Courthouse (TV series)
Courthouse is an American drama television series that ran on CBS from September 13 to November 15, 1995. The series was created and executive-produced by Deborah Joy LeVine. The Courthouse plot centered on a tough female judge, and was partially inspired by NYPD Blue and the television coverage of the O. J. Simpson murder case. Patricia Wettig led the cast which also included Bob Gunton and Robin Givens. Wettig intended to leave the show due to "creative differences", with sources saying that she wanted the show to be more of a star vehicle for her, rather than an ensemble cast, but the show was cancelled before her character could be written out.
| Courthouse | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Deborah Joy LeVine |
| Written by | Ian Biederman Dennis Cooper Dan Levine Deborah Joy LeVine Roger Lowenstein Gina Prince-Bythewood |
| Directed by | Ron Lagomarsino Michael Fields James Frawley Dan Lerner Alan J. Levi Martha Mitchell James Quinn Jesús Salvador Treviño |
| Starring | Patricia Wettig |
| Composer | Jay Gruska |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 11 (2 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Deborah Joy LeVine |
| Producers | Dan Levine Vahan Moosekian |
| Cinematography | Michael Gershman |
| Editors | Susan B. Browdy David Post Ron Rosen |
| Running time | 60 minutes (with commercials) |
| Production companies | Kedzie Productions Columbia Pictures Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 13 – November 15, 1995 |
The show included Jenifer Lewis and Cree Summer as the first recurring African American lesbian characters on TV, but the role was ordered to be toned down for broadcast. Lewis played Juvenile Court judge Rosetta Reide, who was having a relationship with her housekeeper Danny Gates (played by Summer).
The show failed to catch on with audiences, the pilot ranked 47 out of 108 shows, according to the Nielsen ratings for that week, with 9.2 million viewers (16% share), and it was cancelled two months after it premiered. One critic described the show as "a hopeless amalgam that strains the senses".