Though the show is decorated and runs like a real courtroom, it is not a real court or part of any judicial system but instead a form of binding arbitration.
The People's Court is a reality court show in the United States that uses arbitration to settle small claims disputes in a simulated courtroom setting. It was the first arbitration-based reality-style program within the court show genre, and it has now become the norm for such programs. The original series was on the air from 1981 to 1993, and the current revival premiered in 1997. Both versions have been shown in first-run syndication. The show is the longest-running traditional court show and the second-longest-running court show overall, with a total of 38 seasons as of the 2022-23 television year, coming in behind only Divorce Court, a niche court show, by two seasons.
Ranked third among court shows, The People's Court follows Judge Judy's reruns (whose original run ended in July 2021) and Hot Bench (produced by Judy Sheindlin), respectively. After Judge Judy's 25-season run ended in 2021, The People's Court revival became the longest-running show in the genre, continuing into its 26th season in the 2022-23 television year (despite going through three arbitrators).
The People's Court won its fourth Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program in June 2021, officially giving it the most wins in the court show genre. However, in February 2023, it was confirmed that the 26th season of the revival would be its final season.
Who is the current Judge of The People’s Court?
Retired Florida State Circuit Court Judge Marilyn Milian took over as the presiding judge on The People's Court on March 12, 2001, in the fourth season, replacing Sheindlin. Milian's tenure saw an improvement in the show's ratings. Additionally, she became the first Hispanic judge to preside over a courtroom series.
When the 16th season of the show (2012-13) ended, Milian had completed 12 and a half seasons as the presiding judge, officially making her the longest-serving judge on the program, surpassing Joseph Wapner's 12-season reign. For the rest of the 2000-01 season, Davey Jones replaced Longobardi as the bailiff. However, he was later replaced by Douglas McIntosh in September 2001, who has remained in the position ever since.
During Milian's tenure as the presiding judge of The People's Court, the show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2008 under the newly created Courtroom/Legal Show category by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The show was again nominated in 2009 and 2010 for the same award, but it did not win. On May 1, 2013, The People's Court received another nomination for the Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program Daytime Emmy award, but it did not win once again.
How did The People’s Court begin?
In 1975, John Masterson came up with the concept of having cameras in courtrooms. He initially pitched the idea to Monty Hall, the producer and host of Let's Make a Deal, and his partner, producer-writer Stefan Hatos. They assigned a young associate, Stu Billett, to sell the idea to the networks, but it was rejected.
Billett later developed the concept into a show that was shot in a studio instead of a real courtroom. Participants in small-claims court agreed to settle their cases through binding arbitration in a simulated courtroom. Although the networks showed interest, they did not pick up the show, but it was eventually sold to the first-run syndication market.
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