I've mentioned the "Judge Judy" spinoff "Hot Bench" several times and had a chance to finally see it yesterday. To refresh everyone's memory, the show features the same types of small-claims cases as its parent show; on the episode I saw, a man was suing an entertainer who comes to kids' birthday parties dressed as a mouse and who apparently didn't notify the man that he couldn't make it; in the second case of the day, a woman with a Chihuahua was suing a neighbor whose pit bull, it went beyond argument, put some nasty gnashes on the little dog's fur (the pit bull owner was grabbing at straws, even trying to blame the woman for not having the dog on a leash--but then neither was his).
The difference here is that there are three judges (two female, one male) who can interrupt a litigant or witness at any time (on a much smaller scale, this is like appellate lawyers arguing before higher courts, except, of course, these litigants are ordinary people who are on their own). When the judges have asked all their questions, they then move to another room to deliberate (these are shown), then return with their verdict (the man whose daughter didn't get to see the mouse and the woman with the Chihuahua both won). After they are excused, the parties make their comments in post-proceeding interviews, as on the original show.
The set looks like a carbon copy of Judge Judy's; an Hispanic woman bailiff replaces Byrd, and there's a Jerry Bishop soundalike announcer. Randy Douthit is executive producer and director of both shows. What's missing are some judges you either love or love to hate. None of these judges has 10% of Judy's charisma. I'd also like to see more interruptions to get the person being questioned more flustered; if that person can overcome and continue to make a coherent case, so much the better for him or her. And yes, they throw in those New York scenes going into and out of commercial breaks, although it's pretty obvious the show is taped in Los Angeles.
I think that for this show to survive one season, either the judges are going to have to become more abrasive or it may be necessary to replace one or two. The only one I'm impressed with at this point is the woman who speaks with an English accent.
Also, I think a lot of stations are hedging their bets; the show is distributed by CBS, yet it's not on WCBS or KCBS unless it's on after Letterman and Feguson (possibly WPIX and KTLA are taking it). In Raleigh/Durham MyNetwork affiliate WRDC is running back-to-back episodes at 2 and 2:30 PM, but in Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point no one is carrying it (I expected Fox affiliate WGHP to have it).
As for Judy, she was back in the groove, getting in the way of two women who attended a ladies' auxilliary VFW meeting in Raleigh, with one alleging illegal or offensive touching and name calling. And her treatment of the girl whose slow driving on a Colorado mountain road, resulting in a fender-bender, was priceless. especially when she let the girl have it for having let her insurance lapse and the girl was somewhat smug about it.
Bottom line: I predict a successful seaon 19 for Judy; "Hot Bench" needs some adjustments (read: ralent) to survive beyond its first year.
The difference here is that there are three judges (two female, one male) who can interrupt a litigant or witness at any time (on a much smaller scale, this is like appellate lawyers arguing before higher courts, except, of course, these litigants are ordinary people who are on their own). When the judges have asked all their questions, they then move to another room to deliberate (these are shown), then return with their verdict (the man whose daughter didn't get to see the mouse and the woman with the Chihuahua both won). After they are excused, the parties make their comments in post-proceeding interviews, as on the original show.
The set looks like a carbon copy of Judge Judy's; an Hispanic woman bailiff replaces Byrd, and there's a Jerry Bishop soundalike announcer. Randy Douthit is executive producer and director of both shows. What's missing are some judges you either love or love to hate. None of these judges has 10% of Judy's charisma. I'd also like to see more interruptions to get the person being questioned more flustered; if that person can overcome and continue to make a coherent case, so much the better for him or her. And yes, they throw in those New York scenes going into and out of commercial breaks, although it's pretty obvious the show is taped in Los Angeles.
I think that for this show to survive one season, either the judges are going to have to become more abrasive or it may be necessary to replace one or two. The only one I'm impressed with at this point is the woman who speaks with an English accent.
Also, I think a lot of stations are hedging their bets; the show is distributed by CBS, yet it's not on WCBS or KCBS unless it's on after Letterman and Feguson (possibly WPIX and KTLA are taking it). In Raleigh/Durham MyNetwork affiliate WRDC is running back-to-back episodes at 2 and 2:30 PM, but in Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point no one is carrying it (I expected Fox affiliate WGHP to have it).
As for Judy, she was back in the groove, getting in the way of two women who attended a ladies' auxilliary VFW meeting in Raleigh, with one alleging illegal or offensive touching and name calling. And her treatment of the girl whose slow driving on a Colorado mountain road, resulting in a fender-bender, was priceless. especially when she let the girl have it for having let her insurance lapse and the girl was somewhat smug about it.
Bottom line: I predict a successful seaon 19 for Judy; "Hot Bench" needs some adjustments (read: ralent) to survive beyond its first year.
