Judy Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy, is entering the scripted court.
The famed television judge is developing “Her Honor,” a drama series at CBS, which is inspired by her own life, Variety has learned exclusively.
“Law & Order” vet and “Chicago Justice” showrunner Michael Chernuchin is penning the pilot, alongside Sheindlin who is billed as story co-writer.
“Her Honor” will follow the youngest judge in New York, who cuts through the chaos in Family Court, but can’t seem to maintain control of her own life outside the courtroom.
Though the scripted arena is new territory for her, Sheindlin is certainly no stranger to TV. She is currently the most profitable star on television, thanks to her long-running court TV series “Judge Judy,” which debuted in 1996 and is renewed through 2020. Her new deal is reportedly worth more than her previous contract, under which she was making a whopping salary of over $47 million per year. When she inked the five-year extension deal, the pact also included a first-look production deal to develop new projects via her Queen Bee Productions banner, which is also behind another court show, “Hot Bench.”
CBS is the perfect home for Sheindlin’s project, as “Judge Judy” is produced and distributed by CBS Television Distribution. CBS Television Studios is producing “Her Honor,” and exec producers are Sheindlin, Chernuchin, Arnold Kopelson and Anne Kopelson.
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Chernuchin has written more than 60 episodes in the “Law & Order” franchise, and began working on the flagship series in 1991, then serving as showrunner from 2002 to 2004. Aside from serving as showrunner on Dick Wolf’s upcoming NBC series “Chicago Justice,” his other credits include “Rogue,” “Black Sails” and “24.” He is repped by Paradigm.
“Her Honor” is not the first scripted series inspired by an unscripted television star’s life to land at CBS. This fall, Michael Weatherly will star in ‘Bull,” a legal drama based on the early life of TV personality Dr. Phil.
