‘Judge Joe Brown’ canceled by CBS after 15 years following lower ratings

After a decade and a half of solving disputes in front of millions of viewers, it looks like the case will soon be closed for “Judge Joe Brown.” The long-running daytime court shout, which has routinely finished in a distant second place to “Judge Judy” over the years, will be signing off following what The Hollywood Reporter claims to be a salary dispute.

Did you know that Brown makes $20 million a year for this show? We didn’t either, but CBS Television Distribution felt as though he needed to take a pay cut with the show’s current ratings in order for the series to continue, but it just didn’t happen. This season, “Judge Joe Brown” has averaged 3.4 million viewers, a drop from the 4.1 million who tuned in last year. Court TV in general has fallen significantly in the past year, with the aforementioned “Judge Judy” being one of the few to really hold on to a stable audience.

In a statement, here is what the distributor had to say about the move:

“We would like to thank Joe for 15 great years, as well as executive producer John Terenzio and the entire staff for all their hard work and dedication to the show.”

Is it possible still that Judge Joe could move on and find himself a new home? Sure, but at the same time, we’re not quire sure the guy really even needs to at this point. Then again, these court shows are a pretty cushy gig: you don’t have to work too many days a year, you spend most of your time indoors listening to people, and you continue to have exposure for your various causes.

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Photo: CBS