others fade, but judge judy is forever_ at 71, she still presides

5/25/2014 Others Fade, but Judge Judy Is Forever: At 71, She Still Presides - NYTimes.com

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Others Fade, but Judge Judy Is Forever: At 71,She Still Presides

By BROOKS BARNES MAY 23, 2014

LOS ANGELES — Judge Judith Sheindlin, the straight-talking star of

“Judge Judy,” peered down at a sassy defendant with disgust. “Listen to

me, Miss Fibby,” Judge Sheindlin snapped at a recent taping here. “They

don’t keep me here because I’m gorgeous. They keep me here because I’m

smart.”

It was a classic “Judge Judy” retort: sour yet funny, superior yet self-

deprecating. But it was also not exactly true. (Cue judicial scowl.) At a time

when the broadcast television audience is fragmenting, CBS keeps her on

that bench because, at 71 years old and finishing her 18th season in

daytime syndication, she is a viewer-grabbing machine.

“Judge Judy” has ratings that are climbing, a rarity for DVR-

embattled television programming during daytime, prime time or any

other time. For the first two weeks of May, “Judge Judy” had a 7 percent

increase in viewers compared to the same period last year, according to

Nielsen. Among women 25 to 54, the bull’s-eye demographic for daytime

television, ratings rose 5 percent.

By comparison, the 16-season-old “Judge Mathis,” a similar reality

court show, suffered a 4 percent decline among total viewers and target-

audience drop of 15 percent.

“We’re an ancient show that just keeps getting stronger,” a smiling

Judge Sheindlin said in her dressing room. “Half of prime time would be

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thrilled to get our numbers.”

That is true, which is part of the reason CBS, which owns “Judge

Judy,” gave the show an evening special on Tuesday. “Judge Judy

Primetime,” which competed against “American Idol,” was CBS’s highest-

rated offering that evening.

CBS is also capitalizing further on Judge Sheindlin in daytime. Her

flagship 30-minute program has been renewed for three more seasons.

Coming in the fall is “Hot Bench,” a new syndicated show that she created;

its cases will be argued before a three-person panel, a twist for the court

genre. “She is an absolute force of nature,” said Armando Nuñez, chief

executive of the CBS Global Distribution Group.

Well, yes. But beyond her singular talent for showmanship — a tut-tut

here, a barked order there — why is “Judge Judy” bucking television’s

downward trend?

Social media is one answer. About a year ago, after resisting, Judge

Sheindlin agreed to dive into sites like Twitter and Facebook, hiring her

grandson, Casey Barber, 25, to lead the effort. She also began regularly

posting videos on a site called What Would Judy Say?, where she dispenses

pearls of wisdom and poses questions to her fans. (A recent one: “Should

parents be fined for children’s bullying?”)

Perhaps because she is revealing more of her off-bench personality,

which is more playful and warm, Judge Sheindlin has become a less

polarizing figure, according to the Q Scores Company, which measures the

likability of public figures. “She has always had high levels of believability

and trustworthiness, but people have started to have a much more

balanced perception of her and like her more, especially when she uses a

bit more humor,” said Henry Schafer, the research firm’s executive vice

president.

Mr. Schafer said his company’s March survey showed that Judge

Sheindlin had a score of 19, on par with Oprah Winfrey. To compare,

Katie Couric had a 12.

“Increasingly, daytime viewers are pushing back against celebrity,

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seeking authenticity and demanding high relatability,” said Dan Wilch, a

senior television analyst at Frank N. Magid Associates. “Judy just nails

every single one.”

Judge Sheindlin, who tapes only 52 days a year, for which CBS pays

her an estimated $47 million, has her own theories about her program’s

continued popularity.

“People take comfort in order,” she said. “I also move swiftly, as

opposed to a justice system and a government that is slow and

meandering.” In other words, “Judge Judy,” which features real small-

claims cases, offers people a fantasy — a legal system as they would like it

to be.

“There are so many injustices in this world, and her show gives me 30

minutes of escape every day where I know the right decision will be made,”

said Pat Wager, a longtime fan from Naples, Fla., who attended a recent

taping of “Judge Judy.” “She’s the voice of reason in America,” Ms. Wager

added, noting that most episodes contain a positive message about the

importance of personal responsibility.

Not everyone agrees — for some viewers, Judge Sheindlin borders on

being a bully; for others, her program is an egregious example of dumbed-

down television. But that is part of the draw: It’s fun to watch the itchy

and the scratchy, the overweight and the underemployed plod into her

courtroom and get fricasseed. “Who cares about your sob story?” Judge

Sheindlin asked a whimpering defendant the other day.

“Judge Judy” is very much a Hollywood product, but the unedited

proceedings are surprisingly courtlike. On a recent morning at Sunset

Gower Studios here, Judge Sheindlin was on Stage 5, sorting through a

spat over a dog breeding gone wrong. There was no starting and stopping,

as is typically the case on other sets; no director yelled “cut” and gave a

suggestion about turning up the drama.

“Don’t mess with what works,” she said. “The only note I want is a

thank you at the end of the season.”

Tiny and tan, Judge Sheindlin, formerly a prosecutor and a judge in



New York City, was relaxed and wickedly funny off camera. “Hello, kiddo!”

is how she warmly greeted a reporter. After shooing a publicist out of her

dressing room, she put away a deck of playing cards and began sharing her

unfiltered thoughts — sadly not for the record — on topics like presidential

politics or Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In.”

Judge Sheindlin has a new book of her own on the way, one she hopes

to distribute in an unusual manner, perhaps teaming with Walmart to give

it away free and raise money for charity. She is already the author of the

best-sellers “Don’t Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It’s Raining” and “Beauty

Fades, Dumb Is Forever.”

The “Judge Judy” star could easily have a larger business empire, but

she has turned down endorsement and licensing offers.

“I’m a judge,” she said. “I’m not a judge who sells dog food or a judge

who sells toothpaste.” She is also picky about what she judges; she has

turned down offers, for instance, to serve as a guest justice on “RuPaul’s

Drag Race,” a reality series dedicated to female impersonation. (Judge

Sheindlin made an appearance anyway, or at least her image did, when a

drag queen contestant competed as her.)

How much more “Judge Judy” does she have in her? Beyond the three

seasons on order, Judge Sheindlin said it would depend on how much fun

she was still having, along with “how well my face is holding up.” The

program is distributed in 125 overseas markets, some of which are only

now showing Season 5, ensuring a life for the program long after she

hangs up her lace-collared robe.

But enough about the future: Judge Sheindlin pronounced herself

“ready for a vodka” and headed to a USC Shoah Foundation dinner, where

President Obama was scheduled to accept a humanitarian award.

A few hours later, Judge Sheindlin found herself shaking hands with

the president. Asked by a nearby guest if he had ever watched her show,

Mr. Obama responded, “Who doesn’t love ‘Judge Judy’?”

A version of this article appears in print on May 24, 2014, on page A1 of the New York edition withthe headline: Others Fade, but Judge Judy Is Forever: At 71, She Still Presides.

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others fade, but judge judy is forever_ at 71, she still presides

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