The People's Court
The People's Court is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by retired Florida State Circuit Court Judge Marilyn Milian. Milian, the show's longest-reigning arbiter, handles small claims disputes in a simulated courtroom set.
The People's Court ranks as the second-longest running courtroom series in history, behind Divorce Court and the third highest rated after Judge Judy and Hot Bench.
Conception
When John Masterson devised the original camera-in-court concept in 1975, he first pitched it to Monty Hall, the producer and host of the game show Let's Make a Deal, 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 market. The series was executive produced by Ralph Edwards, 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.The People's Court is the first court show to use binding arbitration, 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 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. Among examples of these types of court shows include Famous Jury Trials 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 Superior Court Judge Joseph Wapner. His tenure lasted from the show's debut on September 14, 1981, until May 21, 1993, when the show was cancelled due to low 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 cancelled, reruns aired in syndication until September 9, 1994, and on the USA Network 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 Ed Koch was chosen as arbiter, which he maintained for two seasons. By the 1999–2000 season, former New York State Supreme Court Judge Jerry Sheindlin 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, was Joseph Wapner. Rusty Burrell was his bailiff, Jack Harrell was the announcer, and Doug Llewelyn was the host and court reporter, who announced the matter of the dispute at the beginning of each trial. He also interviewed the plaintiff and the defendant 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. If a case ended with a verdict 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-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 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.
The losing party does not actually need to pay the judgment, as such. Instead, both parties are paid from a fund. 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. 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
After 12 seasons on The People's Court, Wapner was not invited back to the court show in 1993. The producers of The People's Court wished to revamp the series, but they didn't notify him of the decision, which he eventually learned of from his brother-in-law, who read about it in the San Francisco Chronicle. Wapner expressed holding great resentment and bitterness at the court show's producers for 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 cancelled.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 and Jerry Sheindlin, only lasted two seasons each, whereas he lasted 12 seasons. He also emphasized that judges need to be respectful of litigants.
Second version (1997–present)
On September 8, 1997, a new version of The People's Court debuted in first-run syndication as a 60-minute program. The series as a whole reached its 35th season on September 9, 2019, with its 23rd season in its current production cycle. By that point, the 1997 revival has already outlasted its original version, which ran 12 seasons. The show's second life has been headed by three judges since its debut.Ed Koch (1997–1999)
When The People's Court returned to the airwaves on September 8, 1997, the show expanded from 30 minutes to 60 minutes, where former New York newscaster Carol Martin of WCBS-TV hosted from a studio, with Harvey Levin serving as a co-host in the field taking questions, and opinions from people at the Manhattan Mall, and then, returning to the studio at the end of the show for a wrap-up. Curt Chaplin replaced Jack Harrell as the show's announcer, and appeared on camera as the court reporter, although with the addition of a host, his role was limited to interviewing the litigants after the conclusion of each case.Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch presided over the court from September 8, 1997 to June 25, 1999, with reruns airing until September 10. In 1998, 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 to the Times Square visitors' center. Since Levin is now based in Los Angeles with TMZ, the viewing area has moved to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California, 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 (1999 – March 2001)
Judge Jerry Sheindlin 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)
On March 12, 2001, late in The People's Courts fourth season, retired Florida State Circuit Court Judge Marilyn Milian 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, 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'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 remains in the position as of 2018.In 2008, The People's Court, under Milian's reign, was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award under a new Courtroom/Legal Show category created by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 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.
The People's Court finally won a Daytime Emmy in 2014 and again in 2015.
The show was taped in Manhattan for the first 15 seasons of the revival; since the 16th season, it is taped in Stamford, CT.
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 reporter, replacing Curt Chaplin, who remains in his announcer role as of 2017. 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, and ran until the end of the Wapner run on May 17, 1993, the opening disclaimer by Jack Harrell was changed:
On September 8, 1997, when The People's Court returned to the airwaves, and expanded from 30 minutes to 60 minutes, where former New York mayor Ed Koch took over as the judge, the show moved to New York City, and the opening disclaimer was changed, and was read by Curt Chaplin:
On September 13, 1999, when Jerry Sheindlin took over as the judge, the opening disclaimer by Curt Chaplin was changed:
When Marilyn Milian became the current judge on March 12, 2001, the opening disclaimer was changed:
Later, Milian's opening disclaimer was changed:
Then, in later seasons, Milian's opening disclaimer was changed:
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 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."
The New York Post 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 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, which was also the studio for the 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'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'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. 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 and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, all of which are now part of AT&T Inc.'s WarnerMedia unit.