In our
story the other day about the
Night Court - Television Favorites single-DVD release planned for
February 28th, we passed on what we knew, and what we thought about the possible contents of such a disc. Now Warner has cleared that up for us by issuing a press release that lists the exact contents of this disc. Here is the provided list:
Night Court: TV Favorites follows the exploits of Judge Harry T. Stone who presides over the New York City night court. The cases that come before Judge Stone are always a little bit silly, but it’s up for debate whether his motley crew of staff or the criminals for whom he dispenses justice are more bizarre. Viewers will enjoy the chaos that made this hilarious 80’s sitcom one of the top shows of its time. The series, which originally aired on NBC January 1984 to May 1992 was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Comedy Series category. Night Court starred Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, Richard Moll, Karen Austin, Paula Kelly, Selma Diamond, Charles Robinson, Markie Post and Marsha Warfield. Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives) makes a guest appearance in an episode entitled "Who Was that Mashed Man?."
- All You Need is Love – Season 1 (aired January 4, 1984)
- Her Honor, Part 1 – Season 4 (aired April 29, 1987)
- Her Honor, Part 2 – Season 4 (aired May 6, 1987)
- Death of a Bailiff – Season 5 (aired October 15, 1987)
- Who Was that Mashed Man? – Season 5 (aired November 19, 1987)
- Fire – Season 6 (aired November 2, 1988)
"All You Need is Love" was the very first episode of the show, introducing Judge Harry to the bench, and the viewers. At TVShowsOnDVD, we agree that the inclusion of this episode is redundant, since it already is available on DVD in the
Night Court - Season 1 set. Warner probably figures, though, that this release will serve as an introduction to the show for many people as time goes on, people who won't have the season set in hand, and so probably justified its inclusion that way.
"Her Honor" was actually a 4-part episode: two parts to conclude the 4th season, and two more to debut the 5th season. These feature Markie Post heavily, as they are about how Harry's role as Judge was not renewed by the city, but that Christine was given the gavel instead. The Wheelers of West Virginia (with
Star Trek: TNG's Brent Spiner as Bob Wheeler) are prominent in the first two parts as well. Warner has chosen to include the first two parts of this 4-part, but not the last two parts. That's quite strange, and probably will leave us hanging as well!
"Death of a Bailiff" at first glance would make you think that this is about Selma's passing on, but in actuality that happened at the start of the third season. This Season 5 episode is the hilarious one where Bull is struck by lightening and then "hears God's voice" telling him to give away all his possessions.
"Who Was that Mashed Man?" and "Fire" are both "Dan"-centric episodes. The former where he must look out for the hot-looking niece (Teri Hatcher) of Dan's cruel boss (it also has Harry having to decide a case where the actor who portrayed one of his childhood heroes, The Red Ranger, can no longer appear in mask...echoing the real-life
Lone Ranger situation of that era). "Fire" has everyone going to the morgue for protection from a fire in the building while Dan awaits election results from his bid to become a State Assemblyman.
We're not going to worry about posting the full press release, as it covers already-known (thanks to their Best Buy exclusives)
Welcome Back, Kotter and
Drew Carey Show episodes and descriptions for the majority of the rest of it. But readers may be interested in the below portion of the press release, in which Warner describes what they think the appeal of these "Television Favorites" releases are. However, they do not ever indicate in writing here that successful sales of these will or even could lead to season sets; no promises in that regard. Here's what they DO say:
TV viewers will soon become reacquainted with the “Sweathogs,” find out why “Cleveland rocks” and experience Manhattan’s craziest courtroom when Warner Home Video releases the second wave of its compilation series, ‘TV Favorites,’ on February 28, 2006. Featured titles include Welcome Back Kotter, The Drew Carey Show and Night Court. Each DVD will be competitively priced at $9.97 (SRP) and will feature a collection of six of the best episodes from a given series.
“We think ‘TV Favorites’ is a terrific way to sample some of the best programming television has to offer. The DVDs offer consumers a quick, simple and economical way to enjoy some of television’s most outstanding shows,” commented Rosemary Markson, WHV Executive Director TV Marketing. She added, “Whether you’ve missed a certain show during its original run or you’re a diehard fan of another one, you can’t go wrong with these DVDs. They are wonderful collectibles because they feature the series’ best and most popular episodes, which were carefully chosen to comprise these compilations.”
‘TV Favorites’ is a collection of classic and contemporary television compilations, showcasing many episodes that are on DVD for the first time. Each ‘TV Favorites’ featured title will include approximately 150 minutes of content consisting of six fan favorite and/or pivotal episodes from multiple seasons of each program. Fans can look forward to a third wave of ‘TV Favorites’ in June 2006 that will include a mix of genres from both new and vintage titles at the same value price of $9.97.
Well, there you have it. Stay tuned for box art for
Night Court - Television Favorites, when it's available.
