Hot Bench

A tough judge balances her aversion to minor offenders with firm beliefs on justice and punishment as she tackles complex cases inside a juvenile court.

Steve Harvey employs his own life experiences and some good old common sense as he expands his resume by taking on the roles of judge and jury in the courtroom. Harvey welcomes a variety of conflicts and characters to his courtroom -- from small claims to big disputes and everything in between -- where, playing by his own rules, he helps to settle his guests' cases with his own unique comedic flair.

Sex, lies and a tale too twisted to be real surround the murder of Gregg Smart. Who Killed Him? And why? On May 1, 1990, 22-year-old teacher Pamela Smart finds her husband Gregg dead on the floor of their southern New Hampshire condo, leaving the town of Derry stunned. Scouring the region for clues, police shift their attention to Gregg's grieving widow, Pamela Smart, who has been making curious television appearances publicizing her plight. When investigators discover Pamela has been having a sordid affair with high school student, Billy Flynn, a complicated web of lies and deceit unravel, revealing one of the most scandalous crimes of the century. Now, leading true crime network Investigation Discovery (ID) delves into the case in Pamela Smart: An American Murder Mystery. From the tawdry affair, to teenage assassins, to the explosive nationally televised trial, this case transfixed the entire nation as Pamela Smart emerged as the original Black Widow.

The story of the forces that inherited wealth centered around the Woowon Group headquarters in the fictional Woowon City adjacent to the sea, the voodoo cartel that dominates the lawless area, and Judge Song Pan Ho, who comforts citizens seeking justice.

In late 19th-century Turin, the young Lidia Poët, fights against everything and everyone to get what is rightfully hers: to be enrolled in the official register of lawyers. A profession, at the time, reserved exclusively for men. Nevertheless, nothing could stop her dream of becoming the first female lawyer in Italy.

Mulla Krekar was a danger to the Norwegian security, yet he lived in the country for 30 years. This documentary follows the hated mullah and his faithful lawyer from the beginning to the end of the case.

In 2023, Kevin Spacey was acquitted of sexual offences against four men in a UK trial. This documentary investigates Spacey's conduct and talks to multiple men, unconnected to that case, about their experiences with Kevin Spacey, almost all of whom have never spoken before.

Rafferty's Rules was an Australian television drama series which ran from 1987 to 1990 on the Seven Network. Rafferty's Rules was one of the first programs undertaken by the Seven Network's then new in-house drama unit, going into production in May 1985 as "a 15-part courtroom drama". The program had started out as a pilot episode, recorded in early 1984 with the actor Chris Haywood in the lead role. When the pilot episode was remounted later in 1984, Chris Haywood wasn't available and the lead role was re-cast to John Wood. This second recording was eventually broadcast as the program's first episode.

James Kavanagh QC is one of the top flight barristers in Britain. Each episode has him handling challenging cases and defendants which put his skills to the test regularly.

Explore the 1999 disappearance and murder of 18-year-old Baltimore County high school student Hae Min Lee, and the subsequent conviction of her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, a case brought to global attention by the hugely popular Serial podcast.

Judge Judy is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by retired Manhattan Family Court Judge Judith Sheindlin. The show features Sheindlin adjudicating real-life small claims disputes within a simulated courtroom set. All parties involved must sign contracts, agreeing to arbitration under Sheindlin. The series is in first-run syndication and distributed by CBS Television Distribution. Judge Judy, which premiered on September 16, 1996, reportedly revitalized the court show genre. Only two other arbitration-based reality court shows preceded it, The People's Court and Jones and Jury. Sheindlin has been credited with introducing the "tough" adjudicating approach into the judicial genre, which has led to several imitators. The two court shows that outnumber Judge Judy's seasons, The People's Court and Divorce Court, have both lasted via multiple lives of production and shifting arbiters, making Sheindlin's span as a television arbiter the longest.

Caso Cerrado, formerly Sala de Parejas, is a Spanish-language court show broadcast by Telemundo in which Cuban-born lawyer Ana María Polo arbitrates cases for volunteer participants.

In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.

All the emotion, drama and suspense of America's most memorable murder trials are captured. Produced by an Emmy-award winning team, each episode takes viewers through the criminal justice process, from the crime to the investigation to the courtroom testimony and finally, the verdict. It's a journey through the criminal justice process that gives viewers an inside look at real cases like never before.

Each year, hopeful singers from all over the country audition to be part of one of the biggest shows in American television history. Who will become the new American Idol?

Sidelined after an accident, hotshot Los Angeles lawyer Mickey Haller restarts his career - and his trademark Lincoln - when he takes on a murder case.

The People's Court is an American arbitration-based reality court show currently presided over by retired Florida State Circuit Court Judge Marilyn Milian. Milian, the show's longest-reigning arbiter, handles small claims disputes in a simulated courtroom set. The People's Court is the first court show to use binding arbitration, introducing the format into the genre in 1981. The system has been duplicated by most of the show's successors in the judicial genre. Moreover, The People's Court is the first popular, long-running reality in the judicial genre. It was preceded only by a few short-lived realities in the genre; these short-lived predecessors were only loosely related to judicial proceedings, except for one: Parole took footage from real-life courtrooms holding legal proceedings. Prior to The People's Court, the vast majority of TV courtroom shows used actors, and recreated or fictional cases. Among examples of these types of court shows include Famous Jury Trials and Your Witness. The People's Court has had two contrasting lives. The show's first life was presided over solely by former Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joseph Wapner. His tenure lasted from the show's debut on September 14, 1981, until May 21, 1993, when the show was cancelled due to low ratings. This left the show with a total of 2,484 ½-hour episodes and 12 seasons. The show was taped in Los Angeles during its first life. After being cancelled, reruns aired until September 9, 1994.

Kagura Ran is a former child actor-turned-lawyer who left the legal circle after her best friend was framed of murder. A year later, an article written by scriptwriter Kurosawa Jin about her ends up circulating online in which she becomes acknowledged as a capable lawyer who has never lost a case. She decides to resume her work as a lawyer once more, and attempts to regain her trust in the law by joining forces with Kurosawa in order to exonerate her friend from the accusation and resolve the case once and for all.

This series examines the gruesome and horrific true crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer and the systemic failures that enabled one of America’s most notorious serial killers to continue his murderous spree in plain sight for over a decade.

The Honorable Judy Sheindlin, retired Judge of the Manhattan family Court, brings her signature blend of sharp wit and wisdom, hilarious candor and unwavering honesty that has made her America’s favorite judge for over 25 years, as she presides over real cases, arbitrates binding decisions and delivers what only she can: “Judy Justice.”