''The People's Court'' is an American
arbitration-based reality court show
A court show (also known as a judge show, legal/courtroom program, courtroom series, or judicial show) is a broadcast programming subgenre of either legal dramas or reality legal programming. Court shows present content mainly in the form of lega ...
, featuring an arbitrator handling
small claims
Small-claims courts have limited jurisdiction to hear civil cases between private litigants. Courts authorized to try small claims may also have other judicial functions, and go by different names in different jurisdictions. For example, it may b ...
disputes in a
simulated
A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or process, whereas the s ...
courtroom
A courtroom is the enclosed space in which courts of law are held in front of a judge. A number of courtrooms, which may also be known as "courts", may be housed in a courthouse. In recent years, courtrooms have been equipped with audiovisual ...
set. Within the court show genre, it is the first of all arbitration-based reality style programs, which has overwhelmingly become the convention of the genre. The original series ran from 1981 to 1993, and the current revival debuted in 1997. Both versions have run in
first-run syndication. The show ranks as the longest running traditional court show and second-longest running court show in general, having a total of 38 overall seasons as of the 2022-23 television year, behind only
niche
Niche may refer to:
Science
*Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development
*Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species
*Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...
court show ''
Divorce Court
''Divorce Court'' is an American court show that revolves around settling the disputes of couples going through divorces. The show has had four separate runs, all in first-run syndication. Since the debut of the original series in 1957, it is ...
'' by 2 seasons.
The first version of ''The People's Court'' was presided over solely by former
Los Angeles County Superior Court
The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States.
The ...
Judge
Joseph Wapner
Joseph Albert Wapner (November 15, 1919 – February 26, 2017) was an American Judge and Television Personality. He is best known as the first presiding judge of the ongoing reality court show ''The People's Court''. The court show's firs ...
. The current incarnation of the show has had different presiding judges: former New York City Mayor
Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
(1997–1999), former
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...
Judge
Jerry Sheindlin
Gerald "Jerry" Sheindlin (born November 19, 1933) is an American author, television personality, jurist and attorney. He spent many years as a trial judge serving the New York Supreme Court.
After serving in the Army during the Korean War, Shei ...
(1999–2001), and former
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
State Circuit Court Judge
Marilyn Milian
Marilyn Milian (born May 1, 1961) is an American television personality, lecturer, and retired Florida Circuit Court judge. Since March 12, 2001, Milian has presided over the American courtroom television series ''The People's Court''. She is th ...
(2001–present). Milian is the show's longest-reigning arbiter, having made it to 20 years of presiding over the series by spring 2021.
The program is the third
highest rated of court shows after only ''
Judge Judy
''Judge Judy'' is an American Court show#Arbitration-based reality court show, arbitration-based reality court show presided over by former Manhattan Family Court Judge Judy Sheindlin, Judith Sheindlin. The show featured Sheindlin as she adjudi ...
'' reruns (ended original run in July 2021) and ''
Hot Bench
''Hot Bench'' is a nontraditional panel-based court show that made its debut in first-run syndication on September 15, 2014. The series is produced by ''Judge Judy''s Judge Judy Sheindlin, who also created the program and concept with executi ...
'' (produced by
Judy Sheindlin
Judith Susan Sheindlin (''née'' Blum; born October 21, 1942), known professionally as Judge Judy, is an American court show arbitrator, media personality, television producer, author, women's advancement philanthropist and former prosecutor an ...
), respectively. With ''Judge Judy''s end at 25 seasons in 2021, ''The People's Court''s current/2nd production cycle now boasts the genre's longest single production continuance having entered its 26th season in the 2022-23 television year (albeit having gone through 3 arbitrators in its current installment). In June 2021, ''The People's Court'' won its 4th
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program
The Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program is a category of the Daytime Emmy Awards dedicated to the court show genre. It was first introduced in 2008. Previously, court shows were grouped miscellaneously in the talk show category. I ...
, which officially gives it the most Daytime Emmy wins in the court show genre.
Conception
When John Masterson devised the original camera-in-court concept in 1975, he first pitched it to
Monty Hall
Monty Hall (born Monte Halparin; August 25, 1921 – September 30, 2017) was a Canadian radio and television show host who moved to the United States in 1955 to pursue a career in broadcasting. After working as a radio newsreader and sport ...
