Characters / Night Court

In General

• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: The whole cast (of the most consistent line-up from seasons 4-9) except for Mac (who was just snarky). Christine is prudish, overly naive and old-fashioned, but those aren't bizarre enough personality quirks to qualify. Everyone else? Well...
  • Harry is (in)famous for his juvenile antics, jokes and magic tricks in the courtroom.
  • Dan is a Lothario with the morals of a rutting pig.
  • Bull is a genius ditz with little common sense.
  • Roz is angry and prone to violence.
  • It's suggested that their personality quirks are what kept most of the characters on the night shift so long.
• Deadpan Snarker: Everybody. More than once it's been suggested that their occasionally mouthy behavior is what keeps them on the night shift.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Covered elsewhere, but for the record...
  • Dan is originally much more straightlaced and is portrayed as a snob with a bit of a lascivious side. Midway through the first season, his sexual appetite becomes more and more prominent and his characterization becomes much more animated.
  • Bull is just a little more stern in early episodes. He also has a thin trace of hair rather than being completely bald. His quasi-mother/son relationship with Selma is also notable.
  • As discussed elsewhere, Chuck Cunningham Syndrome runs rampant within the first two seasons, but it's especially strange since even between the first and second episodes, they go from one public defender to another.
  • For that matter, Christine's appearance in the second episode of season two in which she plays a substitute public defender before handing the reins over to a character named Billie only to return in season 3 after Billie's departure, is a little weird^note The producers desperately wanted Markie Post to be a regular but she was already playing Terri Shannon on The Fall Guy and was only available for one episode that second season, leading to the casting of Ellen Foley as Billie. Billie, though, turned out to be too similar to Harry and the character was replaced with Christine once Markie Post became available to become a full-time cast member, though at-least when Christine comes and goes, it's explained that they're using subs and her being one is important to the plot.
• Straw Character:
  • Dan is a Republican, not uncommon in the Reagan era. It's mostly used for one liners and to create conflict with Harry, who is a Democrat.
  • Christine was a stereotypical "bleeding heart", often displaying inordinate amounts of compassion and trust towards her clients. During her brief stint as a judge she is visibly distraught at having to bound over a convenience store robber for trial, and she once let a group of transients stay in her apartment, who subsequently robbed her blind.
  • One episode featured a lamaze class which included an aggressively independent Straw Feminist single mother and a stereotypical "limousine liberal" yuppie couple.
  • The show also regularly featured straw conservative Rabid Cops, and several members of the Secret Service, who were depicted as trigger-happy paranoiacs.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Most of the cast with each other, although the best example would be Harry and Dan.

Harry Stone

The Honorable Judge Harold "Harry" T. Stone

Played by: Harry Anderson

"Ladies and gentlemen of the court... well, how the hell are you tonight?"

Laid-back judge, Mel Tormé fanatic, and amateur magician.

• All-Loving Hero: Renowned for his compassion as much for his wackiness. He's a steadfastly loyal friend, (usually) more than reasonable and understanding boss, and fair to everyone that comes before his bench.
• Allegedly Dateless: He definitely doesn't have the success that Dan does with women (however questionable). Even close friends like Christine and Mac automatically assume he's spending his nights after session alone, and he'll be going stag to social functions. Dan even (half-jokingly) thinks he only recently lost his virginity.
• Back to School: Harry is forced to retake a high school history class in "A Family Affair". This is a more justified example than most as it was revealed that he received an incomplete in the class, which would have invalidated his high school diploma and law degree and gotten him kicked off the bench unless he passed the exam.
• Bad Boss / Benevolent Boss: He usually leans toward the latter, being a kind, compassionate man who will do anything for his friends and is renowned for the patience and understanding he shows defendants and co-workers. But later episodes emphasize his propensity to use his authority to coerce his colleagues to engage in activities on their private time, regardless of how much it inconveniences or otherwise annoys them. Dan even calls him out on this at one point, calling him a tyrant, and none of the gang disagree.
• Badass Boast: In "Top Judge": Cleaver, you may be younger. You may be faster. You may even be smarter. But you will NEVER, EVER, be crazier... than ME.
• Badass Normal: Harry, not so much in terms of physical strength, but his ability to get in people's heads and resolve tense, violent situations peacefully.
• Bait-and-Switch: He pulls an EPIC one when he engages in a "prank war" with rival Judge Cleaver. Just when it looks like Cleaver's won and Harry concedes defeat (handing over his robe as the prize), Harry activates a gigantic balloon within the robe, inflating it so that Cleaver is trapped within what's basically a dirigible that encompasses nearly the entire courtroom.
• Berserk Button: Do not insult Mel Tormé around Harry.
  • Utterly despises the works of Barry Manilow.
• Born in the Wrong Century: Harry is basically a relic from The '40s, despite having been born in The '50s and living in The '80s.
  • It's even lampshaded in one episode.
    Harry: I'm an '90s kinda guy!
    Dan: Sure...the 1890s!
• Break the Comedian: The normally wacky Judge Harry Stone loses a bit of his comedic streak when a fellow judge he joked around with abruptly dies of a heart attack. Afterwards, Harry is much more serious... up until a new judge shows up, prompting him to become even wackier than he used to be.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's fond of jokes and elaborate pranks and can seem extremely unprofessional at times. But, he will also point out that he's a judge because he was shortlisted to be placed on the bench and his lighthearted attitude reflects a belief that the law shouldn't come down hard on the petty cases that come through his courtroom.
• Catchphrase: Harry's standard issue sentence ("$50 fine and Time Served").
  • "(name), if that is your real name..." when questioning a stranger on several occasions.
  • "What's wrong with this picture?" (Upon being presented with an utterly ridiculous situation)
  • "Thank you, Nani Darnell." Said after someone makes a great show of giving him an item he needs. Darnell was the wife and assistant of American magician Mark Wilson.
• The Character Died with Him: In the sequel series, it's revealed that Harry had passed away as his actor Harry Anderson had died in 2018. Rest in peace, Harry.
• Characterization Marches On: Though still quirky and fun-loving, by season 8 he's has somewhat toned down the over-the-top wackiness and disregard for convention that in the past sometimes threatened to disrupt court proceedings.
• Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Everybody in the show thinks Harry is one of these. And to some degree, they may be right.
• Covert Pervert: He's usually the most decent and upstanding person you could ask for, but he has his limits. One episode saw him tell a defendant (Tatiana, princess of a Polynesian island) to "make [herself] comfortable" in his chambers. Tatiana proceeds to take off her top, to the shock of Harry, who stands dumbfounded... for a considerable amount of time. Roz (who was also present) comments thusly:

  Roz: I'm a witness, sir. You did nothing to encourage this.

