Judge Judy Sheindlin has reupped her deal with CBS Television Distribution through 2020, Armando Nuñez, president and CEO of CBS Global Distribution Group, said Monday.
The new deal also includes a first-look production deal with Sheindlin’s company, Queen Bee Productions Inc., which this year developed and launched panel court show, Hot Bench, this year’s top-rated rookie among households.
“We could not be more excited to continue our longtime relationship with Judy,” said Nuñez in a statement. “She is a true television icon, who entertains and inspires millions of fans each day on Judge Judy. We look forward to continuing to provide our station partners with her highly successful show and to working with her to create the next generation of hits.”
“I’m thrilled to be working with my CBS family for five more years, and very excited about this new adventure in production,” Sheindlin said. “I loved the experience of creating and developing Hot Bench and look forward to replicating its success with more new, compelling and smart TV.”
Judge Judy has been the highest-rated show in first-run syndication for the past five seasons and is currently averaging 10.3 million viewers in its 19th season. It’s also been the top-rated court show for 969 consecutive weeks.
Judge Judy is a Big Ticket Pictures production and is distributed by CBS Television Distribution. Big Ticket is a CBS Company. Randy Douthit is executive producer and director.
Hot Bench was created by Sheindlin and is executive produced by Douthit and Maureen FitzPatrick. Patricia DiMango, Tanya Acker and Larry Bakman comprise the three-judge panel. The half-hour strip is produced by Big Ticket Pictures and Queen Bee Productions and distributed by CBS Television Distribution.
