Judge Alex

Judge Alex is an American arbitration-based reality court show, presided over by retired police officer, lawyer, and Florida judge, Alex E. Ferrer. The syndicated series debuted on September 12, 2005.

Since 2010, the series has been taped at the Fox Television Center in Los Angeles, California. The court show's first five seasons were taped at KRIV's studio in Houston, Texas (KRIV is Fox's Houston affiliate). The court show entered its 8th season in September 2012 and has been renewed through the 2013-14 television season.

The show was brought to 20th Television, the syndication arm of Fox, by Executive Producers Burt Wheeler and Sharon Sussman. The pilot was shot at Tribune Studios in Hollywood, California, in November 2004. The series began production in January 2005 and is directed by Arthur Bergel. The show airs on Fox in the United States and on CTV in Canada.

While Ferrer handled cases that ranged from armed robberies to kidnappings and first-degree murders as a Florida circuit court judge, his cases on Judge Alex are described as far tamer, entertaining, and by the arbiter himself as oftentimes "bizarre." Every three weeks, he tapes 10 cases a day over three days in Houston, where the show is based (once Texas Justice was cancelled, its courtroom set and theme song was used for Judge Alex); Ferrer then flies back home to Miami, where he lives with his wife and two children. According to Variety magazine, Judge Alex averages 3 million viewers per week. Personable and sensible with a sense of humor, Ferrer isn't overly harsh or given to mouthing off like some of his judicial counterparts, though he does keep a firm control over his courtroom and doesn't allow misconduct. The arbiter has been characterized as "handsome" and given to telling it like it is. Ferrer's rulings are often prefaced by his explanation of the law at hand to his audience.