Mr. TV: Court Order

Syndicated court, one of daytime’s most populous genres, has gained another occupant: Telepictures’ Judge Jeanine Pirro. But unlike the freshman class of fall 2009, Judge Pirro already has a year under her, ah, robe after debuting on The CW in daytime last fall. With recent Emmy winner The Tyra Banks Show switching from first run to The CW, Warner Bros. was not about to let any available time periods go, and the two shows have traded platforms.I had a chance to talk to the former Westchester County, New York, district attorney-turned-TV judge, whose show launched last week in first run (it’s cleared in over 95 percent of the country). Here’s some of what Pirro had to say: How difficult was it trading the real life court room for the televised one? It wasn’t hard, just very different. What I like about this is the sense of urgency. You get to the truth sooner because you don’t have to deal with lawyers. But as urgent as this all is, it is still the law, and I still must make the appropriate ruling in each case. The biggest adjustment for me was the rapid pace. But trust me, this is all very real.Do you see any difference doing the show directly for syndication rather than The CW? No, it’s business as usual. As long as they want me, I am ready and willing to give it my all.How do you go from district attorney to an on-air court show judge? Did you go in search of this opportunity? No, it came completely by surprise. I have over the years been a guest commentator for Fox News and CNN, and appeared on shows like 60 Minutes, The Today Show and Good Morning America. Hilary Estey McLoughlin [president of Telepictures] called me out of the blue one day, said she liked my on-air presence and asked me if I wanted to do a show. It was that simple. Were you a fan of court shows? Did you watch them regularly? Tied up in the court room, the last thing I was doing was watching court shows. But I was certainly familiar with some of them. And it certainly was a challenge worth considering.Did you start watching other gavelers to get a good feel of what goes into making syndicated court? I became more aware of what was on the air but didn’t want to mimic anything someone else is doing. Judge Judy is, of course, the gold standard. But there is only one Judy Sheindlin, and I have my own style. And I knew the only way to succeed was to be myself.Do you track your ratings? No, I don’t even know what an overnight is [laughs]. My job is to focus on the cases, not ponder audience size. Why do you think these people go on television to air their dirty laundry, so to speak? These are real people looking for resolution. The advantage of coming on my show, or anyone else’s, is resolving the problem immediately. There is no compromise.Is the case truly resolved at the end of the show? Do you ever worry about the seriousness of the situation? Yes to both questions. Once I make a decision, it’s final. But speaking as a DA, I am often concerned, particularly when minors are involved. And I sometimes refer the case to the authorities. Some things, unfortunately, cannot be completely settled within the limitations of the show.Has anything ever shocked you? Shocked me, no, but saddened me, yes. The DA in me will always leave me worrying about a lot of these people. But if it were a perfect world, I guess I would not be doing this show.

Convergent TV

Mr. TV: Court Order

Marc Berman

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Marc Berman