The Judge (TV series)

The Judge
Starring	Bob Shield (as Judge Robert J. Franklin)
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	70
Production company(s)	WBNS-TV
Distributor	Genesis Entertainment
Release
Original network	First-run syndication
Original release	September 1, 1986 – May 28, 1993

The Judge is a dramatized court show which ran in first-run syndication from 1986 to 1993. The series chronicled the family court cases heard by Judge Robert J. Franklin, played by Bob Shield, who died in late 1996.

This was one of many shows that dealt with dramatized court cases based on real ones. This show was one of several courtroom dramas that were popular at that time such as Divorce Court with real-life Judge William Keene and Superior Court with Raymond St. Jacques. The show was produced and licensed by WBNS (Columbus, Ohio), and was distributed by Genesis Entertainment before it became part of 20th Television.

After a preview of the day's episode (which sometimes showed a pre-hearing teaser), the show would begin at Judge Franklin's home with Franklin preparing for work (Photographs in the background, all actually of Shield himself, showed Franklin's days in the Army and as a young lawyer). After a kiss to his wife and a wave to their neighbors, Judge Franklin would drive off to work as we heard him narrate:

The opening would end with him entering his chambers, sitting down, and signing some documents; concluding with a close-up of his signature. (The building that stood in for the courthouse is City Hall for the city of Pasadena, California)

Most episodes opened with an announcer saying, "What you are about to see is a dramatization of an actual case in family court. Because of the emotional and sensitive nature of the issues presented here, Judge Franklin's courtroom is closed to the public. The proceedings are about to begin."

The show was set in an unspecified metropolitan area, and dealt primarily with family-related issues. Many of the stories involved children and adolescents in custody, paternity, delinquency and adoption hearings. Much like similar drama-based courtroom shows of the era—including Divorce Court and Superior Court—the stories involved shock value; to wit, what usually began as mundane or routine often ended up taking a serious or unexpected turn.

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