Why does everyone hate judge shows so much?

[Master Moron]

I notice that judge shows like Judge Mathis, Judge Judy, etc. get a lot of flak on this board. I assume this is partly because these shows tend to replace cartoons on weekday afternoons. But, call me crazy, I'd rather watch an episode of Judge Mathis than most current cartoons on the air today. Obviously, I don't watch Judge Mathis all the time, as I'm usually not home during the day. But, when I have the opportunity to sit down and watch, I find it enjoyable. Hey, Judge Mathis even got named in Maddox's tribute to real men: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=real_men That's got to mean something, right?

[BCVM22]

Because just like most of this board's populace is older than the target demographic for most of the cartoons they decry, they're younger than the target demographic for programming like small-claims court shows.

[Tanooki]

where are the court shows getting flack? i don't see it. and i'd rather watch gameshows instead of judges yelling at people over the sum of $300 or older cartoons that i've seen 20 times before

[Zubby]

I'm more than happy to give the judge shows flack, and it has nothing to do with them replacing cartoons.

I despise those horrid shows for several reasons:
-They present human suffering as entertainment.
-They are full of horrible trashy people who will apperantly do or say anything just to get on tv.
-They encourage frivolous lawsuits in an already over litigatious society.
-Like all 'reality tv' they aren't the least bit entertaining.

[Michael24]

I personally just find them boring and completely uninteresting, with Judge Judy's being the worst.

Now SNL's "Iranian Peoples Court" sketch back in the '80s... that was entertaining. :D

[Chris Wood]

They're trashy lowest common denominator fluff, just like most of the talk shows. And yes, they've been driving animation off the air.

[Antiyonder]

Cartoons: Tell or try to tell a good story for entertainment.
Judge Shows: As has been stated, exploit people for entertainment.

Story>Exploitation

[NinjaJack]

Hey Peoples Court always wins with me. But I hate how the Judge shows have become a medium. There use to be game shows at these times. Man, I miss 80s syndication.

[Blackstar]

I think one reason why some people hate syndicated court shows is because there are so many of them now. At first, there was only The People's Court, and then later, we go the soap opera-esque dramatization ones like Divorce Court and Superior Court. A few years later, there was Judge Judy, and naturally, when that show became popular, it spawned a slew of inevitable imitations: Jadge Mathis, Judge Joe Brown, Southern Justice, etc. In the wake of this, we now even have a new People's Court with a sassy black judge (which came into vogue after either the success of Mathis or Joe Brown-I tend to get them mixed up).

[Prof Ultimate]

^^ The People's Court judge isn't black. She's Hispanic.

[Kury Wagner]

I'm more than happy to give the judge shows flack, and it has nothing to do with them replacing cartoons.

I despise those horrid shows for several reasons:
-They present human suffering as entertainment.
-They are full of horrible trashy people who will apperantly do or say anything just to get on tv.
-They encourage frivolous lawsuits in an already over litigatious society.
-Like all 'reality tv' they aren't the least bit entertaining.Zubby, it's been awhile since I've been able to give you random praise. xD ^That is exactly how I feel about judge shows.

It's funny, my mother loves these shows, especially Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown, but when I call her out on liking them, she always gets defensive and says that she watches them, 'just because they're on.' Uh huuuh, Moppy. Sure thing. Why couldn't you just turn off the television?

Cristina's Court reaaaaaally bugs me. She is so freaking annoying, my goodness. Especially when she pulls the Hispanic card. Oh my science, just shut your mouth, woman, I don't really care about your mother's old sayings that you feel the need to translate!! /angry rant.

[Jeff Harris]

I'm more than happy to give the judge shows flack, and it has nothing to do with them replacing cartoons.

I despise those horrid shows for several reasons:
-They present human suffering as entertainment.
-They are full of horrible trashy people who will apperantly do or say anything just to get on tv.
-They encourage frivolous lawsuits in an already over litigatious society.
-Like all 'reality tv' they aren't the least bit entertaining.Wow, Zubby, well said.