  [Harry continues to ogle Tatiana]

  Roz: You also did nothing to discourage it, either.

• Fan of the Past: A fan of Mel Torme and the music of The '40s.
• For Want Of A Nail: Two examples, both key to him becoming a judge.
  • Harry, after attending countless auditions peddling his magic act (and being turned down each time) finally encounters an agent who is impressed and hugely enthused to represent him, with the intent to push Harry to the moon. But the agent has a heart attack and drops dead on the spot, spurring Harry to go ahead and attend law school.
  • Years later, after he has successfully completed law school, passed the bar and become a lawyer, Harry receives a call to appointment to a judgeship. It turns out that Harry was at the very bottom of a long list of potential candidates, and (due to his young age and irreverent temperament) it is likely he would never have been selected if any of the other candidates had been available that Sunday to pick up the phone.
• Friend to All Children: The plot of several episodes are resolved because of him getting through to a supposed Enfant Terrible, due to his special rapport with kids.

  Harry: I never met a kid I didn't like.

• Guile Hero: Harry often uses his cunning and humor to resolve problems, diffuse potentially deadly situations and overall achieve noble ends.
• Heartbroken Badass: Several times. But the worst was when his girlfriend Margaret goes into witness protection.
• Heroic BSoD: Goes nearly catatonic when his childhood bully is brought before his bench.
  • Is utterly destroyed when his girlfriend Margaret has to leave his life and enter witness protection. He can only whimper a faint "I want to go home" to Christine before shuffling off, totally dejected.
• Hurricane of Puns: He's typically prone to this, but a perfect example occurs during season 6's "Yet Another Day In the Life' episode:
  Harry: You held up an International House of Pancakes? How waffle!
  • Later in the same episode:
    Dan: This is the third time the defendant has been caught breaking into the butcher shop.
    Harry: So, we meat again!
    [courtroom groans]
    Harry: Looks like someone hasn't loined his lesson!
    [courtroom groans again]
    Harry: Well apparently, he doesn't realize what's at steak here!
    [courtroom empties out]
    Harry: Hey, where you all going? This is prime stuff!
• I Surrender, Suckers: Harry seemingly concedes defeat when young hotshot Judge Cleaver springs an admittedly awesome stunt during Harry's session Harry's bench shatters when he bangs his gavel, declaring Cleaver his better in prank pulling. But when he turns over his judge's robe (the agreed upon prize) and walks out, Harry activates a device that inflates the robe, trapping Cleaver inside a giant balloon, proving that he's the superior prankster.
• Kavorka Man: While he's by no means a physically unattractive man (he's tall, witty, charming and cute in a geekish kind of way), his Manchild tendencies definitely keep him accumulating more female company. But he nonetheless hooks up with a decent amount of women through the course of the show, most of whom Dan has failed to woo.
• Large Ham: His bombastic, fun-loving personality drives him to turn his courtroom into his personal stage. And his tendency to overact got him replaced (by Dan) in a walk-in role as a bailiff on a courtroom TV show.
• Manchild: He's got a near childlike naivete and keeps enough toys and gadgets in his desk to keep a whole preschool happy.
• Missed the Call: How Harry got his judgeship in the first place. The outgoing mayor was trying to stack the bench on his last day in office, a Sunday. He had a long list of candidates, and Harry was the very bottom. Being a Sunday afternoon, the majority of the people on the list weren't home to take the mayor's call (this being well before cell phones were common, obviously). His Honor got to the bottom of the list and... Harry was home. Which is how a young, goofy guy like Harry got to be a judge.
  Harry: I may have been at the bottom of the list, but I was on that list.
• Missing Mom: He thought he had been abandoned by his mother for years until Buddy Ryan came to him and revealed that Harry's mother had been in and out of mental institutions for years. She had avoided contact after being released for fear that public knowledge that his mother was a mental patient might hurt Harry's career. She attempted contact by mail once, but the letter was lost in the mail for three Presidents.
• Mommy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Well into his adult years, Harry took it that his mother abandoned him (as a teen) for no discernable reason. It wasn't until Buddy Ryan (a former mental patient and Harry's birth father) came into his life and eventually explained that Harry's mother suffered from mental illness since youth, and her latest relapse prompted her to leave her young son, in the hopes that he would have a chance at a better life.
• My Greatest Failure: He still feels immense shame over driving his car into a liquor store as a teenager, which disappointed his father. To make matters worse, his father died soon thereafter and never got to see Harry turn his life around.
• Not Me This Time: Because of his reputation as The Prankster, the gang cannot believe that Harry is not indulging in his usual hijinks on Halloween. Mac is particularly suspicious, acting paranoid at even the most mundane situations where the judge is nearby. When a obituary reporting Dan's future death under ridiculous circumstances pops up, Dan freaks out and everyone (especially Mac) assumes Harry is behind it, despite his vehement denials. Turns out it was Mac.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Harry's favorite MO. He's a total goofball who loves corny old jokes, but it belies a humanistic side and a sharp wit that make him uniquely qualified to run a courtroom.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Harry is damn unsettling when he drops his fun-loving demeanor, especially when talking about the endless tragedy of his youth.
  • Becomes utterly joyless and damn near mean after Margaret leaves him to go into witness protection. His friends' efforts to break him out of his funk only make it worse.
• The Prankster: Harry takes professional pride in it.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Harry, who combined this trope with a large dash of Benevolent Boss. It's actually a plot point in several episodes that Harry's penchant for talking to his defendants and trying to understand them, even when handing down guilty verdicts, makes him unique and leads to him being beloved by his staff and the community, if not always by the Judicial Board.
  • Later seasons challenge this a bit, as it's established that he frequently uses his authority to force the court staff to do various activities (e.g., birthday parties, forming a bowling team). His intentions are good, but it causes some minor resentment in later episodes.
• Signature Headgear: Despite his otherwise geekish tendencies, he rocks a pretty cool fedora outside the courtroom.
• Team Dad: He's extremely understanding and patient, and (especially in the earlier seasons), usually resolved the episode's main plot and/or his colleagues' personal issues by hearing them out and helping them get to the nitty gritty of the situation.
• 10-Minute Retirement: In season 3's "Wheels of Justice" 2-parter, Harry briefly quits his job after being unable to stop a family from being evicted from their apartment, and said family's son chastising him, and the law in general, for failing them.
• You're Insane!: Said frequently to Harry, usually with the same response:
  Judge Harold T. Stone: That's what they tell me.

Christine Sullivan

Christine Sullivan

Played by: Markie Post

"Your Honor! May I request that the prosecutor refrain from ogling me during my closing statements?"

