50 free Night Court trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Night Court trivia quiz covers the NBC sitcom from its January 1984 debut through the 1992 finale, plus the 2023 revival in which Melissa Rauch's Abby Stone took over her late father's Manhattan courtroom and John Larroquette came back as Dan Fielding. It is written for people who remember the saxophone theme, the magic tricks and the Mel Torme jokes, and for the newer audience who met the night shift through the revival. Expect questions on Judge Harry Stone, Dan, Bull Shannon, Christine Sullivan, Mac and Roz, the bailiffs who came before Roz, the show's creator and his Barney Miller roots, Larroquette's record run of Emmys, the Wheelers, Yakov, the aliens from Jupiter and the last line ever spoken on the show. About a third of the questions are easy for anyone who watched, a third need a closer memory of the cast and specific episodes, and the rest reward the completists who know the ratings history, the theme's composer and the revival's casting changes. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia's articles on both series, the episode list and the main actors before publishing, and each question carries the sentence that establishes it. If you think one is wrong, use the report button and we will look again.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01On which network did the original Night Court air from 1984 to 1992?
NBC
It ran nine seasons and 193 episodes, starting as a mid-season replacement in January 1984.
Q 02What was Judge Harry Stone's full first name?
Harold
Harold T. Stone was played by Harry Anderson, a real-life magician who worked the trade into the character.
Q 03Night Court's creator had previously written for which police sitcom?
Barney Miller
Creator Weege spent years on that show before setting up his own courtroom in Manhattan's night shift.
Q 04What is prosecutor Dan Fielding's real first name?
Reinhold
He shares it with the show's creator, a veteran of a 1970s police-station sitcom.
Q 05What is bailiff Bull Shannon's real first name?
Nostradamus
Richard Moll's 6-foot-9 bailiff appeared in every episode of the original series.
Q 06Who played public defender Christine Sullivan?
Markie Post
Post first appeared as a guest in season two and became a regular from season three through the end.
Q 07What was court clerk Mac Robinson's full first name?
Macintosh
Charles Robinson played Mac from season two to season nine, and later directed an episode.
Q 08Marsha Warfield's bailiff Roz shares her full name with which classic Hollywood actress?
Rosalind Russell
Roz joined in season four and stayed until the finale; Warfield reprised the role in the 2023 revival.
Q 09Who played the chain-smoking bailiff Hacker in the first two seasons?
Selma Diamond
Diamond died of lung cancer after season two, and her replacement Florence Halop died after season three.
Q 10Season three bailiff Flo Kleiner's maiden name was a joke on which famous nurse?
Nightingale
Florence Halop played her for a single season before her death.
Q 11Which former Charlie's Angels star was hired in 1984 to play Christine Sullivan but left in rehearsals?
Shelley Hack
The role had been rewritten from a funny lady into a straight woman, and Hack and the producers agreed it was not working.
Q 12Which singer played public defender Billie Young in season two?
Ellen Foley
Foley, known for duetting with Meat Loaf on "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", lasted one season before Christine Sullivan became the regular.
Q 13Which crooner appeared as himself as Harry's musical idol?
Mel Tormé
Tormé turned up throughout the run, once even as a guardian angel in a parody of It's a Wonderful Life.
Q 21For its second season, NBC moved Night Court to which night, later branded Must See TV?
Thursday
It aired at 9:30 between a bar sitcom and Hill Street Blues, and its ratings climbed into the top 20.
Q 22What was Night Court's highest season-ending Nielsen rank, achieved in season four?
7th
That 1986-87 season was the show's peak; ratings slid after it moved back to Wednesdays.
Q 23In its final season, Night Court served as the Wednesday lead-in for which soon-to-be hit?
Seinfeld
Even so, the show hit a ratings low, barely making the top 50.
How many consecutive Emmys did John Larroquette win for playing Dan?
Q 14Which future Star Trek actor played frequent defendant Bob Wheeler?
Brent Spiner
Spiner and Annie O'Donnell reprised the down-on-their-luck Wheelers in the 2023 revival.
Q 15Which Russian-born comedian played recurring immigrant Korolenko?
Yakov Smirnoff
Yakov's storylines ranged from selling stolen property to getting a visa for his father, played by Arte Johnson.
Q 16Which Addams Family star played Buddy Ryan, Harry's stepfather who turned out to be his birth father?
John Astin
Buddy, a cheerful mental patient, was a recurring presence from seasons four to seven.
Q 17Which comedian played prosecutor Oscar Brown in the final season?
Gilbert Gottfried
Gottfried joined a long list of comics who passed through the courtroom over nine seasons.
Q 18Who composed Night Court's Latin jazz-influenced theme tune?
Jack Elliott
Ernie Watts played the saxophone line over footage of the Brooklyn Bridge and the New York County Courthouse.
Q 19Which rapper's 1998 remix of "Horse & Carriage" sampled the Night Court theme?
Cam'ron
The Digga-produced remix featured Big Pun, Charli Baltimore, Wyclef Jean and Silkk the Shocker.
Q 20Whose distinctive laugh is heard over the Starry Night Productions logo at the end of each episode?
The creator's father
Chuck Weege attended nearly every taping until his son left the show after season six.
Four
He won from 1985 to 1988, then withdrew his name from the ballot in 1989.
Q 25How many Emmy nominations did Night Court receive in total, winning seven?
31
Three of the nominations were for Outstanding Comedy Series, in 1985, 1987 and 1988.
Q 26Germany's Sat.1 aired the show in 1988 as Harry's wundersames Strafgericht, which translates as what?
Miraculous Criminal Court
Italy called it Giudice di notte and Spain Juzgado de Guardia.
Q 27Which sitcom staged a Night Court reunion in "The One with the Cast of Night Court"?
30 Rock
The plot has Christine's actress annoyed that Harry has spoken to Dan's, with whom she has lost touch.
Q 28What was the title of the 1984 pilot episode?
All You Need Is Love
The pilot's public defender, Sheila Gardner, was played by Gail Strickland and never seen again.
Q 29In the series finale, Bull befriends some old men who turn out to be aliens from which planet?
Jupiter
He agrees to go home with them, and his reply "Ohh-kay" is the last line of the series.
Q 30What is the last line spoken in the original Night Court?
Ohh-kay
It is Bull's reply to the visitors who need his help on their home planet.