The only thing I could add to that is that producers are churning them out like canned soup. That's why Sony and Warner Bros. are introducing new courtroom shows every year. Hell, there are at least five courtroom shows in development for NEXT season.

Other factors:

- They're extremely cheap to produce.

- No scriptwriters means less money to pay.

- And, like talk shows, they're continuing to kill the syndication industry in North America. I remember when there were first-run scripted programs in syndication, but since they don't have royalties for subsequential airings, syndicators are more apt to produce court shows, talk shows, "reality" shows, and the occasional game show than create an original scripted series.

[Shawn Hopkins]

I hate them because I hate authority figures. Well, at least bitcas like Judge Judy. What an evil witch she is.

[Kury Wagner]

I hate them because I hate authority figures. Well, at least bitcas like Judge Judy. What an evil witch she is.She reminds me of tough, British nannies. 'Look at me when you speak to me!' 'Tuck your shirt in!' 'Stand up straight, were you raised in a barn?!' 'Um is not a word!'

She has seriously said all of those things, multiple times. ><

[Lord Dalek]

You know its ironic that I'm posting this while watching some good old fashioned Wapner on In2Tv. I used to like court shows but there's just to much of them (I blame Fox) now to take the genre seriously. I mean crap like Eye For An Eye and Divorce Court, this is making a laughing stock of the justice system!

[GWOtaku]

Why? They're BS. Just like 99&#37; of everything on daytime network television. I feel only pity for anyone that has any interest in the nonsense that goes on within these absurd, petty programs.

[tucsoncoyote]

Well after reading this thread, I would like to point out some things some folks have said about judge shows.


First off Zubby, you are so correct in your analyzation of these type of shows. They tend to be nothing more than poor forms of entertainment. (Only Jerry Springer and some talk shows (like Maury Povich) are worse).

I mean the usual plot for these shows are all the same, Plantiff A and Defendant B come to court with A suing B over something (Be it a dog barking and irritating A, or the failure of Rent payment for Defendant B, or something as simple as a car accident where both A and B are at fault).

Usually both sides are given a chance to plead their cases, but usually either Party (A or B) usually interupts the opposing parties claims, and says, "That's not true, The story is this way." Usually then A or B try to continue but the opposing party interrupts yet again and again, causing more and more chaos in the courtroom, until the judge in the case (And this can be any judge), tells the offending party to shut the heck up and let the party who's turn it is to finish. But usually the offending party doesn't and you watch as the judge keeps telling the offender to shut up and let the other side finish.

Also Like Zubby pointed out, a lot of these lawsuits are totally frivilous and have really nothing more than taking up time on the court's dockets, be it on the TV docket or the real world docket. A lot of these folks who sue usually tend to claim it was the other's fault when in reality it was not the defendant's fault but rather their fault for acting stupid.

Now judge shows also have been taking away time from syndicated channels and a lot of this time does involve cartoon shows. I mean here is where Kids come home from school, try to unwind after a hard day at school, and they come home to either a sniveling bit of drivel known as a soap opera, a talkshow that reeks of Innuendo or accqusations, and even these type of shows.

You know what would be fun to do? It would be fun to make these shows look foolish, and show them how deplorable they are.

Here's an idea.. Have a plantiff file a lawsuit on behalf of the kids who come home from school, and have the plantiff sue the judge shows for ruining a kid's happy relaxing afternoon. Sue these shows for all they're worth..and in the end maybe these producers of said shows would realize what kind of havoc they are creating for people in general. I think after maybe 20 or 30 of these lawsuits, maybe producers of these shows would realize one thing.. Maybe they're realizing that we the people are getting tired of these shows and that we want our freedom of choice back. Maybe after a number of these suits they would realize what kind of issue they are creating..

or maybe we should sue the people who are watching these shows.. After all they're not really helping folks improve their lives but rather detract from it.

You really want to know why I never watch shows like these? Because they're not informative, interesting, or even thought provoking.. They're just mindless drivel that just takes the human drama in the real world and pumps it up a notch just so that two litigants just get together to butt heads..

