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TV Show Creator and Writer Behind ‘Night Court,’ ‘Barney Miller’ ‘M*A*S*H’ and Other Series Dead at 63

Dec 7, 2012  •  Post A Comment

The creator of the quirky 1980s NBC comedy series “Night Court,” who also wrote and produced for ABC’s “Barney Miller” and worked on a number of other high-profile TV shows, has died, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Reinhold Weege was 63.

Weege was a staff writer and producer on “Barney Miller” before he left the show to start “Night Court.” The new series went on to a nine-season run, winning seven Emmys and earning a total of 31 nominations. Reege was a part of four Emmy nominations for outstanding comedy series — one as a member of the team behind “Barney Miller” and three for “Night Court.”

Weege died Dec. 1 of natural causes in La Jolla, Calif., according to a family spokeswoman.

“’Night Court,’ which starred the youthful Harry Anderson as night-shift judge and Mel Torme fan Harry Stone and John Larroquette as lecherous assistant district attorney Dan Fielding, began as a midseason replacement and ran from 1984-92. It was a top 10 show in 1986-87 and 1987-88,” THR reports. “’Night Court’ anchored an early ‘Must See TV’ Thursday comedy lineup for NBC, which opened with ‘The Cosby Show,’ followed by ‘Family Ties’ and ‘Cheers.’”

Larroquette broke ground by winning four consecutive Emmys for best supporting comedy actor for his work on “Night Court,” the piece notes. THR adds: “In an inside joke during the third season, it was revealed that his character’s real first name was Reinhold, but he changed it to Dan out of embarrassment.”

Weege, who also received four WGA nominations and a Humanitas Award, retired from “Night Court” after six seasons, the piece reports.

Weege, who hailed from Chicago, also wrote for the TV series “M*A*S*H” and “Fish,” Abe Vigoda’s “Barney Miller” spinoff.

“He created the short-lived sitcom ‘Park Place,’ which was set in a legal aid clinic and starred Harold Gould and Alice Drummond, and wrote and directed TV’s ‘Nikki and Alexander,’ with Tim Matheson and Irena Ferris,” THR adds.

reinhold-weege.jpgReinhold Weege

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