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116-415: Judge Judy is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by former Manhattan Family Court Judge Judith Sheindlin . The show featured Sheindlin as she adjudicated real-life small-claims disputes within a simulated courtroom set. Prior to the proceedings, all involved parties signed arbitration contracts agreeing to Sheindlin's ruling. The show aired in first-run syndication . As it

232-427: A Los Angeles Times article on Sheindlin's reputation as one of the toughest family court judges in the country, written by Josh Getlin (inspired by his wife, Heidi, both of whom Sheindlin credits with her stardom) caught the attention of 60 Minutes , which aired a segment on her on October 24, 1993. The segment brought her national recognition, and days later from its airing, led to Sheindlin receiving an offer from

348-440: A 4:3 aspect ratio . Late into the show's 23rd season, Sheindlin drastically altered her hairstyle by abandoning the bouffant hairdo that she had sported since the show's beginnings; she replaced that with a new style created from her hair pulled back and bounded by a clip-on hair bun at the back of her head. Her new hairstyle sparked widespread attention, and considerable negative reviews from viewers (media spectators alike) to

464-412: A cold open trailer of the main case, sensationalizing various moments of the case with brief soundbites accompanied with dramatic music, voice-over commentary, graphics, etc. This is followed by the show's title sequence music video. At the beginning of each court proceeding, information regarding who is suing whom and what for is revealed by voice-over commentary. When Sheindlin made her entrance,

580-462: A judge show , legal/courtroom program , courtroom series , or judicial show ) is a broadcast programming genre comprising legal dramas and reality legal programming. Court shows present content mainly in the form of legal hearings between plaintiffs (or claimants in the United Kingdom ) and defendants , presided over in one of two formats: scripted/improvised with an actor portraying

696-612: A verdict of a specific dollar amount (not always in the full amount of what is requested and rarely if ever more than what was requested even if she believed complainants were deserving of more) or B.) by dismissing the lawsuit altogether. When ruled on in these manners, cases couldn't be refiled or retried elsewhere. However, if Sheindlin specifically dismissed the lawsuit " without prejudice ", that lawsuit could be refiled and retried in another forum. In some instances, Sheindlin dismissed cases without prejudice deliberately so that complainants pursued defendants in an actual court of law so that

812-402: A basic setup that represents the most widely used approach in the present-day judicial genre. Beyond the use of arbitration, other key elements include a simulated courtroom as the main setting in these programs (in some of these court shows, an area just outside the courtroom is regularly used to tape litigant feedback after their case), and one to four hearings typically take up the entirety of

928-400: A basic setup that represents the most widely used technique from the original era of judicial programming. This setup was a mock trial , which saw dramatized court case proceedings being heard and eventually ruled upon by an actor-judge or actors-jury. Roles were made up of plaintiffs, defendants, and judges; and frequently lawyers, juries, and witnesses. Unlike the present-day where the norm is

1044-592: A certain demographic of individuals and sat them strategically throughout their audience. Most of these paid extras were aspiring actors. Though tickets were not offered for the show, arrangements could sometimes be made with Sheindlin's production staff to allow fans of the show into the audience. The extras could not dress casually, and no logos or brand names could be visible on their clothing. Extras were also instructed to appear as if they were having discussions with each other before and after each case, so Byrd made such announcements as "Order! All rise." To acquire cases,

1160-616: A congratulatory letter, stating, "If you ever need a bailiff, I still look good in uniform." She phoned Byrd at his home in California to accept his offer, and he ended up replacing the unaired pilot episode bailiff. Sheindlin has stated that the show's producers desired different individuals for the role of bailiff, but she refused. Sheindlin has revealed that from the start, she only envisioned her courtroom program lasting 2 to 3 seasons, rationalizing that most TV ventures fail. Sheindlin appeared again on 60 Minutes on April 30, 2003. During

1276-433: A court and thus bound by the rules and regulations of the legal system. Jerry Springer noted that most attorneys can get the "special certification" required to serve as an arbitrator and host a court show with only a day's training: "if you're a lawyer, it's almost automatic unless you've killed someone." The setting in these types of court shows is not a legitimate court of law, but rather a studio set designed to look like

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1392-470: A courtroom. In this respect, arbitrators are not legally restricted to mandatory courtroom/legal policies, procedures, and codes of conduct; rather, they can preside in ways intended for entertainment. Moreover, they have the power to act by their own standards and enforce their own rules and regulations. This power is reinforced through agreements signed by the parties prior to the case proceedings. Once waivers have been signed, arbitrators gain jurisdiction over

1508-570: A few weeks. This had sometimes included January when the show returned from its winter hiatus. Two new episodes were also shown daily during the " sweeps " months of November, February, and May. Unlike other television programs, the Judge Judy season finale did not air in April or May; rather, it aired in June, July, August, or sometimes even very early September just before the following season. When

1624-541: A home in New York among other cities/states, flew out on her private jet to tape her show, typically Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. From 2014 through the conclusion of Judge Judy in 2021, the show's courtroom set was located directly beside the set of the courtroom series Sheindlin created and produces, Hot Bench . Hot Bench remains in production at the Sunset Bronson Studios. Previous to that,

1740-533: A judge; or, an arbitration-based reality format with the case handled by an adjudicator who was formerly a judge or attorney. At present, these shows typically portray small claims court cases, produced in a simulation of a small claims courtroom inside of a television studio. As an exception, from 2020-2021, numerous aspects of this genre were largely forsaken due to COVID-19 , such as hearings transpiring from simulated courtroom studio sets. More so than other genres, court shows withstood transformations stemming from