Frankly seeing that happens, why don't they bring back wrestling like they did back in the 50's.. Everyone 20 years later knew it was rigged, and in the end, they stopped watching.. that is until WWE came along..

But in closing i say this. Everyone here has a choice.. and as for me? I choose NOT to watch judge shows.. Zubby's case holds very true to the line, and frankly if I was a judge, I would rule in Zubby's case..Frankly these shows really do nothing to improve society but rather shows what kind of idiotic people get on these shows, and take society down a notch.. I mean that's the real reason here. To watch two idiots who no nothing of the legal system get on TV and butt heads..(maybe they should bring back wrestling.. oh wait, they already have...

But as for me? I'm never watching judge shows, they're just too dramatic and idiotic at the same time..

Case closed * Slams gavel down on the desk..*
:coyote:

[Master Moron]

I'm more than happy to give the judge shows flack, and it has nothing to do with them replacing cartoons.

I despise those horrid shows for several reasons:
-They present human suffering as entertainment.

Uhhh...what? These are contract and tort cases, not criminal cases. No one is suffering.


-They are full of horrible trashy people who will apperantly do or say anything just to get on tv.

Or...they could be suing because they want their money?


-They encourage frivolous lawsuits in an already over litigatious society.
-Like all 'reality tv' they aren't the least bit entertaining.

Debatable.


Well after reading this thread, I would like to point out some things some folks have said about judge shows.


First off Zubby, you are so correct in your analyzation of these type of shows. They tend to be nothing more than poor forms of entertainment. (Only Jerry Springer and some talk shows (like Maury Povich) are worse).

I mean the usual plot for these shows are all the same, Plantiff A and Defendant B come to court with A suing B over something (Be it a dog barking and irritating A, or the failure of Rent payment for Defendant B, or something as simple as a car accident where both A and B are at fault).

Usually both sides are given a chance to plead their cases, but usually either Party (A or B) usually interupts the opposing parties claims, and says, "That's not true, The story is this way." Usually then A or B try to continue but the opposing party interrupts yet again and again, causing more and more chaos in the courtroom, until the judge in the case (And this can be any judge), tells the offending party to shut the heck up and let the party who's turn it is to finish. But usually the offending party doesn't and you watch as the judge keeps telling the offender to shut up and let the other side finish.

Also Like Zubby pointed out, a lot of these lawsuits are totally frivilous and have really nothing more than taking up time on the court's dockets, be it on the TV docket or the real world docket. A lot of these folks who sue usually tend to claim it was the other's fault when in reality it was not the defendant's fault but rather their fault for acting stupid.

Now judge shows also have been taking away time from syndicated channels and a lot of this time does involve cartoon shows. I mean here is where Kids come home from school, try to unwind after a hard day at school, and they come home to either a sniveling bit of drivel known as a soap opera, a talkshow that reeks of Innuendo or accqusations, and even these type of shows.

You know what would be fun to do? It would be fun to make these shows look foolish, and show them how deplorable they are.

Here's an idea.. Have a plantiff file a lawsuit on behalf of the kids who come home from school, and have the plantiff sue the judge shows for ruining a kid's happy relaxing afternoon. Sue these shows for all they're worth..and in the end maybe these producers of said shows would realize what kind of havoc they are creating for people in general. I think after maybe 20 or 30 of these lawsuits, maybe producers of these shows would realize one thing.. Maybe they're realizing that we the people are getting tired of these shows and that we want our freedom of choice back. Maybe after a number of these suits they would realize what kind of issue they are creating..

or maybe we should sue the people who are watching these shows.. After all they're not really helping folks improve their lives but rather detract from it.

You really want to know why I never watch shows like these? Because they're not informative, interesting, or even thought provoking.. They're just mindless drivel that just takes the human drama in the real world and pumps it up a notch just so that two litigants just get together to butt heads..


