America's fascination with the law has led television producers to stage mock court proceedings for entertainment. Dealing with everything from a traffic ticket to the dissolution of a marriage, these courtroom shows began in the 1950's, and have become one of the hottest genres in syndicated television.

There were court-type programs in the early days of TV, such as and They Stand Accused on the now-defunct DuMont network. The programs were cheap to produce and drew respectable ratings. But the first wave of courtroom realism probably began in the summer of 1957 with Traffic Court, a public affairs program that initially aired on ABC's Los Angeles station, but went over the entire network in June 1958. Traffic Court, with Edgar Allan Jones Junior (a UCLA law professor) as the judge, was based on real Los Angeles traffic court trials and arraignments. It was moved from timeslot to timeslot, where ABC had a hole to fill in its prime time schedule; it ended its network run in March 1959.

ABC also aired such courtroom shows as Day In Court (civil and criminal cases), along with its spin-off shows Accused and Morning Court.

CBS gave the genre a try in September 1957 with The Verdict Is Yours, which featured real-life judges and attorneys presiding over unscripted cases; future sports announcer Jim McKay provided the trial commentary. Verdict ran in prime time until 1958; a daytime version lasted until 1962.

Perhaps one of the best known such programs was Divorce Court, which initially ran from 1958 until 1969. It was sold to local stations, and gained notoriety for featuring cases involving adultery. In those days, cheating on a spouse was not tolerated; viewers had to decide whether the husband or the wife was fooling around before the judge made his final ruling.

But for the most part, the genre was considered hokey for modern television viewers and pretty much lay dormant during the 1960's and '70's. It would take game show creator Ralph Edwards ("Truth Or Consequences"; "This Is Your Life") to revive the format.
In 1981, Edwards introduced The People's Court, which was actually more of a televised small claims hearing than a full-fledged trial. The format was simple: Two real-life parties agreed to settle their case on national television, with the final decision made by retired Superior Court Judge Joseph Wapner. He heard both sides, rendered a verdict, and awarded the injured party compensation of no more than $1,500. A studio audience served as court observers; reporter Doug Llewelyn interviewed the parties after the verdict. The People's Court, which was syndicated, was an instant hit; it ran in its original form from 1981 until 1993-a total of 2,484 episodes.

The success of People's Court led to yet another revival of Divorce Court, along with copycats such as The Judge; Superior Court and Trial By Jury. But again, the genre all but died with the demise of People's Court.

By 1996, Americans transfixed by the controversial O.J. Simpson murder trial were hungry for more courtroom action. Enter Judge Judy Sheindlin, who earned a reputation as a tough but fair judge in New York City's Family Court system, with an attitude that those who were guilty should take responsibility for their actions. (Tellingly, her best-selling book was titled "Don't Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining".)

Following a profile on the newsmagazine 60 Minutes, Sheindlin was approached by television producers to preside over a court-like series. She retired from the New York City bench and became known as Judge Judy. Syndicated to local stations in September 1996, Judge Judy became an instant hit, as Sheindlin oversaw cases ranging from property disputes to child custody-always with the no-nonsense, straight-talking style she had become famous for. (Some critics, however, find the judge rather rude and simplistic.)

Judge Judy immediately found herself with competition. There was a revival of The People's Court (which at one time featured Judy Sheindlin's husband, Jerry Sheindlin; he proved to be no match for his wife in the ratings). Shows similar to Judge Judy included Judge Mills Lane; Curtis Court; Moral Court; Power of Attorney and We The Jury. But none could dislodge Judge Judy as the queen of courtroom drama. There have been a number of successes, including Judge Joe Brown; Judge Mathis; Judge Hatchett; Texas Justice and a THIRD reincarnation of that old standby, Divorce Court.

There have been offbeat courtroom shows, as well. Former People's Court judge Joseph Wapner oversees Animal Court on cable's Animal Planet, where pet owners try to get their disputes settled. Another entry was Sex Court on the Playboy Channel, with an attractive jurist known as Judge Julie. MTV came in with Blame Game, where a studio audience decided which party was responsible for the breakup of a relationship.

Most if not all of these programs have exploited human emotion and greed. They can occasionally pander to the lowest common denominator. But as long as viewers tune in, that won't stop producers from coming up with new versions of disorder in the court. The (Nielsen) jury has spoken.