Reviews

Another sketch comedy from the same production studio as At Last the 1948 Show (and produced the same year), and featuring the "other half" of Monty Python 2 years before they would go on to form the troupe for Flying Circus, we see various mostly lighthearted sketched aimed at family viewing. As a show primarily with kids in mind many of the sketches are quite silly, however perhaps as a glimpse into the comedians later days there are a number of particularly dark, almost surreal sketches, even if just for a moment. Starring Denise Coffey, Eric Idle, Jerry Jones, Michael Palin, and David Jason, the format is fairly standard sketches back to back with laughter backing from a live audience. Also featuring the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band each episode, we get some music too, with the groups hit "Death Cab for Cutie" (another morbid bit, being a song about a car accident), which would of course go on to inspire the later band of the same name. Sadly like other series of this era, many of the episodes from its two season run are now considered lost, however those that have been persevered are still available in a decent format. As for the jokes, most have aged fine, again being a show primarily for kids its mostly tame goofy humour, however I'd be amiss not to content warning mention one quite racist minstrel sketch / song in the middle, so I would not recommend the show for a modern kid audience. However if you're a fan of Monty Python and want to check out their early stuff, its around and available preserved on YouTube and the like.

Written by Matt King (Peep Show) and Oliver Lansley, and often stylized as Chef Whites, we follow Roland White (Alan Davies), as he struggles to feel inspired at the hotel attached restaurant for which he's executive chef. Davies is joined by his sous chef Bib (Darren Boyd) and manager Caroline (Katherine Parkinson) as the three deal with health inspectors, critics, and all the kitchen drama behind the scenes. The writing is fairly good, the jokes are decent, although more situational laughs so depends on your humour. A bit darker, the lead isn't particularly the best person, which can play well, but I found Alan Davies take sometimes more a bore than fun to watch, his character was just a bit too mopey and mean for me. The acting is generally fine, although not superb, and cut short after only a single season a lot of the plot lines end up with nowhere to go, which was a bit of a let down. Having seen a specific scene from this multiple times on various social feeds and wanting to check out the rest, I did, its fine. However the scene that went somewhat viral is pretty much the most funny one, and its also the episode one cold open, so you can maybe skip the rest unless it really seems your type of thing.

Created and hosted by John Lurie, we follow John as he's joined on global fishing adventures with celebrities. Only 6 short 22 minute episodes, we get guests Jim Jarmusch, Matt Dillon, Tom Waits, Willem Dafoe, and Dennis Hopper, each of which is bizarre, awkward, and almost surreal in their own ways. Sudo-scripted, there are some voice-over narrations (often nonsensical), along with some fake "plots", like surviving in the arctic with Dafoe, which are played up for camera. There's very little actual fishing, the show is mostly a satire, or maybe just a means to take some paid vacations. With the whole thing feeling of a very raw, unfiltered, version of a home movie, and at my second watch through it was just as fun as the first time. The series is slow, and is a lot of nothing, but there's something so charming in its budget production. It's definitely not a show I would recommend to most as many would find it pointless and boring, but in that mundanity I always find some greatness, charm, and fleeting serenity.

Following fictional US presidential candidate Jack Tanner (Michael Murphy) for the Democratic party during the real 1988 election, Tanner '88 is one of the most interesting political comedies I've seen, while also one of the most rigidly dated series I know of. Originally airing sporadically during / leading up to said '88 election on HBO, the series was pitched as if Tanner was a true candidate for the real run, and even included cameos from active politicians, as well as a finale seemingly filmed at / during that year's Democratic National Convention. Created by cartoonist Garry Trudeau, directed by Robert Altman (M*A*S*H*), and produced by both, the scripts were apparently only mostly written, with much improvisation / pick ups on the day to fill out the scenes. It feels very documentary, although with constantly interesting angles and camera movement I must say, and we're often given long takes of conversational talking, with lots of background noise and obfuscation. It makes everything feel quite real, almost unedited, like we're watching the behind-the-scenes of a real campaign, which is obviously exactly the what the series is going for. Of course this strength is also its ultimate weakness, as the series is so rigidly locked in the campaign that unless you yourself experienced it, or have a vast interest in politics, you won't get most of the Dukakis, Kennedy, Reagan, and Dole humour. All in all, what we get feels like if NPR tried to make a comedy, and I mean that in the best ways. If its your type of thing you're going to love it, I thought it was quite good and certainly impressive.

