30 Rock: The One with the Cast of Night Court

30 Rock: The One with the Cast of Night Court
NBC
November 13, 2008
Sitcom
DVD
B-

As the title of this Jack Burditt story suggests, we get not only three members of the cast of Night Court but also another Friends alum, this time Jennifer Aniston as Liz and Jenna's old friend Claire, who is wild and crazy, and crazy and wild, so of course Jack gets involved with her, despite Liz's warnings.  Meanwhile Tracy wants to make Kenneth happy so he tries to provide closure for NC.  In a world full of changes, Frank Anello still plays a member of the Production Staff.

Night Court: Fire

Suspense!

Night Court: Fire
NBC
November 2, 1988
Sitcom
DVD
D+

Bob Underwood wrote this Season Six episode which manages to contain:

• An inconclusive election with Dan tying with an unseen female opponent (Election Day was the Tuesday after this aired);
• Bull voting against Dan because of issues and insults;
• Harry and Christine arguing and then kissing when they think they're going to die;
• Jokes about corpses, including necrophilia;
• And one of the most boring fires I've ever seen on TV.

Mike Finneran again appears as Art Fensterman.  William Utay, who plays Phil Sanders, would be Jim on Who's the Boss?

This "best of" DVD ranges from this D+ to two C+s, averaging out to a C.  I will be donating it to a thrift store, and appreciating more the shows I liked at the time, and still like.

Night Court: Who Was That Mashed Man?

Night Court: Who Was That Mashed Man?
NBC
November 19, 1987
Sitcom
DVD
C-

Bob Colleary, who wrote a M*A*S*H episode, co-wrote this episode with someone who hasn't contributed to any of my other shows.  I'm going to blame them for both plots being unfunny and tasteless: a midget with a grudge fixes Dan up with his (the midget's) cock-teasing niece and forbids Dan to touch her, and meanwhile a Western TV hero threatens suicide in an implausible way.  Mike Finneran returns as Art Fensterman.

Night Court: Death of a Bailiff

No, "death" of a different bailiff.

Night Court: Death of a Bailiff
NBC
October 15, 1987
Sitcom
DVD
C

The script by Bob Underwood is his first of fourteen for Night Court, but I don't know if it's his fault or director Melman's that this is more aggressively unfunny than the episodes we looked at for Season Four.  This was the third episode of Season Five, after Parts 3 and 4 of "Her Honor."  I would've gone with a C- but the last scene redeems the episode some, not with humor (Mac's war against the computer is the equally dismal subplot) but with drama that isn't overly undercut with dumb jokes.  So this episode receives the 100th C on this blog.

Mike Finneran makes one of his 37 appearances as handyman Art Fensterman.

Night Court: Her Honor, Part 2

Night Court: Her Honor, Part 2
NBC
May 6, 1987
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This episode has more promise, with everyone reacting to Judge Stone's departure, including some Harry/Christine ship-teasing.  But every time there's a chance for insight, it's killed by some lame joke, like Harry putting on a moose hat.  And, yes, this episode ends the fourth season on several cliffhangers.

Craig Richard, who was Ron Michaels on What's Happening!! and Mr. Spacek on Square Pegs, plays Mr. Binnit.  Al Ruscio, who was Joseph Rossini on Who's the Boss?, is Mr. Fetty.  K. Callan, who was much better as Kip's mother on Bosom Buddies, has the thankless role of Mrs. Jane Fletzker.

Night Court: Her Honor, Part 1

Less buttoned-down
than three years ago.

Night Court: Her Honor, Part 1
NBC
April 29, 1987
Sitcom
DVD
C

Changes in the cast since Season One

• Markie Post is now the public defender Christine Sullivan, replacing (in order) Gail Strickland, Paula Kelly, and my personal favorite Ellen Foley;
• Charles Robinson joined as court clerk Mac Robinson in Season Two;
• and Marsha Warfield had become female bailiff Roz Russell the previous year, after the deaths of both Selma Diamond and Florence Halop from lung cancer.

As for Bull and Harry, they're certainly recognizable from the Pilot (Bull wasn't that complex a character anyway), but Dan has gone sleazy in the meantime.  In this episode, he also goes off the rails because he fails to be made a judge, although Christine succeeded.  More of the focus is on him though, despite the episode title, until it turns that Harry hasn't been reappointed.  The studio audience and/or laugh track is having a grand old time, but I found nothing special about this except that Harry is reading the Tower Commission Report in two scenes without comment.*

Wil Albert, who had played Kip's Uncle Saul on Bosom Buddies, is Mr. Peele here and would be a Jeweler on Who's the Boss?  Brent Spiner and Annie O'Donnell, who had played Bob and June Wheeler on previous episodes would return for Part 2 of this one.  Linwood Boomer wrote both parts (and Parts 3 and 4, which would air in the Fall).  Jeff Melman would direct all four parts, and another 73 episodes.


*Iran-Contra had broken the previous fall, just after the mid-term elections.  It would not impact TV, including sitcoms, as much as Watergate had, but then, this time a president wouldn't resign.

Night Court: All You Need Is Love

Austin and Strickland

Night Court: All You Need Is Love
NBC
January 4, 1984
Sitcom
DVD
C+

So this is another '80s series that I watched in the early seasons but gave up on before the end.  Watching the pilot (on a one-disc collection a friend gave me), I don't think it's aged well.  A wacky, irreverent judge?  That doesn't seem particularly remarkable in this day and age, but it's not much of a period piece either, other than it's interesting to see how relatively stodgy Dan Fielding was in the beginning, pipe and all.  The next couple NC episodes we'll look at will be from Season Four, by which point Selma Diamond among others would be gone.  Note that in Season One it went into the Family Ties slot at first, and I wouldn't have been watching my favorite station, because ABC was showing Dynasty.

Karen Austin, who was one of Chester's Girlfriends on Soap and two different characters on Three's Company, plays Lana Wagner, a role that would be dropped later in the year despite the prominence here.  (She's arguably the main character.)  Gail Strickland, who was Jerry's girlfriend Courtney Simpson on The Bob Newhart Show and Capt. Helen Whitfield on M*A*S*H, is almost unrecognizable here as the more straitlaced Sheila Gardner (a role that would not last beyond this pilot).

Joseph V. Perry, who was Sgt. Kulpepper on Gidget, four different characters on That Girl, one of the Cooks on M*A*S*H, and Mr. Phil on Soap, is Phil Kerr here.  Andrew Bloch, who had two roles on M*A*S*H, plays Leonard "Hacksaw" Hammond.  Another M*A*S*H connection is that NC writer and creator Reinhold Weege wrote a '77 episode of that dramedy.