1856-468: A literary agent to write her first book. Sheindlin accepted the offer, writing Don't Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining , published on February 7, 1996. Its publisher, HarperCollins , expressed disapproval of her book title, claiming no one would promote it under that kind of name. Sheindlin stood her ground on the use of the title and ended up selling 216,709 copies. In March 1995, two talent scouts (before that, former People's Court producers) from

1972-402: A month she works, Sheindlin replied, "Five days." Sheindlin and her producers sometimes taped only five cases per day and two days per week. The show had fifty-two taping days a year. For each season, some 650 claims were brought to the set to be "presided" over by Judge Judy. This means approximately 16,250 claims had been brought to Judy Sheindlin's Hollywood set by the show's completion. For

2088-407: A month), Sheindlin and her producers taped the court show. They usually produced ten to twelve cases for each day they taped the show. This made for about a week's worth of episodes, all done within one day. Anywhere from thirty to thirty-six cases were taped over three days during the week. Sheindlin appeared as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 13, 2011. When asked by Kimmel how many days

2204-529: A panel of judges she cast for the series. Petri Hawkins-Byrd , referred to on the program simply as Byrd or Officer Byrd, was the bailiff on Judge Judy for the show's entire 25-season run, making him the longest-serving bailiff in court television history. Byrd's professional relationship with Sheindlin predates Judge Judy as he was her bailiff throughout her career in the Manhattan family court system. When Byrd found out about Sheindlin's show, he sent her

2320-585: A place in the Guinness World Records on September 14, 2015. Judge Judy completed its series run at 25 seasons. In honor of the 25th and final season of the program, Josh Getlin published another article on Sheindlin. The Los Angeles Times article, published on June 8, 2021 (the same day as the airing of the final filmed case), shared background details about the 1993 article that catapulted Sheindlin's television career and his relationship with Sheindlin. Each episode of Judge Judy begins with

2436-409: A retired judge. The roles of litigants, bailiffs, court reporters, and announcers were always performed by actors and actresses. While some of these court shows were scripted and required precise memorization, others were outlined and merely required ad-libbing. In outlined cases, actor-litigants and -witnesses were instructed to never get too far off the angle of the case. Under its dramatized format,

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2552-643: A season into its run. To date, this represents the earliest into production that any court show has ever received a Daytime Emmy. Moreover, Last Shot is the first nontraditional courtroom series to receive a Daytime Emmy. On June 14, 2013, however, Judge Judy became the first long-running, highly rated court show to receive an Emmy, which landed on its 15th nomination, the court show nominated numerous times before this category existed and competing with miscellaneous talk shows. Judge Judy went on to win 2 additional Daytime Emmy Awards, later along with The People's Court , both matching Christina's Court . Judge Mathis

2668-577: A short portion of season 1 before switching to a sea green that same season through the 4th season. In season 4, the entire courtroom set was redesigned while retaining the sea green and saffron graphics and intro. By seasons 5 through 8, the title sequence commenced with an approaching scene towards a computer animated courthouse display up until that scene entered the courthouse. From there, several shots of Sheindlin gesticulating from her bench—as though presiding over various cases—were displayed in motion. These motioning images eventually developed into

2784-429: A single long case, three shorter ones, or even four shorter ones. After expressing her views of the circumstances and behaviors of the litigants with regards to their testimonies, Sheindlin rendered the judgment either by finding for the plaintiff (typically by stating, "Judgement for the plaintiff in the amount of x dollars," and a closing exclamation, such as "That's all," "We're done," or "Goodbye!"), or by dismissing

2900-510: A talent agency that was later entitled "Rebel Entertainment", Kaye Switzer and Sandi Spreckman, asked Sheindlin if she would like to preside over her own courtroom series. Sheindlin eventually accepted, and the "Rebel" talent agency used a pilot episode to pitch to then- Big Ticket Television president Larry Lyttle in 1995. Switzer, Spreckman, along with Rebel Entertainment Owner Richard Lawrence later sued CBS and Sheindlin numerous times over allegedly owed profit shares for their part in commencing

3016-497: Is conducted in the form of a bench trial (as opposed to its more common counterpart, the jury trial ) as only the court show's arbiter may rule on the dispute. Another example, there are no lawyers present and litigants must defend themselves. An additional example, the maximum award limit is $ 5,000. As indicated below, the only traditional court shows still in original episodes from the 1990s or prior are The People's Court (1981) and Judge Mathis (1999), thus making Judge Mathis

3132-507: Is created by Sheindlin and streamed on Amazon Freevee . After Joseph Wapner was released from The People's Court on May 21, 1993, Sheindlin called up the program's producers, Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Productions and Warner Bros. Television , and offered to do the show in his place. The receptionist who answered the phone responded "Are you crazy, lady?" before directly hanging up on Sheindlin. Earlier that same year in February 1993,

3248-497: Is left up to the victors to collect. During its first 1981–93 life, The People's Court with Joseph Wapner existed as a nontraditional court show, featuring real-life arbitrations in an era of dramatized court programming . It is the first "arbitration-based reality" court show to air, beginning in 1981. In addition, it is the first popular, long-running "reality" court show. Prior to the arrival of The People's Court , real life elements were next to nonexistent on court shows, with

