Night Court

Night Court was an American television sitcom that aired from January, 1984 to May, 1992 on NBC. The premise of Night Court was that there was a night shift at a Manhattan court. Night court was presided over by an atypical, young judge named Harold T. Stone, or Harry. 

The show Night Court was made without the intention of having Harry Anderson, a comedian and magician, but Anderson’s audition was convincing enough to win him the part. Harry Anderson had already developed a fan base due to his other performances on Saturday Night Light and his “Harry the Hat” appearances on Cheers

Night Court changed comedy styles as the show progressed throughout the seasons. During the initial seasons of Court, the show’s style was typically compared to the style of Barney Miller. Along with being created and written by a writer of that Barney Miller, the plot of Night Court was held in New York City, contained dry and quirky humor, and also involved a situation where the staff worked to deal with a more eccentric, neurotic complainants and criminals. 

Furthermore, both the complainants and criminals were often acted out by character actors who also were frequent guest on Barney Miller. Although the characters that showed up on Night Court were very atypical, the premise of the show still continued in a realistic word. Early on, Time magazine had reviewed Night Court and mentioned the realistic feeling of the show due to the emphasis placed on non-violent and non-glamorous crime. 

As the seasons progressed, Night Court began to lose the feeling of being realistic and instead evolved into a more slapstick type of comedy. Stylized humor was made into a bigger priority in rather than realism and logic. 

Night Court ran for a total of nine seasons, where it received many different nominations and awards. Two of the characters were nominated for the Golden Globes.

Night Court particularly found more success winning Emmys in comparison to Golden Globes, particularly with a nomination during the first season. The second season of Night Show resulted in more recognition due to greater success with both fans and critics. For four consecutive Emmy’s the show received awards for comedy’s best supporting actor as well as nominations. 

In total, the Night Court earned three Emmy nominations in 1985, 1987, as well as in 1988 for best comedy series. The show was ultimately nominated for a total of 31 Emmys, and seven wins. Furthermore, Night Court was also the recipient of many smaller nominations and awards for editing, lighting, technical direction, and sound mixing.