A quite early British sketch show and a precursor to the eventual Monty Python and The Goodies, we're joined by comedians John Cleese, Marty Feldman, Graham Chapman, and Tim Brooke-Taylor. Hosted by Ami MacDonald, the series is a pretty typical sketch format even for being so early, sketches typically play one into another or are separated by a short studio segment with MacDonald. Considered lost for multiple years as the original studio had discarded all the original footage; the series was eventually rediscovered on multiple occasions and I ended up catching 5 episodes from a late DVD release of some Swedish archives, which unfortunately visually look quite poor but the jokes play the same. However in recent years even more has been found, and on YouTube you can find extant footage of 11 of the 13 original episodes. As for the sketches themselves, they're quite funny, and I did find myself laughing out loud more than once. Very few of the sketches are dated, in theres little pop culture or political humour in the show, which helps it remain funny even after so many years. If you're into sketch comedy, like older tv, or especially like the later works of Monty Python I'd certainly say give this a go.

The original Australian Wilfred, created by and starring Jason Gann, we follow Adam (Adam Zwar), a depressed man who moves in with his new girlfriend Sarah (Cindy Waddingham), only to have to deal with her dog Wilfred (Gann), who appears as a grown man wearing a dog suit. Things quickly spiral as he deals with Wilfred's cigarette, weed, and alcohol bingeing, not to mention general terrorizing of the neighbourhood, all while trying to improve things with Sarah. Having seen a bit of the later Elijah Wood American version (also written by and starring Gann) I wanted to check this one out, and I must say I was quite impressed. The series has a darker tone, with some more morbid twists I wasn't expecting but did appreciate. That said, the series does feel a bit off in the second season, followed up a few years later. The first is quite tight, well written, though certainly off colour in good comedic ways, but the second season extends its reach a bit and feels a little all over the place. The lead characters you aren't expected to like, they generally aren't good people, but the show works in its offbeat way. Short at only 16 episodes, If you like dark comedies, especially if you've seen and liked the American Wilfred, then I'd certainly recommend this.

Created and written by then wife and husband Connie Booth and John Cleese, and starring the latter as the lead, we follow Basil Fawlty (Cleese), the proprietor of the Fawlty Towers hotel in Devon, England. Disgruntled and often quick to anger, Fawlty stumbles about his role interacting with guests, along with his wife and co-owner Sybil (Prunella Scales) and the staff, Connie and Manuel. With jokes ranging from continually stumbling around Manuel's broken english or making sure not to bring up WWII around a group of German guests, the narratives feel very 70s, and haven't all necessarily aged well. That said, it is still quite funny, I did find myself laughing out loud more than once over its short 2 season run. I enjoyed Basil and Sybil's relationship, although most of the other character dynamics were hit and miss, but of course mostly played for a laugh. Considered a classic by many and one of the greats, I didn't love this as much as I'd hoped, but as a big fan of Monty Python in general I wanted to make my way through the troupes other works. I can understand how some would love this, if you're a fan of this era British comedy and somehow haven't seen it, then yes I'd recommend.

Created by Jez Scharf and produced by the Obamas, we follow Gilbert Power (Will Forte), an American podcaster in Bodkin, Ireland investigating a decades old cold case involving the disappearance of three people during a past Samhain festival. Joining Power is Emmy (Robyn Cara), his assistant, and journalist Dove (Siobhan Cullen), who reluctantly was assigned the case, and of course plays the darker depressed, somewhat alcoholic stooge. Forte largely plays himself, and brings the bubbly charm character to the story, with his assistant playing the middle, much like the other true-crime trio of podcasters series Only Murders in The Building. And like that series, this one struggles with tone, trying to create deeper / sad backstories, but ends up with ones that feel forced or too heavily written rather than genuine, and as a comedy things are awkwardly played off as jokes but nothings really laugh-out-loud funny. I really didn't mind things until towards the end when it gets kinda bonkers, it was a shame it really missed the mark for me. Neither of the leads seemed to me good journalists, let alone podcasters, so I really don't know what the show is trying to say by then end of it. Good news though, there's still time, as the end does hint towards more to come. The series was certainly well produced, and the acting is good enough. With this seasons mystery wrapped up, and short at only 7 episodes, if you like Will Forte's style of humour / characters, or are a big true crime fan, you may well like this, it was fine.