Well, maybe if you actually watched these shows you'd realize that there's no cause of action for "ruining a child's happy afternoon." Honestly, your post just proved that the only reason people complain about these shows is because there's less cartoons on the air. Do you have any idea how immature your entire post sounds?

[The Weed Of Cri]

My mother watches these things as if they were a prerequisite for getting into heaven. Every time I try to pay attention to one, it's usually one of two types of cases:

The "Wedding Gone Wrong" case, in which a disagreement between a wedding party and a vendor servicing it leads to either Bridezilla (or Bridezilla's mom) suing the vendor (the flowers were wilted, the DJ was drunk, the dress made her look like a fat slut), or the vendor suing whoever was writing the checks (they used a minor quibble as an excuse not to pay us).

The "Cell Phone" case, which is always exactly the same. Girl gets guy a cell phone with the calling plan in her name. Guy rings up massive charges on the plan and girl sues him for reimbursement. She says they had an agreement that he would pay her back; he says the phone was a gift and she agreed to pay all charges. It amazes me how many dumb women get suckered into this scam.

Most of the people who appear on these shows just need to have some sense (or discipline) slapped into them. It's the equivalent of watching your neighbors bicker over their backyard fence.

[Undrave]

These judge show, like all 'Reality' TV (and I use the term loosely) do NOTHING for society but contend people in their mediocrity ("Look! Someone's has stupid as me!" "Look! Someone's dumber than me!" etc). It is the continuous apology of a 'it's not ma fault!' and 'if I'm not the only one and there are others stupider than me then it's okay' mentalities slowly seeping through the entire north american society.

It's all pathetic.

[SirLemming]

All that being said, I still can't help myself if I happen to enjoy watching Judge Judy yell at idiots. Although it has gotten old at this point.

[Chris Wood]

Maybe if these shows featured regular people instead of the lowest rung on the evolution ladder they would get more respect.

[oz615]

It's funny, my mother loves these shows, especially Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown, but when I call her out on liking them, she always gets defensiveThat sounds a lot like my Mom too. :D

But my beef w/ the Court shows is that

1. There are just too damn many of them.
2. They (the Judges that is) tend to favor the woman more whether the woman was right or wrong (Especially Judge Judy and Divorce Court)

[Master Moron]

Okay, I'll agree that Judge Judy and Judge Hatchett are both *****es and Judge Joe Brown is a dork, but it doesn't change the fact that Judge Mathis kicks ass.

[G. Wen]

I will agree with one thing many people have already stated: there's too many of them. I do like watching Judge Judy and People's Court, however. First of all, since it's small claims court, no one is really getting hurt, it's mostly contract disputes and the like. Secondly, most litigants on the show deserved to be yelled at and told off because their parents didn't to it for them, so now the legal system does it. I know Judge Judy and Marilyn come off as, um, sufferers of PMS, but if you ever listen closely to the case, you'll understand why they're telling people off. No, I don't watch these things religiously, but I do leave the TV on low sound when I draw.

[tucsoncoyote]

Well, maybe if you actually watched these shows you'd realize that there's no cause of action for "ruining a child's happy afternoon." Honestly, your post just proved that the only reason people complain about these shows is because there's less cartoons on the air. Do you have any idea how immature your entire post sounds?

Actually Master Morondon't tell me about being immatrue, tell that to all the "Latch Key" kids who come home from school, trying to get over a day of stressful school activities and all they got to watch are just judge shows which depict adults who are just as childish and Immature as you claim I am, rather than having them enjoy a stress free afternoon, not having to see these "Lowest common denominators" of humanity spill their guts on the TV screen. Then get back to me on that issue when you see these kids complain to you. Who knows, maybe they'll sue you for "Childhood neglect" and if I were a judge? I would rule in favor of the kids, not the grownups..


I will agree with one thing many people have already stated: there's too many of them. I do like watching Judge Judy and People's Court, however. First of all, since it's small claims court, no one is really getting hurt, it's mostly contract disputes and the like. Secondly, most litigants on the show deserved to be yelled at and told off because their parents didn't to it for them, so now the legal system does it. I know Judge Judy and Marilyn come off as, um, sufferers of PMS, but if you ever listen closely to the case, you'll understand why they're telling people off. No, I don't watch these things religiously, but I do leave the TV on low sound when I draw.

