Night Court
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Season One (1984)
Rate:
5 out of 5
Viewed:
1/24
1/24:
Before there was Law & Order, there was Night Court, a favorite comedy courtroom sitcom of mine
from the 80's because it was consistently funny and had a great cast.
Nothing has changed. Richard Moll will always be the best. Harry Anderson is fantastic as well. Impossible to
miss is the witty writing with great comedic timing. A ranked list of the main cast is provided at
the end after my review of Season Nine.
Here's my analysis for some of the following episodes:
Santa Goes Downtown: It's an impressive performance by Michael J. Fox who went on to greater fame shortly
afterwards despite starring in Family Ties for two years running.
The Former Harry Stone: I bet you didn't know this, but the guy who plays Al Craven is Terry Kiser. You'll
recognize him better with the mustache on as the dead guy in
Weekend at Bernie's. Barney Martin will be Jerry Seinfeld's father.
The Eye of the Beholder: Bull quotes a line from The Elephant Man.
Quadrangle of Love: It's one of the funniest episodes. When Liz mentioned the pods in the basement, she
meant the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Dan
has been striking out lately: losing an election to a dead guy and being turned down by a female for Bull. Too
funny, but the creep deserves it.
Some Like It Hot: It's too bad about Karen Austin leaving. She was funny, and her presence will be
greatly missed. It turns out she had Bell's palsy which was affecting her acting due to partial paralysis of
her face, but she eventually made a full recovery.
Harry and the Rock Star: Harry Anderson and Kristine DeBell look good together.
Hi Honey, I'm Home: It's ironic seeing Charles Napier in this because he starred in
Rambo: First Blood Part II and thus got punished by Sylvester
Stallone.
Season Two (1984-85)
Rate:
3 out of 5
Viewed:
8/24
5/24:
I'm surprised at the cast change.
Last season was perfect; why mess with a good thing? Gee whiz. Then, I notice the momentum slowing down a great
deal compared to last season, and the jokes don't come in as much as before. Most episodes of Season Two are
average at best.
Here's my analysis for some of the following episodes:
The Computer Kid: Wow, they're talking about computers and hooking them up online. Is this the first
hacker in television history? By the way, Bull quotes a line from
The Naked City at the end.
Harry on Trial: John Larroquette imitates what Humphrey Bogart did on the stand with the set of marbles
during The Caine Mutiny. That's Ray Walston who's the judge.
The Blizzard: When the fat guy (Dennis Burkley from Mask) mentioned
cannibalism, he was referring to the plane crash into the Andes mountains from October 13 to December 23, 1972,
which got made as a movie called Alive in 1993.
Take My Wife, Please: Oh, hey...it's Kramer.
Nuts About Harry: Gilbert with the talking hand is James Cromwell who's 6'7". The 7'2" tall black guy is
Kevin Peter Hall, and he's famous for playing the creature in Predator. He
died of complications from AIDS, due to blood transfusion, in 1991 at age 35. By the way, Richard Moll was 6'8".
Battling Bailiff: $10,000 per night in pro wrestling? Well, good luck with the health problems and short
life expectancy. Bull is better off staying on the job as he'll have a nice, cushy state pension from New York.
On the other hand, it's good to see Lou Ferrigno guest-starring which occurred after he was done with
The Incredible Hulk TV show.
World War III: It's Selma Diamond's final episode; she died at age 64 from lung cancer, obviously due
to smoking, a bit more than a week after it first aired. To be honest with you, her bland character is weird,
and I can't say that I'll miss her.
Walk, Don't Wheel: It's the final episode for Ellen Foley. I don't like her as she's never funny and
brings nothing to the table. In hindsight, they shouldn't have replaced Karen Austin who made the show way better.
By the way, Barbara C. Adside was born without lower halves of her legs.
Season Three (1985-86)
Rate:
4 out of 5
Viewed:
2/26
2/26:
This is a good season because just about every episode has made me laugh throughout, thanks to the witty
writing. Three of the best characters are Dan Fielding, Harry T. Stone, and Bull Shannon. As Mac, Charles Robinson
has gotten better. I prefer Florence Halop over Selma Diamond, but no thanks to Markie Post who stinks
constantly by virtue of forced acting.
Here's my analysis for some of the following episodes:
Dad's First Date: That shouldn't be surprising: George Constanza's mother is a prostitute.
Halloween, Too: What's with the ridiculous-looking raccoon makeup on so many females' eyes hitherto?
