'Protection Court' to Premiere in Syndication This Fall

New court show Protection Court will debut in broadcast syndication this fall, said partners Trifecta Entertainment & Media and Scott Sternberg Productions.

The show, which stars Judge Carroll Kelly, has been cleared on stations in the CBS Station Group as well as on Weigel, Nexstar, Gray/Raycom, Sinclair, Fox, Meredith, Scripps, Tegna, Mission and Northwest groups, among others, the partners said. It will be shot at Kelly’s courtroom in Miami at the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse and will air in Miami on CBS’ WFOR/WBFS.

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Judge Kelly has been on the bench for 22 years and serves as the administrative judge for the domestic violence division of Dade County, Fla.

"I am excited to welcome America into my courtroom to see what really goes on -- with real cases and real human conflict," said Judge Kelly in a statement. "It is sometimes dramatic, sometimes lighthearted and humorous, but always compelling. Most importantly, it serves to protect victims and those in fear. I hope this show will educate and inform people in need that there is help available, that they are not alone, and that the courts are here to protect them."

The series will be executive produced by veteran television producer Scott Sternberg and his Scott Sternberg Productions alongside Trifecta Entertainment.

“We are excited to join Hank Cohen and his team at Trifecta in producing this new groundbreaking program for syndication,” said Sternberg, also in a statement. “Every day real people in a real courtroom setting will tell their stories and find real resolutions while giving viewers information about their own rights and hope for protection.”

Trifecta is handling all distribution and advertising sales.

"We are thrilled to be in business with Scott and to be the first to bring genuine courtroom drama and conflict to a syndicated audience,” said Hank Cohen, CEO of Trifecta Entertainment. “Judge Kelly is the real deal, and audiences will love being a fly on the wall watching her deliver justice across a wide array of interesting, heartfelt and meaningful cases.”  

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.