At that time, it was never expected that the show's ratings would ever compete with highly successful daytime TV shows of that era, such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show and The Jerry Springer Show.
By the end of October 1996, the show was averaging only a 1.5 rating, putting it in the mid-rank of the 159 syndicated shows on the air.
When the series launched in September 1996, it went on the air with little media attention and publicity. Prior to the court show debuting, it had been promoted as 'Hot Bench,' then 'Hot Bench with Judge Judy' before ultimately becoming Judge Judy. The season is currently streamed on ViacomCBS's Pluto TV courtroom station. The first season of arbitration-based reality court show Judge Judy aired from September 16, 1996, to September 5, 1997, and consisted of 220 episodes.
