The John Larroquette Show
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The John Larroquette Show is a situation comedy that ran on the NBC network from 1993 - 1996. The show, created by Don Reo, was a vehicle for John Larroquette following his run as Dan Fielding on the successful show Night Court.
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[edit] Description
The show revolves around John Hemingway, a recovering alcoholic who is put in charge of the late-night shift of the St. Louis bus depot. As a result, some of the people who hung around at that time reflected the slightly darker side of humanity, including a prostitute in drag named Pat who was nonetheless a sensible and sweet person. Perhaps the best description of the show, at least in its early run, was of a carnival sign that John hung in his office the first night he took his job: "This is a Dark Ride."
During much of the show, some of the humor and stories revolved around John's attempts to stay sober. One guest star was David Crosby, who played Chester, John's sponsor for AA meetings. Another episode guest starred Bobcat Goldthwait, who played an assistant to John who was constantly a mess (as many of Bobcat's characters in movies appear to be very neurotic), but became suddenly efficient and 'normal' - as soon as he got drunk. Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman appeared as himself in a jail cell.
[edit] Second season
The show arguably 'jumped the shark'[1] in the second season when, due to network pressure, they removed much of the dark humour and much of the bus depot setting for a more 'toned-down' look. The sets were brighter. John's dingy boarding-house room was traded for a nice apartment, and the prostitute went "straight". The producers also decided to give John a romantic interest (Catherine Merrick, played by Alison LaPlaca), and as a result the mood shifted from its original humor, and ultimately leading to the show's cancellation.
[edit] Primary cast of characters
- John Larroquette .... John Hemingway
- Liz Torres .... Mahalia Sanchez
- Gigi Rice .... Carly Watkins
- Daryl Mitchell .... Dexter Walker
- Chi McBride .... Heavy Gene
- Lenny Clarke .... Officer Adam Hampton
- Elizabeth Berridge .... Officer Eve Eggers
- Bill Morey .... Oscar
- Alison LaPlaca .... Catherine Merrick (from second season)
- Jazzmun ... Pat