Following Blanche Pronovost (Pascale Bussieres), one of 9 siblings under a single mother in 1930's Quebec, and her impoverished upbringing, education in medicine in Montreal, and eventual young adult life as a nurse in rural Abitibi. A definite drama, with plenty of relationships, love, and loss, I teared up more than once. The series pulls hard at the heart strings with hardships and tough choices throughout, and as a period piece doing well to represent the times I couldn't help but sympathize and appreciate. Also along with a period piece even if more recent comes relatively large, impressive sets, and even more so gorgeous wardrobe, was great. Bussieres carries the show with her performance, honestly incredible, and the rest of the cast does well throughout, all was believable. The writing and plot was also good, but is where some lost me, especially towards the end, where things feel unnecessarily rushed and a bit out of place. I also realized just near the end that this was actually a sequel to a previous series Emelie (aka Les Filles de Caleb, and based on novels of the same name), which followed Blanche's mother (and absent father). Which perhaps explains some of the writing choices and certainly explains the kinda bad and very noticeable aging make up and fake beard on the young actors playing Blanche's parents, as they wanted to keep the same actors as the previous. Both series are available in french on Tou tv, however I'm unsure if the first series has ever been subbed for english. Finally, as the series is locked in the 4:3 ratio and is considerably grainy, I'm going to guess was filmed originally on tape, or tape is all that was preserved; these types of shows feel ripe for all the new upscaling capabilities. If you don't mind the picture quality, the series itself was a treat, I quite enjoyed it. If you like romance period dramas I would certainly recommend.

Based on the manga of the same name by Bisco Hatorri and produced by the studio Bones, who's work I quite like, we follow the titular Ouran High School Host Club, a sort of entertainment club for students at an elite, ultra rich high school in Tokyo. Newest member Haruhi Fujioka joins the previously all male club after her short hair leaves her mistaken for a boy. Anime antics ensue as she learns about each of her new school mates, is fawned over by club leader Tamaki, and gains friendships that will last a lifetime. Again not the type of anime I'd typically flip on I've been wanting to branch out, and this often appeared on lists of top comedic shojo. Honestly I had a lot of fun throughout, the characters are all unique, both in the expected tropes they're satirizing, but also with enough nuance that few feel superficial. With the characters each a trope, the series often breaks the 4th wall and plays for drama in pure parody that left me laughing out loud more than once. There is of course some silly romance, and lots of playing to taboos, but the series can also have plenty of more meaningful dramatic moments, with genuine connections between characters. At only a single season while I feel they could have done more it feels like they did enough for it to feel well rounded and complete by its conclusion. If it already seems like your kind of thing, would highly recommend, was great.

Created by Dan Guterman (writer on Colbert Report, Community, Rick and Morty), we follow Carol, a middle aged woman who along with the rest of the world must accept the looming end date of all life on Earth as a massive asteroid hurtles towards Earth. With less than a year of everyone's life left on the clock, Carol starts an inward journey about herself and ultimately those around her. Dark and continually sarcastic, Martha Kelly as the lead was fantastic casting, I loved her in Baskets and she brings more of her deadpan charm. As an adult comedy there is some cartoon nudity, although I'm glad to say the series never had any significant violence or those typical narratives that many apocalypse stories follow. And we do follow more than just Carol, the story is told through a bunch a different characters, often with deeper dive episodes focusing on each, which was fun. At only 10 episodes, if you like these kinds of comedic adult comedies or think you'd like the darker apocalyptic doom spin, it was good, would recommend.

Created by Garry Campbell (Kids in the Hall), Andrew Bush, and Mark Little, and starring the latter two as the leads we follow brothers Mark and Andy, returning home to Cavendish, PEI to reunite with their father and contend with the oddly supernatural on-goings around the small town. A charming, light hearted comedy, Mark Little holds the show together in a lot of ways, like a cheery glue, and from what I've seen elsewhere he plays largely an exaggerated version of himself, but of course that was enjoyable. Kathryn Greenwood joins as Ruth, the maybe-maybe not love interest of the two's father, very funny character and my personal favourite. Cut short at only a single season, from what I can gather due to covid pandemic reasons, the series had good legs and I would have loved to see the dynamics play out for at least another season or two. I'll still hold out hope for more, but until then, enjoyable quick watch.

