Shelley on the cover
of TV Showtime, 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). Although best known at the time for being a dramatic actress, Shelley wasn't adverse to doing comedy. In fact, she saw herself more as a comedian. "You don't think I'll be the serious one who has to carry the doom and gloom?" she said. Prior to her casting, she had played a detective in the TV series Charlie's Angels and a surgeon on another TV series Cutter to Houston.
a writeup about Shelley
being cast on Night Court, 1984
"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." With help and guidance from the Legal Aid Society of New York, Shelley spent time watching defendants being arraigned in court. "Even though it's a comedic role, I still like to get in touch with the reality that it's based on," she said. "What goes on at the court is not funny. It's tragic, and very moving." From one of the courtroom's wooden benches, she watched the proceedings surrounded by the defendants' friends and family sitting on the nearby benches. When asked if anyone noticed her, Shelley replied, "No, I think they had other things on their mind."
a promo pic of Shelley
for Night Court, 1984
But when the series started shooting, at the last minute, producer Reinhold Weege decided she wasn't right for the part. And Shelley felt the same way. "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 Christine Sullivan for one episode "Daddy for the Defense," which was switched from the season opener (Shelley's supposed first episode) to the 2nd episode. A year later, Markie Post became a permanent part of the cast.