And then you guys wonder why Latch Key kids become some of these litigants? There's your answer Master Moron.. there's way too much Adult drama as Litigants argue about who is being right or wrong, and not enough childhood innocence on TV such as cartoons anymore.. Or better yet, Go watch Dr. Phil. Maybe he'll get you over your lack of a childhood or maybe he should help out those litigants who lost their childhood somewhere along the line. Who knows? Maybe Dr Phil could make all these adults understand that you're only as old as you feel, and frankly, I would rather be a kid at heart rather then some stressed out adult wondering where my childhood went to while I get yelled at by some Judge who's just having a bad day at work. After all Even Judges are people too you know, and I've seen plenty of them have bad days. Besides maybe We should hold you for Contempt of court. But then I'm the kind of guy who gave up on these shows long ago.. especailly when you bring kids into the mix (Yes my neighbor's dog bit my kid on the face, that's why I'm suing him for 3,000 dollars).

Frankly, I'll watch Mythbusters first rather than Judge Judy.. At least Adam and Jaime have fun with science.. rather than watching two litigants argue about who's wrong or right on a verbal contract. (See get all of it down in writing folks, and you'll win a case every time..)



:coyote:

[Master Moron]

Actually Master Morondon't tell me about being immatrue, tell that to all the "Latch Key" kids who come home from school, trying to get over a day of stressful school activities and all they got to watch are just judge shows which depict adults who are just as childish and Immature as you claim I am, rather than having them enjoy a stress free afternoon, not having to see these "Lowest common denominators" of humanity spill their guts on the TV screen.

Would kids really want to watch cartoons that much anyway? The live action shows on the Disney Channel seem to do better than most cartoons, afterall.


Then get back to me on that issue when you see these kids complain to you. Who knows, maybe they'll sue you for "Childhood neglect" and if I were a judge? I would rule in favor of the kids, not the grownups..

Ummm...do you have any idea how hard it is to become a judge? Even if you managed to become a judge, and this ridiculous hypothetical case went to trial, I could easily get a new judge due to your obvious bias.


Frankly, I'll watch Mythbusters first rather than Judge Judy.. At least Adam and Jaime have fun with science.. rather than watching two litigants argue about who's wrong or right on a verbal contract. (See get all of it down in writing folks, and you'll win a case every time..)


See, you did learn something from watching these judge shows. Now, would you have learned to put a contract in writing from watching cartoons?

[Undrave]

Would kids really want to watch cartoons that much anyway? The live action shows on the Disney Channel seem to do better than most cartoons, afterall.



See, you did learn something from watching these judge shows. Now, would you have learned to put a contract in writing from watching cartoons?

Cartoon or kids show...both would get bump for those Judge Show so Coyote's point still stand... even if I'm not 100% behind what he's saying.

I'm sure that lesson could be learn easily.

[DrTooth]

By Toutatis! I wanna give you all a great big bear hug. I have a borderline psychotic aversion to these shows. I can't even begin to tell you the millions of reasons I hate them.

Listen, I know when a show becomes popular, there are bound to be imitations. 2 or 3 I can handle. But hours upon hours a day are wasted on this and Maury povich's sad excuse for a talk show. I know one station.... 9am-4pm. Now that is obnoxious no matter how you slice it.

Oh boy. The judge implied that he knows one of them is lying with a sacrastic catchphrase. Wow! Yeah. how can someone stand that once for an hour? It's terrifying that this even became a fad. This is how I gauged that our civilization is crumbling.

I hate these brain dead stereotypes coming in and whining over small claims. How can that be entertaining? Even if you're stupid? There is nothing redeaming about these. Yeah, they're cheap to produce. If you're going to play the Scrooge card, get some classic Sitcom reruns. Do it. Do it before Ion Tv gets all the good ones.