Based on the manga of the same name by Naoki Urasawa (Monster), and itself a loosely based on / alternative spin-off of Astro Boy, we follow Gesicht, an advanced Europol robot agent as he investigates a string of murders, and perhaps the first time a robot has killed a human in nearly a decade. That investigation quickly spirals, as he follows the trail back through is past, up to the current world powers, and to some of his closest friends: the seven great robots of the 39th Central Asian War. Again, a series that is somewhat built within the Astro Boy universe, for any fans of that series there will be plenty of familiar faces, but I would guess (myself included) most were not too aware. The story is very good, its not necessary to know any of the previous works, and I must say the animation was fantastic. I was quite impressed with its style, including the interesting use of 3D animation for certain effects / scenes. The plot has plenty of characters and a number of twists, most which I enjoyed, although some were a bit eye-rolling, especially towards the end, but most sci-fi tends that way. With premises like the invasion of a Persian country in search of "robots of mass destruction" only to not find any, and an angry, AI hating man who wants to exterminate all robots named Adolf, its a bit too on the nose, perhaps I'd have preferred a bit more nuance or subtlety. At only 8 episodes, although each longer at nearly an hour each, it felt complete without wasting time. I would have loved more, especially backstory, but I understand that's not what it was here to tell. For fans of sci-fi and / or anime would certainly recommend, good show.

Created by R. J. Steward (Xena) and Rob Tapert, and produced by Tapert alongside Sam Raimi (also Xena, Hercules, Evil Dead), we follow Cleo (Jennifer Sky), a nightclub dancer who doesn't wake up after a breast augmentation surgery, only to be "thawed" 500 years later in the year 2525. Finding herself deep underground in "the shafts", humans last remaining civilizations, she must work with two other warriors Hel (Gina Torres) and Sarge (Victoria Pratt) to fight against the evil "Bailey" robots which have killed all on the surface. Extremely cheesy, with terrible writing and acting, the series really skirts the line between parody / satire and just being problematic, but its often played off more like a Xena or similar with the scantily ladies and sexuality turned up to eleven. Airing back to back with Jack of All Trades, also produced by the Tapert+Raimi duo and starring Bruce Campbell, I had previously watched that series so at the chance to view this one I took it. While I don't regret the viewing, its honestly pretty bad. The CGI isn't terrible, but it also isn't good, and everything practical looks like its made of rubber. All the stunts appear to be done by the actors themselves, so props to that, although the fights weren't exactly the craziest choreography; it mostly uses wires and fast moving cameras to feign action. Obviously the directing is extremely Raimi, so if you don't like a constantly moving camera you won't like this, I don't think there's a single two frames that stay still in the entire thing. All said, even as a fun campy background show, I'd certainly take Xena, M. A. N. T. I. S., or even the newer Ash Vs Evil Dead over this any day. That said if you've seen all the others and its just something to check off your list, it does exist.

A short miniseries of 7 episodes we follow the semi-autobiographical account of Richard Gadd, the star and creator of the series, through his troubled history, attempts in the world of stand-up comedy, and eventual spiral as becomes the latest victim of a serial stalker. Of course following a mostly true account the entire series has a much more significant weight to it, and the story is spoken through such raw honesty and vulnerability that many episodes will leave you weak. With that of course comes the warning of heavy themes of trauma, specifically sexual assault, but its such a powerful story to hear Gadd tell, even if difficult. He keeps things generally entertaining throughout, which is a massive feat in itself, coping with comedy comes through strong in this one. Jessica Gunning as Martha Scott, the said stalker of Gadd's character, honestly runs away with it, her performance is chilling. If you like these kinds of heavy series, this is the best I've seen in a while, but again it can be tough to watch. Would hesitantly recommend, great show.

Not to be confused with the British sketch series of the same name, this V. I. P. Was created for Dropout streaming and is hosted by Vic Michaelis. Each episode a new comedian is given a blind complete makeover, after which they must make up a new personality on the spot and perform and interview. Including anything from otherworldly aliens to a struggling health specialist, the interviews can get pretty wilds and are always a good time watching these improvisational experts do their thing. Vic does a good job as the host, playing things quite straight to let the guests shine with goofiness. Obviously some episodes land more than others, but overall I had fun, if you already have dropout would recommend.