3364-489: Is the first African American presided court show to win the honor, succeeded by Lauren Lake's Paternity Court (cancelled a year later). In June 2021, The People's Court secured its 4th win for the category, which now gives it the most wins for the court show genre. By June 2022 when Judy Justice won for its first season, Judy Sheindlin became the only arbitrator to win this category for more than one television program, both her 2 court shows. The People's Court would win

3480-403: The 24 hour news cycle to recycle content from its existing news broadcasts to create less expensive content, thus reducing the available windows for syndicated programs, which in turn draw lower advertising revenues. Warner Bros. cancelled both of its longest-running entries in the genre, The People's Court and Judge Mathis , in response to these changes. The following court shows all follow

3596-528: The Statue of Liberty (over a blue background) followed by Sheindlin approaching the camera folding her arms and smiling. This is followed by shots of her presiding over different cases (which are shown in the scales of the Lady Justice statue in cubes). For much of the series outside of the initial episodes, the opening music video consisted of voice-over artist Jerry Bishop stating: "You are about to enter

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3712-473: The letterbox -like graphics that appeared during the show's outgoing and incoming commercial bumpers, lasting from season 9 through 25. The set also featured a New York state flag (positioned across from an American flag ) situated behind Judge Judy Sheindlin's chair. Over the show's 25-year existence, it saw very few restyling updates from season to season, that is, outside of seasons 1, 2, 9, and 25 (season 25 due to COVID-19 ). Outside of initial seasons and

3828-549: The 2000s is Divorce Court (1957), the court show genre's longest running program. The judicial genre became a category in the Daytime Emmy Awards for the first time in 2008, titled Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program , removing them from competitionn against daytime talk shows in the previously more generic Outstanding Daytime Talk Series category. Up until 2012, all of the annually presented awards went to freshman court shows that had only recently emerged into

3944-621: The 2023 honor in its last season in production with Marilyn Millian. Unlike the original era of court shows, the 2nd era consists of a great deal of ethnic and racial diversity. Few pay much attention to the shifting demographics of court show judges. In 2001, reportedly seven of ten judges were male; however, six of these judges were black, four black males and two black females. Only four were white. By 2008, female television judges had outnumbered their male counterparts. Additionally, four judges were Latina/o and another four were black. Judge Judy Sheindlin and Judge David Young (an openly gay male) were

4060-542: The Beethoven remix once again played. Additionally, solemn violin-like striking tones sounded directly following Sheindlin's final verdict of each episode, lasting from season 9 through the remainder of the show's run. The graphics also began showing up in falu red . The intro was also changed for the ninth season as well. For its scenes, the Lady Justice statue is shown followed by a split screen of Sheindlin and

4176-527: The arbitration-based reality format of its counterparts). Following after Judge Judy , most court shows began using eponymous show titles consisting of the judge's name, and the popularity of impersonal titles dwindled considerably. Judge Judy remained the highest rated court show for its entire 25 season run. It was the highest rated show in all of daytime television programming from 2009 to 2010 television season to its series finale June 2021. Justice David Sills noted in one opinion that "daytime television in

4292-410: The average bench trial in small claims court, tackling miscellaneous civil matters. Unconventional court shows, on the other hand, have their own, very distinct twist that separates them dynamically from traditional courtroom programs and each other as well. Among the list of nontraditional court shows that have been produced include: To date, the only court show that is currently on the air since before

4408-447: The bench by sending a message to the public that United States benches are already diverse." Hot Bench The series features a panel of three judges. The panel acts as an arbitral tribunal , and as with most televised court shows, the cases are a form of binding arbitration in which the litigants forgo their actual lawsuit in favor of appearing on the program. Current cast Former cast Other notable cast The concept

4524-429: The case directly to broadcast viewers. Sometimes, however, these segments were omitted, especially after cases involving resentful litigants, too upset over the circumstances to remain in the studio and provide comments. The producers of Judge Judy hired extras from an audience service who composed the entire studio. Paid audience members were easier to control due to contracts and employment. Producers also looked for

4640-439: The case specifically with or without prejudice . After she ruled and exited the courtroom, Byrd was heard stating: "Parties are excused. You may step out," after which he escorted the litigants out of the courtroom. Any counterclaims filed were handled similarly. At the end of each case, there was typically a fourth-wall –breaking segment during which litigants, and sometimes their witnesses, expressed their feelings regarding

4756-553: The cases taped in March (sometimes April) ended the seasons, the cases taped throughout April, May, June, and July started each season in September and lasted through October. Throughout the very beginning of each season, two new Judge Judy episodes aired per day. After two weeks, this was reduced to one new airing a day, followed by a repeat. There were also various other moments throughout the year where two new episodes were shown for

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4872-558: The cases, litigants, and outcomes are "real". Despite possessing certain real-life elements, however, arbitration-based reality court shows are less credible than "unaffected" reality court programs, which draw on footage from actual courtrooms holding legal proceedings to capture the legal system as naturally as possible (e.g., Parole , On Trial ). The "judges" in arbitration-based court programs are not presiding as actual judges, but rather arbitrators or adjudicators. For one to be considered an acting judge, they must be operating within

4988-400: The cases, not including any footage deleted to meet the time constraints of the show, usually lasted anywhere from twelve to forty-five minutes. Judge Judy , like most court programs, was inexpensive to produce and thus created considerable income. A budget for a week's worth of Judge Judy episodes was half the cost of a single network sitcom episode. Three days every other week (two weeks

