Night Court
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
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.
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:
out of 5
Viewed:
3/26
3/26:
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 episode 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."