Based on the manga of the same name we follow Shinichi Izumi, a teenage high schooler who suddenly becomes infected by a parasite in his arm; shape-shifting beings who only seems set on killing who have began appearing throughout Japan. Naming him Migi ("right" in Japanese), Izumi is then thrust into protecting himself and eventually the entirety of humanity in the fight against these invaders as he teams up with the unlikeliest of allies. Inspired by The Thing and others like it, Parasyte was a very fun ride, though short at only its single season 24 episode run. The main premise itself is a bit to be expected, although there are many twists and turns along the way that I can certainly say I never expected. A brutal show, there's of course significant gore and heavy themes of violence, but the interpersonal drama is done in a good enough way that those more horrific scenes have a much more tangible weight. The animation is done quite well, except during any of its (luckily few) 3D rendered scenes. I didn't love its conclusions, and it didn't answer near as much as I would have liked, but I'm honestly glad on how restrained it was given how crazy it could have gotten, and I'm glad I flipped it on. If you're a fan of these kinds of anime would certainly recommend.

One of the earlier Dropout series, I believe I had caught this once before but not remembering much decided to give its short single season another go after re-subscribing to the platform. Two good friends, Ally Beardsley and Grant O'Brien, must slowly challenge each other to ever more difficult dares, with each subsequent challenge earning more cash to pay directly into both's crippling amassed college debt. With tens of thousands of dollars on the line, the challenges start tame but slowly ramp into the insane and the cringe, as the series tests the relationship of the two and how far they're willing to go to be financially unburdened. Each episode was fun in their own way, and of course I love Beardsley and enjoyed O'Brien, but production-wise the show felt a little too loose and I think could have benefitted with a bit more foresight (and scripting) for the unscripted format. That said things tie up well, and while we never got another follow up like it, I don't know if we could. If you already like College Humor or have Dropout, would recommend.

Created by and hosted by Sam Reich as a spin-off "unchanged" from their previous Game Changer, episodes each take on three comedic guests as they take turns improvising to prompts given by the host. A fairly old format, the series is a fun enough spin, and has clever enough prompts, that it works. That's of course nothing to mention that guests themselves which are of course the talent and draw to the series (and Dropout in general), and everything you'd hope and expect from this is on show here. While there is the odd weaker episode, as a whole its a blast, and I was roaring with laughter on multiple occasions. Taking inspiration of course from many before it, from the original Whose Line is it Anyway to the newer @midnight, for fans of improv and the format would certainly recommend.

Created by Susan Coyne, Bob Martin, and Mark McKinney as well as starring Coyne and McKinney, we follow Geoffrey Tennant (played by Paul Gross), a troubled and struggling theatre director who's life drastically changes when he reunites with his old director Oliver Welles (played by Stephen Ouimette) and becomes involved with the New Burbage Theatre Festival. Each season follows Geoffrey as he puts on his latest Shakespearean production and all the antics that follow. Honestly the characters in this series were all phenomenal, I loved the cast. The writing was crisp and nuanced, there was a very clear love for theatre, acting, and of course Shakespeare put into the work, and with such a clear vision we end up with something consistently as powerful as it is entertaining. Lots of laughs, I genuinely found the series quite funny, and its drama is as equally nuanced; strong enough I teared up more than once over its run. Season one featured Rachel McAdams and the production of Hamlet which was a joy, and each season following was surprisingly equally strong in subtly different ways. In the end of its three seasons I can say was a treat. If you're a fan of Shakespeare, or you're not and want to be, would highly recommend.

Created by Geneva Roberts and Graham Wagner for Amazon Prime, we follow Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell), an underground vault dweller hundreds of years after nuclear war has destroyed most the surface of the globe. A story familiar for fans of the games, Lucy must adventure to the surface to rescue her father and discover what kind of civilization is left intact in the irradiated, monster-ridden world above. As a show there are considerable shortcomings, but ultimately quite a good time. A franchise based around heavy world building the show hits the ground running introducing us to the lore and the backstory, through the lens of 4 or so characters in places and times. Again for those already familiar with the games this rapid catch-up may seem fine, however a series introduction the opening is considerably blocky, with strange pacing, and frankly weird dialogue. As someone who has played much of the games, there's a lot to be said on the production choices around which were to give that "video game" feel, however I don't like many of those choices, personally. Characters only interacts as if its a Bethesda engine, lots of standing and talking, sitting and talking, or walking and talking. Characters never have business, or things to practically do, in scenes. And the opposite, during any scenes of movement or action montages we get basically zero dialogue, sometimes for minutes at a time. If really does feel like watching a video game at points, in a subtle way the bad first-person scenes in the new Halo adaptation didn't even capture. However these choices may certainly appeal to some and they certainly seem to, totally fair. There are also tons of references to things across all the games, which was neat, although ascetically its of course continuing into the heavier saturation, Todd Howard version of the Fallout universe, most prominent now in the styles of the games 76 and Shelter, which again of course makes sense as he serves as a producer. Some practical props were hit and miss, as was the CGI. Things in scenes and backgrounds tended to look great, however hero props the characters actually held were often very cardboard / rubber looking. And I don't wanna talk about the de-aging CGI. Narratively as we progress the series improves although as story twist after story twist comes, especially towards the end, I didn't mind them, they just rarely felt justified by what lead up to it. That said the set pieces and wardrobe are all great, I was extremely impressed. Acting is all suitable, Purnell as Lucy was good, I of course loved Walton Goggins' performance. Ultimately a pretty fun story that does eventually come together once it gets going, although I expect may be a bit confusing or lacking for those completely unfamiliar with the lore from the games. I liked it, didn't love it, but will definitely check out the next season whenever that comes.