[Shawn Hopkins]

The truth about all daytime TV is that if you're watching it regularly and you're not a housewife, invalid or an old person, the people these shows are aimed at, you're probably doing something wrong with your life. Go get a job, a hobby or just some excercise. I have a theory that they make daytime TV intentionally bad to drive young slackers out into the streets. It worked on me. The last time I was unemployed, after a few months of getting up early to eat breakfast and then sitting around to watch Springer and Dr. Phil with my grandma and my aunt, I couldn't wait to get back in the job market.

(PS, there is nothing wrong with being a housewife. It's great. But they do end up with free time in the afternoon so networks aim certain shows at them).

[Classic Speedy]

Judge shows unfortunately aren't limited to daytime hours, though. I remember a while back when my Fox affiliate in Wisconsin would air two episodes of Judge Judy starting at 10:30. As soon as 3rd Rock reruns finished, I shut off the TV, because I couldn't stand her screechy voice. Still had to see commercials for it, though.

[Antiyonder]

The truth about all daytime TV is that if you're watching it regularly and you're not a housewife, invalid or an old person, the people these shows are aimed at, you're probably doing something wrong with your life. Go get a job, a hobby or just some excercise. I have a theory that they make daytime TV intentionally bad to drive young slackers out into the streets. It worked on me. The last time I was unemployed, after a few months of getting up early to eat breakfast and then sitting around to watch Springer and Dr. Phil with my grandma and my aunt, I couldn't wait to get back in the job market.

Except that some people work at nights and rest during the day, with the intention of watching some. And not necessarily a Judge show.

It's similar to the mindset that every kid show has to be a sitcom. Just because they like it, doesn't mean they'll object (:D ) to something different.

[purplehairedwonder]

I liked judge shows back when I was like 10. That was also the time that I liked shows like Maury. But now that I know better, I can't watch them. The cases are ridiculous, the people are definitely the lowest common denominator of the human race, and hearing the judges go off on people over and over gets old pretty quickly. They're just not entertaining.

Maybe if these shows featured regular people instead of the lowest rung on the evolution ladder they would get more respect.Except most regular people wouldn't be caught dead on a judge show D:

[Master Moron]

I liked judge shows back when I was like 10. That was also the time that I liked shows like Maury. But now that I know better, I can't watch them. The cases are ridiculous, the people are definitely the lowest common denominator of the human race, and hearing the judges go off on people over and over gets old pretty quickly. They're just not entertaining.


You know, I'm really kind of sick of people saying that the people on these show's are the worst scum in the human race. Clearly, the worse scum of the human race is on Jerry Springer. Honestly, I'm not sure what judge shows you're watching, but most of the people I see seem to be fairly articulate. Yeah, you occasionally get a crack head or something, but you'll encounter people like that in life as well. You people sound rather snobby, as if you would never associate with people who are of a lower economic class than you.

[Scorpio_G]

I'm more than happy to give the judge shows flack, and it has nothing to do with them replacing cartoons.

I despise those horrid shows for several reasons:

-They present human suffering as entertainment.

Okay, how does The People's Court depicts 'human suffrage' again? Except for the losing party who has to pay the claim if he/she lose but other than that, what are you talking about?



-They are full of horrible trashy people who will apperantly do or say anything just to get on tv. Are we watching the same shows? It sounds like you're watching Jerry Springer and Maury instead of Judge Mathis. Just like a real Small Claims Court in the US you pay SOME TYPE OF COURT FEES WHEN YOU GO ON THOSE COURT SHOWS. Basically it's NOT FREE. And you don't get time off for your job just like in real life. Mostly I watch TPC and JJ and the majority of these people are in court because they cant afford to go their local court due to cost or they want this over with fast. Besides, to wait for an opening to get your case started in court takes months.

Also a lot of Small claims court shows do go by real laws depending on where the suer/suee live.


-They encourage frivolous lawsuits in an already over litigatious society.
-Like all 'reality tv' they aren't the least bit entertaining.Have you ever been or known anyone who went to a court hearing? It sounds to me you're just making up facts just to slander the good court shows.

