Trials and tribulations
After 25 years and 12,500 episodes, Judge Judy is coming to an end. EMMA JOHNSON takes a look at the success of the courtroom reality show
MOST of us hope to get through life without ever seeing the inside of a courtroom.
But for the past 25 years millions of TV viewers have tuned in to witness cases heard by American judge Judith Sheindlin.
Launched in the United States in 1996 and later syndicated to the UK, Judge Judy invited us to watch as the diminutive New Yorker adjudicated on small claim cases.
Typical disputes included unpaid loans, contract breaches, personal injuries and broken engagements.
Judy’s path to stardom had begun three years earlier with a profile in the Los Angeles Times, when she was presiding over Manhattan’s Family Court.
An appearance on America’s 60 Minutes show followed, as did a book deal and soon TV producers were beating a path to her door.
Within two years of launch, Judge Judy was beating The Oprah Winfrey Show in the ratings.
It still pulls in some 10 million daily viewers on average and has also been hugely successful for the Brooklyn-born former prosecutor.
With a reported annual income of $47m and a personal fortune of more than $450m – according to Forbes – she is one of the highest-paid stars on television and in 2019 she was given the lifetime achievement award at the Daytime Emmys.
Nevertheless it was announced in March that Judge Judy is to come to an end on CBS after 25 years and 12,500 episodes.
The final show – said to involve a contractor suing a homeowener over an unpaid bill – is expected to air in the autumn.
The 78-year-old is not hanging up her robes though and has already announced plans for a new series – Judy Justice.