, the producer and host of the game show ''
Let's Make a Deal
''Let's Make a Deal'' (also known as ''LMAD'') is an American television musical comedy variety-game show that originated in the United States in 1963 and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The program was created an ...
'', and his partner, producer-writer Stefan Hatos. They put a young associate, Stu Billett, in charge of selling it, but the networks were not interested. Billett later went out on his own and refined the concept into a show shot in a studio rather than a real courtroom. Small-claims court participants agreed to drop their court cases and accept binding arbitration in a simulated courtroom. The networks expressed interest, but still did not buy it; however, it did sell into the first-run
syndication
Syndication may refer to:
* Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system
* Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips
* Web syndication, ...
market. The series was executive produced by
Ralph Edwards
Ralph Livingstone Edwards (June 13, 1913DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 86-87. – November 16, 2005) was an American radio ...
, who also created and hosted the documentary show ''
This Is Your Life'', and Stu Billett, who later went on to create ''
Moral Court''. John Masterson, whom many consider a pioneer and originator of "reality TV" also created ''Bride and Groom'' and ''
Breakfast in Hollywood
''Breakfast in Hollywood'' is a morning radio show created and hosted by Tom Breneman broadcast from 1941 to 1948 on three different radio networks: NBC Radio, NBC, Citadel Media, ABC and Mutual Broadcasting System, Mutual. These unscripted shows ...
''.
''The People's Court'' is the first court show to use binding
arbitration
Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ' ...
, introducing the format into the genre in 1981. The system has been duplicated by most of the show's successors in the judicial genre. Moreover, ''The People's Court'' is the first popular, long-running reality in the judicial genre. It was preceded only by a few short-lived realities in the genre; these short-lived predecessors were only
loosely related to judicial proceedings, except for one: ''
Parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
'' (1959) took footage from real-life courtrooms holding legal proceedings. Prior to ''The People's Court'', the vast majority of TV courtroom shows used actors, and
recreated or fictional cases (as did
radio before that). Among examples of these types of court shows include ''
Famous Jury Trials
''Famous Jury Trials'' is a dramatized court show that first appeared on radio, followed by television, and then in the movies. The series ran on radio from 1936 through 1949, then on television from 1949 through 1952, and finally in a movie in 1 ...
'' and ''
Your Witness''.
''The People's Court'' has had two incarnations. The show's first life was presided over solely by former
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...
Superior Court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...
Judge
Joseph Wapner
Joseph Albert Wapner (November 15, 1919 – February 26, 2017) was an American Judge and Television Personality. He is best known as the first presiding judge of the ongoing reality court show ''The People's Court''. The court show's firs ...
. His tenure lasted from the show's debut on September 14, 1981, until May 28, 1993, when the show was canceled due to falling ratings. This left the show with a total of 2,484 half-hour episodes and 12 seasons. The show was taped in Los Angeles during its first life. After being canceled, reruns aired in syndication until September 9, 1994, and on the
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...
from October 16, 1995, to June 6, 1997.
On September 8, 1997, after being out of production for four years, ''The People's Court'' was revived for a second life in first-run syndication as a 60-minute program. Former lawyer and
Mayor of New York
The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...
Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
was chosen as arbiter, which he maintained for two seasons. By the 1999–2000 season, former
New York State Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...
Judge
Jerry Sheindlin
Gerald "Jerry" Sheindlin (born November 19, 1933) is an American author, television personality, jurist and attorney. He spent many years as a trial judge serving the New York Supreme Court.
After serving in the Army during the Korean War, Shei ...
(husband of
Judy Sheindlin
Judith Susan Sheindlin (''née'' Blum; born October 21, 1942), known professionally as Judge Judy, is an American court show arbitrator, media personality, television producer, author, women's advancement philanthropist and former prosecutor an ...
from ''
Judge Judy
''Judge Judy'' is an American Court show#Arbitration-based reality court show, arbitration-based reality court show presided over by former Manhattan Family Court Judge Judy Sheindlin, Judith Sheindlin. The show featured Sheindlin as she adjudi ...
'' and ''
Judy Justice
''Judy Justice'' is an American streaming arbitration-based reality court show presided over by former Manhattan Family Court Judge Judith Sheindlin. ''Judy Justice'' is a spin-off of courtroom series ''Judge Judy'' (1996–2021). The show fea ...
