Randy Douthit is the director of Judge Judy and one of America’s most experienced television legal personalities. He is also a lawyer, but first and foremost, Douthit understands that those who make their living in the courtroom are not just lawyers. They are judges and jurors, two professions where opinions must be formed within seconds during heated arguments and intense court proceedings. Douthit decided to change from the legal profession in 1993 and accept a job as Director of Production at Goodson Television. It was the dawning of Court TV, a new division of Time Warner that would provide programming for an audience interested in seeing real legal issues handled by actual judges and honest lawyers.
Douthit had experience with the judicial system as he is licensed to practice law in California, New York, and Illinois, but he was not your typical stuffy lawyer. His eclectic career started at Sony Pictures, running the Columbia Ranch location where they filmed The Dukes of Hazzard and other TV shows. He then ran NBC’s Universal Studios Stage 5 before going into television production.
After leaving Goodson TV in 2001, Douthit accepted a job at CBS, where he was Executive Producer for two hit daytime dramas. He then returned to the entertainment world when he joined NBC’s Universal Studios Stage 5, where he helped produce the television program “The Apprentice” with Donald Trump.
Randy Douthit was named the Executive Producer of “Judge Judy” following his success with its predecessor, which aired on Court TV from 1996 until 1999. A national battle for rights to the name was then fought between Goodson TV and CBS, and after negotiations were successful, the show went back on court TV. It is one of the most successful daytime programs in television history.
Douthit’s new show has earned him awards for excellence in production, the Showtime award for Best Factual Program, and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Commercials. He estimates that “Judge Judy” has been viewed by over 90 million people in over 60 countries worldwide. Randy Douthit considers his primary contribution to be his determination that success and ratings should not come before quality. He runs a tight ship where quality and quantity are equally important to those involved in producing a hit daytime program.