Millions of viewers tuned in to watch Judge Judy Sheindlin decide real court cases on national TV for over two decades. The show dominated ratings from the beginning until it ended in 2021. Keep reading to find out the shocking true reason the show went off the air.

Burning Questions About Judge Judy Show

Judge Judy was an immediate hit with television viewers. It was the most-watched justice show in years. The show featured Judy Sheindlin listening to arguments and throwing out hilarious one-liners. She didn’t put up with any BS, and viewers loved it. One thing you definitely didn’t want to do in her courtroom was interrupt her.

While the show was on for many, many years, viewers still aren’t sure which parts were real and which were faked for television.

 
[Judge Judy | YouTube]
Is She A Real Judge? 

The most common question about Judge Judy has always been whether she was a real judge or not. At the time of the show, no, she wasn’t. She retired as a real judge to do the show. Judy Sheindlin was a real judge in the Manhattan, New York, family court system for years before she got famous on TV.

She’s not technically a judge on the show, but she is an arbitrator who can legally decide on the cases put before her.

Are The Cases Real?

Like the show says, the cases are real. The people are real. The decisions are final. The court cases are very much real. A producer with the show revealed that they had a team that scoured the court system for interesting cases.

But in a surprising twist, the loser doesn’t pay the winner. Whatever judgment Judge Judy decides is paid by the show.

Shocking Truth Behind Cancellation

Judge Judy was unexpectedly canceled in 2021 after 25 years on the air. And it seems it all came down to money. “CBS, I think, sort of felt they wanted to optimally utilize the repeats of my program, because now they have 25 years of re-runs,” Judy Sheindlin said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2020. Once her contract with CBS expired, the former judge moved on to better things.

A few months after the final episode of Judge Judy aired, Judy Sheindlin was back on screen. But not on network television. The show premiered on Amazon FreeVee. However, longtime Bailiff, Byrd, from Judge Judy wasn’t asked to join the new show. Judy Sheindlin’s niece joined Judy Justice as the court’s law clerk.

Amazon FreeVee shut down in August 2025, moving everything over to Amazon Prime, which now includes ads even if you’re a Prime member. But the good news is that Judy Justice will be back for another season. Season 4 is reportedly airing sometime in 2026.

Tell us in the comments which show you prefer – the original or the new one on Amazon.