Unfiltered, Unforgettable: A warm tribute to America’s favorite courtroom judge

Judge Judith Sheindlin, better known by millions as Judge Judy, has been an iconic household name for more than three decades through her eponymous daytime reality show, which aired on CBS from 1996 to 2021.

Now, “Judge Judy: Unfiltered, Unforgettable,” a 90-minute primetime retrospective that aired on CBS on Tuesday, Sep. 22 and now streams on Paramount+, offers a candid snapshot of the five-time-Emmy-winning attorney’s life and career. The special, which marks 30 years since Sheindlin debuted her salty and no-nonsense demeanor, features interviews with Sheindlin and some of her closest celebrity friends, including Samuel L. Jackson, Amy Poehler, RuPaul and Steven Spielberg, the latter of whom recalls enlisting Sheindlin for a family mock trial.

It’s a family affair, too — the program also highlights Sheindlin’s son, two-term New York State district attorney and Judge Adam Levy, as he prepares to launch his own courtroom series, “Adam’s Law.” We also learn that Sheindlin also has a project of her own in the works, an animated series cunningly titled “Judyverse” that Sheindlin writes, produces and stars in.

In addition to her work on TV, Sheindlin has also garnered a reputation as a prolific author; her first book, facetiously titled “Don’t Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It’s Raining: America’s Toughest Court Judge,” chronicles her law career whilst showcasing a brutal, scathing take on the American family court system, juvenile justice and administrative welfare. Her self-help books, “Beauty Fades, Dumb is Forever” and “What Would Judge Say?”, offer practical advice on navigating life’s ups and downs and embracing your authentic self.

Through home movies, personal archives and narration, Sheindlin recalls her humble beginnings growing up in a Jewish household in Brooklyn, the daughter of a dentist and office manager. After earning her law degree from New York University, she worked in various capacities in New York City as a prosecutor and criminal-court judge, where she first gained the “harsh” reputation that would eventually transform her into a cultural luminary.

It wasn’t until 1993, however, that Sheindlin’s entertainment career began to take off, when she was profiled in an article in the Los Angeles Times as a woman determined to manage an overloaded court system for the benefit of society. Later that year, a producer from “60 Minutes” read the LA Times piece, which led to her being featured in one of the show’s segments. She accepted an offer in 1995 to preside in a new courtroom reality series, and the rest is history.

Although Judge Judy has now retired and plans to step away from the camera, she’s made it clear that she’s not going anywhere. In an interview with the Spokesman-Review, Sheindlin says she’ll stay active by helping produce her son’s show and working on her animated series.

“I’ve enjoyed it for a long time, but you have to know when to say goodbye and when to transition into something else. And I think that time is right for me,” Sheindlin said.

Overall, “Unfiltered, Unforgettable” is well worth the watch: with its tongue-in-cheek commentary from Judy herself and warm tributes from those who know and love her the most, the program reveals a raw and honest side of the arbitrator, especially to those who are less familiar with her work.

Rating: 5/5