Judy Sheindlin Heading to IMDb TV After Judge Judy Ends Next Year

Judge Judy Sheindlin, the face of the long-running daytime court program Judge Judy, will soon have a new home: Amazon-owned free, ad-supported streamer IMDb TV. Sheindlin and Amazon Studios are working on an as-of-yet unnamed court program that will air for free on IMDb TV, the streamer said today. While more details about the show remain under wraps, it will feature the judge adjudicating over new cases, similar to her show that has aired on CBS for decades, where Sheindlin presides over small claims court with her signature dry-witted and occasionally antagonistic style. The announcement marks the first time Sheindlin will be on a streaming service, and it is a huge get for IMDb TV and Amazon. Sheindlin's long-running broadcast program has been a ratings juggernaut throughout its 25 seasons on air and through syndication deals. Her recognizable star power will also raise awareness for the free ad-supported streaming service, which is beginning a push into original programming to raise its profile. “Judge Judy Sheindlin is a TV icon and visionary who has entertained millions of fans for decades,” IMDb TV co-heads of content and programming Lauren Anderson and Ryan Pirozzi said. “As we build the IMDb TV slate of high-quality, ambitious Amazon Studios Originals, we are delighted to deliver customers a court program from the legendary Judge Sheindlin who, without a doubt, is the very best in the business.” Earlier this year, Sheindlin—one of TV’s highest paid personalities—announced that the 2020-2021 season of Judge Judy, which began airing in 1996, would be its last. At the time, Sheindlin mentioned she was working on another project, which she said would be named Judy Justice. Production on her IMDb TV show has not yet started, and the new series will not air this year. Sheindlin is currently finishing production on Judge Judy's final season. The upcoming courtroom show adds another high-profile original to IMDb TV's inaugural slate of original programs as the service looks to break through in a crowded AVOD landscape. On Nov. 13, IMDb TV is debuting its first live-action originals series, Alex Rider, a spy thriller based on the Anthony Horowitz book series of the same name. The streamer, which originally planned to present for the first time at this year's NewFronts before Covid-19 upended plans, is also developing a half-hour coming-of-age series based on the memoir High School by musicians Tegan and Sara Quin, as well as a reboot of TNT's 2008 crime drama Leverage, which is slated for a 2021 release.