5104-464: The court show genre are dramatizations , featuring scripted or loosely script-directed hearings, and arbitration-based reality shows. The former remained the technique of choice for roughly six decades. By the late 1990s, however, arbitration-based reality shows became the technique of choice, as they remain today. Dramatizations were either fictional cases - often inspired from factual details in actual cases- or reenactments of actual trials. The role of

5220-616: The court shows with a single series run (without on-and-off production from cancellation turned series revivals/recasting), Judge Judy had the most seasons. The series also won three Emmy Awards ; earned Sheindlin a Guinness World Records recognition for longest serving television arbitrator; and originated many courtroom programming trends, from use of eponymous show titles to cold open trailers . Two court spin-offs have been generated from Judge Judy : Judy Justice , starring Sheindlin as judge; and Tribunal Justice , featuring Byrd as bailiff. Like Judy Justice , Tribunal Justice

5336-419: The court system and in video depictions of personal affairs. In 1996, a third arbitration-based reality court show emerged, Judge Judy . Upon debuting, it was described as an "edgier" version of The People's Court , adding attitude to the bench. It was only after the ratings boom of Judge Judy in the late 1990s that a slew of other arbitration-based reality court shows arrived on the scene. In fact, due to

5452-402: The courthouse logo that represents the program (the logo is always displayed within the letter "D" in "Judy") by the end of this opening music video. The graphics were also changed to blue and saffron along with this change. In the seventh season, while the theme song remained, the instrumentals were updated. In addition, the font for the short closing credits and litigants font was updated but

5568-413: The courtroom audience was brought to order and instructed to rise by Byrd. He then informed Sheindlin of the docket number on the court calendar in the midst of providing Sheindlin a file of legal statements about the case, and directing audience members to be seated. Sheindlin typically began each case by summarizing the disputed matters brought before her. This was followed by preliminary questioning of

5684-592: The courtroom of Judge Judith Sheindlin. The people are real. The cases are real. The rulings are final. This is Judge Judy ." Originally between the statements "The rulings are final" and "This is Judge Judy" was the statement, "This is her courtroom." This line was dropped in 2004 when season 9 began. Beginning in September 2012, the show made a switch to high definition with its 17th season. The bumpers between commercials are also in HD, although most on-screen graphics such as plaintiff and defendant descriptions are framed to fit

5800-500: The defendants themselves were held financially accountable as opposed to the show. In such cases, Sheindlin had expressed particular aversion to the defendants in question. Further, Sheindlin dismissed cases without prejudice when she suspected both the plaintiff(s) and defendant(s) of conspiring together to gain monetary rewards from the program. Both the plaintiff (s) and the defendant (s) also received an appearance fee. The appearance fee amount had varied between different litigants of

5916-406: The early 21st century has been full of 'judge shows,' where ordinary people bring a dispute for decision before a celebrity jurist." Divorce Court is the only show in the genre to have utilized both popular formats ("dramatized" and "arbitration reality") during their heyday. Moreover, of all the shows in the modern judicial genre, Divorce Court is the oldest. It has also had the most seasons in

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6032-414: The early court show genre resembled legal dramas more than the programs that have come to represent the modern judicial genre. While the introduction of this technique dates back to the late 1940s, the departure of its popular use occurred in the early 1990s. The technique scarcely existed for a great deal of time, that is, up until Allen Media Group , formerly known as Entertainment Studios , reintroduced

6148-441: The entire genre. The series has had three lives in syndication, from 1957 to 1969 (dramatized); from 1985 to 1992 (dramatized); and currently since 1999 (arbitration-based reality). Altogether, as of the 2021–22 season, the court show has had a grand total of 42 seasons. In second place is The People's Court with 38 seasons and two lives through its 2023 cancellation. With no suspensions in its production history, Judge Judy has had

6264-454: The exception of a few short-lived nontraditional court shows ; these precedent reality court shows, however, were only loosely related to judicial proceedings, except for one: Parole (1959), which took footage from real-life courtrooms holding legal proceedings. Since the advent of arbitration-based reality court shows by The People's Court , numerous other duplicate courtroom programs have been produced. Its revolutionizing impact, however,

6380-462: The fate of jointly purchased household appliances , and rightful ownership of property. As is standard practice in small claims court and most reality court shows alike, Judge Judy proceedings operated in the form of a bench trial (as opposed to its more common counterpart, the jury trial ). Moreover, lawyers were not present, and litigants had to represent themselves. Generally each show presented two cases, but infrequently, an episode would present

6496-427: The filmed dramas seen in early television. In the first half of the 2012–13 television season, the aforementioned shows were the lowest rated in the judicial genre. While Allen Media Group has been criticized by some for using this technique, as of the 2024-2025 television season, the company owns nine of the thirteen court shows currently airing, all using the identical format. The following court shows all follow

6612-400: The final season, most modifications to the program had been done in minute detail, such as to the show's bookshelf display seen near the courtroom entrance. Aesthetically, the show's theme song , graphics, and color scheme were the only aspects that had changed repeatedly throughout its lifespan. Season 1 , and specifically its initial episodes, took a strikingly contrasting presentation from

6728-453: The first time, officially birthing the television court show genre. In the genre's first stages, television court shows largely followed the same "dramatized" format as radio court shows, though with the new element of physical and visual entertainment. The vast majority of these court shows were depicted in black-and-white . Just as some films are based on true stories , some featured cases on courtroom dramas were based on real-life cases. On

