I was reminded today of THE JOHN LARROQUETTE SHOW, a series from 24 years back that should be much better remembered than it is. After years of perfecting the obnoxious "Dan Fielding" on NIGHT COURT, it may be that no matter how good his performance was, the public simply wouldn't accept John as a nice guy.
In spite of its title, this was an ensemble cast series with Larroquette the odd sane man out in an insane microcosm of a bus station. One unique aspect of his character was that he was an alcoholic, like Sam on CHEERS. Only here, he was constantly in danger of falling off the wagon and his struggles were not only written in but often highlighted whole episodes. Rock star David Crosby--himself a notorious addict--appeared from time to time as John's character's AA sponsor.
Our hero is the new night manager at a bus station and it pretty much becomes his world, shared with the other citizens of the night who either work or hang out there.
Episodes were a mixture of well-performed comedy and well-acted drama and the show ran several acclaimed seasons but then seemed quickly and wrongly forgotten.
I remember Larroquette's character was named "John Hemingway"... and I recall the cross-dressing prostitute.
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