...and it reminded me of Jerry Springer from the late 90s onwards, despite the fact that this episode aired a year before The Jerry Springer Show made its debut.

Does anyone think that this episode may have been, at least partly, the inspiration for the Jerry Springer Show we all know and some of us love?

They probably modeled this episode after the "Morton Downey Jr. Show."

They probably modeled this episode after the "Morton Downey Jr. Show."

Thanks, I'm not old enough to remember that show. Was it any good?

They probably modeled this episode after the "Morton Downey Jr. Show."

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/971/daniyf.jpg
By mio_nyan_12 (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mio_nyan_12) at 2012-04-22

Around the time that TV Land was repeating Night Court, I Love The 80s was pretty popular on VH1 and they ran a segment about Morton Downey Jr. and this is how I originally drew this conclusion.

I saw this episode when it first aired on NBC.

Although I didn't watch the "Morton Downey Jr." show at the time, I was aware of it and its reputation as one of the first "Trash TV" shows.

Agreed. It was based off of "Morton", right down to the way Larroquette walked, dressed (top buttons of shirt unbuttoned), talked and smoked a cigarette. I remember at the time it first aired (I was 14), I distinctly remember thinking, "Morton!!!"

My grandfather and I religeously watched that show together (especially when the Mets game wasn't on WOR). Good times... Good times...