'') succeeded Koch. Sheindlin only lasted one and a half seasons and was replaced towards the end of the 2000–01 season. Since spring 2001, Marilyn Milian has been the judge.
First version (1981–1993)
''The People's Court'' pilot episode was taped on October 23, 1980, with a second pilot episode taped on January 13, 1981. The show debuted as a half-hour program on September 14, 1981.
The judge from the show's first 12 seasons (including the 1980 pilot) was
Joseph Wapner
Joseph Albert Wapner (November 15, 1919 – February 26, 2017) was an American Judge and Television Personality. He is best known as the first presiding judge of the ongoing reality court show ''The People's Court''. The court show's firs ...
. Rusty Burrell was his
bailiff
A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offi ...
, Jack Harrell was the announcer, and Doug Llewelyn was the host and
court reporter
A court reporter, court stenographer, or shorthand reporter is a person whose occupation is to capture the live testimony in proceedings using a stenographic machine, thereby transforming the proceedings into an official certified transcript b ...
, who announced the matter of the dispute at the beginning of each trial. He also interviewed the
plaintiff
A plaintiff ( Π in legal shorthand) is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as an ''action'') before a court. By doing so, the plaintiff seeks a legal remedy. If this search is successful, the court will issue judgment in favor of the p ...
and the
defendant
In court proceedings, a defendant is a person or object who is the party either accused of committing a crime in criminal prosecution or against whom some type of civil relief is being sought in a civil case.
Terminology varies from one jurisdic ...
after the court ruling, to gauge their responses to the verdict. Llewelyn often ended each episode with a jaunty "If you're in a dispute with another party and you can't seem to work things out, don't take the law into your own hands; you take 'em to court," which became something of a 1980s
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
. If a case ended with a
verdict
In law, a verdict is the formal trier of fact, finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In a bench trial, the judge's decision near the end of the trial is simply referred to as a finding. In Engl ...
for the defendant, however, Llewelyn instead ended the episode by saying, "If someone files a lawsuit against you and yet you're convinced you've done nothing wrong, don't be intimidated. The best policy is to go to court and stand up for your rights." The cases often had
pun
A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...
-related names, such as "The Overdone Underthings" and "A Head with a Beer on It". Judge Wapner greeted his litigants by saying, "I know each of you has been sworn. I've read your complaint..." Occasionally, if an episode wrapped up a few minutes early, Judge Wapner fielded questions from the courtroom observers, or the legal consultant explained the legal reasons behind Wapner's decisions.
''The People's Court'' deals in small-claims matters. When the show debuted as a half-hour program on September 14, 1981, litigants could not sue for more than US$1,500, which was the limit for small-claims court at the time in California. As the laws in California changed, so did this amount. Starting in 1990, litigants could sue for up to US$5,000, which is now the law in most states.
Researchers for the show examined small-claims filings in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
and approached the plaintiff and defendant in interesting cases. The producers offered to have Judge Wapner arbitrate the dispute if they would agree to dismiss their action and be bound by Judge Wapner's decision. Through this approach, the show could get real people with real cases. Though the show is decorated and run like a real courtroom, it is not a real court or part of any judicial system, but instead a form of binding
arbitration
Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ' ...
.
The losing party does not actually need to pay the judgment, as such. Instead (as is stated in the disclaimer at the end of each show), both parties are paid from a fund (set up by Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Productions). This fund was based on the amount of the lawsuit claim, but an exact formula was not stated. The fund was to be first divided equally, then any monetary judgment ordered was subtracted from the loser's half (and presumably both halves in the case of cross judgments). Each litigant received at least what remained of their half in shows concluding with that disclaimer.
The disclaimer did not call this fund an "appearance fee", a term which appeared later in connection with ''The People's Court'' and other court shows. There may have been a later period when ''The People's Court'' paid the judgment, plus expenses and only a modest appearance fee to each litigant.
Cancellation
In 1993, after 12 seasons on ''The People's Court'', Wapner was not invited back to the show. The show's producers wished to revamp the series, but they did not notify him of that decision, which he eventually learned of from his brother-in-law, who read about it in the ''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...
''. Wapner expressed holding great resentment and bitterness at the show's producers for his finding out this way, and additional resentment over being let go when, according to him, the show was still doing well. However, although the show had a good run ratings-wise, the ratings had dropped to an all-time low at around the time ''The People's Court'' was canceled.
