Divorce Court
Divorce Court is an American court show that revolves around settling the disputes of couples going through divorces. The show has had four separate runs, all in first-run syndication. Since the debut of the original series in 1957, it is one of the longest-running syndicated television programs of all time. Divorce Court also holds the record for the longest-running court show of all time, leading the second-place show The People's Court by two years.
This article is about the American television show. For information on the courts that adjudicate divorce proceedings, see Family court. For the Australian TV series, see Divorce Court (Australian TV series).Divorce Court
- Voltaire Perkins (1957–1962; 1967–1969)
- William B. Keene (1984–1993)
- Jim Peck (1984–1989)
- Martha Smith (1989–1993)
- Mablean Ephriam (1999–2006)
- Lynn Toler (2006–2020)
- Faith Jenkins (2020–2022)
- Star Jones (2022–present)
United States
English
41 (2023-24)
5,767+
20–22 minutes
Monet Lane Productions
20th Television
Lincolnwood Drive
Fox First Run
Georgia Media
- 1957 – 1962
- 1967 – 1969
- 1984 – 1993
- 1999 – present
Due to the recasting of the judge role, however, Divorce Court does not boast the longest individual series run or longest arbitrator in the court show genre; those records are held by Judge Judy and The People's Court. The first two runs of Divorce Court, the original version that aired for five seasons from 1957 to 1962 and the first revival that ran for two seasons from 1967 to 1969, featured Voltaire Perkins as the jurist. The second revival ran for nine seasons from 1984 to 1993, with retired Supreme Court of California judge William B. Keene as the presiding jurist.
The current incarnation of Divorce Court premiered on August 30, 1999, and has transitioned between multiple judges: former Los Angeles prosecuting attorney, Mablean Ephriam (1999–2006); former Cleveland Heights municipal court judge, Lynn Toler (2006–2020); former New York City prosecutor, Faith Jenkins (2020–2022); and former New York City prosecutor, district attorney, and former View co-host Star Jones (2022–present).[1]
Series overview[edit]
Prior to the premiere of the currently running version, all of the previous incarnations of Divorce Court were presented in the form of reenactments of real-life divorce cases. When the series was revived, it took the form of a reality arbitration based format. The 16th season, which began the show's fourth and present incarnation of the series, debuted in September 1999. By that time, court shows across the board had made a transition to a format involving former judges or attorneys legitimately arbitrating over actual small claims cases, a trend first introduced by The People's Court and heavily popularized by the ratings success of Judge Judy. Following the lead of its counterparts, Divorce Court was reformatted accordingly.
Current incarnation (1999–present)[edit]
Format[edit]
The fourth installment and current edition of Divorce Court which premiered in the fall of 1999 has a very different setup from its predecessor editions. Real couples–who had previously filed for divorce–argue their cases before the court, with one case presented in each episode. After both sides present their arguments, the judge rules in favor of one side. The judge's decision includes finding in favor of one of the litigants (or, more often than not, declaring a joint decree) and resolving issues such as alimony and asset division. The judge's decisions are legally binding. As such, the modern version of Divorce Court is essentially a form of binding-arbitration in the manner of many modern day courtroom programs. In some instances, the judge may withhold a decision to give the couple ample time to consider a reconciliation. Occasionally, the show revisits a case from a past episode where time to explore reconciliation was offered in order to determine if the delay either remedied or worsened the marriage. Social media segments involving viewer reactions and polls have also been incorporated this installment of the series.