The public defender who despite being a beautiful and independent woman is an utterly naïve, morally upright prude.

• Beware the Nice Ones: Is the sweetest, most genuine person you could ever want to meet. But get on her bad side, she will come after you like a rabid wolf. Even her boss Harry dreads her wrath.
  • (Accidentally) backhands Harry in the episode "Ladies' Night"), knocking him cold. Also took down a big bruiser of a lady (offscreen) in that same episode, impressing even Roz.
• '80s Hair: Until the seventh season.
• Big Eater: A couple of instances depict her as capable of really putting it away. In one episode, she and Roz try to be "diet buddies", only for Christine to give up and gorge herself on plates and plates of cafeteria food at the end of the episode. Another episode begins with her upset over the finalization of her divorce, and she tries to get Roz to join her in a few plates of waffles.
• Born in an Elevator: Her son by Tony in the seventh season finale.
• Born in the Wrong Century: Christine's old fashioned sensibilities and prudish behavior are also out of place in the late-80's/early-90's.
• Broken Pedestal: Suffers a serious crisis of confidence in a ninth season episode when Peter Collingswood, the law school professor she idolized, comes on to her and claims he only gave her an "A" grade because he found her sexy. She comes around by the end of the episode, realizing that just because her mentor turns out to be a piece of crap, that makes her no less an excellent attorney.
• Buxom Beauty Standard: She is quite busty, and several gags revolve around Christine's bust size; usually around her disgusted reactions to lecherous admiration of her breasts.
  • When Dan has Christine as a guest on his shock-jock style talk show, he takes the opportunity to gush on and on about the size of her breasts, to the audience's delight. This spurs several men around the courthouse to hold an "office pool" to guess her cup size.
• Can't Hold Her Liquor: Done legitimately a few times, however the first time it was eventually revealed to her that the drink she was consuming had no alcohol, and she was being wild and crazy all on her own.
• Drunk on Milk: In the fifth season episode "Ladies' Night", Roz takes Christine to a male strip club. Upon arrival, Roz orders her usual, a drink that sounds strong, and Christine orders the same. Minutes, later, Christine is standing on top of their table, playing the kazoo and screaming at the stripper to "make that thing MOVE!!". Harry and her other male colleagues attribute her wild behavior to drunkeness, but towards the end of the episode, Roz reveals that the drink she ordered had no alcohol content whatsoever.
• Gosh Dang It to Heck!!: The woman seems almost incapable of swearing, it takes three days of mental torture taking care of a neighbor's baby to get her to the point where she'd even consider it.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Has a mane like spun sunshine and is almost angelic in demeanor.
• I Broke a Nail: In an episode featuring Christine's meddling father, he buys her a big 1949 Buick on the grounds that it's safer than modern cars. She blows up at him for taking over her life and they reconcile. The next day news comes that she was in a horrific car crash and her car went end over end.
  Judge Stone: Oh my god, what happened to her?
  Christine (enters casually): I think I broke a nail.
• I Owe You My Life: When Dan saves her from choking, he pressures her into repaying him by sleeping with him. However, Dan eventually refuses to go through with it.
• I'll Tell You When I've Had Enough!: After a nasty fight with her husband Tony, she attends a charity date auction event and becomes increasing loud and hostile. When Harry suggests that she tone down the drinking, she spouts the trope pretty much verbatim and it's revealed she's been guzzling... Fresca.
• May–December Romance: Christine was on both sides of this, having dated a wealthy man in his sixties and a twenty-something street artist.
• My Beloved Smother: A male version: Christine's overprotective (and overbearing) father Jack can't resist meddling in his only daughter's life, telling her how to live her life, how to dress, and who to date. His obnoxiousness gets to the point that Harry has him locked up for contempt.
• My Own Private "I Do": Christine and Tony were married in an improvised ceremony in an Italian restaurant the night before Tony was due to go overseas for a DEA operation.
• The Pollyanna: Almost always upbeat (to a near sickening degree), dedicated to seeing the best in everyone and has seen every Disney film like a million times.
• Uptight Loves Wild: Pretty much the summation of her and Tony's relationship. The straight-laced (and repressed) defense attorney hooking up with the tough-as-nails, streetwise Cowboy Cop.

Dan Fielding

Daniel R. "Dan" Fielding

Played by: John Larroquette

"Let the games begin."

^{Click to see Dan in the 2023 revival} 

The womanizing, selfish, pigheaded, but always witty and acid-tongued district attorney.

