Is Judge Steve Harvey Scripted or Real?

ABC’s ‘Judge Steve Harvey’ is an exciting reality series that takes the form of an arbitration-based court show with a fine sprinkling of comedy. As most court shows, it features two opposing parties who approach the judge with their own arguments regarding a dispute. Subsequently, eminent TV personality Steve Harvey, who presides over the court, proceeds to hear both ends of the argument before coming to his conclusions and a possible judgment.

However, despite ‘Judge Steve Harvey’ taking on the appearance of a court show, it does not follow official court protocols. It even has the judge himself make snide or sarcastic comments about the litigants. This has caused several viewers to question its authenticity, with some even wondering if Steve Harvey is an actual judge in real life. Well, fret not because we are here to investigate and find out whether ‘Judge Steve Harvey’ is scripted or real.

Is Judge Steve Harvey Scripted?

‘Judge Steve Harvey’ has always been presented as an unscripted show, and we find ourselves inclined to comply. As the name suggests, an unscripted show must not depend on any pre-written or pre-planned scripts on which to base its narrative. Furthermore, producers are expected to avoid influencing the narrative while the cast members are given complete freedom to be themselves in front of the cameras. Additionally, pre-determining an action and recreating it in front of the cameras is prohibited, as everything we see on screen must occur spontaneously and in real-time.

We are happy to report that ‘Judge Steve Harvey’ easily passes its first test of authenticity, as it features actual people with real-life problems. However, one should note that apart from the setting not mirroring an actual courtroom, the production team screens everyone thoroughly before they are invited to appear on the show. Nevertheless, the cast members can speak freely once before the cameras, and the show takes pride in documenting every altercation. On top of it, the dispute sometimes entails personal and emotional incidents, which are also discussed openly while filming.

Since the series takes the form of a courtroom show, the cast members are encouraged to speak their minds, no matter how offensive the comments might be. Besides, even Steve has a right to comment on proceedings in his own style, and most of his remarks are made up on the spot. Moreover, even the decision he provides is presented after careful consideration of the facts, and it’s not something that has been pre-determined or pre-planned.

That said, fans should note that Steve Harvey is not a real judge, nor does he have the qualifications to function as one. Yet, in a 2022 interview with  iHollywoodTV, he talked about his experience of being a judge and said, “I always just thought it would be a cool thing to use my sensibilities, my rationale, my type of judgment and humor to solve some everyday problems, as long as they’re not too serious.“

Steve further claimed that he had seen several people who weren’t fit to be actual judges and insisted that he uses common sense to come to a decision. Readers should also note that most reality shows are created for profit, and the network is always looking to increase its viewer base. Hence, producers have the freedom to make the show even more enticing through minor edits during post-processing. Still, these have no effects on the unscripted nature of the show, and we can confidently say that ‘Judge Steve Harvey’ is pretty authentic.

Read More: Where is Judge Steve Harvey Filmed?

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