There are dozens of courtroom television programs on daytime TV these days – from Judge Judy to Judge Joe Brown. Television court shows can be entertaining, informative, and even educational. Litigants on TV court shows generally appear for real lawsuits that had been currently pending in civil court. In most cases, actors are not used in the place of real litigants. In some court shows, there are cases in which one litigant is suing another. In others, couples seek advice on whether or not they should seek a divorce, such as on the popular series Divorce Court. During these cases, disputes are settled through arbitration, when a third-party issues a decision between two opposing parties. The following are the top 10 TV court shows.
Judge Greg Mathis
Judge Mathis is a legal reality show first airing in 1999. It was originally produced by Black Pearl Productions, and later taken over by Warner Bros. Television. Since its start, more than 2,000 episodes have been taped. Judge Mathis is broadcast five days a week throughout the United States and through Omni Television in Canada. The Judge Mathis Show has also appeared in an episode of The Steve Harvey Show.
Judge Joe Brown
Judge Joe Brown is a syndicated television show by CBS Television Distribution. It premiered on September 14, 1998, and continues to broadcast on local television stations during the day in the United States. Judge Joe Brown maintains a civil courtroom, alongside Bailiff Sonia Montejano who joined the show in 2006, succeeding Holly Evens who was with the show since its start in 1998. Judge Joe Brown has had several well-known litigants on the show, including Rick James, Coolio, and Ike Turner.
Judge Judith Sheindlin
Judge Judith Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy, presides over her own syndicated courtroom which premiered on September 16, 1996. Unlike her courtroom judge counterparts, Judge Judy became well known for her no-nonsense, strict attitude. The show’s rating is high, averaging more than 10 million viewers each day. Judge Judy maintains a spot as the number one court show since its debut, and is the only current court show to increase its ratings yearly.
Judge Marilyn Milian
Judge Marilyn Milian is a Florida-state judge who resides over the popular legal television program, The People’s Court. The small claims court features real cases using the actual parties involved. The pilot episode of The People’s Court aired on October 23, 1980. The show ran a total of 2,484 ½-hour syndicated episodes from September 14, 1981 to May 21, 1993. Reruns aired from September 1994 to June 1997. A new version of The People’s Court premiered in 1997, and featured newscaster and host Carol Martin and co-host Harvey Levin.
Judge Glenda Hatchett
Judge Hatchett is a nationally-syndicated television program distributed by Sony Pictures Television. The show debuted on September 4, 2000, and was modeled after other popular “court shows” of the time, such as Judge Judy, but also took elements from tabloid talk shows, such as Maury Povich. Not only did Judge Hachett deal with small-claims lawsuits, but she also handled out-of-control teens and DNA paternity tests. The series ran for nine seasons, but was cancelled on January 14, 2008. Reruns continued to air until mid-2010 on TV38 and Black Entertainment Television.
Judge Maria Lopez
Judge Marie Lopez is a small claims civil actions courtroom program produced by Sony Pictures Television. It premiered in the United States and Canada on September 11, 2006. The half-hour television show gave the audience a no-nonsense approach to the entertaining series. Judge Maria Lopez aired on daytime television until September 5, 2008, when Sony Pictures Television cancelled the series after two seasons.
Judge Lynn Toler
Divorce Court is a judge show involves only divorcing couples and couples planning to marry but questioning if they should. Judge Lynn Toler is the current judge, beginning in September 2006. Prior to 2006, Judge Mablean Ephriam presided over the courtroom. In total, Divorce Court has had a total of 32 seasons and remains the longest running court show of all time, since its start in 1957. The current version of Divorce Court was produced by 20th Television.
Judge Alex Ferrer
Judge Alex Ferrer was created by Twentieth Television – a syndication branch of Fox, by Executive Producers Sharon Sussman and Burt Wheeler. The syndicated courtroom television program, Judge Alex, premiered on September 12, 2005. The first five seasons of the show were taped at the Houston, Texas KRIV studio, and the current episodes are taped in Los Angeles, California at the Fox Television Center. Judge Alex airs on daytime television throughout the United States.
Judge Mills Lane
Judge Mills Lane is an American courtroom program that premiered on August 17, 1998. The television program was produced by the Hurricane Entertainment Corporation by John Tomlin and Bob Young. It was distributed by Rysher Entertainment, now CBS Television Distribution. Judge Lane used the catchphrase “Let get it on!” at the start of every case, and occasionally stated to deceiving litigants, “I may have been born at night, but I wasn’t born last night.” Judge Mills Lane was cancelled on September 7, 2001, and reruns later ran on The National Network (TNN).
Judge David Young
Judge David Young is a syndicated television series that premiered throughout the United States and Canada on September 10, 2007. He presided over small claims cases, and used humor with the litigants and bailiff, Tawya Young. Judge David Young was produced by Sony Pictures Television and ran for two seasons before it was cancelled on September 4, 2009. At the end of each episode, Judge Young explained his ruling to the audience.
Television courtroom shows are highly popular, as they allow the audience to listen to interesting narrative about crimes and various situations and their outcomes. There are a handful of great television court shows that currently air on daytime TV and many that have been cancelled within the last decade. These programs remain a valuable source of information for those interested in crime and legal disputes.
Sources:
http://judgeshows.com/allshows.aspx