• Abhorrent Admirer: Has a 50/50 chance of being seen as this by any given woman. On the flip side, any woman actively pursuing Dan has a 90% chance of being one of these.
  • He was also this to Christine for most of the series. He eased up a little towards the end though, but the leering never stopped.
• Aesop Amnesia: Exactly how many times did Dan have to learn not to be a closed-minded Jerkass?
• Amusing Injuries: Suffered a few, usually at the hands of Bull or Roz.
• Attending Your Own Funeral: Dan does this after everyone thinks he died when his Army plane crashed in the Arctic.
• Butt-Monkey: Despite frequently deserving the bad things that happened to him, Dan Fielding suffered several indignities that not even he deserved. Chief among these were him losing all his savings after his accountant dropped dead at an IRS audit after Dan was hit with a Gypsy Curse.
• Camp Straight: In the early seasons, Dan's snobbish and slightly prissy behaviour and love of the finer things meant he skirted the edges of this, so much so that he was Mistaken for Gay once. This aspect of his character pretty much vanished from season 3 onwards, as he became much more over the top and his womanizing was emphasized.
• Casanova Wannabe: He has had plenty of women, yet his often obnoxious personality has made all of his relationships short.
• Catchphrase: "Ciao, baby!"
• Chivalrous Pervert: Despite his protests to the contrary. Protesting the "chivalrous" part, that is.
• Cigar Chomper: He is seen having one from time to time, as John Larroquette is one in real life. Most notably, for the opening credits, fans prefer the shot of him smoking the cigar instead of him sitting at the table in the courtroom and smiling.
• Cracks in the Icy Façade: Dan Fielding is introduced as a self-interested jerk with a perverse streak a mile wide. Several episodes point to him having a hidden soft side, though. The first major example is when he falls in love with a wealthy but homely woman, and then decides he still wants to be with her when her father threatens to cut her off if she's with Dan. Unfortunately, she decides she can't live without the money, and leaves him. Over the course of the series he becomes a much more selfless and philanthropic person.
• Deal with the Devil: Dan sells his soul for the princely sum of $100.00. Turns out it was just a prank set up by Mac.
• Deep South: Dan was originally from there and his parents were (in Dan's mind, anyway) one step removed from Ma & Pa Kettle. Actor John Larroquette is in fact from Louisiana, so this is Truth in Television to a certain extent.
  • When Dan's dad shows up, he confirms that Dan's descriptions of his home town and its inhabitants have been pretty accurate.
• Embarrassing First Name: Daniel "Dan" R. Fielding, who had his name legally changed from Reinhold Fielding Elmore. (Possibly a Take That Me by the show's producer Reinhold Weege.)
• Everyone Has Standards: Dan is an arrogant, smug, womanizing jerk, but he has very strong morals and ethics when it comes to the law, and is proud of it. At least three separate storylines centered upon someone attempting to bribe Dan and being reported to the authorities. When a private law firm offered him a more glamorous and higher paying job, Dan found out that the woman doing the hiring didn't consider him the most qualified, she just wanted to sleep with him — Dan boasted to her that he has the highest conviction rate and fewest overturns on appeals of any prosecutor in the city, and while he did sleep with her, it was only because she was attractive; he refused the job.
  • In "The Night Court Before Christmas," Dan spends a whole minute ranting at a toy company executive about what an unfeeling bastard he is for taking back the stolen toys accidentally donated to an orphanage on Christmas Eve, coolly finishing off with "And if you knew exactly who was saying this to you, you'd appreciate the full measure of that insult".
  • In "Guess Who's Listening To Dinner," Dan finds out that the woman he is dating is the daughter of a notorious mob boss. Before he can end the relationship, he is invited to dinner at her house, being told that "Dad" is anxious to talk with Dan about his future with her. Everyone expects this to be an attempt by the Mafia to bring Dan "into the family", so they'll have an "in" with the NYC District Attorney's office. The truth is that dad knows about Dan's reputation ("To put it mildly, you have the morals of a rutting pig.") and he's so desperate to avoid a society scandal he's willing to pay Dan to discreetly break up with his daughter.
  • Perhaps best summed up by this exchange in "Branded," where Dan is disbarred after being falsely accused of corruption, after the other lawyer who set Dan up confesses to his own guilt and proclaims Dan's innocence.
  Harry: Your Honor? In view of this new evidence, I would respectfully suggest that you might want to reconsider your verdict.
  Judge: Fielding is still a slime-ball.
  Harry: True, but... he's a law-abiding slime-ball.
  • Played with. When Dan unexpectedly shows up at Christine's Lamaze class to serve as her coach, she initially assumes he's there in his usual capacity as a sexual predator. But Christine actually gives him the benefit of the doubt, prompting this exchange:
    Christine: Even you wouldn't hit on a bunch of pregnant women,
    Dan: Not past the seventh month, certainly.
• Flanderization: In the first season, there were occasional jokes that implied he was a Chivalrous Pervert. By the fourth season, his obsession with sex was the basis for almost everything he said or did, except for the occasional Get-Rich-Quick Scheme.
  Dan: Your Honor, a sudden emergency has occurred, and forces me to ask for a recess.
  Harry: Sex or money, Dan?
  Dan: Oh, I'm hurt! Oh, I'm offended! I mean, did it ever occur to you that I could be in pain, could be in the throes of some personal tragedy? [Beat] Sex.
• Fur and Loathing: During his Heel–Face Turn in Season Eight, Dan becomes something of a hyper-environmentalist. He then turns down a hot date with an old girlfriend because she's wearing a mink coat.
• Handsome Lech: He's handsome and very, very lecherous.
• Heel–Face Turn: During Season 8, Dan made an honest attempt at becoming a better person after being placed in charge of a charitable organization. It was a slow transformation but by the end of the season he was as nauseatingly cheerful and pure as he used to be sarcastic and sleazy. Later on, however...
• He's Back!: In "Puppy Love" Dan's do-gooder ways have turned him into a simpering wimp with women, going to petting zoos and getting emotional about hand holding and "cute" things. The woman he's dating gets frustrated that she went to the trouble of attracting the "...great Dan Fielding," and got this wimp. After some name calling and a couple of slaps Dan carries her off to the maintenance closet and has sex with her. As the pair of them exit, walking funny and putting various items of clothing back on, Dan turns to Christine and says, "I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack."
  • In another episode, Dan struggles with a long bout of impotence. He eventually manages to shake it off by ravishing an attractive female lawyer over his lunch break. Having regained his confidence he swaggers over to Christine's desk and leans over to her:
  Dan: You know those disgusting, animalistic urges I used to torment you with?
  Christine: (wearily) Yes.
  Dan: They're baaaack.
• Hidden Depths: Who would have believed that this sleazy assistant D.A. would be a damn fine piano player?
• I Take Offense to That Last One: In "Dan's Escort" a wealthy older woman wants to pay Dan for sex to try and forget her late husband. She wants, "...one sleazy, meaningless encounter with a nondescript, morally bankrupt gigolo."
  Dan: HEY! Who are you calling nondescript?
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Dan was usually rude, condescending, arrogant, lecherous, and self-centered, but he was capable of truly astounding levels of sincerity and sensitivity. He also risked his life, multiple times, to save both his friends and total strangers.
• Ladykiller in Love: With Christine in the series finale.
  • In "Strange Bedfellows" (Season 6 Episode 17) as mentioned two tropes down, he meets cute with his political opponent, Joan Hobson, on the day of their runoff election and sleeps with her as expected. But it turns out he really enjoyed her company despite learning on TV Joan's defeating him in the election, but he wouldn't give up his career in Manhattan just to follow her to Albany. She gives Dan her compass to remember her before saying goodbye. And he turns down a date with another woman he meets afterward, saying, "Not tonight. I have a heartache."
• Large Ham: Basically just give John Larroquette a bowl of scenery and stand back.
• Limited Advancement Opportunities: Dan does try several times to get elected to higher office, but never succeeds. In one election, he loses to an opponent who died several weeks earlier.
  • He also almost got elected to the State Assembly once... ending in an exact tie (forcing a run-off election) due to a suicidal man who voted for Dan then killed himself, leaving a note explaining that the world was so screwed up it deserved "a man like Fielding." (His opponent turns out to be a gorgeous woman, and the two of them spend the night of the run-off in a hotel together. Dan's description of the run-off results: "Honey, you're kicking my head in.")
  • Dan is also a Republican in a very Democratic city. His opportunities to advance are going to be limited by that alone. He also made an enemy of his boss, Vincent Daniels, by making fun of his dwarfism.
• Man of Wealth and Taste: Dan very much wants to be one, he just never had the money.
• Mr. Vice Guy: Dan Fielding. Lech, pervert, he-slut—but also a man who cares about his friends and the law.
  • And also surprisingly health conscious. He always carries latex gloves and condoms in his briefcase, and once has a key prosecution witness who wanted to be all over him but was rebuked thusly:
  Dan: Don't touch me without a note from your doctor!
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Downplayed, but multiple post season one episodes have strangers recall Dan as the guy who lost to a dead man in a political election.
• Professional Butt-Kisser: Dan sucked up to anyone with any kind of authority, whether it be political, legal, or even religious.
• Really Gets Around: He is rather notorious for this.
  Dan: Harry, do you know how many women I have slept with?
  Harry: Dan, it doesn't matter how many women you've slept with! <beat> A hundred?
  Dan: You ever see the signs over the golden arches that say, "over 4 billion served"? Let's just say I'm competitive.
• Reassigned to Antarctica: This almost literally happens to Dan, who is in the US Army Reserves. He is reassigned to the Arctic Circle to help give physicals to polar bears, after he was caught faking an injury in order to avoid being called into active duty. Ironically, Dan only does this because he thought he was being sent into combat; his actual orders involved doing reconnaissance work with his Action Girl commanding officer in a Banana Republic, posing as a couple at some exotic resort.
  • Also happens, less literally, in Season Nine, when Dan is briefly reassigned to working in the Dog Court.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Dan always looks stunning in his tailored three-piece suits.