Produced by Madhouse and based on the manga of the same name by Kanehito Yamada, we follow Frieren, a thousand+ year old elven mage, still wandering in search of rare magic and spells now nearly a century after she and her band of heroes already saved the world by defeating the Demon King. Sad she didn't get to know her companions well enough during those short but consequential decade of her life, she begins a new adventure to the ends of the earth to find the place where souls rest, so she can finally meet them once again. A lovely twist on the expected structure, Frieren is gorgeous in its animation and very strong in its characters and world building. While mostly focusing on Frieren herself as a backdrop with her past adventures saving the world, she slowly forms a new troupe of companions to travel with her on her new adventures. I honestly had a lot of fun with this one and am very much looking forward to more. While not doing anything unexpected with many of the tropes of the genre, the series is just consistently well done and well produced. Again the animation is stunning, more in the backdrops and still shots of the world around them, but also those few dynamic scenes that do happen are always done well. It's just fun, funny, good time. If adventure fantasy anime seems your type of thing this one is up there, would recommend.

Created by writer Harlan Ellison for CTV, we follow the Earthship Ark, a massive spacecraft far flung into the universe hundreds of years after fleeing a dying Earth. Presumably inhabited with billions, the Ark is made of many biosphere domes, each their own isolated civilizations fostering some culture, technology, or industry to future generations once the Ark can find a new replacement for the lost Earth. We follow three leads, escapees from a more primitive religious dome as they wander the ship's halls and slowly discover its history and unpredictable future. The format follows a fairly expected framework, with the three generally moving from dome to dome per episode, with each then presenting some dilemma based on the precepts of that dome, a la Twilight Zone mixed with a bit of Star Trek. Harlan Ellison himself, the creator known for much darker sci-fi, namely I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream, would have likely hated that description of the final product. He quickly left the show prior to the first even airing due to the network "dumbing down his narrative", which does come through in what we get, but it also was 1973 network television, so what can you expect. The world building and overarching structure of the series was great, and while definitely cheesy and apparently not quite what they'd hoped, the costuming and special effects are all fun and honestly well enough done for the time. The acting isn't always the best, nor is the writing, but none of its necessarily bad. Slow paced, with a tendency to be a bit soapy and overdramatic, its short enough that for sci-fi lovers, especially of this era's sci-fi, would recommend. This show can certainly be... of assistance.

Created by the titular Judy Sheindlin presiding as judicator, Judge Judy takes on real cases, with real people, in small claims court televised for the world to see. Influenced heavily by the earlier The People's Court, the series quickly became a hit with Sheindlin's quick wit and stern but fair decision making. The cases are often just up to the point of ridiculous, with those chosen being the more dramatic of the applicants, a process in itself bringing into light the nature of the show's production. A "public" courtroom involving flying out to a Hollywood studio for filming, this often leaves waiting months for decision making (and presumably real court procedure) in order to be on the show. Which further goes into the technical legalities of it all, from my understanding while not acting as an official judge of any specific jurisdiction, with her instead acting as arbitrator with final decision making power, which could then be used in further court should one party not comply. All said, Sheindlin is so fun to watch, and takes nothing from anyone, in all the best day-time reality ways. I've watched a bad amount of episodes at this point, and more power to her for keeping it going so strong so long, with its many similar spin-offs and similarly styled clones over the years, it's clearly something to uphold. It's also my grandma's favourite show of all time, so I'd never dare say anything bad about it. Pure entertainment, would recommend.