Anyway, Throw Momma from the Train's Anne Ramsey appears.
Dan's Boss: That's funny: Harry Stone passes judgment on Freddy Krueger. Meanwhile, I saw a film
called Find Me Guilty and had a hard time believing there's a midget
lawyer. Well, what do you know? There's an earlier example here when Daniel Frishman showed up as
Dan's boss.
Walk Away, Renee: Wow...five movie references. Three of them are
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,
The Day After, and Gandhi.
Even better is John Larroquette thinking of Coming Home
and Markie Post slapping him with a comeback of Kiss of Death,
especially when the wheelbound female was pushed down the stairs by Tommy Udo.
Dan's Escort: The Gay Divorcee...funny. When Sonya said, "I know they have scarred me. I know
they have mutilated me. I know I'm a hideous monster," you may be thinking of
Les yeux sans visage, but it's actually from an episode called
"Eye of the Beholder" on Twilight Zone.
The Apartment: Pretty funny episode.
Leon, We Hardly Knew Ye: Mel Tormé is in the building, and Harry, his number one fan, never gets the
chance to meet him. No worries...he'll be back again once every season all the way to the end.
The Mugger: I hate Markie Post who's never funny and has one of the worst hairdos ever in television
history. Ugh, the copious make-up which is probably for covering up her pockmarks. Karen Austin was far better.
Could This Be Magic?: Carl Ballantine, who plays Philip Falcone, is a magician in real life.
The Retirement: Interestingly, Flo talked of death, and then Florence Halop just passed away
four months after this episode aired. At any rate, I like her better than Selma Diamond because she's
funny unlike the other one.
Hurricane: Not bad...six babies delivered by four women in a night for the season finale.
Season Four (1986-87)
Rate:
4 out of 5
Viewed:
3/26
3/26:
This cast is actually set in stone and will last until the end of the ninth season.
Here's my analysis for some of the following episodes:
Author, Author: Fran Drescher guest-stars. These glasses weren't fooling me.
Dan's Operation: Part 1: Oh, look...it's Ms. Balbricker of Motel Hell
who's ready to give Dan a bath with her itty-bitty sponge.
The New Judge: That's funny when John Larroquette said, "Ravage me, you prancing pony." About the new
judge tricking him into accepting a bribe, it's not going to hold up in court because that's an entrapment.
Anyway, Marsha Warfield is honestly trying too hard to be Selma Diamond.
Contempt of Courting: Harry, Harry, Harry...forget Christine by focusing on Eve. By the way, Ann
Turkel, who played her, was once married to Richard Harris.
A Day in the Life: What a rare appearance by Brandon Tartikoff who's a legend in
the TV world because he was responsible for so many sitcoms going on air such as this one,
Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Law & Order, Miami Vice, The Cosby Show,
Cheers, and Seinfeld.
The Modest Proposal: Good one...I love how Christine got humiliated. What a joke she is.
Christine's Friend: Harry finally meets his idol Mel Tormé for the first time ever.
Caught Red Handed: Alex P. Keaton's father can kill graboids but is unable to get away with
sexually harassing Christine? Tsk tsk tsk.
Here's to You, Mrs. Robinson: That's true...those who raised their hands actually delivered
a baby in the last season's finale.
Her Honor: Harry T. Stone loses his job as the judge? Please...Harry Anderson is the heart and soul
of the show. Without him, Night Court would've never survive another season.
Season Five (1987-88)
Rate:
4 out of 5
Viewed:
3/26
3/26:
The writing continues to be uniformingly excellent with pretty much everything else intact.
Here's my analysis for some of the following episodes:
Her Honor: Ridiculous four-part episode. It's illegal to impersonate a judge; all they have to do is
contact Harry and use a substitute for the time being.
Ladies Night: This one finally confirmed what I had been saying all along: Markie Post sucks.
Two statements made by Roz are spot-on: "I just can't stand being around you" and "Then when I kill you,
it'll be self-defense."
Safe: Please...Dan had sold his soul to the Devil years ago.
Mac's Dilemma: Police Academy's David Graf joins the other side
of law while the dead Japanese predates Weekend at Bernie's. At the
end, Harry adds a word to what Roy Scheider said in Jaws.
Who Was That Mashed Man?: Teri Hatcher...now that's the hottest female guest star ever to appear in
Night Court. As a matter of fact, John Larroquette admitted she wore nothing while flashing him at
the end. Meanwhile, there's no such character as the Red Ranger in the olden days of television; he's obviously
a spoof of the Lone Ranger.
