a closeup of Shelley from a publicity pic
for Night Court, 1984
In 1984, Shelley joined the cast of the nighttime sitcom Night Court for its second season (replacing Paula Kelly). She was cast to play public defender Christine Sullivan and the character was going to be romantically involved with Judge Harry Stone (played by Harry Anderson). "I'll be doing my research at the New York court," Shelley said, "I always look forward to researching a role. It will be interesting." Publicity photos were taken, and the announcement was made. Shelley's first episode "Daddy for the Defense" was going to be the season opener.
Shelley with Harry Anderson
in a publicity pic for Night Court, 1984
But when the series started shooting, producer Reinhold Weege decided she wasn't right for the part. "I liked the show. They offered me the role. I went and met with them and liked them," Shelley said. "But what happened was the role was changed somewhere between that meeting and my first day on the set," she explained. So the actress and the producer mutually and amicably agreed to call the whole thing off. Ellen Foley was brought in for that season to replace Shelley - as a new character, public defender Billie Young. Markie Post took over the role of Miss Sullivan for the "Daddy for the Defense" episode, which was switched from the opener to the 2nd episode. A year later, Markie Post became a permanent part of the cast.