6844-715: The genre at the time of their rewarding. Cristina's Court (only lasting three seasons, from 2006 to 2009) was the first court show to win a Daytime Emmy Award as well as the first court show to win more than once and consecutively three times, holding this record for nine years. This albeit short-lived court show won the Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program Award in 2008 (two seasons into its run), 2009, and 2010 (the series cancelled by this period). Judge Pirro (2008–2011) won in 2011, upon being cancelled just two seasons into its run. Last Shot with Judge Gunn (2011–present) won in 2012, only

6960-752: The handling of civil trials, most of the court shows in this era were criminal trials. The main setting was the courtroom; however, performance and drama had been known to leave the courtroom sporadically for short periods so as to add a story-like quality and fill out the plotline. Some of the shows had thematic cases, such as traffic-themed ( Traffic Court ) and divorce-themed ( Divorce Court ). Far more realistic than their dramatized predecessors , arbitration-based reality versions do not use actors, scripts, improvisation or recreations. Rather, they feature litigants who have legitimately been served and filed lawsuits , presenting their cases to an adjudicator or panel of adjudicators. In exchange for having their case heard on

7076-415: The interview, Sheindlin stated: I have a contract with the company to do the program through the 2006 season. At that point, we will have produced this program for 10 years. Right now, I would be satisfied with a good 10-year run. I think that would really be phenomenal. It would be lovely if we could end on a high note and for me to say "10 years and I still had people watching and I had a second career that

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7192-468: The judge was often taken by a retired real-life judge, a law school professor or an actor. Arbitration-based reality shows, on the other hand, typically involve litigants who agree to have their disputes aired on national television and adjudicated by a television show "judge". However, the forum is merely a simulated courtroom constructed within a television studio and not a legitimate court of law. Therefore, said judges are technically arbitrators , and

7308-503: The judgement is won. The show pays the judgment from a fund reserved for each case, paid for by the show's advertising and syndication revenue; the defendant and plaintiff alike are both compensated with an appearance fee. In actual small claims courts, however, winning the judgement is frequently only the first step as judgments do not ensure the victor the money they are owed. Getting the defendant to pay his or her judgment can be taxing, and courts typically do not get involved, which means it

7424-960: The knowledge and thoughts of others, and had to maintain eye contact with Sheindlin while relaying testimony, among other things. If Sheindlin deemed that children were not needed to testify, she directed Byrd to escort them out of the courtroom at the outset of the proceedings. If children testified, occasionally teens as well, Sheindlin would have them sit on the witness stand next to her, which Byrd typically stood in front of. Like most modern court shows, cases on Judge Judy imitated small claims court cases in which civil trials (non- criminal cases ) were heard and ruled on. Typically Sheindlin handled cases among former lovers, disputing neighbors, couples, or family and friend relations. Disputes generally revolved around issues such as broken engagements, unpaid personal loans , contract breaches , personal injuries from other litigants or their pets, minor property damages (e.g., fender benders , carpet stains, etc.),

7540-431: The latter seasons of the show. The courtroom set design and stage props vastly differed from what would become commonplace for the court show. The first episodes of season 1 also used music composed by Fred Lapides: a piano-based melody for the title sequence and closing credits . This theme music was never to be used again outside of the early stages of season 1 in 1996. The show's season 1 voice-over artist Michael Stull

7656-460: The legal parties, and thus these litigants are bound by the rules and regulations set by the arbitrator. One study noted, "In exchange for streamlining the process (and likely sacrificing some legal rights), litigants surrender their fates to the media apparatus and experience a justice system ruled by the conventions of television drama and personality of the presiding television judge." Arbitration-based reality shows guarantee monetary relief if

7772-478: The less you want to spend time patshkeing over the way you look." In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the 24th season production of Judge Judy to end prematurely at only 199 episodes, 61 episodes fewer than the show's typical season number of 260. When Judge Judy returned for season 25, its final season, a multitude of COVID-19 precautionary measures were in place, vastly distinguishing this season of

7888-419: The litigants and their witnesses were covered by the show, and the experience was generally treated as an all-expense-paid vacation outside of the actual court case. If there was an exchange of property, Sheindlin signed an order, and a sheriff or marshal oversaw the exchange. Sheindlin saw only a half-page complaint and a defense response before the taping of the cases, sometimes only moments before. Most of

8004-499: The litigants, evidence was scanned with a document camera at the litigant lecterns, allowing Sheindlin to view it remotely. In addition, litigant afterthoughts following the case were shared at the podiums, instead of in the hallway set used pre-COVID. Steve Kamer took over as voice-over announcer for the 25th season after Jerry Bishop's death on April 21, 2020. On May 21, 2021, Sheindlin was asked by USA Today what she recalled of her unaired Judge Judy pilot episode, used to sell

8120-413: The long closing credits retained the original font. By the eighth season, the font was completely changed and the returning from commercial break scenes were replaced with New York City scenes. Strikingly atypical to most of the show's run, the first few seasons saw litigators and their witnesses readily speaking out of turn, bickering between each other and taking to misbehaviors without Sheindlin exacting

8236-507: The longest lasting individual life of any reality court show. The program completed its 25th and final season during the 2020-21 television season. Judge Mathis follows with 24 seasons from 1999 to 2023. As with other daytime television genera, the court show began to see declining clearance in the early 2020s in the face of declining daytime viewership and a weakening market for syndication in general. Major television station ownership groups have opted to expand local newscasts, relying upon