Wapner stated that he was told years later that the producers did not want to hurt his feelings, but that it was exactly what they did. He also stated that he was not notified when the producers decided to revamp the series, and that he held no opinions on ''The People's Court'' judges who succeeded him as he never watched the program. He did, however, note that the two ''People's Court'' judges who succeeded him,
Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
and
Jerry Sheindlin
Gerald "Jerry" Sheindlin (born November 19, 1933) is an American author, television personality, jurist and attorney. He spent many years as a trial judge serving the New York Supreme Court.
After serving in the Army during the Korean War, Shei ...
, only lasted no more than two seasons each, whereas he lasted the original series' entire 12 seasons. He also emphasized that judges need to be respectful of litigants.
Second version (1997–present)
On September 8, 1997, a revival reincarnation of ''The People's Court'' debuted in first-run syndication. The series as a whole reached its 37th season in September 2021, with its 25th season in its current production cycle. The 1997–present reincarnation has vastly outlasted the program's original version, which ran 12 seasons. The show's second incarnation has been headed by three judges since its debut.
When ''The People's Court'' returned to the airwaves on September 8, 1997, the show expanded from a 30-minute to 60-minute broadcast where former New York Newscaster
Carol Martin (1997–98) of
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV (channel 2) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Riverhead, New York–licensed independent station WL ...
hosted from a studio.
Harvey Levin
Harvey Robert Levin (born September 2, 1950) is an American television producer, legal analyst, celebrity reporter, and former lawyer. He is the founder of celebrity news website TMZ, and the former host of ''OBJECTified'', which aired on the Fo ...
(1997–present) was also added to the show cast in a role that was added to reflect the court show's title ''People's Court'': returning from breaks, Levin acting as a
field reporter
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
, is shown at an external public place taking questions and opinions from people in relation to the case, and then, returning to the studio at the end of the show for a wrap-up. Curt Chaplin (1997–present) replaced Jack Harrell as the show's announcer, and appeared on camera as the court reporter with the addition of a litigant-final-thoughts interviewer, known for snippily interviewing the program's litigants following the conclusion of each case. Beginning with the 2016-17 season, Doug Llewellyn from the first incarnation of ''The People's Court'' took over this litigant interviewing role. Chaplin, however, maintains his voice-over role on the series. In this role, Chaplin narrates the court show in a manner that pokes fun at the cases with
melodramatic
A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...
and exaggerated vocal expressions and verbiage.
Ed Koch era (1997–1999)
Former New York City Mayor
Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
presided over the court from September 8, 1997, to June 25, 1999, with reruns airing until September 10.
In 1998, Carol Martin left the show, with Levin becoming the sole host. The studio segments were done away with and Levin hosted the entire episodes from the viewing area, which eventually moved from the
Manhattan Mall
Manhattan Mall is an inactive indoor shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade wit ...
to the Times Square visitors' center. Since Levin is now based in Los Angeles with
TMZ
TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 202 ...
, the viewing area has moved to the
Third Street Promenade
The Third Street Promenade is a pedestrian mall esplanade, shopping, dining and entertainment complex in the downtown area of Santa Monica, California which originally opened as the Santa Monica Mall on November 8, 1965. It is considered a premier ...
in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
, while production of ''The People's Court'' has moved to Connecticut. The opening outlines of the taped cases are shown to people in the outdoor viewing area on a monitor. Their responses are edited into the program.
Judge Jerry Sheindlin era (1999 – March 2001)
Judge
Jerry Sheindlin
Gerald "Jerry" Sheindlin (born November 19, 1933) is an American author, television personality, jurist and attorney. He spent many years as a trial judge serving the New York Supreme Court.
After serving in the Army during the Korean War, Shei ...
(husband of Judge
Judy Sheindlin
Judith Susan Sheindlin (''née'' Blum; born October 21, 1942), known professionally as Judge Judy, is an American court show arbitrator, media personality, television producer, author, women's advancement philanthropist and former prosecutor an ...
, the presiding judge over the court show ''
Judge Judy
''Judge Judy'' is an American Court show#Arbitration-based reality court show, arbitration-based reality court show presided over by former Manhattan Family Court Judge Judy Sheindlin, Judith Sheindlin. The show featured Sheindlin as she adjudi ...
'') sat on the bench from September 13, 1999,
to March 9, 2001, and ratings on the show lagged.
