Judge Judy is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by former Manhattan Family Court Judge Judith Sheindlin. The show featured Sheindlin as she adjudicated real-life small-claims disputes within a simulated courtroom set. Prior to the proceedings, all involved parties signed arbitration contracts agreeing to Sheindlin's ruling. The show aired in first-run syndication. As it was during its active years in production, it continues to be distributed by CBS Media Ventures in syndication, now in reruns that still draw notably high ratings.
The People's Court was an American arbitration-based reality court show, featuring an arbitrator handling small claims disputes in a simulated courtroom 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 revival ran from 1997 to 2023. Both versions ran 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 court show Divorce Court by 2 seasons.
Big Ticket Television, Inc. is an American production company. Big Ticket is a subsidiary of CBS Studios, a division of Paramount Global. It is best known for producing the syndicated mainstay Judge Judy from 1996 to 2021.
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 one of the longest-running syndicated television programs of all time. Divorce Court also holds the record for the longest-running court show of all time, leading the second-place show The People's Court by two years.
WPGA-TV is a television station licensed to Perry, Georgia, United States, serving as the MeTV affiliate for the Macon area. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Peachtree Sports Network outlet WPGA-LD. The two stations share offices at the corner of Second and Cherry streets in downtown Macon, with master control and most internal operations based at Gray flagship WANF in Atlanta; WPGA-TV's transmitter is located on GA 87/US 23/US 129 ALT, along the Twiggs–Bibb county line.
Daytime television is the general term for television programs produced for broadcast during the daytime hours on weekdays; programs broadcast in the daypart historically have been programmed to appeal to a female audience.
Lynn Candace Toler is an American lawyer, judge, television arbitrator, and television presenter, best-known for her role as arbitrator on Divorce Court. With her 14 seasons on the show, between 2006 and 2020, Toler is the longest-reigning arbitrator on the series.
These are first-run syndicated television shows that air on commercial broadcast stations in a significant number of markets. If it has only aired in a few markets, it is not significantly important enough to be placed on this list. Note that shows listed here do not necessarily air in every market.
Jury Duty is an American syndicated nontraditional/arbitration-based reality court show that premiered on September 17, 2007. Initial market clearances, according to Broadcasting & Cable, were at least 60 percent of the nation's television markets. The show was produced and distributed by Radar Entertainment.
Kevin Andrew Ross is an American television personality, podcaster, producer, writer, and former judge on the Los Angeles County Superior Court in California. Since 2010, he has presided over the syndicated reality courtroom show, America's Court with Judge Ross.
Judge Jeanine Pirro is an American arbitration-based reality court show, presided over by retired Westchester County, New York, District Attorney Jeanine Pirro. The series debuted on The CW on September 22, 2008 and ended in May 2011.
Mablean Deloris Ephriam, Esq. is an American television personality and former Los Angeles prosecuting attorney. She is best known as the adjudicator of the courtroom series Divorce Court for seven seasons from 1999 to 2006. She was replaced by Judge Lynn Toler in the show's 2006-07 season. Ephriam is also known for her judge roles in Tyler Perry's Madea films.
A court show is a broadcast programming genre comprising legal dramas and reality legal programming. Court shows present content mainly in the form of legal hearings between plaintiffs and defendants, presided over in one of two formats: scripted/improvised with an actor portraying a judge; or, an arbitration-based reality format with the case handled by an adjudicator who was formerly a judge or attorney.
America's Court with Judge Ross is an American syndicated court show produced by Allen Media Group (AMG). The program features former Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Kevin A. Ross presiding over nontraditional/dramatized small claims court cases. Retired Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Captain Bruce Thomas serves as the show's bailiff. Nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2012 for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program, the series currently films in Culver City, California.
Lauren Lake's Paternity Court is a nontraditional court show in which family lawyer and legal analyst Lauren Lake heard and ruled on paternity cases and rendered DNA test results.
Personal Injury Court is an American syndicated nontraditional court show in which personal injury lawyer Gino Brogdon heard and ruled on personal injury cases.
Relative Justice is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by Texas, California, and New York State licensed attorney Judge Rhonda Wills.
Equal Justice with Judge Eboni K. Williams is an American syndicated court show produced by Allen Media Group and premiered on September 11, 2023.
Dana Tippin Cutler is a lawyer and news personality. She and her husband, Keith Cutler, are the first married couple to preside over a television court show, Couples Court With the Cutlers. Cutler was the first Black woman elected as Missouri Bar president.