8352-410: The longest running court show still in its first run that hasn't had any temporary production halts or recasting of the show's arbitrator. As with the original court programming era, the modern era has seen a wide variety of unconventional court shows. These are shows that do not take the typical format and procedure of most of the shows within today's judicial genre. For the most part, court shows mimic

8468-529: The main media venue or even popular until the 1950s. The era from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s is commonly called radio's Golden Age . In the mid-1930s, the Hauptmann trial sparked an upsurge of fascination with dramatized court shows wherein trials and hearings were acted out. As radio fans were denied the vicarious thrill of eavesdropping on the actual courtroom trials, many turned to this venue of entertainment. In these programs, testimonies were limited to

8584-432: The melody composed by Bill Bodine in season 1, the opening music video was updated to motioning scenes of Sheindlin from the bench, gesticulating as though presiding over cases. These motioning images moved freely until colliding with an image of the Judge Judy courthouse logo, emphasized by a striking cymbal -like sound effect. The background scene for this title sequence music video was originally depicted in navy blue for

8700-528: The merits of the case amongst themselves in the chamber room before rendering a verdict (under the format, only a majority—two of the three-panel members—need to agree on the verdict). Before them, the panel consisted of attorneys Tanya Acker and Larry Bakman, along with former Brooklyn New York Supreme Court judge Patricia DiMango . In October 2016, Bakman announced that he was leaving Hot Bench to focus on his law practice. Bakman's final episodes originally aired on October 28, 2016, and Corriero's first episode

8816-479: The methodology in 2010. Initially airing three court shows as of the 2012-2013 television season: America's Court with Judge Ross , We the People With Gloria Allred , and Justice for All with Judge Cristina Pérez , these series (each with a standard disclaimer shown at the end of these programs), used a filming style and format more closely resembling arbitration-based court shows than

8932-547: The most captivating, explosive portions of the original case. Though there was risk of libel and slander suits in producing court case recreations, this threat was commonly sidestepped by taking from trials of the distant past, with the original participants dead. Prior to 1936, there were only 2 major radio court shows: The Court of Human Relations and Goodwill Court . As television began to exceed radio's popularity, radio broadcast court programming had waned. By 1948, court programming relocated and appeared on television for

9048-513: The most part, cases were taped throughout the year except for two breaks Sheindlin and all of the staff members of her show had for the year. One of the two breaks included an extra week off in December, as the show was only taped one week out of that month because of the holidays. The other break was from mid-July (only taping one week in July) and all through August. According to members of the show,

9164-400: The narration during the title sequence was also updated with Michael Stull announcing, "You are about to enter the courtroom of Judge Judith Sheindlin. The people are real. The cases are real. The rulings are final. This is her courtroom. This is Judge Judy." This narration lasted through season 8 of the program, though Jerry Bishop took over the narration by season 2. When the show switched to

9280-472: The next level. We have assembled three individuals with extremely varied backgrounds to serve as the judges. They are smart and talented, with terrific instincts and great chemistry, and are sure to create a 'hot bench'." On April 26, 2024, Hot Bench has been renewed for its eleventh and twelfth seasons through 2025–26 season. The current panel consists of Michael Corriero, Rachel Juarez, and Yodit Tewolde, who preside over small-claims cases and then argue

9396-404: The number of talk shows. As reported in late 2012, court programming is the second highest-rated genre on daytime television. The genre's most formidable competitors in syndication have been the sitcom and game show . The beginnings of the court show genre are embedded in radio broadcasting, dating back to the mid-1930s. While television has been available since the 1920s, it would not become

9512-570: The only non-Hispanic whites. It has been argued, however, that television judge demographics can distort images of real-life judge demographics. Real-life judge demographics show sharp contrasts to television judge demographics. Women are only 18.6% of federal judges and about 20% of state judges. Only 3% of judges are black in the United States. Overwhelmingly, American judges are white males. A study noted that "television court shows may reduce support for increased racial and gender diversity on

9628-420: The opposing litigants to recount the entirety of their testimony. During the proceedings, Sheindlin coerced the parties to adhere to her strict management: participants were not allowed to tuck hands in pockets, drink water (unless they ask first), fold arms, chew gum, appear for court dressed at all revealingly or casually, speak out of turn, hesitate in answering questions, offer statements of hearsay , assert to

9744-549: The order they were taped. Thus the final filmed case of the series aired on June 8, 2021. While later seasons of the show are currently airing in syndication, the first three seasons are on Pluto TV 's "Courtroom" channel and their "Judge Judy" channel. Judge Judy had an impact on courtroom programming, reviving the genre as a whole. It was the highest Nielsen -rated court show for the entirety of its 25-year run in original episodes, also frequently ranking as highest-rated television broadcast in daytime television and syndication. Of

9860-402: The other hand, cases could be entirely fictional, though they often drew on details from actual cases. To recreate and conceptualize cases, staff members working for the court shows researched the country's court cases and took ideas from the ones that seemed captivating and fitting for television. Typically, the role of the judge on these programs was played by a law school professor, an actor, or

9976-454: The pandemic that were drastic and conspicuous, due to their unorthodox process of interchanging defendants for each individual episode. Court shows first began in radio broadcasting in the 1930s, starting with The Court of Human Relations , and evolved with the introduction of television in the late 1940s, with programs such as Court of Current Issues , Your Witness , Famous Jury Trials , and more. The most widely-used techniques in