The bailiff for both of these judges' tenures was Josephine Ann Longobardi.
Judge Marilyn Milian era (2001–present)
![Marilyn Milian by Gage Skidmore](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Marilyn_Milian_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
On March 12, 2001, late in ''The People's Court''s fourth season, retired Florida State Circuit Court Judge
Marilyn Milian
Marilyn Milian (born May 1, 1961) is an American television personality, lecturer, and retired Florida Circuit Court judge. Since March 12, 2001, Milian has presided over the American courtroom television series ''The People's Court''. She is th ...
replaced Sheindlin as presiding judge on the court show. Under Milian, ''People's Court''
ratings improved significantly.
[ Milian is the first Hispanic judge to preside over a courtroom series.] Milian is also the show's youngest and first female arbitrator. By the completion of the 16th season of ''The People's Court'' (2012–13), Milian had completed 12 and a half seasons presiding over the series, officially making her the longest reigning judge over the program—outlasting Joseph Wapner
Joseph Albert Wapner (November 15, 1919 – February 26, 2017) was an American Judge and Television Personality. He is best known as the first presiding judge of the ongoing reality court show ''The People's Court''. The court show's firs ...
's reign of 12 seasons. For the remainder of the 2000–01 season, Davey Jones took over the role as bailiff, replacing Longobardi. In September 2001, Jones was replaced by Douglas McIntosh, who has remained in the position since.
In 2008, ''The People's Court'', under Milian's reign, was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
under a new Courtroom/Legal Show category created by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the television industry in the United States. It is a 501(c)(6) non-prof ...
. In 2009 and 2010, the show was nominated again for the Daytime Emmy Award under the same category, but did not win. On May 1, 2013, ''The People's Court'' had again been nominated for an Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program Daytime Emmy, but again did not win. Newly released court shows that were also short-lived from low ratings had been dominating the wins for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Legal Courtroom, such as ''Cristina's Court
Cristina Perez (born October 27, 1964) is an American actress, television personality, writer and TV judge.
Biography
She was born in New York City, raised in California to parents of Colombian descent, received two BAs at UCLA and her JD ...
'' (another White Hispanic
White Latin Americans, or European Latin Americans, are Latin Americans who are considered white, typically due to European descent. Latin American countries have often tolerated intermarriage between different ethnic groups since the beginning ...
arbitrator).
''The People's Court'' finally won a Daytime Emmy in 2014 and again in 2015. In June 2021, ''The People's Court'', under Milian, won its 4th Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program
The Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program is a category of the Daytime Emmy Awards dedicated to the court show genre. It was first introduced in 2008. Previously, court shows were grouped miscellaneously in the talk show category. I ...
, which officially gave it the most Daytime Emmy wins in the court show genre.
The show was taped in Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
for the first 15 seasons of the revival; since the 16th season (2012–13), it is taped in Stamford, CT
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
.
For the show's 20th season, Doug Llewelyn returned to the series for the first time since the end of the original series. He resumed his previous role as host/reporter, replacing Curt Chaplin, who remains in his announcer role . For his first show back, Judge Milian welcomed him "home" and handed him his suit jacket and microphone.
Series overview
Opening disclaimer
When ''The People's Court'' premiered on September 14, 1981, as a half-hour show, the first opening disclaimer was used during the first five seasons of the Wapner run, and was narrated by Jack Harrell:
Beginning in Season 6 (1986-1987), and ran until the end of the Wapner run in 1993, the opening disclaimer by Jack Harrell was changed:
On September 8, 1997, when ''The People's Court'' expanded from 30 minutes to 60 minutes, where former New York mayor Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
became the judge, the show moved to New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and the opening disclaimer was changed, and was narrated by Curt Chaplin:
On September 13, 1999, when Jerry Sheindlin
Gerald "Jerry" Sheindlin (born November 19, 1933) is an American author, television personality, jurist and attorney. He spent many years as a trial judge serving the New York Supreme Court.
After serving in the Army during the Korean War, Shei ...
replaced Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
as the judge, the opening disclaimer by Curt Chaplin was changed:
When Marilyn Milian
Marilyn Milian (born May 1, 1961) is an American television personality, lecturer, and retired Florida Circuit Court judge. Since March 12, 2001, Milian has presided over the American courtroom television series ''The People's Court''. She is th ...
replaced Jerry Sheindlin
Gerald "Jerry" Sheindlin (born November 19, 1933) is an American author, television personality, jurist and attorney. He spent many years as a trial judge serving the New York Supreme Court.
