Cutlers Court, produced by Atlanta-based Crazy Legs Productions, will debut in broadcast syndication on September 11, the company said Thursday.
Cutlers Court, starring married couple judges Dana and Keith Cutler, is cleared in more than 80% of the country. The show has been picked up in 17 of the top 20 markets and on stations from such groups as CBS Television Stations, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Nexstar Media Group, Gray Television, Weigel Broadcasting Co., Tegna Inc., and E.W. Scripps Company, among others.
The show is being sold for all-barter and will air as double runs in most markets. Production started in August in Atlanta, with 150 original half-hour episodes planned for the Monday-Friday daytime strip.
“We saw an opportunity in the marketplace where there was a real demand for real cases, real litigants and real drama,” said Tom Cappello, executive producer and co-founder/CEO of Crazy Legs. “We decided to get into this space and this genre because I think it works really well for a smaller boutique production company like us rather than a big brand like MGM or Warner Bros. Discovery.”
Cutlers Court is Crazy Legs’ first foray into first-run syndication but it has been producing unscripted shows for such networks as Discovery, Travel, ID, TLC, HGTV, Magnolia and DIY for 15 years. Crazy Legs is working on building its own content library that it can then distribute direct to consumer.
“We’re hoping that this is just the start of many syndicated programs, including court, lifestyle and game shows,” Cappello said.
The Cutlers previously starred on Couples Court with the Cutlers, which was produced and distributed by MGM. That show aired in syndication for three seasons before MGM ceased production and exited the court business.
The new show will feature the Cutlers again talking to couples about their relationship problems but where Couples Court started and ended with cheating, Cutlers Court will go broader, Ross Babbit, executive producer and co-founder of Playing Field Entertainment, said.
“It may be a cheating case but it may be a paternity case or a question of ‘should I stay or should I go?’ Babbit said. “We’re bringing a wider variety of love stories.”
“The Cutlers are very relatable as a couple,” Cappello said. “They are very honest with each other and they bring in their own experiences of things they have dealt with as a couple.
Like Couples Court, Cutlers Court will be produced in Atlanta with the Cutlers shutting back and forth between there and their home in Kansas City.
Cutlers Court is produced by Crazy Legs Productions in association with Playing Field Entertainment and distributed by David Bulhack, president and founder of Big Fish Entertainment. CBS Media Ventures is handling advertising sales.