• Sold His Soul for a Donut: in one episode, Dan signs a contract selling his soul to a man in a devil costume for $100. He assumes that the guy is just a nut who calls himself Satan, but then the man demonstrates more and more knowledge of Dan's life, until by the end of the episode Dan is a paranoid wreck terrified that he's condemned himself to eternal damnation. Turns out the whole thing was a prank set up by Mac.
• Token Evil Teammate: He has far fewer scruples than the rest of the cast.
• We Want Our Jerk Back!: The cast's reaction to Season 8's Do-Gooder Dan.

Bull Shannon

Nostradamus "Bull" Shannon

Played by: Richard Moll

"You're among friends. Friends who wear badges, and search your body cavities, but friends nonetheless."

The huge, certifiably brilliant but ditzy bailiff.

• Ambiguously Human: A lot of the jokes around Bull focus on this.
• Amusing Injuries: He suffers a lot of these when his supposed indestructability and his ditz tendencies combine.
• Animal Lover: Has an affection for big, potentially dangerous creatures. He once snuck an alligator he found in the sewer into Harry's chambers ("I call him 'Muffin'"), and claimed an elephant followed him to the courtroom from the circus.
• Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence: In the series finale, Bull is transported to a faraway world where aliens need his help reaching tall shelves.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Bull is a big old teddy bear 99% of the time. A gigantic, freakishly strong teddy bear who hates his friends being messed with.
• Big Eater: At one point, he was seen ordering lasagna at the cafeteria... the whole tray.
• The Big Guy: Bull is so tall that the doorframe to his apartment has a special hole cut into the top so that he can go in and out without having to stoop. The fact that he towers over everyone else even when every other male cast member stood well over six feet in height certainly says something.
• Catchphrase: "Ooo-Kay".
• Cloud Cuckoo Lander: For most of the show's run, from the second season onwards.
• Comically Missing the Point: Frequently.
• Embarrassing First Name: His real first name is Nostradamus. This was revealed in Season 8, although much earlier episodes seemed to imply his real first name actually was Bull.
  • This is doubly embarrassing for Bull, as his mother named him that because "she was always crazy about that hunchback!" He is quick to stop any attempts to correct her.
  • His mother also gave him his nickname; not because of his size but because of her reaction to the news she was pregnant: "Bull!"
• Face Palm: Bull might be one of the earliest regular users of the gesture in pop culture, although in his case, it was to highlight whenever he did something stupid.
• Flanderization: Went from a Genius Bruiser to a Cloud Cuckoo Lander with increasingly infrequent moments of being a Genius Ditz.
• Friend to All Children: He has a well noted soft spot for kids. He looked after his neighbor's newborn baby when she had a breakdown and almost abandoned him, took kids trick-or-treating around the courthouse on Halloween, and has tried to sign up for a surrogate father's program, and was deeply heartbroken upon finding out all the kids were afraid of him.
• Genius Ditz: His IQ is 181 and he's so knowledgeable that he gets every question right on a quiz show but he's such a an oblivious Cloud Cuckoolander that even his friends were surprised at his IQ score.
  • The administrator of the IQ test he took in "Mental Giant" declared that he had "immeasurable cognitive powers".
• Gentle Giant: Worked with Big Brothers and attempted to write a children's book despite being incredibly intimidating.
• A God Am I: Played With in a season 8 episode, where cultists think he is the reincarnation (if not the actual entity) of an ancient deity, and follow him all around the courthouse, hanging on his every action. He spends almost the entire episode trying to dissuade them, until the cultists express their intention to pay homage to him by gifting him with his weight in gold.

  Bull: Did you say "god?" I thought you said "guard!" Sure, I'm a god!

• Howl of Sorrow: When he gets really upset, he cuts loose with a wail of anguish powerful enough to shake windows and nearly deafen those in earshot.
• Kavorka Man: Let's face it: as sweet, giving and sincere Bull is, he does strongly resemble a neanderthal. But that still hasn't kept him from hooking up with a number of fine ladies throughout the show's run, who are either attracted to his size, impressed by his intellect, or charmed by his Manchild aura.
• Made of Iron: Was once hit by a bus. Bull was fine. The bus was totaled.
  • Was struck by a bolt of lightning in the episode "Death of a Baliff". Other than his heart stopping for a few seconds (and occasional sparks of electricity), he was totally fine.
• Manchild: Tends to throw temper tantrums and loves childish things. And if his feelings are hurt deeply enough he will break out an ear-shattering wail before he starts crying.
• Multiple-Choice Past: In one episode, Bull tells Harry that his parents emotionally abused him by calling him names. In a later episode, Bull's mother is a seafarer who deeply loves him.
• My Own Private "I Do": Bull - sick of how all of his friends and family were at each other's throats regarding plans for his wedding - improvised a more quiet, personal ceremony on the roof of the courthouse.
• Near-Death Experience: Season 5's "Death of a Baliff" saw him helping Art install cable on the courthouse roof. He's struck by lightning in a freak accident and is declared dead for several seconds. He swiftly recovers, but is convinced that he has died, met God, and must give away all his earthly belongings.
• Speaks Fluent Animal: Well, "orangutan" anyway.
• Super-Strength: Capable of smashing a bowling ball with his bare hands, and once uppercutted the six-foot plus Dan Fielding into the air so hard he became embedded in the ceiling.
  • A prisoner (a little on the short side, but still a grown man) tries to escape by hiding in Dan's suitcase. Bull (not knowing the escapee was in there) hauls the suitcase around with no difficulty (with one hand, no less), but Dan himself can't even budge it, which leads to the foiling of the prisoner's escape.
• Undying Loyalty: When he is summoned to testify during a hearing to determine Harry Stone's fitness to be a judge, he vehemently states on the stand that "(he)would take a bullet between the eyes for that man (Harry), jump on a live grenade to save his life, and hammer a nail through his skull if he (Harry) asked him to". Pretty much tells you all you need to know about his devotion to Judge Stone right there.

