# Anyone remember a Night Court like Sitcom that wasn't picked up? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 29, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-night-court-like-sitcom-that-wasnt-picked-up/807692 "2018-01-29T01:11:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-night-court-like-sitcom-that-wasnt-picked-up/807692/1 "2018-01-29T01:11:55Z")
Anyone remember a predecessor to Night Court with a completely different cast probably around 1978 or 1979? I think it was a mid-summer tryout that didn’t get picked up. I thought the judge was [Herb Edelman](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248983/?ref_=tt_cl_t4) probably best known for the Odd Couple movie, but I see no listing that matches. The judge had a red headed clerk he referred to as Carrot Top I believe. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-night-court-like-sitcom-that-wasnt-picked-up/807692/2 "2018-01-29T02:04:22Z")
My first thought is [Sirota’s Court](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074056/?ref_=nv_sr_1), though it was from 1976-7, and not from summertime. Michael Constantine played the judge, and he does look a bit like Edelman. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-night-court-like-sitcom-that-wasnt-picked-up/807692/3 "2018-01-29T02:14:10Z")
Too late to add: the actress who played his clerk (Cynthia Harris) was a redhead. It just might be your show. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-night-court-like-sitcom-that-wasnt-picked-up/807692/4 "2018-01-29T02:15:20Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > My first thought is [Sirota’s Court](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074056/?ref_=nv_sr_1), though it was from 1976-7, and not from summertime. Michael Constantine played the judge, and he does look a bit like Edelman. That’s the one. Thank you. I’ve been watching Night court seasons 1-4 and then watched the Odd Couple tonight on TCM, it reminded me of this lost show that was effectively the first try at Night Court. I’m surprised I didn’t recall [Fred Willard](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0929609/?ref_=tt_cl_t5) in it. Edelman & Constantine do kind of look the same and this was a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-night-court-like-sitcom-that-wasnt-picked-up/807692/5 "2018-01-29T02:23:20Z")
Just a WAG here, but could you be thinking of a sitcom starring Tony Randall as a widowed judge with two kids? His clerk (secretary, actually) was played by the very red-haired actress Allyn Ann McLerie. [See if this looks familiar.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2nasgQ9igM) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-night-court-like-sitcom-that-wasnt-picked-up/807692/6 "2018-01-29T02:27:35Z")
I remember watching Sirota’s Court back then, though I have no distinct memories of it, other than the balding judge, and the [theme song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsn-L0DAsTQ). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-night-court-like-sitcom-that-wasnt-picked-up/807692/7 "2018-01-29T04:26:07Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I thought the judge was [Herb Edelman](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248983/?ref_=tt_cl_t4) probably best known for the Odd Couple movie Really? Not as Stan, Dorothy’s ex, on the Golden Girls? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-night-court-like-sitcom-that-wasnt-picked-up/807692/8 "2018-01-29T05:46:05Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Really? Not as Stan, Dorothy’s ex, on the Golden Girls? Or Bert, Bob Denver’s buddy on _ **The Good Guys** _? :dubious: 😕 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-night-court-like-sitcom-that-wasnt-picked-up/807692/9 "2018-01-29T22:54:28Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I remember watching Sirota’s Court back then, though I have no distinct memories of it, other than the balding judge, and the [theme song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsn-L0DAsTQ). 🙂 My memories of it were pretty minor too. Only that it was about a Night Court. I couldn’t even remember the star. > [@jayjay](#): > > Really? Not as Stan, Dorothy’s ex, on the Golden Girls? Huge show, but I didn’t watch it, not my cup of tea or something. > [@terentii](#): > > Or Bert, Bob Denver’s buddy on _ **The Good Guys** _? :dubious: 😕 Seriously? Does anyone remember that show? It was also never in syndication. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-night-court-like-sitcom-that-wasnt-picked-up/807692/10 "2018-01-29T23:49:15Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I remember watching Sirota’s Court back then, though I have no distinct memories of it, other than the balding judge, and the [theme song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsn-L0DAsTQ). 🙂 They said “Sirota” so many times in the theme song that it’s lost all meaning! ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-night-court-like-sitcom-that-wasnt-picked-up/807692/11 "2018-01-30T14:05:22Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Seriously? Does anyone remember that show? It was also never in syndication. I remember it and it’s the first show I think of when I think of Herb Edelman. (And the third show when thinking of Bob Denver.) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-night-court-like-sitcom-that-wasnt-picked-up/807692/12 "2018-01-30T17:02:27Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > (And the third show when thinking of Bob Denver.) No love for _Dusty’s Trail_, huh?