Calling It Quits
The show has been going on since 1996 and has been a golden show for CBS.
So after nearly a quarter of a century, why is such a successful show coming to an end? But some light has finally been shed through interviews like The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Staple Of CBS
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But even if some people haven’t watched the show they know the name, Judge Judy.
Her name is like Oprah’s. It chimes in anyone’s head.
Never Losing Steam
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Over the course of its running, the show has aired nearly 7,300 episodes. Judy herself has won three Daytime Emmy Awards in the category of Legal/Courtroom Program
Perhaps the reason why the show is ending is because of Judy’s stress. She says she’d dodged more than one bullet over the years.
Ups And Downs
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Judy says that hosting a family court show definitely comes with its fair share of stress.
She says that she needs to use her common sense and intuition because even though it’s a show she’s still dealing with real people with real lives.
The Beginning Of The End
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The final straw may have been when Judy tried to act on a clause in her contract that was buried in the fine print.
Judy’s contract let her produce her own shows which was something she was very passionate about. She even started her own shows which had good ratings, until CBS intervened.
Dropped Creatives
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They dropped the shows in favor of ones that had bigger names attached to them even if their ratings were lower.
There have even been rumors that the shows didn’t even let her give creative control. This doesn’t make sense because her ratings were through the roof for 5 years in a row.
Not Stopping
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But even at 70 Judy is still going strong and has no intention of stopping anytime soon.
Judy just wants to keep doing what she loves. But CBS has made it more difficult with the next stunt that they pulled.
Rerun War
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Judy held all the rights to all previous shows.
She had also planned to sell them off to other stations for a dollar amount that had a boggling number of zeros behind the offer number. It turned out CBS wasn’t going to stand for it.
Easy Money
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The station swopped in, and through tricky legal manoeuvres, bought the entire back catalogue to sell on their own.
“Out of respect” for her long career, they were going to let her finish out the season then stop running the cameras. After that, they were just going to monopolize on the 25 years of previous material. Judy has this to say…
“Good Luck”
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“I wish them good luck with their experiment. But I’m not tired. So, [my new show] Judy Justice will be coming out [on a different network]. Judge Judy, you’ll be able to see next year – all new shows.”
So, it seems she will still keep the iconic boat floating. But what about the old staff?
Bringing The Family
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Judy said to herself that there will be people she will bring over from the old show.
One important face is her bailiff, with whom she had an excellent on-camera rapport as well as an off-camera friendship. But there is also another program she wants to push.
New Shows
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Aside from going to IMDb TV, which is part of Amazon, she’s also created a show called Her Honor.
It’s a drama loosely based on her life – with plenty of glimpses into her life before she went in front of the camera. Judy also made a point about any rumors of retirement.
No Retirement
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“I’m not tired. I don’t play golf or tennis. I have no desire to learn how to play mah-jong, chess, or checkers.
I know what I like to do. Why, at my stage in life, would I try to find something else when I already know what I like?” She goes on to explain about other aspects of her life…
Doing What She Loves
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It’s not just her job she loves.
Even if she will continue with her passions and media creativity, she is also still going to spend time with her children and grandchildren. Life will still come with stress, and she will “clean her home” to winddown.
Same Face, New Station
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So, don’t worry fans. Judge Judy is still here.
She’s just moving on to a platform that gives her a little more creative freedom. There will still be arguments, quippy comebacks, and quick sentences. The beloved face of law television is here to stay.