I've been watching TPC since I was in 8th grade and while I love watching cartoons I've learned a whole lot about the justice system and protecting myself legally, especially with living with roommates, your renting rights and other day to day stuff that could happen to you. Even if it's in a small court day show.

Ninja Edit: And how dare you and everyone on this board judge who is trashy people or not. I'm trying to make this a G rated sentence as best as I can but get your head out of your but. The majority of those people who goes on those shows comes from all walks of life. The good ones are not hurting, killing or stealing your stuff or harming you so get of your high horse.

Besides, kids play video games more nowadays or watch Cable based television shows.

And I was old enough to experienced syndicated television and most of it sucked.

[Undrave]

There's no such thing as a 'good' court show. It's either on the air or not...

[Classic Speedy]

I too think that calling those who go on these court shows the "scum of the Earth" or "lowest form of life" is going too far. It's not like these people are Satan incarnate.

That said, I quickly tired of judge shows when the craze began. There are only so many times I can watch two people sue each other over relatively petty things like "His dog trespassed on my property!" or "Here's a bill that they owe me!" Just doesn't do anything for me, no matter how colorful either side (or the judge, for that matter) is.

[DrTooth]

I too think that calling those who go on these court shows the "scum of the Earth" or "lowest form of life" is going too far. It's not like these people are Satan incarnate.

No. The lowest scum on Earth are the people who make these shows....

Plus, for some of us who have abhorrent luck finding a job (myself included. I've applied and have been turned down to more things that I can count-and I still go out like an idiot) these shows are a slap in the face. Especially if you're a person struggling to find a position in a creative feild. Constantly seeing how there are less and less oppertunities to find work on a cartoon series or make one yourself, it gets people like me...well...a little angry and annoyed.

yes, these shows are ment for really stupid dropouts and stuff like that, but us frustraited masses have to have some alternative.

[The Myst]

I like them. They're funny. Maybe not high brow but entertaining anyway.

[DrTooth]

Even if you do like them, you have to admit. There are just way too much of them. Way way way to much. And none of them are even slightly different aside of race and gender.

[G. Wen]

And then you guys wonder why Latch Key kids become some of these litigants? There's your answer Master Moron.. there's way too much Adult drama as Litigants argue about who is being right or wrong, and not enough childhood innocence on TV such as cartoons anymore.. Or better yet, Go watch Dr. Phil. Maybe he'll get you over your lack of a childhood or maybe he should help out those litigants who lost their childhood somewhere along the line. Who knows? Maybe Dr Phil could make all these adults understand that you're only as old as you feel, and frankly, I would rather be a kid at heart rather then some stressed out adult wondering where my childhood went to while I get yelled at by some Judge who's just having a bad day at work. :coyote:

First of all, most people end up in court not because of loss of childhood innocence (children aren't that innocent to begin with, but that's another argument), but because they were spoiled rotten as a kid. Mom and Dad gave them everything they wanted, or always bailed them out of trouble so they didn't learn any responsiblility. Then they go to court because they think they deserve everything in the world, or because of negligence. Do you know how many 20+ yr olds go on the show with their parents, and try to have their parents talk to the judge. It's not until their court experience that they learn to grow up.

Have you ever thought that there are fewer cartoons on daytime because of low ratings? Video games are getting cheaper and more accessible, so kids rather play games than watch reruns. I rather have a kid go outside and play, use their imagination, than watch T.V. all afternoon.

[DarthGonzo]

I like them. They're funny. Maybe not high brow but entertaining anyway.

And that's pretty much all old people and house wives are asking for. :D

[unknown hero]

I agree that there is way too many of these judge shows on the air. Even though most of it is low brow entertainment, these shows bring an important point: how certain misconceptions can bring about a legal responsbility. I am certain most of the people on these shows are intelligent, but they lack the knowledge or precedence over specific matters that can become a legal situation. In a way it is sort of educational.