10092-461: The parties as to dates, times, locations, and other scene-setting facts before addressing the crux of the lawsuit. Governing the discourse throughout the cases, Sheindlin typically allowed only brief portions of each of the testimonies; having read the parties' sworn statements before the taping, she was quick to reply, impose her spiel, and disallow responses that were not concise or which interrupted her. Less frequently, Sheindlin allowed one or both of

10208-445: The point that the show's Facebook moderator admonished posters that negative commentary about the clip-on bun would be deleted. Her bailiff, Petri Hawkins-Byrd, admitted to a preference for the original hairdo. Asked about the change in hairstyle, Sheindlin described the former as "a lot of goop and teasing and product and fussing around by somebody else. This is so much easier. And as each hour in every day we have becomes more precious,

10324-428: The popularity of Judy Sheindlin 's show, dramatized court shows became largely a thing of the past (that is, however, until 2010 when Entertainment Studios by Byron Allen entered the court show field, delivering a host of scripted/improvised courtroom programs). Among the influx of other reality court shows included the resurrections of the previously cancelled and defunct People's Court and Divorce Court (adopting

10440-417: The procedure of court shows varies based upon the titular host. In most cases, they are first-run syndication programs. In 2001, the genre began to outperform soap operas in daytime television ratings. While all syndicated shows are steadily losing audiences, court shows have the slowest rate of viewer attrition. Thus, by the late 2000s, the number of court shows in syndication had, for the first time, matched

10556-538: The process depicted is a form of binding arbitration. Most arbitrators presiding in modern court programs have had at least some legal experience, often a conditional requirement to participate in these televised programs. Court show programs are a staple of daytime television, often airing once or twice every weekday. With minimal production costs (under $ 200,000 a week, as opposed to entertainment magazines' hefty $ 1,000,000 ) and an evergreen , episodic format, court shows are easily and frequently rerun . Like talk shows,

10672-463: The program and introducing the two parties. Sheindlin originally desired the show title to be "Hot Bench", and the network and various news publications even promoted it as Hot Bench for some time prior to débuting, but Big Ticket Television ultimately decided on "Judge Judy". The Hot Bench title was eventually used by Sheindlin, however, for a different court show she later created (2014–present), which does not feature Sheindlin herself, but rather

10788-414: The program. The court cases that are captured all operate in the form of small claims court . For example, only small-scale civil matters are heard and ruled on, such as back rent, unpaid personal loans or wages, minor property damage, minor consumer complaints, etc. As another example of the small claims format, relief that is sought is money or recovery of personal property. As another example, litigation

10904-504: The really good bottle of wine third." Altogether, there were 260 new episodes each season. There was at least one new episode for every weekday, except a few hiatuses during most of the summer, a couple of holidays, and in the latter seasons of the show, early spring as well (much of March and April). The cases were all pre-recorded for editing purposes and would usually air one to three months after being taped. The cases were mixed up and not shown in order of when they were recorded. While

11020-478: The reason for this break was that people were more interested in taking vacations than in filing lawsuits around that time. When the seasons premiered in September, only episodes perceived as the best by program staff of the ones taped before Sheindlin's break were selected to start the season. Thus, the first few weeks (the first week in particular) would consist of what the show felt to be its best episodes. In Sheindlin's words, "It's like drinking wine. You don't serve

11136-650: The season finale was extended to July, August, or September, most of the summer episodes preceding it were repeats with new episodes that were few and far in between. Two DVDs, featuring "memorable cases", were released by the show: the first in 2007, "Judge Judy: Justice Served," and the second in 2008, "Judge Judy: Second To None." For its entire 25-season run, Judge Judy taped at the Sunset Bronson Studios on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles , California . In alternating weeks, Sheindlin, who owns

11252-434: The series on June 8 stand out among other episodes since it was not featured in the series finale episode: that is a glittery, bee-shaped clip that Sheindlin wore in her hair. Sheindlin explained that this was a wink to her Judge Judy fans and a nod to her Queen Bee production company at the end of a 25-year reign over daytime television. Court show#Arbitration-based reality court show A court show (also known as

11368-508: The series to Big Ticket Television. Sheindlin responded by expressing great disfavor of the pilot episode, indicating that Judge Judy producers only set up fictionalized cases and steered her to dramatized reactions and behaviors. This ultimately ended up in Sheindlin's production team sending only bits and pieces of the pilot to CBS for approval of the show's broadcast. During the interview, Sheindlin recounted: I remember that somebody then

11484-400: The series' close. While this final filmed case (episode 179 of season 25, "Judge Judy Makes a Call!/Mother vs. Son") aired on June 8, 2021, cases taped before that point continued to air for the first time through the series finale episode, which aired on July 23, 2021 (episode 200 of season 25, "Architecture Barter Gone Bad"). Worthy to note, only one detail made Sheindlin's final filmed case of

11600-436: The show being taped primarily in California, it displayed various images of New York City during the incoming commercial bumpers (audio and visuals shown returning from commercial breaks), including New York subways, parks, monuments, etc. In addition, the words "State of New York" and "Family Court" (Sheindlin was previously a New York family court judge in addition to being a native of New York) scrolled back and forth within

11716-526: The show from previous seasons. Sheindlin presided remotely from New York; producers built a partial makeshift set there for her, with a different set design behind her and a larger, darker executive chair. Byrd and the litigants (and witnesses, if any) participated from the Los Angeles studio, now devoid of audience members. Sheindlin interacted with the litigants through a live Internet link. Because Byrd could not physically convey evidence between her and