Mac Robinson

Macintosh "Mac" Robinson

Played by: Charlie Robinson

"Somebody please give me an easy explanation for all this."

Court clerk and Vietnam veteran, the accomplice to most of Judge Stone's pranks, his verbal foil and his closest friend.

• Ax-Crazy: Shows signs of this when he is forced to replace all of his paper files with a computer which he can't get to function properly. Towards the end of the episode, his frustration peaks to the point where he grabs an actual ax, intending to "fix" the device.
• Deadpan Snarker: The craziness of court sessions, his coworkers (and his boss) give him ample opportunity to indulge in some sharp witticisms.
• A Fool and His New Money Are Soon Parted: In "Mac's Millions," Mac's grandfather dies and leaves all his money to Mac, who naturally quits his job at the courthouse. Then he loses most of his newfound wealth when he's sued over damages caused by a restaurant he bought in a previous episode.
• Genius Bruiser: Although it isn't played up so much, Mac is in phenomenally good shape for a man his age and can hold his own in a fight. He is also an understated genius, being reluctant to start using a computer as part of his job but eventually becomes capable enough with them to write his own programs at a time when that actually required some know-how.
  • Knocks out Terry Benoon, Harry's childhood bully and a hulkish thug of a man, with a well-placed bathroom door shot.
• Happily Married: To Quon Le.
• Henpecked Husband: To a degree. Quon Le can be very demanding (bordering on obsessive), and Mac usually gives in- not out of fear, but because he loves her and wants her to be happy.
• Hidden Depths: Expertly orders a sophisticated dish at a fancy French restaurant in the "Dan's Parents" episode. Even the snooty waiter is impressed.
  • Shows off better than decent singing chops in the episode "Baby Talk". It's later revealed in a later episode that he was part of a doo-wop group in his youth.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: With Quon Le. Charles Robinson is 6'3", Denice Kumagai is 4'11".
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: Downplayed, in that his boss wasn't exactly incompetent.
• I Owe You My Life: Was willing to delete the criminal record of an old Army buddy of his who once rescued him from behind enemy lines.
• May–December Romance: Mac is at least ten years older than Quon Le, since he was serving in the military while she was a little girl.
• Not So Above It All: Even for being the Straight Man, there were times where he willingly indulged in the wacky antics of his friends.
• Older Than He Looks: He was in his 40s around the time the series started, but looked at least ten years younger throughout its run.
• Only Sane Man: Even his spotlight episodes tended to be far less weird than the others.
  • This was slightly averted in the last few seasons when he became an aspiring filmmaker who specialized in pretentious schlock.
• Panicky Expectant Father: Not until Quon Le actually went into labor did this hit its full stride.
• The Prankster: A key reason why he and Harry get along so well is because of their shared penchant for pulling jokes on people.
  • Dan seems to be his favorite target. On one occasion he tricks Dan into thinking he'd sold his soul to Satan. On another, he pulls a Bait-and-Switch on Dan, tearing a piece of paper to "alert" him that he'd torn his pants, only to reveal the torn paper, relieving Dan, who then leaves for his fancy gathering. It's then revealed that Dan really did tear the seat of his pants. And there was the time Mac has a fake obituary printed, scaring Dan into believing that he will die the next day.
• Retired Badass: Mac was an Army Ranger (or possibly a Marine) in Vietnam before working as a clerk.
• Scary Black Man: Mac's not above intentionally invoking this when he has to, especially when Dan is concerned.
  • In the season 4 episode "Baby Talk", he becomes despondent when he and Quon Le's restaurant fails, plunging them into debt and him into despair. His friends track him down to a hillbilly bar where he has been drinking and singing to escape his pain. When Harry and the others try to get him to leave with them, he screams "SIT DOWN!!", and they all swiftly comply, even Bull and Roz.
  • Snatches Dan by the neck when he tries to weasel out of pretending to be Harry (in order to save Harry's job).
• Servile Snarker: Just about always plays along with Judge Stone's jokes and quirkiness, but will definitely draw the line when Harry tries his patience. Has told Harry to his face a couple of times that he basically humors him just because he's his boss.
• Shirtless Scene: Mac has one, revealing that he is astonishingly buff for a man his age.
• The Smart Guy: Owing to his knowledge of computers, he's the smartest of his friends.
• The Straight Man: He and the wacky Harry could have taken their act on the road.
• Undying Loyalty: He does become exasperated with Harry's antics from time to time just like everyone else, but always has his back and will go to the wall for his boss and good friend. He once told a man who robbed Harry that he would gladly run him down with his car.
• The Vietnam Vet: He takes part in the Vietnam War, where he meets his future wife.

Roz Russell

Rosalind "Roz" Russell

Played by: Marsha Warfield

"Don't look at me, or you'll die trying to have it."

A deadpan-snarking tough-as-nails bailiff whose strength is the fodder for many jokes, and the source of universal fear and respect.

