The Judge is a dramatized court show which ran in first-run syndication from 1986 to 1993. The series chronicled the family court cases heard by Judge Robert J. Franklin, played by Bob Shield. In contrast to The People's Court, which featured actual litigants, The Judge, along with Divorce Court and Superior Court, was one of several popular shows of the day that featured dramatizations of actual court cases. The Judge was produced and licensed by WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio, and was distributed by Genesis Entertainment.