11832-400: The show generally used one of the following three options: After one of these three processes, if the producers were interested, their employees would then call both parties and ask them questions relating to their lawsuit, making sure they were suitable for Judge Judy . If the parties agreed to be on the show and signed an arbitration contract, agreeing that arbitration in Sheindlin's court

11948-424: The show, the litigants must agree to dismiss their genuine cases with prejudice . Behavior and commentary from all participants involved is self-directed, as opposed to production script-directed. As such, these types of court shows fall into a subcategory of reality television . It is for these reasons that many of these particular programs make clear claims to authenticity, as text and voiceovers remind viewers that

12064-438: The show: certain litigants had reported receiving a $ 500 appearance fee while others had reported receiving $ 100, and others $ 250. In addition to the appearance fee amount, reportedly (at least some) litigants were paid $ 35 a day by the show. The litigants' stay lasted for the number of days that the show did taping for that week, which was two or three days. In addition, the airfare (or other means of travel) and hotel expenses of

12180-444: The space directly beside Sheindlin's set was used for the courtroom series Paternity Court , only for the 2013–14 television season (that court show's 1st season). Prior to that, the space was used for Judge Judy ' s sister show Judge Joe Brown until Judge Joe Brown ' s 2013 cancellation. Like Judge Judy , Judge Joe Brown was also produced by Big Ticket Entertainment . The two shows alternated taping weeks. Despite

12296-405: The strict measures for which later became a staple of the program. The ninth season (2004–05) was one of the few seasons in which the show underwent major remodeling when music for the show's opening, closing, and to/from commercial portions were modified. A remixed version of a melody from Beethoven's 5th Symphony was then adopted as the show's title sequence and closing music. This arrangement

12412-475: The truth of a case, and there really is no truth, I can't work. So they took little snippets of the pilot and created a sizzle reel, along with 60 Minutes tape and sold that." Sheindlin taped the final case of the series on April 15, 2021. The case, described by media spectators as mundane, saw a general contractor suing his customer over unpaid work. In this final taped case of the series, Sheindlin also made no farewell remarks nor gave any attention to it being

12528-594: Was a blast." On September 14, 2015, Sheindlin began celebrating her 20th season anniversary presiding on Judge Judy . The program is the first in the court show genre to make it to 20 seasons without cancellation, as well as the first to make it to this extent under one arbitrator. Three years later by September 2018, the Judge Mathis court show entered its 20th season and became the second and only other court show to accomplish this feat. Sheindlin's distinction as television's longest-serving judge or arbitrator won her

12644-423: Was composed by Non-Stop Music Productions. During the program's outgoing commercial bumpers (short portions of the program that took each episode to a commercial break, in the case of this program, adding previews of the remainder of the case or cases to be featured in the episode) a dramatic violin -like melody sounded in contrast to the Beethoven remix. When the program resumed with its incoming commercial bumper,

12760-428: Was during its active years in production, it continues to be distributed by CBS Media Ventures in syndication, now in reruns that still draw notably high ratings. The series premiered on September 16, 1996, and concluded on July 23, 2021. The court show ended with its 25th season after Sheindlin and CBS renewed their contract for the final time in 2017. During its run in new episodes, the show did not release airings in

12876-407: Was final and couldn't be pursued elsewhere (unless Sheindlin dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice ), their case would air on Judge Judy . The award limit on Judge Judy , as on most "syndi-court" shows (and most small claims courts in the U.S.), was $ 5,000. The award for each judgment was paid by the producers of the show from a fund reserved for the purpose. Sheindlin ruled by either A.) issuing

12992-402: Was heard narrating this intro theme, stating: "This is Judge Judy. Real people—in real cases—in real conflict. She was a real judge with over 15 years of courtroom experience." After numerous episodes towards the beginning of season one, the show's theme music was completely revamped to a percussive drum-like, ascending melody composed by Bill Bodine. Integrated into the modified theme music,

13108-459: Was inspired by Judy's vacation to Ireland , a country which occasionally uses panels of three judges to handle one case: "When my husband Jerry and I were in Ireland recently, we visited the courts and watched a three-judge bench, which I found both fascinating and compelling." She added, "I immediately thought what a terrific and unique idea for a television program that brings the court genre to

13224-502: Was not immediate. After The People's Court's cancellation in 1993, a second arbitration-based reality court show surfaced the year following, Jones & Jury (1994–95). This was the only arbitration-based reality court show airing during this time and short-lived in its existence. The two other court shows in production during this time were nontraditional programs Kids' Court (1989–94) and Judge for Yourself (1994–95). The O. J. Simpson murder trial increased public interest in

13340-468: Was scheduled to originally air on November 1, 2016, with series creator Judge Judy Sheindlin and her husband, former The People's Court judge Jerry Sheindlin , serving as guest judges on the Halloween 2016 original broadcasts. In the fall of 2022, DiMango and Acker were replaced on the show by Juarez and Tewolde, while Corriero assumed the chief judge position. The bailiff is Sonia Montejano, who

13456-416: Was trying to fit me into a sort of cookie cutter (mold). They had seen the 60 minutes [documentary], and they thought the approach that they saw in 60 minutes could be almost a caricature, and I'm not a caricature of that person, I am that person. So the cases that they brought to me to do the pilot were not genuine, and I couldn't react to things that weren't genuine. Because when I'm trying to figure out

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