Night Stand: A Sign of the Times
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Night Stand with Dick Dietrick ran for two seasons in first-run syndication (1995-97). It provided perspective on the talk show genre that arguably became a parody of itself.
With the overabundance of talk shows in the 1995-96 season, Night Stand debuted at a primary time. It reflected, parodied, and expanded the popular culture’s fascination with talk show hosts, guests, and topics.
At times, Night Stand almost seemed real, though it was a parody. Host Dick Dietrick (played by Tim Stack) prompted viewers to be guests with provocative questions, including, Do you have big breasts and like to jump rope?
Outrageous guests lead to outrageous ratings, or so the theory goes. Audiences respond when an ex-wife berates her ex-husband, a woman wants to know who fathered her child after sleeping with ten men in a month, and an extremist triggers a physical attack with hate-filled statements.
Night Stand took a humorous view of a talk show topic prompting guests to fight each other. In one episode, Dick denied that such an act should occur on his program. But if it did, Dick says, It would never, ever happen in segment three!
The show had a predecessor of sorts in the late 1970’s. Late night talk shows provided fodder for Norman Lear’s Fernwood 2-Night, a late night program airing Monday-Friday in first-run syndication. Similar to Night Stand, Fernwood 2-Night featured an egotistical host with fictional and real-life guests.