# Judge Judy (1996)

> A retired Manhattan family court judge delivers blunt rulings on real small claims disputes in a syndicated arbitration court show.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/3748

## Facts

- Seasons: 25
- Episodes: 2190
- Episode runtime: 22 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: reality
- Created by: Judith Sheindlin
- Network: Syndication
- Cast: Judith Sheindlin, Petri Hawkins-Byrd, Jerry Bishop, Michael Stull, Steven Kamer, Bea Arthur, David J. McMillan, Lisa Lange
- TMDB rating: 6.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115227/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: blunt, brisk, wry, confrontational, no-nonsense

## What critics say

Viewers broadly credit Judge Judy with reviving the court show format through Judith Sheindlin's blunt, no-nonsense adjudication, though its audience reception is mixed to negative.

## Synopsis

Judge Judy (1996-2021) is an American syndicated arbitration reality court show created by Judith Sheindlin for Syndication and distributed by CBS Television Distribution. Retired Manhattan Family Court judge Judith Sheindlin presides over real small claims disputes in a simulated courtroom set, and the engine of each episode is simple: litigants who have signed contracts agreeing to binding arbitration argue their cases, and Sheindlin cuts through excuses, interrupts evasions and hands down a verdict quickly. Her bailiff Petri Hawkins-Byrd keeps order while announcers introduce each case, and the format runs as a long daily run of short 22-minute episodes across twenty seasons, with each case a self-contained dispute rather than a continuing story. The show became a defining example of the tough, no-nonsense judicial approach that reshaped the court show genre, following earlier arbitration programs like The People's Court and Jones and Jury. Its tone is brisk, blunt and often wry, with a sharp sense of everyday grievance over money, property and broken promises. Fans of The People's Court and Divorce Court will find the same appeal in its brisk adjudication and courtroom verdicts.

## Shows like Judge Judy

- [Trial & Error (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/60733)
- [Night Court (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/147)
- [Bull (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/58862)
- [The Good Fight (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/60614)
- [Jury Duty (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/141309)
- [Juvenile Justice (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/94061)
- [A to Z (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54635)
- [Judge John Deed (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/4712)
- [Matlock (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/144696)
- [All Rise (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/77015)

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