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Judge These Facts About ‘Night Court’ For Yourself

Photo Credit: NBC / CaptainOT / MovieStillsDB
Photo Credit: NBC / CaptainOT / MovieStillsDB

Night Court was a hit sitcom that took an irreverent look at the justice system in Manhattan. Created by Reinhold Weege, the show aired for nine seasons between 1984-92.

Harry Anderson (Judge Harry T. Stone), John Larroquette (prosecutor Dan Fielding), Markie Post (public defender Christine Sullivan), Charlie Robinson (clerk “Mac” Robinson), and Marsha Warfield (bailiff Roz Russell) were just some of the stars who made the show special.

Let the record state that Night Court has all kinds of fascinating facts behind it. The charge is to read this article and find out what they are. How do you plead?

What’s in a name? Lots, according to Night Court

The cast of Night Court
Photo Credit: NBC / Esamuel / MovieStillsDB

Night Court had a habit of matching actors’ names to their characters. By coincidence, Harry Anderson played Harry Stone.

Then there was Charles Robinson as “Mac” Robinson. Not to mention Larroquette’s full name of Reinhold Daniel Fielding Elmore, taking after creator Reinhold Weege.

Weege also had a unique way of paying tribute to people he knew. He “named many of the prostitutes and pimps that appear throughout the show’s run after his friends,” writes Eighties Kids, “just to give them a mention on air.”

Markie Post used to work with Alex Trebek

Markie Post in the 1980s
Markie Post, Stephen Bishop, Alan Thicke, and Donna Mills in 1985 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Maureen Donaldson/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Before approaching the bench, Markie Post became part of game show history. Eighties Kids notes she was an associate producer on Double Dare (CBS, 1976-77). Hosting was the future Jeopardy! legend Alex Trebek. Post also contributed to Split Second and Card Sharks, appearing on camera for the latter.

Markie Post died on August 7, 2021, at the age of 70. She’d been battling cancer for nearly four years.

Harry Anderson was a real magician

Photo Credit: NBC / MovieStillsDB
Photo Credit: NBC / MovieStillsDB

Offbeat judge Harry T. Stone was youthful and had a sideline in magic. Where did this unique combination come from?

Actor Harry Anderson himself, who aced card tricks and the like in real life. Performing on Saturday Night Live led to his being spotted and cast. Night Court and other roles made him “richer than Davy Crockett,” as Anderson told Associated Press.

Throwbacks quoted the 1987 interview, celebrating Anderson’s career after his death in 2018 at 65. He kept his hand in acting but magic was always his first love.

Anderson encountered magic of a darker kind in another high-profile role… playing Richie Tozier in the original miniseries of Stephen King’s It (1990).

John Larroquette and Charlie Robinson were reunited

Charlie Robinson, right, guest-stars on an episode of "The John Larroquette Show" in 1995. Larroquette, left, and Robinson were co-stars on "Night Court." Robinson died Sunday, July 11, 2021, in Los Angeles. He was 75.
Photo Credit: NBC / MovieStillsDB

Arguably the best-known actor to emerge from Night Court was John Larroquette. He went on to star in his own self-titled sitcom between 1993-96. Charlie Robinson guest-starred in an episode, bringing back memories for fans of self-obsessed prosecutor Fielding and laid-back Vietnam vet “Mac.” Night Court is noticeable for its diverse cast, back in the days when that wasn’t a given.

Larroquette continued his legal path onscreen, with parts in The Practice and Boston Legal.

Robinson took high-profile roles in the sitcoms Love & War and Home Improvement. He died in July 2021, aged 75.

Larroquette played the American Basil Fawlty

cast of Payne TV show
Photo Credit: CBS / MovieStillsDB

He was sitcom royalty for Night Court. Yet Larroquette came a little unstuck playing the title character in 1999’s Payne.

Based on Fawlty Towers, the show lasted a single season and was badly received. Not that Laroquette wasn’t in good company – both Harvey Korman and Bea Arthur failed to follow in John Cleese’s footsteps.

One producer created Malcolm In The Middle

Linwood Boomer with the cast of 'Malcom in the Middle'
(L-R) Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Linwood Boomer and Jane Kaczmarek attend the ceremony honoring Bryan Cranston with a Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame held on July 16, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Credit: Michael Tran/FilmMagic)

Linwood Boomer worked as a producer on the show. The former Little House on the Prairie star went behind the scenes on Night Court before creating the long-running hit Malcolm In The Middle (2000-2006).

Notable Night Court guest stars

John Astin poses at a desk
PARSIPPANY, NJ – APRIL 28: John Astin attends the 2012 Chiller Theatre expo at the Parsippany Hilton on April 28, 2012 in Parsippany City. (Photo by Bobby Bank/WireImage)

Seinfeld’s Michael Richards guest-starred as an unclothed defendant who thought he was invisible.

The Addams Family’s original Gomez, John Astin, made regular appearances as Buddy, the father of lead character Harry Stone.

Night Court’s wildest case involved Wile E Coyote. The Warner Bros. character was dragged before the judge in all his animated glory, standing trial over his treatment of Road Runner.

The series actually ended 16 years later, on 30 Rock

Guest appearance on an episode of 30 Rock
Photo Credit: NBC / MovieStillsDB

Night Court closed with a lot of loose ends. That wasn’t their fault. The plan was to end with Season 8. Then another run was ordered and left hanging, causing great upset among fans.

30 Rock picked up the baton in 2008. Anderson, Post, and Robinson were brought back for a mini-reunion where Judge Stone and Christine Sullivan tied the knot. The cast played both themselves and their characters in an episode that got mixed reviews.

Night Court is back in session

A Night Court revival premiered January 17, 2023, and right out of the box was a smash hit. The reboot’s success surprised even some of the show’s producers. In fact, the first three episodes averaged 6.6 million viewers and garnered the highest ratings any network comedy series has gotten in four years.

The new Night Court follows judge Abby Stone (Melissa Rauch), the daughter of the late Harry Stone. Like her father, Stone presides over a New York City arraignment court during the night shift. John Larroquette has reprised his role as prosecutor Dan Fielding. Other stars include Kapil Talwalkar as Abby’s clerk, Lacretta as the bailiff, and India de Beaufort as the assistant district attorney.

More from us: Ranking the Best Sitcoms of All Time

Dan Rubin developed the reboot and wrote the pilot episode. He’s remained quiet so far on whether any actors from the original run will make appearances, but there were some announced guest appearances for Season 1. These include Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski, Lyric Lewis, Kurt Fuller, Melissa Villaseñor, Pete Holmes, Stephnie Weir, and Kurt Fuller.