Judge Mathis
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Judge Mathis | |
---|---|
Genre | Court |
Starring | Greg Mathis |
Country of origin | ![]() |
Production | |
Running time | 60 minutes (with commercials) |
Broadcast | |
Original channel | Syndicated |
Original run | 1999 – present |
Links | |
Official website | |
IMDb profile |
Judge Mathis is a syndicated television show based in Chicago. It has been on the air since 1999.
In the series, former superior court judge Greg Mathis presides over a small-claims court and mediates the disputes between plaintiff and defendant.
The first bailiff on the series, Brendan Anthony Moran, died on December 28, 2002, after an apparent suicide. Since then, Judge Mathis has had two bailiffs succeed Moran. The current bailiff is Doyle Devereux. Prior to the Judge Mathis show he starred as a tuxedo salesman in the 1991 movie Only the Lonely.
Judge Mathis's show tends to take a less structured approach to the court proceedings than other "judge shows." Litigants frequently yell at each other for extended periods of time — often blurting out statements in the heat of the moment that contradict their own sworn testimony or otherwise undermine their cases — while Judge Mathis listens with bemusement. Judge Mathis also often entertains longwinded, mean-spirited personal asides by one litigant about the other (even when such testimony bears no relevance to the case), but then allows the defamed party equal time to respond in kind. Aspiring singers and rappers who appear on the show may even be granted a moment to showcase their talents from the lectern.
Bailiff Doyle sometimes acts as a comic relief for the show, interjecting lighthearted observations about the litigants or their cases. Among the recurring humorous motifs, both Doyle and Mathis frequently insinuate that Doyle enjoys smoking marijuana and has an eye for pretty women.