# Night court **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [May 2, 2022, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847 "2022-05-02T20:19:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/21 "2022-05-02T21:22:47Z")
> [@stosh1](#): > > I like a lot of old TV shows, but […] > [@stosh1](#): > > I don’t watch a lot of TV. > [@stosh1](#): > > Does anybody know why? Sounds like cognitive dissonance to me. I have been told there is no cure. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/22 "2022-05-02T21:22:56Z")
Night Court was scary. They even had a guy from the future with a handheld death ray. [![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/0c3f4d8adda9c2d42d560c5933b704ef/tumblr_nq0tdgDneQ1rlk5dso3_400.gifv) ](https://64.media.tumblr.com/0c3f4d8adda9c2d42d560c5933b704ef/tumblr_nq0tdgDneQ1rlk5dso3_400.gifv) Maybe that’s why you never watched it? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/23 "2022-05-02T21:26:58Z")
Depends on the cable system. But it’s also over the air, though you usually need a special tuner. This will let you look it up. > **[Find Us - Laff](https://www.laff.com/find-us/)** > > Use this page to identify your local hook-up to funny. Laff- You Know You Want To. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/24 "2022-05-02T21:29:49Z")
Yes, I think I’ve stumbled upon it on one of those channels with a decimal point and a 2 or 3 after the decimal point. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/25 "2022-05-02T21:46:06Z")
> [@stosh1](#): > > I like a lot of old TV shows… > [@stosh1](#): > > …I don’t watch a lot of TV. Stosh, buddy, are you just messing with us? mmm ---
**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:** [May 2, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/26 "2022-05-02T21:55:33Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Yes, I think I’ve stumbled upon it on one of those channels with a decimal point and a 2 or 3 after the decimal point. Those are “digital subchannels” – when the U.S. switched over to digital broadcasting for over-the-air television, each local station was given access to additional OTA channels. In most cases, their “primary” channel, which carries their normal programming, is technically “x.0” (so, a Channel 7’s primary channel is “7.0”), while their digital subchannels have those additional digits (e.g., 7.1, 7.2, etc.) A number of syndicated networks have developed, which provide local stations with content to run on their digital subchannels. Many of those networks, such as MeTV, Heroes & Icons, Antenna TV, and Laff, largely (or exclusively) carry old network TV series. If you have cable TV, your local cable company likely carries many of the digital subchannels for your local TV stations. An over-the-air digital antenna should be able to pick them up, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/27 "2022-05-02T22:19:45Z")
I think Laff has booted Night Court from rotation, so OP may go a little longer without seeing it. On the plus side, they’ve been showing Barney Miller of late. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/28 "2022-05-02T23:39:46Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Unfortunately much of the principle cast has passed over the last 30 years. Are you sure you want to watch a show with an _unprincipled_ cast? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/29 "2022-05-03T02:29:04Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > If you have cable TV, your local cable company likely carries many of the digital subchannels for your local TV stations. An over-the-air digital antenna should be able to pick them up, as well. They used to be required to carry any over-the-air station in their vicinity. I don’t believe that rule has been changed, though they usually hide the subchannels by giving them very high channel numbers. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2022, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/30 "2022-05-03T02:34:15Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > They used to be required to carry any over-the-air station in their vicinity. That, I knew (and it may well still be the case), though I am not certain if it applies to the digital subchannels. I’m in the near suburbs of Chicago, and have Comcast cable (the dominant cable carrier in the market). It carries a lot of the local stations’ digital subchannels, but apparently not all of them – for instance, the station finder for Laff (linked to above) says that they are on subchannel 66.2 here (a subchannel for WGBO, the Chicago affiliate for Univision), but it also says that Comcast doesn’t carry them, and I can’t find them on my Comcast station listing. It does note that they are carried here by RCN, which is a smaller cable service, and I think only operates in the city of Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/31 "2022-05-03T03:53:54Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > On the plus side, they’ve been showing Barney Miller of late. You will notice many of the same actors between the Barney Miller and Night Court. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/32 "2022-05-03T03:59:53Z")
Clearly it was because you were doing too much cocaine when the rest of us stopped in the 90’s. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/33 "2022-05-03T11:57:33Z")
> [@pirviii](#): > > You will notice many of the same actors between the Barney Miller and Night Court. Perhaps because the delightfully named Reinhold Weege was involved in both shows. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/34 "2022-05-03T12:07:10Z")
But oddly enough, not Judge Reinhold ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/35 "2022-05-03T12:10:52Z")
I found this at [Vulture.com](http://Vulture.com), and it was taken from an article addressing this question, though not this specific TV series: [**Why Are These Classic Shows Nowhere to Be Found on Streaming?**](https://www.vulture.com/2016/11/why-cant-these-shows-be-found-on-streaming.html) > For better or worse, industry experts say the biggest factor in determining whether an older show lands on streaming these days is whether or not a big streaming service believes adding that show to its lineup will help boost subscriptions. “The major streaming platforms are laser focused on new and original programming,” says Dave McIntosh, senior VP of business affairs and digital distribution for Shout! Factory, which [specializes in classic TV](http://www.vulture.com/2015/02/your-new-streaming-source-for-classic-tv.html). “They want special content that will cause people to join their service or at least keep them from quitting another month. With a few notable exceptions — _Freaks and Geeks_ would be one — classic and cult television doesn’t really move the needle.” What’s more, snagging a licensing with a big streamer is more difficult than it was just a few years ago, when the Netflixes of the world were just starting out and hungry for content of any kind. As McIntosh notes, streamers are now obsessed with creating their own original content, resulting in less money available for library titles. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/36 "2022-05-03T12:17:09Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > In most cases, their “primary” channel, which carries their normal programming, is technically “x.0” (so, a Channel 7’s primary channel is “7.0”), while their digital subchannels have those additional digits (e.g., 7.1, 7.2, etc.) I’m going to have to be a little picky and note that in the U.S. there is no such thing as an “x.0” channel. The primary channel therefore is x.1, with additional channels either higher suffix numbers or, in the case of shared transmissions, different main channel numbers. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2022, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/37 "2022-05-03T13:01:48Z")
> [@whitetho](#): > > I’m going to have to be a little picky and note that in the U.S. there is no such thing as an “x.0” channel. The primary channel therefore is x.1, with additional channels either higher suffix numbers or, in the case of shared transmissions, different main channel numbers. Oops, you’re right. I stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/38 "2022-05-03T13:16:17Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I say it’s aliens. You’ve seen the series finale I take it. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/39 "2022-05-03T20:48:55Z")
There’s a Night Court reboot [coming this Fall](https://deadline.com/2021/11/night-court-nbc-2022-23-season-1234873200/). " Based on the original series created by Reinhold Weege, _Night Court_ centers on unapologetic optimist judge Abby Stone (Rauch), the daughter of the late Harry Stone, who follows in her father’s footsteps as she presides over the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court and tries to bring order to its crew of oddballs and cynics, most notably former night court prosecutor Dan Fielding, with John Larroquette reprising his role." Big Bang’s Melissa Rauch is also the executive producer. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847/40 "2022-05-04T02:13:40Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > It was on MeTV in regular rotation a couple of years ago. How did I miss that? I’d love to stumble upon it while changing channels. It seems like the MeTV-type channels are heavy on black&white comedies: Andy Griffith, Gilligan, Leave It to Beaver, The Addams Family, Green Acres… I’d love more variety. And Dobie Gillis. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/night-court/963847.md?page=3)