CBS will mark the 30th anniversary of “Judge Judy” with a new 90-minute primetime special focused on the career and cultural influence of Judy Sheindlin, the Paramount-owned broadcast network announced on Wednesday.
“Judge Judy: Unfiltered, Unforgettable” will air Tuesday, September 22 from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CBS. The special will also stream live on Paramount Plus with Showtime for those whoes local CBS stations and affiliates are carried by the service, and on-demand the following day for all Paramount Plus subscribers.
The special will feature Sheindlin telling her story in her own words, along with interviews from Hollywood figures and people connected to her personal and professional life. Interview subjects include Amy Poehler, RuPaul, Samuel L. Jackson, Sherry Lansing and Steven Spielberg.
The program will also include interviews with Sheindlin’s son, Judge Adam Levy, who appears in the new courtroom program “Adam’s Law,” as well as family members, longtime friends, former colleagues, litigants and others who crossed paths with her over the years.
The show will look back at how Sheindlin, known to viewers as Judge Judy, became one of television’s most recognizable courtroom personalities. CBS said the special will trace her path from childhood in Brooklyn to New York City Family Court, where she developed a reputation as a tough judge, before moving to daytime television.
“Judge Judy” became a successful syndicated courtroom series built around Sheindlin’s direct style, sharp humor and plain-spoken handling of small-claims disputes, Paramount said.
The special includes access to Sheindlin’s private life, including never-before-seen home movies and personal archives.
Judge Judy ended in 2021 after taping 25 seasons, but repeats of the program continue to air in syndication through a distribution deal with Paramount’s CBS Media Ventures. Repeats are also available on “The Judge Judy Channel,” a free streaming TV network that is offered on Paramount’s Pluto TV and through other providers like Philo and The Roku Channel.
Scheindlin is now the host of “Judy Justice,” a similar show with a modified format that streams on Amazon’s Prime Video and is syndicated by by Amazon MGM Studios.
