CHURCH COURT-TV (REALITY TV SHOW, PG)
Concept
Since The People’s Court aired in 1981, audiences have become fascinated with reality TV courtroom shows. It’s not just the trial disputes ranging from meaningful to ridiculous, but the personalities who sit on the bench bringing that certain flare to the session. Beginning with Judge Wapner’s evidence-obsessive yet laid back persona, other styles like Judge Judy’s confrontational rebuking, Judge Jerry Sheindlin’s comedic sarcasm, Judge Joe Brown’s wayward “scared straight” approach, Mills Lane’s provinciality, Judge Hatchett’s promotion of real life lessons and Judge Mathis’s cold ridicule of stupidity have created the tone to made judgeship fashionable. These judges have become the stars of daytime television. According to current Nielson ratings Judge Judy commands around 6 million viewers a week. Judge Joe Brown attracts around 3.5 million. Judge Mathis has an estimated 2.2 million viewers. Watching the litigants contesting the judge, the litigants fighting each other, and the judge scolding both parties, audiences have become consumed with the triad of courtroom conflict in and of itself. In essence, the methods involved in bolstering court shows’ appeal has become more important than the value placed on case mediation because the quality of justice is superceded by the goal of attracting viewers. Hence, we have popularized “assembly line” trials where a case’s testimony and a verdict take place within the confines of short segments nestled between commercial breaks - adding new meaning to swift justice. Nevertheless, an original concept exists that adds greater weight to the actual dynamics of a case in a unique context while still incorporating the formulaic elements that have traditionally attracted audiences to court shows. The concept is called Church Court.