I have spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about a sitcom that has arguably always been designed to be entirely disposable.

I was a huge fan of the original "Night Court," which ran for nine seasons from 1984-92 on what became known as NBC's "Must See TV" Thursday night primetime lineup, and I was far from alone.

John Larroquette, who played the unrepentantly randy and acerbic prosecutor Dan Fielding, won four consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series from 1985-88, before he withdrew his name from the ballot in 1989.

Just about the entire cast of th...