Trial by Jury (TV series)
A dramatized court show with a host who engaged viewers.
Trial by Jury, a dramatized court show from the 1989-90 season, featured Raymond Burr as a host who directly addressed viewers. The program reenacted real cases and included early roles for Tori Amos and Cuba Gooding Jr.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Dramatized court show
- Presenter
- Raymond Burr
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 1
- Runtime
- 30 minutes
- Company
- Bob Stewart Productions; Dick Clark Productions
- Channel
- syndication
Facts from the source article.
Cast and characters
The series reenacted real-life courtroom cases with actors. Raymond Burr portrayed Judge Gordon Duane, who served as presenter and was uninvolved in the proceedings. Madlyn Rhue played the judge during cases, performing from a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis; her disability was unseen as she sat behind the bench. She was notable as a female judge in a court show, a role typically held by men. Joseph Campanella played the prosecuting attorney, and Charles Siebert played the defense attorney.
Format overview
Each episode began with Burr's character, Judge Gordon Duane, acting as an interactive host. He opened episodes from a judge's chambers in a judicial robe, breaking the fourth wall by speaking directly to viewers, asking questions about the case, providing answers, and sharing his views on points of law. The courtroom audience could decide its own verdict before the scripted jury verdict was announced. In a September 1989 interview, Burr explained the scripted nature of the program and the trend of court shows. He noted that the show was based on real cases and written six months ahead of time, and that sometimes headlines mirrored episodes. He cited an episode about two ministers kidnapped in Canada that aired after a similar real event, leading the Canadian government to request it not be shown there. The program is remembered for featuring then-unknown singer Tori Amos in an episode as a woman accused of murdering her married lover, and for being one of the first television appearances of Cuba Gooding Jr.
More in Television Series by Dick Clark Productions
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