Divorce Court

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
GenreNontraditional court show
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons41
No. of episodes5,767+
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time20–22 minutes
Production companiesMonet Lane Productions
20th Television
Lincolnwood Drive
Fox First Run
Georgia Media
Original release
NetworkSyndication
Release
  • 1957 (1957) – 1962 (1962)
  • 1967 (1967) – 1969 (1969)
  • 1984 (1984) – 1993 (1993)
  • 1999 (1999) – present
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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.

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]

  1. ^ Starr, Michael (August 19, 2022). "Star Jones back as the new host of 'Divorce Court': 'I want to make it my own'". New York Post. Retrieved September 5, 2022.