• Badass Boast: When Roz straightens out a bratty primadonna child star whose show is being shot in the courtroom (by straightening out the child's mother), she confronts her superior who earlier threatened to put her on report for not putting up with the kid's BS. The superior caves, saying she's no longer on report. Roz follows up with this:
  Roz: 24th General Order for a Bailiff.
  Superior: There are only 23.
  Roz: There are 24 now. The new one is "Don't Mess with Roz!"
  • Roz is so awesome she gets two. She once proclaimed "I could kick ass (butt) in bunny slippers!"
• Covert Pervert: She's nowhere near as blatant about it as Dan, but on several occasions she's made clear her taste for rough sex with shady individuals, even propositioning prisoners in her charge.
• Daddy's Girl: She clearly had a very loving relationship with her father, as Dan manages to talk her off the ledge through her diabetic haze by pretending to be him.
• Deadpan Snarker: If there's anything more lethal than her hands, it's her acerbic wit.
• Death Glare: This is pretty much Roz's default facial expression. Anyone caught in it had best step carefully.
• The Dreaded: It's very telling that on a show with wild cranks and psychos, she has to do very little to retain order. The acerbic Dan knows not to push her too far, and even the gargantuan Bull fears her.
• Friend to All Children: One episode saw her willing to go to jail for contempt of court charges before divulging the location of stolen toys that were inadvertently donated to needy kids. When those selfsame children show up in court to return the toys (to prevent Roz returning to jail and losing her job), they cite Roz teaching them to put the needs of others before your own as the reason for their actions.
• Handicapped Badass: Has type 2 diabetes, but her initial difficulty adjusting when she is first diagnosed aside, is still tough as nails, performs her job to the height of competency and is still the last person you'd want to get on the wrong side of.
• Hidden Depths: When Dan is invited to a swanky gala, he is mortified to learn that ballroom dancing is on the agenda. Roz catches him trying to learn, and gives him lessons (for a price). Turns out her "Auntie Ruth" forced a young Roz to learn the skill, as it would supposedly help her "land a man".
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She's blunt and very snarky, but she deeply cares about her colleagues.
• Jerkass Has a Point: She's blunt and even harsh at times, but she tells people what they need to hear and genuinely wants to help them. In one episode, she blasts a teenage boy for robbing a convenience store, then gently persuades him to turn himself into police and make better choices in life.
• My Beloved Smother: She has an "Auntie Ruth" who singlehandedly supported Roz and her family when her mom got sick, earning Roz's Undying Loyalty. It's bad to the point that Roz literally cannot say "no" to her aunt, deferring to all her demands, and basically letting her run Roz's life, until she finally has enough and puts an end to it.
• Named After Somebody Famous: She is named after the actress Rosalind Russell. In her first appearance she explains that her mother was a show business buff and named her sister after Zsa Zsa Gabor and her brothers after the comedian Slappy White and the puppet Topo Gigio.
• Not So Stoic: When she and the rest of the cast thought that Dan was dead, at his memorial service she was near the point of tears when eulogizing him and had to be comforted by Harry.
• Odd Friendship: Through the course of the series, she's developed a surprising friendship with the very clean and perky Christine, and an even perkier stenographer, Lisette Hocheiser. Bull also considers Roz his best friend.
  • She an Dan are actually pretty tight. He risks his physical well being to lure Roz off the ledge while she's suffering a diabetic daze, and Roz herself references this event at Dan's supposed funeral, nearly breaking down in tears.
• Sassy Black Woman: Averted, Roz is incredibly deadpan, and generally alternates between stoicism and rage.
• Scary Black Man: Genderflipped: Roz is a scary black woman whom even the gargantuan Bull fears.
• Sixth Ranger
• Super-Strength: She's able to brutalize the hulking Bull, and Dan has related that she once overturned a car because it was parked in her spot.
  • Juggling immigrants become enamored with Roz and stuff her in a trunk while she's asleep. When they get caught trying to wheel her out, she punches through the trunk, decking all three men at the same time.
• Team Mom: Despite her gruff exterior, her friends and colleagues often come to her for counsel and support, especially in cases when even Harry can't help.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: She is the (downplayed) tomboy to Christine's (occasionally egregious) girly-girl.

Selma

Selma Hacker

Played By: Selma Diamond

One of Roz's predecessors, a chain-smoking senior citizen.

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• The Character Died With Her: She (as did her actress) passed away between seasons 2 and 3, and the season 3 premiere has Bull in a deep depression over her death.
• Cool Old Lady: A tough older woman who's a good friend to Bull.
• The Danza: Shares a first name with her actor.
• Deadpan Snarker: She didn't invent the trope, but she definitely mastered it. Her raspy smoker's voice only helped.
• Dope Slap: When Bull passes out in live court and he tells her that he's fine, she instantly raps him upside the back of his head, telling him not to lie to her.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: A nonromantic example with Bull.
• Mama Bear: Every time Bull gets into some kind of trouble, she immediately jumps to his defense and declares her intent to unleash horrific wrath on whomever threatens him.

  Selma: (when it looks like Bull is an unexpectant father) If some girl got him in trouble, she's gonna answer to me!

• Serial Spouse: Has been married six times.

Art

Art Festerman

Played By: Mike Finnerman

The maintenance man for the building, whose attempts to fix things can always be counted on to lead to slapstick disasters.

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• Butt-Monkey: No one seems to like him (to be fair, he isn't very good at his job) and the usually good-natured Harry seems to take his very presence as a Berserk Button.
• A Day in the Limelight: "Not My Type," where Christine agrees to go to an event with him, is his only spotlight episode.
• Mr. Fixit: He does the maintenance jobs for the courtroom, although not always well.

Quon Le

Quon Le Duc Robinson

Played By: Denice Kumagi

Mac's wife, a Vietnamese expat.

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• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Comes off as rather passive and shy usually, but quickly switches to mean when she's crossed, or otherwise doesn't get her way. Examples include her throwing Harry's cherished picture of Mel Torme out the window because he compels her husband Mac to do his job, (delaying their vacation), and maliciously revealing less-than flattering comments Mac makes about his coworkers behind their backs when she's losing in a card game.
• Citizenship Marriage: With Mac, although it was love on her side, and quickly became more real on his side.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: When a young classmate of Mac's makes major amorous moves on him, she threatens to "claw the little bitch's eyes out". Somewhat understandable, but still...
• Funny Foreigner: Her shtick for the majority of her first few appearances.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: With Mac. She's 4'11", he's 6'3".
• Ms. Red Ink: Initially she has trouble shopping too much.
• Smitten Teenage Girl: How she initially fell in love with Mac. He was a soldier in Vietnam, and helped her family farm while she was young, causing her to fall for him.

Phil

Phil Sanders

Played By: William Utay.

A bum and errand boy for Dan. It's later revealed that he was formerly a Wall Street tycoon and is actually worth millions.

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• Ascended Extra: A one scene courtroom denizen who became one of the most recurring cast members.
• Dumpster Dive: He's repeatedly shown as being willing to eat out of dumpsters.
• Foreshadowing: An early episode has a demented judge sub for Harry, and one of his crazy acts involves Dan being sent to prison for contempt of court, and Phil being appointed to take his place as prosecutor. Phil proves surprisingly effective at the job, with a very impressive conviction rate. This could easily serve as a hint that he's far more savvy than one would expect a common bum to be.
• Prefers Rocks to Pillows: He turns out to be a former Wall Street tycoon who still has the savvy but moved to the streets as a lifestyle choice.
• Sycophantic Servant: He's highly loyal to Dan despite receiving little respect or kindness to him.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: His final arc is encouraging Dan to think like this and get better.

Lisette

Lisette Hocheiser

Portrayed By:' Joleen Lutz.

