Night Court's guest stars range from the well-known, like Tormé, to actors who had not yet earned wider recognition, like Haysbert. Some appear in just one episode. Between Family Ties and Back to the Future, for instance, Michael J. Fox dropped by Night Court as a shoplifting runaway, whose encounter with another defendant who thinks he's Santa Claus sets him on the right path. ("Santa" also offers Harry the chance to succeed him in the job.) Other one-episode guest stars include Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives), who played Dan's boss' sexy niece; Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street) as a defendant charged with arson who thinks aliens are among us; Fran Drescher (The Nanny) as a schizophrenic woman whose personality changes leave Dan literally bound and gagged; and comedian Elayne Boosler as Joy, Harry's ironically named abrasive assistant.
Others, like Spiner, had recurring roles. Comedian and actor Gilbert Gottfried (Aladdin) played a temporary prosecuting attorney over three episodes in season nine. Another comedian, Yakov Smirnoff, appeared in five episodes from 1984 through 1990. Playing Russian defector Yakov Korolenko, he first appears before Harry in season one, charged for stolen property and threatening to burn down the courtroom. In spite of this, Harry takes a liking to him, later helping him search for his brother as well obtain a visa extension for his father.
