Karen Austin

[mjd13076]

Does anyone know... She left after 10 of the first season's 13 episodes. Was she fired? Did she decide to leave? Was it mutual?

[Skywalker]

She was fired.

[mjd13076]

Any known reason as to why?

[Skywalker]

Originally Posted by mjd13076

Any known reason as to why?

I heard it was because of a lack of chemistry with the rest of the cast, not counting Harry.

[mjd13076]

Thanks, Skywalker!

[luvzjohn101]

Originally Posted by mjd13076

Does anyone know... She left after 10 of the first season's 13 episodes. Was she fired? Did she decide to leave? Was it mutual?

I would also like to know why Gail Strickland was only in the pilot, but not the rest of season 1.

[TMC]

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0042438/b...t/18936235?p=1

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0042438/b...64744#19264744

The first year of the show was very, very stressful (for allot of confidential reasons). I got Bell's Palsy which paralyzed my face. They fired me and said whatever was necessary to keep it out of the press. I probably could have fought it but it would have been messy and I needed to just rest. Face was fine within a month. I went right back to work on some films, etc.
Weird, huh?

Karen Austin

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Skywalker

She was fired.

In the first season of Night Court, Karen Austin starred as court clerk Lana Wagner, and then she just suddenly disappeared from the show. In this video, I discuss the real reason for her disappearance.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by mjd13076

Any known reason as to why?

This is taken from TV Tropes:

Bob Perlow, the show’s warm-up guy, has offered a very different explanation for Karen Austin’s departure than the “official” Bell’s Palsy story. Perlow claims Austin was very difficult to work with during her brief stint on the show, allegedly jealous over Harry Anderson having a larger and funnier role. Ultimately, Austin’s anger caused her to physically attack Anderson, stabbing him with a pencil and throwing hot coffee in his face. Though Perlow did not witness this event, those who did told him security had to drag her out kicking and screaming. Needless to say, she never came back.

[EccentricGenius]

Originally Posted by luvzjohn101

I would also like to know why Gail Strickland was only in the pilot, but not the rest of season 1.

I've always wondered about that as well, luvsjohn101. My best guess is that the late Reinhold Weege was unimpressed with Gail Strickland's lackluster performance as public defender Sheila Gardiner after viewing the pilot, so she was replaced (with no mention or explaination) with the late Paula Kelly as Liz Williams for the remainder of season one. It would've been interesting to see Strickland lock horns and engage in a battle of wits with John Larroquette's character Dan Fielding had she remained in the cast.

[EccentricGenius]

Interesting. Now I know the exact reason why Karen Austin was really absent from the last three episodes of Night Court's first season. I had actually hoped Lana and Harry would eventually become another of NBC's primetime supercouples during the eighties alongside Cliff and Clair Huxtable (The Cosby Show), Steven and Elyse Keaton (Family Ties), Sam Malone and Diane Chambers (Cheers), and Frank Furillo and Joyce Davenport (Hill Street Blues).

[CJMD03]

Lana was terrible as a character, as was Sheila. No chemistry.

[MikeLutton]

Lana was all right i thought she was cute but she was not Terribell at all