After serving in the Army during the Korean War, Shei ...
as the current judge on March 12, 2001, the opening disclaimer was changed:
Later, Milian's opening disclaimer was changed:
Then, a couple years later, Milian's opening disclaimer changed again:
After a few months, the soundbites of Judge Milian's voice were removed from the opening, and Curt Chaplin's opening disclaimer was slightly changed:
In September 2009, the current opening disclaimer was used:
Litigant compensation
At the end of each show, the following disclaimer appears:
Both the plaintiff and the defendant have been paid from a fund for their appearance. The amount, if any, awarded in the case, is deducted from this fund, and the remainder is divided equally between both litigants. The amount of the fund is dependent on the size of the judgment.
No information is given as to what relation the amount of the fund bears to the size of the judgment, nor the amount of the fund if a verdict for the defense is rendered.
In a talk-show appearance, Judge Wapner gave a few more specifics as to how compensation was typically calculated. In his words, if the plaintiff won, the show would pay his/her judgment and give the defendant $50 for his/her time, whereas if the defendant won, the parties would "split $500".
In 1989, a litigant sued the producers, claiming, "I was only willing to appear because they guaranteed me $1,500. I never would have appeared on that show and made a fool out of myself for a chintzy $250." (In response, an associate producer said that before going on the show, participants are given a packet of information "where everything is clearly outlined to the nth degree.")
''The New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' reported on some of the details surrounding compensation for a lawsuit filed by Claudia Evart. "The show pays all damages awarded to defendants and plaintiffs, as well as a $250 appearance fee."
Production notes
The 1981–93 life of the show was initially taped at Golden West Broadcasters and, later, Metromedia
Metromedia (also often MetroMedia) was an American media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and controlled Orion Pictures from 1988 to 1997. Metromedia was established in 1956 after the DuMo ...
Square
In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90-degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length adj ...
in Los Angeles, before moving to The Production Group. In New York City, ''The People's Court'' first taped episodes at the NEP/Image studios in the former Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Pennsylvania
The Hotel Pennsylvania was a historic hotel at 401 Seventh Avenue (15 Penn Plaza) in Manhattan, across the street from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden in New York City. Opened in 1919, it was once the largest hotel in the world. ...
, which was also the studio for the talk show
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...
'' Maury''. In 1998, the show began taping at the MTI Studios on the 8th floor at 401 Fifth Avenue, where the courtroom received a makeover. In 2006, the MTI Studios were sold to NEP/Image. At the end credits of some episodes, the show is said to be taped at the NEP/Image studios. The former MTI studios are officially part of NEP Broadcasting
NEP Group, Inc. (formerly NEP Broadcasting LLC) is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based and privately owned international production company that provides outsourced teleproduction services for major events throughout the world.
Its facilities ar ...
's NEP Penn Studios.
In 2012, the show moved to the Connecticut Film Center in Stamford, taking advantage of the same state tax credits which attracted NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States.
NBCUniversal is primari ...
's syndication and cable divisions to the Stamford area.
The aired episodes are sometimes spliced together in a different order from which they are taped (a common procedure on some hour-long shows). This is why the judge's blouse color may change and why fewer courtroom observers may be seen during the second half of the show than during the first half. For the 2012 season, the show started broadcasting in widescreen standard definition, before eventually converting to high-definition broadcast shortly thereafter.
All versions of ''The People's Court'' are "A Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Production" in association with Telepictures Productions
Telepictures (also known as Telepictures Productions; formerly known as Telepictures Distribution and Telepictures Corporation) is an American television show and filmmaking company, currently operating as a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Television S ...
and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...
(including its predecessors Telepictures and later Lorimar-Telepictures
Lorimar-Telepictures Corporation was an entertainment company established in 1985 with the merger of Lorimar Productions, Inc. and Telepictures Corporation. Headquartered at the former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (now Sony Pictures Studios) ...
), all of which are now part of Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at 230 Park Avenue South in New York City. It was formed after the spin-off of WarnerMedia by AT&T, and its merger with D ...
.
Since June 2020, cases have been posted on the official The People's Court Youtube channel. The channel has over 250,000 subscribers and has amassed 300 million views. Both current and old cases are posted.
