1980s.
William Utay, as vagrant/Dan's errand boy Phil Sanders (seasons 3–7), and Phil's corrupt twin brother Will (seasons 8–9 after the character of Phil was killed off)
Brent Spiner and Annie O'Donnell as frequent defendants Bob and June Wheeler
Following the end credits theme music, a distinctive laugh can be heard dubbed over the vanity logo displaying producer Reinhold Weege's "Starry Night Productions".[1] This same laugh can be heard coming from the studio audience throughout numerous seasons of Night Court. At first it was thought to be the canned laugh of voice actor Mel Blanc or even star Harry Anderson; but in fact, it was the laugh of Chuck Weege, Reinhold's father, who attended nearly all of the tapings in person (until Reinhold left the show after the sixth season).[citation needed]
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. Paula Kelly was nominated for an Emmy after the first season. Larroquette won four consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series from 1985 to 1988, before he withdrew his name from the ballot in 1989. Selma Diamond was nominated in 1985, and Anderson received three nominations in 1985, 1986, and 1987. The series received three nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1985, 1987, and 1988. The series also received many awards and nominations in the areas of lighting, editing, sound mixing, and technical direction. The show was nominated for 31 Emmys, winning seven.
After its primary run in broadcast syndication, the series aired on A&E Network for many years. It then aired on TV Land from 2005 to 2008, then began airing on Encore Classic on December 2, 2013. From 2016 to 2022, the show aired on Laff.[13]
As of March 2023, the series airs on the Weigel Broadcasting owned Catchy Comedy network weeknights.[14] The series was also the subject of Catchy Comedy's inaugural weekend "Catchy Binge" on April 1–2, 2023. Since June 2024, it is now also broadcast on IFC,[15] usually airing in marathons on Mondays and Tuesdays, and sometimes an episode or two is shown in the early mornings on weekends.
Australia
Network Ten first broadcast the series in the 1980s and 1990s. 7TWO began showing reruns in June 2011. Reruns are currently being shown on Foxtel Comedy Channel. [citation needed]
The Television Favorites compilation DVD included the pilot episode, "All You Need Is Love"; both parts of the fourth-season finale, "Her Honor"; the fifth-season episodes "Death of a Bailiff" and "Who Was That Mashed Man?"; and the sixth-season episode "Fire", which marked the beginning of Harry's relationship with Christine.
Harry Anderson, Markie Post, and Charles Robinson appeared in the 30 Rock episode, "The One with the Cast of Night Court". John Larroquette is also mentioned; Harry says he had just spoken to John, which annoys Markie (who has not had recent contact with her absent former co-star) and begins an argument between them that lasts for most of the story.
In December 2020, NBC announced it was working on a sequel series to Night Court. The show is executive produced by Melissa Rauch and Winston Rauch, with Dan Rubin writing. Larroquette returned as Fielding, while the show's central character is Abby Stone, a judge and the daughter of Harry Stone. The show is produced by Warner Bros. Television Studios for NBC.[28] In April 2021, it was reported that Rauch would also star in the series as Abby Stone.[29] In May 2021, it was announced that NBC had given a pilot order to a sequel series.[30] In June 2021, Ana Villafañe joined the cast for the pilot, portraying an Assistant District Attorney and Lacretta plays a bailiff Donna "Gurgs" Gurganous.[31][32] In July 2021, Kapil Talwalkar joined the cast for the pilot, playing a court's clerk Neil.[33] In September 2021, it was announced that NBC had given the production a series order.[34] In February 2023, it was announced that following the strong reception of the first four episodes, NBC had ordered a full second season of the show.[35] A third season of the revival series would then premiere on November 19, 2024.[36]
