Judge Judy
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Judge Judy | |
---|---|
Judge Judith Sheindlin. | |
Starring | Judith Sheindlin Petri Hawkins-Byrd |
Country of origin | USA |
Production | |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | Syndicated |
Release | 1996 – Present |
Judge Judy is an American syndicated judicial show. The program premiered in 1996 and remained the only courtroom show on television in the United States since The People's Court ended its first run in 1993, and until that series returned with Ed Koch as judge in 1997. The return of The People's Court, as well as an influx of other judge shows, such as Judge Joe Brown, Judge Alex and Judge Hatchett, are largely seen as a result of Judge Judy 's success. The show has been renewed through the 2009/2010 season. Judge Judy is currently in her 11th season which started on September 11, 2006. Each show is introduced with the statement: 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.
The show features the former family court judge Judith Sheindlin, Esq., as an arbitrator hearing small claims cases with an award limit of US$5,000, the maximum in most U.S. states. She is notorious for berating litigants for the bad choices they make in their lives. Through cross-examination, she frequently exposes the lies the litigants tell and humiliates them for doing so.
Petri Hawkins-Byrd, Judge Judy's bailiff, with his absolutely sedate composure, is often a foil to the berating Judge Judy.
The cases on Judge Judy are real, and Sheindlin operates according to the principles of the American legal system. She conducts her court in a manner similar to U.S. appellate courts and many international courts, taking on a more inquisitorial fashion. There are no lawyers present and participants defend themselves, which is standard in a small claims court. The people who appear on her show sign a waiver agreeing that arbitration in her court is final and cannot be pursued elsewhere unless she dismisses the case without prejudice. The award for each judgement is paid by the producers of the show from a fund reserved for each case. The remainder of the fund is split between the parties for a particular case.
Judge Judy is broadcast in many English-speaking countries. In the UK, ITV2 airs three episodes twice a day during weekdays, with network announcers often affectionately referring to her simply as "the Judge". In Australia, Judge Judy shows every weekday on Network Ten. It also airs every weekday in Ireland, on TV3. Additionally, the show has been airing in the Middle East on One TV, a satellite channel operating from Dubai, UAE.
Sheindlin, with her show now in syndication, has surpassed Oprah Winfrey to become the highest-paid woman in television history. [1]
Parodies
Judge Judy has been parodied and has made an appearance on Saturday Night Live, with Cheri Oteri in the role of Sheindlin. Amanda Bynes also parodied Judy on The Amanda Show, in a skit called Judge Trudy. 3rd Rock from the Sun parodied Sheindlin, placing Sally Solomon in her position in an episode where a dispute in a laundromat occurred. The Simpsons' Judge Constance Harm is a humorous parody of Sheindlin, who does not hesitate to hand down severe, original sentences to Bart, such as tethering him to his father Homer. In the episode "Food for Thought" in That's So Raven, there is a judge who supervises the "food court". In the show Cyberchase, there is a judge in one episode named "Judge Trudy."
See Also
- Judith Sheindlin
- Judge Hatchett
- The People's Court
- Divorce Court
- Judge Alex
- Judge Joe Brown
- Judge Mills Lane
- Judge Mathis
External links
- The Judge Judy show's former theme song
- Judging Judy, The Daily Record, November 10, 2003
- JudgeJudy.com
- Template:Tvtome show
- Judge Judy at IMDb