A show that really deserves a spot in
geek culture. It had the good luck to fall into a
plum spot on the network schedule, so the writers had a guaranteed audience. It ran for 9 seasons, from 1984 to 1992.
Night Court developed a quirky, ensemble-based show with a collection of in jokes and relationships that lasted over many seasons. Of course, like most shows, Night Court eventually ran out of steam, but at its best it was moving and hilarious at the same time.
You can find the cast and episode guides with 5 minutes of research on the Web. What you can't find is a site that captures the essence of the show. Let me take a shot at it with some anecdotes:
- Harry thought that his dad had abandoned him as a child. One episode centered around their emotional reunion. Buddy, the father, was played by John Astin, and it turned out that he'd been in an asylum in the interim...but, as he said in that Gomez Addams voice, "I'm feeling much better now."
- Bull Shannon, the big bald bailiff, was struck by lightning and heard the voice of God speaking to him...but it turned out that he had really been hearing the voice of Art, the janitor who revived him. On hearing this, he said..."that explains it! Our Father, who's Art in Heaven!"
Well, this isn't wholly successful. But what can I say? Watch the show in reruns on
A&E...it'll do better than this node.