“Night time Courtroom” was a slapstick collection in regards to the individuals who work the wee hours within the Manhattan Prison Courtroom. It starred Harry Anderson as Choose Harry Stone, a wiseacre who doled out justice whereas winking and enjoying pranks. The put-upon and insufferably lascivious prosecutor Dan Fielding was performed by John Larroquette, who gained 4 Emmys for the position. Richard Moll, Gail Strickland, Charles Robinson, Markie Submit, and Marsha Warfield additionally appeared. In comparison with different sitcoms on the time, “Night time Courtroom” was a carnival, generally bordering on the surreal. One would not be stunned to see a personality working down a hallway, fleeing an enormous rolling billiard ball.
Because the A.V. Membership notes, by the point “Night time Courtroom” first aired on January 4, 1984, many of the different recently-premiered NBC sitcoms had flamed out. The director of the pilot episode, James Burrows, concluded {that a} profitable present could not merely be good: it wanted to suit right into a pre-established mildew. In Burrows’ phrases:
“It is a good present … however it’s going to take a very long time to get began. There is no motive for folks to observe it. Simply because it is good, that is no motive. Individuals will solely watch excessive idea initially. They need familiarity from TV.”
It would not be till “Night time Courtroom” was positioned alongside the already-successful “The Cosby Present” on Thursday nights that audiences would start to concentrate. On the finish of the 1985 TV season, NBC had lined up “The Cosby Present,” “Cheers,” “Household Ties,” and “Night time Courtroom.” It turned appointment viewing to observe all 4 in a stretch. Not solely did these 4 exhibits — when bunched collectively — save NBC, however in some ways, they resurrected the sitcom as a viable TV format.