Theme music
The theme music, "The Big One (People's Court Theme)", was composed by Alan Stanley Tew. The uptempo theme music, with prominent piano theme and bongo drum rhythm, has been sampled by many artists, including Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...
. It has also been featured in several films and television shows, including the 1977 pornographic film '' Barbara Broadcast'', the 1979 low-budget film '' Malibu High'', the BCTV current affairs program '' Webster!'', ''SpongeBob SquarePants
''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character a ...
'', ''The Loud House
''The Loud House'' is an American animated television series created by Chris Savino that premiered on Nickelodeon on May 2, 2016. The series revolves around the chaotic everyday life of a boy named Lincoln Loud, who is the middle child and only so ...
'', "Blue Harvest", the sixth-season premiere episode of ''Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'', the December 5, 2005, and December 21, 2009, editions of ''WWE Raw
''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television show, television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, ET on the USA Networ ...
'' in Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
, ''Boy Meets World
''Boy Meets World'' is an American coming-of-age sitcom created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly that aired on ABC for seven seasons between September1993 and May2000. The series centers on Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) and his friends and famil ...
'', and ''Popular
Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group.
Popular may also refer to:
In sociology
* Popular culture
* Popular fiction
* Popular music
* Popular science
* Populace, the total ...
''.
2020 COVID-19 production adjustments
When ''The People's Court'' resumed production for the 2020–21 season, there were several protocols put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...
earlier in the year. The studio was still set up as normal, but no spectators were allowed inside. The two litigants for each case also did not appear in the court, nor did Judge Milian. Instead, the trial was conducted remotely with monitors placed behind the plaintiff's and defendant's stands and behind the bench. Bailiff Douglas McIntosh was present in the courtroom area to swear in the litigants, while Doug Llewelyn still conducted the post-case interviews while stationed in the corridor. Harvey Levin continued to offer commentary, doing so from his office at TMZ headquarters in Los Angeles. After each case, in a segment called "After the Verdict," Judge Milian discussed her verdict in chambers with her husband, John Schlesinger, a former assistant United States attorney, who in 2004 was elected to the 11th Judicial Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County.
For the 2021–22 season, Judge Milian returned back to the studio with the plaintiffs and defendants still appearing remotely.
For the start of the 2022 season, only reruns were served for the first month and a half. New episodes began to air October 17th with all parties returning back to the studio.
Ratings
As of September 2017, ''The People's Court'' ranks third behind number one ''Judge Judy'' and number two ''Hot Bench
''Hot Bench'' is a nontraditional panel-based court show that made its debut in first-run syndication on September 15, 2014. The series is produced by ''Judge Judy''s Judge Judy Sheindlin, who also created the program and concept with executi ...
'' in the ratings for TV court shows.
British version
A British version of the show was produced by STV Studios
STV Studios (previously STV Productions, SMG Productions, and originally known as Scottish Television Enterprises) is the television production arm of the STV Group plc. Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, and with an office in London, England, ...
(then known as "SMG TV Productions") to replace Trisha Goddard
Patricia Gloria Goddard (born 23 December 1957) is an English television presenter and actress. She is best known for her television talk show ''Trisha Goddard (TV series), Trisha'' (1998–2010), which was broadcast on a mid-morning slot on I ...
's talk show on ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
in 2005. Jerome Lynch and Rhonda Anderson served as judges, with Carol Smillie
Carol Patricia Smillie (born 23 December 1961) is a Scottish television presenter, actress and former model. Smillie became famous as a presenter on British TV during the 1990s and early 2000s. She was best known for assisting Nicky Campbell on ...
as the court reporter.[, 2006] The show was considered a failure and not renewed.
References
External links
*
'People's Court': the Show the Networks Spurned
(includes photo of Stu Billett)
(includes photos of the show with Judge Wapner)
(includes photo of former NYC Mayor 'Judge' Ed Koch)
{{DEFAULTSORT:People's Court, The
1981 American television series debuts
1993 American television series endings
1997 American television series debuts
American comedy television series
2000s American reality television series
2010s American reality television series
American television series revived after cancellation
Arbitration courts and tribunals
Court shows
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program winners
English-language television shows
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
ITV (TV network) original programming
Television series by Ralph Edwards Productions
Television series by STV Studios
Television series by Telepictures
Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
Television series by Lorimar-Telepictures