Honorable courtroom creations of the
small screen welcome to watchmojo.com
and today we’re counting down our picks
for the top 10 fictional TV judges you
know the difference between telling the
truth and telling a lie don’t you son
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this list we’re looking at the most
memorable magistrates of television who
either presided over numerous seasons or
just one unforgettable performance we’re
not limiting this to actual judges so if
the characters play one on TV that works
– number 10 Philip banks The Fresh
Prince of bel-air we rarely see him in
his robes but you can tell what kind of
judge Uncle Phil is by the way he runs
his household beginning the series as a
senior partner at first win and Meyer
Philip has a background as a civil
rights activist receiving his education
at both Princeton and Harvard Law
he adds judged to his resume later in
the series and we can only assume his
tenacity and patience transfer over to
the courtroom his authoritative demeanor
earns him respect both in his job and at
home but it’s his thorough understanding
of the legal system that allows him to
offer help and advice to his family
members when they get into trouble open
that damn settlement those two boys out
of there I’m going to tie this place up
with so much litigation that your
grandchildren lawyers number nine just a
Strauss a series of unfortunate events
serving is quite the contrast to her
peculiar and not so nice neighbor Count
Olaf justice Strauss is a sweet and
highly educated woman who immediately
earns the affections of the Baudelaires
how lucky am I to have such unusual
children in my life played by Joan
Cusack in Netflix’s black comedy drama
this judge owns a massive library to
which she allows the children access and
where you’ll often find her reading her
law books
despite her good intentions she
inadvertently marries violet and Count
Olaf during a play performance luckily
it all works out in the end and Strauss
continues to keep the Baudelaire
close to her justice-seeking mind and
heart number eight
Oh in French drop dead diva while we’ve
got to mention Paula Abdul’s turn as the
court judge of Jane’s dreams her
ex-fiance Owen French clearly had a
bigger part to play in this quirky
lifetime comedy serious but
unconventional he began to court Jane
almost immediately after they first met
which was when he was a judge on one of
her cases while trying to balance work
in their personal lives the two
eventually fall in love and become
engaged but of course complications
ensue though the practical magistrate
ultimately leaves his judges robes
behind to become a partner and Jane’s
boss at Harrison Parker we will never
forget his work behind the bench
I am the arbiter of ridiculous mr.
kaswell come on down
number 7 Judge Henry bone picket fences
portrayed by the late ray Walston this
man is your quintessential disgruntled
judge who’s got no time for any of your
tomfoolery that’s blatant hypocrisy I
won’t do it based in the Midwestern town
of Rome Wisconsin Judge Henry bone feels
it necessary to mold the community with
some tough love and by that we mean he
plays by his own rules and why not
considering he deals with folks like the
self-righteous mr. Douglas Huambo sure
judge Bowen is a little cranky and it’s
easy to imagine him saying get off my
lawn but it keeps the courtroom in check
demands respect and functions as the
moral compass of the community number 6
Roy Snyder The Simpsons based on the
late Robert Bork this man brings a bit
of baggage to the courtroom as his wife
left him and incompetent lawyer Lionel
Hutz has repeatedly run over his son
such traumatic experiences could explain
his passive aggressive behavior in odd
sensibilities but then again it could
also be an identity crisis as judge Roy
Schneider was originally named judge
Moulton he’s a stern judge who makes
keen observations and he understands the
boys will be boys that’s why you’re the
judge and I’m the law talking guy the
lawyer right however he’s certainly
milder than the alternative because when
Judge Snyder’s away Barton company are
left with the Honorable yet
dude constants harm who is a little less
forgiving
number five judge Felix after men The
Good Wife Jerry Stiller is best known
for his long-standing roles as
Seinfeld’s Frank Costanza and Arthur
Spooner from the king of queens but all
it took was one narcoleptic episode on
The Good Wife to leave his mark on that
series during some tea party testimony
Diane Lockhart grills ballistics expert
Kurt McVeigh only to discover that Judge
Felix after man is a bit detached about
the whole thing
lending credence to one lawyers comments
that quote it’s not the act it’s the
cover-up want proof I’m thinking not
only does Judge Felix miss some crucial
evidence being presented
he also lazily pretends to be forming
actual thoughts it’s a bizarre event but
even more perplexing is the fact that
nobody even seems to care number four
Judge Reinhold Arrested Development in
season three of this dysfunctional
family comedy the Bluth family’s legal
problems lead to a chance encounter with
an 80s movie star that’s just a
coincidence no Judge Reinhold isn’t an
actual judge but he does play one on TV
however to be honest first name aside he
doesn’t actually seem to know anything
about the legal system
but hey Judge Judy made 25 million
dollars in one year so it only made
sense that Judge Reinhold would want to
team up with producer Jan Eagleman for a
courtroom reality show with a theme song
featuring American idols William Hung
okay maybe Judge Reinhold wasn’t the
real deal but his courtroom sure seemed
like a lot of fun I’m very curious to
see where this is going I’m gonna allow
it if only all hung juries were this
entertaining number three
Amy gray judging amy television doesn’t
always allow us an insider’s perspective
of the legal system but this woman gave
viewers plenty to contemplate based on
the life of lead actress Amy Brenneman’s
own mother judging amy showcases a woman
named Amy gray who comes to grips with a
divorce being a single mother the
realities of her job as a young judge
and the task of managing business and
pleasure like to set another hearing for
next week she works in Connecticut’s
family court and displays a hardened
attitude towards the individuals that
pass through her
court room Amy epitomizes the
hard-working single mother and through
her investigations cases she learns
plenty about who she is and who she
wants to be number two arraignment judge
Janice Goldberg the Law & Order
franchise this long-running franchise
gave us many notable judges like Gerald
crane Barry Moore doc and Liz Donnelly
from Special Victims Unit but who better
to play a New York City arraignment
judge then actual New York fixture Fran
Lebowitz a real-life Big Apple author
and former columnist for Andy Warhol’s
interview magazine
Val said at 1 million motions referred
to the trial part spin the wheel Louis
appearing in a dozen episodes of the
original Law & Order as well as on the
spin-off criminal intent judge Janice
Goldberg served up some real talk in her
courtroom this was most notable when she
commended a defendant for taking out her
cheating husband over four times with
her car she’s got no time for any
hutzpah but Judge Janice also often
added some comic relief to the deadly
serious NBC drama before we unveil our
number one pick here are some honorable
mentions only you know what was in your
mind counsel there you go
that was very moving mrs. Griffin okay
you can go to jail with him what
considering there’s no legal precedent
Oh what the heck nowadays number one
judge Herald Harry T stone Night Court
in the early 80s comedy writer Reinhold
weeds created this young maverick with a
quirky sense of humor and made him the
young judge of a Manhattan Municipal
Court always the Entertainer judge Harry
T stone keeps everybody on their toes
both with his enthusiastic expositions
on popular culture as well as his more
little better off it’s a laid-back kind
of guy who’s able to maintain a life
beyond the courtroom and who doesn’t
love a judge that doesn’t take himself
too seriously on a light-hearted show
focused on the intricacies of the
courtroom
Harry slams down the gavel with comedic
and memorable force
lovely note let’s hold this one over for
trial do you agree with our picks check
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