The court reporter in the last two seasons.

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• Card Sharp: A season 9 episode displays her skill at cards, when she cleans out Christine, Quon Le and Roz.
• Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Prone to making weird, non-sensical statements and observations that make even Bull shake his head.
• Covert Pervert: In the episode where Mac agrees to model underwear for an ad, she makes a lame excuse about "polishing her stenographer keys" so that she can hang around the courtroom to gawk at him. She has also had sexual fantasies about Harry.
• The Ditz: She's a bit trill and prone to Comically Missing the Point.
• The Dog Bites Back: After an extended period of absorbing abuse from her first (onscreen) boyfriend, after counsel from Roz, she finally dumps him... by pushing him down the stairs.
• Erotic Dream: She has romantic dreams about Harry.
• Fake Guest Star: While listed as a recurring character she appears in about every episode of those two seasons and is often involved in the courtroom antics.
• Hidden Depths: She proves to be a skilled card player when playing against Roz, Christine, and Quon Le.
• Nice Girl: She tends to be friendly and dutiful.
• Verbal Tic: Makes a weird little high-pitched giggle before almost every time she speaks, or just when she's amused.

Lana

Lana Wagner

Portrayed By: Karen Austin

Harry's first court clerk, who had a crush on him.

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• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: In the last three episodes of season 1 she's out on sick leave and come season 2 Mac is the court clerk and Lana is never mentioned again.

Liz

Liz Williams

Played By: Paula Kelly

The public defender for most of season one.

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• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Leaves without a warning or a single later mention.
• Deadpan Snarker: Liz definitely has her moments.
  • In one episode, she's representing a runaway played by Michael J. Fox. Harry asks him if he's stupid.
    Eddie: I don't think I should answer that without my lawyer present.
    Liz: She's here. Tell him if you're stupid or not.
  • In another episode, she comments about not mixing work and romance.
    Lana: You work with rapists, junkies, muggers, and flashers.
    Liz: That does make it easier.
• Honor Before Reason: Liz handcuffs herself to Yakov Korelenko as a demonstration of her dedication to seeing that justice is done by him. A confused Yakov thinks she's "cuckoo".
• Only Sane Man: Fills this role before Mac shows up.
• Sassy Black Woman: Usually pretty reserved and a certainly a consummate professional, but she will invoke this trope if pushed by court shenanigans.

Flo

Florence "Flo" Kleiner.

Played By: Florence Halop

Bailiff for season 3 after the death of Selma.

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• All Bikers are Hells Angels: She's part of a motorcycle gang in one episode.
• Brutal Honesty: One difference between Flo and her predecessor, Selma, is that while Selma had a bone-dry wit and a Deadpan Snarker attitude toward everyone, Flo seems more like she just has little-to-no filter between her brain and her mouth.
• The Character Died With Her: Like Selma, her actress died between seasons and the season 4 premiere has a passing mention that she's died and the others have grieved for her.
• Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: She's prone to being a bit mouthy and sometimes hides behind her age.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: For Selma; her first episode even lampshades this when she asks Bull to describe what Selma was like.
  Bull: Well, she was kind of abrasive, she was short, and she had a funny voice.
  Flo: How pathetic.

Buddy

Buddy Ryan

Played By: John Astin

"But I'm feeling much better now!"

A kind, eccentric and endlessly cheerful man who married Harry's mother after she abandoned him. He gives Harry new insight on his mother's life, and later is revealed to be Harry's real father.

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• Bedlam House: He and Harry's mother spent a long time in and out of such institutions. It's how they met.
• Catchphrase: <after telling a story about an absurd, unexplained Noodle Incident> "But I'm feeling much better now."
• Cloud Cuckoolander: Most characters in the show are, but Buddy especially so. Though he is feeling much better now, he's got a whole host of bizarre stories from his less sane years and little filter about telling everyone about them. Not to mention he's a little lax about personal space.
• Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Explains to Harry that his mother left him because, with the combination of her young age and mental illness, she felt he would be unsafe with her. She then stayed away from him because she thought she would negatively affect his career. He had a similar reason for not telling Harry that he was his real father.

Leon

Leon

Played By: Bumper Johnson

An homeless urchin who worked as a shoeshine boy in the court, before his situation was discovered. He stayed as a foster kid with Harry for a few episodes, and the two became very close.

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• Happily Adopted: Tragically played with. Leon and Harry become very close, but legally Harry can't really adopt him. It was always going to be temporary. When they're forced to separate, it initially breaks Leon entirely.
• Street Urchin: What Leon was for several years before running into the cast. He spends another stint as one when he runs away from his foster family, before Harry convinces him to go back.

Billie Young

Billie Young

Played By: Ellen Foley

Public defender for most of season 2.

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• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Like Liz before her.
• Hot-Blooded: Billie wears all her emotions on her sleeve. When Harry gives Dan a letter of recommendation over her, even if he had his reasons, Billie verbally lacerates Harry over it.
• Inappropriately Close Comrades: She has some feelings for Harry. He returns them, but it doesn't work out.
• Large Ham: Has a very animated, extroverted personality at all times. (You can tell her actress has a theatre background.)
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Billie learns the hard way in her first case that this attitude won't serve her well in the world of law. When her client is accused of kidnapping a cat, he insists that he owned the cat in the first place... and Billie, sympathizing with his plight, actually helps him hide it. She winds up imprisoned in contempt of court as a result. She's lucky Harry is the forgiving type.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Played with. Technically, Christine appeared before Billie (in one episode as a temporary public defender) and Billie took a lot of cues from her character, but Christine also took some from Billie when she came back. Either way both are blonde, a bit quirky, idealistically determined to help their clients and have some chemistry with Harry.

Yakov

Yakov Korolenko

Played By: Yakov Smirnoff.

A Soviet immigrant and friend of the group.

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• Funny Foreigner: The vast majority of his humorous moments (for the first few seasons, at least) are steeped in this.
• Oh, Crap!: A Running Gag is that he panics whenever he hears the word "jail" due to what it represented back in the Soviet Union.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: He later becomes a wealthy, if unscrupulous, dealer in appliances, selling shoddy merchandise and refusing to give refunds. His heinous behavior even drives his wife and children away. Fortunately, Harry helps him see the error of his ways and he eventually reverts back to his humble, honest self.

Jack

Jack Griffin

Portrayed By: S Marc Jordan

Owner of the lobby newsstand in the final seasons.

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• Disabled Snarker: His eyes aren't sharp, but his biting wit certainly is.
• Fantasy-Forbidding Parent: He's unhappy with his son's desire to follow his mother's family into a human cannonball act.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: He isn't afraid to use his blindness to guilt the customers.