The Covid-19 pandemic hit all businesses. That was the case with the media production industry. Most management teams had to reschedule their recordings, while others had to embrace the government’s new health guidelines to continue in operation and prevent the virus from spreading.

Randy Douthit, the executive producer of Judge Judy’s courtroom television episodes, also experienced challenges in production during the pandemic. According to the media expert, production houses spent high costs during the pandemic than during normal days. They needed money to introduce safety measures, testing procedures, and more time while shooting to ensure every cast member was safe. That increased the production cost since the production had to pay extra amounts for the people involved in the processes.

Additionally, everyone involved in the production had to adjust their time and plans to continue working. All people had to work with masks, test for Covid-19, and get vaccinations. Also, the individuals had to adjust to the new way of living based on the government’s announcement.

Mr. Douthit has worked as Judge Judy’s producer for the past two decades. He noted that producing during the pandemic would only be successful if the team handled the situation carefully. As the head of the production team, Mr. Douthit insisted on the need for the people involved to get tested and wear masks during their interactions. In addition, the studio stayed empty during production to minimize exposing the team to the virus, which was not the case during normal producing days.

Shift to Remote Working

During the pandemic, all Judge Judy staff members started working remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, Judge Judy Sheindlin handled court cases virtually, through videoconferencing, which wasn’t the case with previous proceedings.

The project’s production crew recorded judge Sheindlin while seated in front of the audience’s background. Then, the reporters shared the evidence through a monitor so the judge could revise it before finalizing the rulings. That enabled the program to continue airing even with the pandemic’s effects.

In addition, after Ms. Sheindlin and Mr. Douthit aired the last Judge Judy episode, they started broadcasting Judy Justice programs on IMDb television. According to Randy Douthit, Judge Judy’s airing enjoyed success because of the commitment and hard work of the production team.