''Hot Bench'' is an American nontraditional panel-based

court show A court show (also known as a judge show, legal/courtroom program, courtroom series, or judicial show) is a broadcast programming genre comprising legal dramas and reality legal programming. Court shows present content mainly in the form of legal ...

that debuted in first-run syndication on September 15, 2014. The series was conceptualized and produced for

CBS Media Ventures CBS Media Ventures, Inc. (formerly CBS Paramount Domestic Television and CBS Television Distribution) is the television broadcast syndication arm of CBS Studios, a division of the CBS Entertainment Group, in turn a division of Paramount Global, ...

by Judith Sheindlin of ''

Judge Judy ''Judge Judy'' is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by former Manhattan Family Court Judge Judith Sheindlin. The show featured Sheindlin as she adjudicated real-life small-claims disputes within a simulated court ...

'' fame, alongside executive producers Randy Douthit, Maureen FitzPatrick, David Theodosopoulos, and co-executive producer James Glover. For the first two seasons, ''Hot Bench'' was presided over by Judge Tanya Acker, Judge Larry Bakman, and former

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, justice Patricia DiMango. Beginning with the third season, Judge Michael Corriero joined, replacing Bakman.

Format

The series features a panel of three judges. The panel acts as an

arbitral tribunal An arbitral tribunal or arbitration tribunal, also arbitration commission, arbitration committee or arbitration council is a panel of adjudicators which is convened and sits to resolve a dispute by way of arbitration. The tribunal may consist of ...

, and as with most televised court shows, the cases are a form of binding

arbitration Arbitration is a formal method of dispute resolution involving a third party neutral who makes a binding decision. The third party neutral (the 'arbitrator', 'arbiter' or 'arbitral tribunal') renders the decision in the form of an 'arbitrati ...

in which the litigants forgo their actual lawsuit in favor of appearing on the program.

Personnel

Current cast * Michael Corriero (seasons 3–present): Judge, co-host * Rachel Juarez (seasons 9–present): Judge, co-host * Yodit Tewolde (seasons 9–present): Judge, co-host * Sonia Montejano (seasons 1–present): Bailiff Former cast * Larry Bakman (seasons 1–2): Judge, co-host * Tanya Acker (seasons 1–8): Judge, co-host * Patricia DiMango (seasons 1–8): Judge, co-host Other notable cast * Rino Romano: Narrator * Christopher Thomas: Narrator

Background and production

Development

The concept was inspired by Judy's vacation to

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, a country which occasionally uses panels of three judges to handle one case: "When my husband Jerry and I were in Ireland recently, we visited the

courts A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and administer justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law. Courts gene ...

and watched a three-judge bench, which I found both fascinating and compelling." She added, "I immediately thought what a terrific and unique idea for a television program that brings the court genre to the next level. We have assembled three individuals with extremely varied backgrounds to serve as the judges. They are smart and talented, with terrific instincts and great chemistry, and are sure to create a 'hot bench'." On April 26, 2024, ''Hot Bench'' has been renewed for its eleventh and twelfth seasons through 2025–26 season.

Casting

The current panel consists of Michael Corriero, Rachel Juarez, and Yodit Tewolde, who preside over small-claims cases and then argue the merits of the case amongst themselves in the chamber room before rendering a verdict (under the format, only a majority—two of the three-panel members—need to agree on the verdict). Before them, the panel consisted of attorneys Tanya Acker and Larry Bakman, along with former Brooklyn New York Supreme Court judge Patricia DiMango. In October 2016, Bakman announced that he was leaving ''Hot Bench'' to focus on his law practice. Bakman's final episodes originally aired on October 28, 2016, and Corriero's first episode was scheduled to originally air on November 1, 2016, with series creator Judge Judy Sheindlin and her husband, former ''

The People's Court ''The People's Court'' is an American Court show#Arbitration-based reality court show, arbitration-based reality court show, featuring an arbitrator handling small claims court, small claims disputes in a simulation, simulated courtroom set. W ...

'' judge Jerry Sheindlin, serving as guest judges on the

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

2016 original broadcasts. In 2022, DiMango and Acker were replaced on the show by Juarez and Tewolde, while Corriero assumed the chief judge position. The bailiff is Sonia Montejano, who was also the bailiff for '' Judge Joe Brown'' from 2006 to its end in 2013. In January 2025, Corriero announced he would leave the panel following the conclusion of the series' eleventh season. Two months later, trial attorney Daniel Mentzer was named as Corriero's replacement. In addition, it was announced Montejano would exit as bailiff, following production's relocation to Connecticut; retired

New York City Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

Chaplains Unit detective Gina Findley was named as her successor.

Release

On December 11, 2014, ''Hot Bench'' was renewed for a second season. The show airs in the UK on

TruTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable Television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts reruns of Television comedy, comedy, Reality television, docusoaps and reality shows, with a rec ...

, and in Canada on

Yes TV Yes TV (stylized as yes TV) is an independently owned Canadian nonprofit and Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission-licensed religious broadcasting television system in Canada. It consists of three conventional over-the- ...

and in syndication. The show has produced 1,535 episodes as of September 8, 2022. As of January 27, 2025, same-day airings air on

Dabl Dabl () is an American digital multicast television network owned by the CBS Media Ventures subsidiary of Paramount Global and operated by Weigel Broadcasting. Dabl launched in September 2019 with a female-targeted lifestyle format. It aired r ...

Accolades

''Hot Bench'' has been nominated for three

Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

Notes

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 3854942 2010s American legal television series 2010s American reality television series 2014 American television series debuts 2020s American legal television series 2020s American reality television series Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Arbitration courts and tribunals Court shows American English-language television shows First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Television series by CBS Studios