Night Court Star Richard Moll in 80s Advertising

Night Court has been in the news lately with the new streaming series set for a two episode premiere in Jan 2023. We voiced out thoughts this past week during The 80s Weekly - Issue #14 podcast and were interested to see what the new show has to offer before casting an offical Rad or Bad vote.

The original Night Court series, which ran from 1984-92, was such a unique concept and had a solid cast. What was also unique was the rotating cast of supporting characters each show and how they were introduced through the court proceedings. There were fun recurring characters as well like the nosy tabloid reporter Al Craven played by Terry Kiser and Harry's stepfather Buddy Ryan played by John Astin.

Another part of the cast were the bailiffs. While several rotated during the early seasons, it wasn't until season 4 that we got my favorite tandem which was Bull Shannon (Richard Moll) and Roz Russell (Marsha Warfield.) Bull was my favorite character because he was good for a laugh EVERY episode. From his signature catchphrase "OOOOOkay" to his signature head slap to the countless jokes regarding his height and shaved head, I just couldn't get enough of the character.

What I've discovered in more recent years was that Richard Moll had an extensive career in advertising. I had remembered a few commercials, but it wasn't until a recent deep dive that I found the extent and variety of ads he appeared in. There are several where he is in full costume, from a superhero to polar bear, while others seemed to take advantage of Bull Shannon's character traits, even using a blue bailiff-like suit. 

As a fun way to celebrate Night Court and star Richard Moll, have a look at these nine commercials from the '80s...