No Hard Feelings: This is a very offensive episode because of how blind people are portrayed.
Constitution: I couldn't care less if Roz killed herself. Man, Marsha Warfield sucks and isn't funny.
They should've searched for her replacement.
Dan, the Walking Time Bomb: I thought we knew Dan's real name back in Season Three? Well, it turns out
that none of the characters did, so this is the first time ever.
Another Day in the Life: Good one, Dan...raw tonnage. He'll do very well today by racking it up immensely.
Heart of Stone: Another example of who Harry can go with and therefore forget about Christine Sullivan:
Leslie. Even her hair is so much better.
Russkie Business: What colorful nicknames for Yakov: Yakass and Yak the Ripper. How about a few more:
The Sundance Yak, Mr. Yaktober, and The Yak of Pop? Instead of shoes, Bull gets his bald head shined. And
Johnny Carson makes a surprise appearance at the end.
Jung and the Restless: Don Cheadle plays a gangbanger, having done so earlier during the filming of
Colors.
Danny Got His Gun: Dan is dead? Nah, John Larroquette is too valuable to lose.
Season Six (1988-89)
Rate:
out of 5
Viewed:
4/26
4/26:
Here's my analysis for some of the following episodes:
Danny Got His Gun: "The Dan Fielding I knew was a self-centered, egotistical, boot-licking, disgustingly
perverted sack of slime in a five-hundred-dollar suit. Dan's every action had an ulterior motive. If he gave you
the shirt off his back, you can bet his pants and underwear would quickly follow." Very apt description of
the man himself. Speaking of death when it comes to the current cast, only John Larroquette and Marsha Warfield
are still alive.
Educating Rhoda: The most movie references ever, they're
Sunset Boulevard, Psycho,
All About Eve, Sorry, Wrong Number,
Wait Until Dark,
The Maltese Falcon,
Fatal Attraction,
She Done Him Wrong,
Dressed to Kill,
The Wizard of Oz,
and John Wayne anything along with some Sammy Davis, Jr. When John Larroquette flipped the
channel and hit The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, he actually
narrated it. That's good job by Nana Visitor for impersonating Norma Desmond.
The Law Club: I didn't know that Matthew Laurance of
Beverly Hills, 90210 had a twin brother named Mitchell. The
resemblance is unbelievable. As for Christine, I would've scored her '1' as in "worthless."
Mental Giant: So...what's everybody else's IQ?
This Old Man: Thought so...Christine is a gold digger.
Season Nine (1991-92)
Rate:
out of 5
Viewed:
4/26
4/26:
Here's my analysis for some of the following episodes:
Most Likeable Characters (In That Order)
1. Dan Fielding: If there's a list of TV's 100 Greatest Characters, he belongs on it. John Larroquette is
simply the best by playing an all-time creep who's truly a walking poster for sexual harassment. That's why
he won an Emmy for four straight years and then declined to be nominated anymore. By the way, John Larroquette
is actually from Louisiana (born and raised in New Orleans) just like his character.
2. Harry T. Stone: Yep, I love him; just a fantastic character with a heart of gold. Harry Anderson and
John Larroquette comprise 70% of the show. Without them, forget it.
3. Mac Robinson: Prior to rewatching Night Court, I had Bull Shannon ranked third, but let's be
honest here: Mac is very good as a straight man for Harry. So kudos to Charles Robinson for growing on me
over time.
4. Bull Shannon: Many TV shows have a village idiot, and that's Bull for Night Court.
He tries hard, no matter what, and should've been the babe magnet over Dan Fielding.
5. Lana Wagner: I can't believe Karen Austin left after the first season. What a mistake that was.
I prefer her over Markie Post by thousands of miles.
6. Flo Kleiner: The only likeable female bailiff, she's quite funny and has a great laugh. I wish
Florence Halop stayed alive longer.
Neutral Characters
1. Selma Hacker: Played by Selma Diamond, she's weird.
2. Liz Williams: I honestly don't remember her.
Most Hated Characters (In That Order)
1. Christine Sullivan: She's absolutely the worst with the most hideous hairdo ever. Markie Post
has zero comedic timing and forces her lines.
2. Roz Russell : Ugh...Marsha Warfield should've been replaced after one season. I hate listening
to her character. By the way, I'm tired of this diversity crap in terms of casting; it should be based on
merit, not the color of skin.
3. Billie Young: She's unlikeable, and therefore, it was good riddance.