Justice & Judgement (TV Show)

Justice & Judgement
Genre	Police procedural Legal drama Mystery fiction
Created by	Sharon Lucciano
Opening theme	"Theme of Justice & Judgement"
Country of origin	Makko Oko
No. of seasons	24
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Release
Original network	MKBO

Justice & Judgement is a Makko Okoan police procedural and legal drama television series created by Sharon Lucciano and produced by the Makko Oko Box Office, launching the Justice & Judgement franchise. Justice & Judgement airs exclusively on MKBO, premiering on October 30th, 2012, and completing its 24th season on February 20th, 2027. It is the oldest and longest running police drama native to Makko Oko, and it is one of the few shows from the Republic still in production, halting for 3 years from 2018-2020 before resuming production early 2021, introducing two seasons that year.

Production

History and development

In 2009 whilst directing a show that would later be scrapped named Government Chronicles, Sharon Lucciano would listen to the story of one former Attorney General Carolina Sousa, and while filming a reenactment of a trial, had the idea for a show that "educated people on how the legal process worked in an interesting and dramatic form". Sharon would pitch a basic concept to MKBO executives to be shot down, then going to MiTV, Vollz and even DTV. DTV cited an interest in the idea however executives at the time cited "a lack of interest from our viewer base to fund the endeavor". That would see the concept be canned until June 2010 when Government Chronicles was cancelled by executives citing "displeasure and a lack of awareness among our pilot subjects". To replace it, MKBO greenlit Sharon's concept for a 30-episodes with one of them being an initial pilot.

By this point the concept had not been refined and an official name had not been decided. The preliminary concept was to have two-hour long episodes with 45 minutes dedicated to police work, an hour dedicated to the court system and then the remaining 15 minutes being allotted to the prison system. MKBO executives felt that the show "would cause people to lose interest" and had requested that the show be faster-paced. That would see the concept refined into what it became, hour-long episodes with police work and the court system, with both of them sharing that hour. MKBO executives originally scrutinized the concept and the use of state attorneys instead of defense attorneys in the show, however Sharon was able to convince them to "try out a format and potentially become a genre-changer".

The first half of each episode would follow two detectives (a senior and a junior detective) and their commanding officer as they investigate a crime.

The second half of the episode would follow the DOJ (later the MOJ) and the courts as two prosecutors, with advice from the Lead Case Agent, attempt to convict the accused. Through this, Justice & Judgement would be able to investigate some of the larger issues of the day by focusing on stories that were based on real cases making headlines.

Production of the pilot and 29 other subsquent episodes would begin in early February 2011 after financial hardship due to increasing inflation led to budgeting overflows in other departments and projects. The pilot episode, later named "Rocky Road", was about a real-life case of front-headline news about a person being killed in a dispute over rocky road ice cream and not being convicted that had occurred just months prior to the start of filming. The concept of using real-life examples hankers to Government Chronicles, and was also done without the approval of MKBO executives, who unknowingly aired it not knowing the contents of the episode. She had initially toyed with the idea of calling the show Day & Night but then hit upon the title Justice & Judgement, and with the name decided in mid-2012, the pilot aired on October 30th, 2012 on MKBO 1 to critical acclaim, with many greatly raving on the use of a real-life case to show the reasons on why things happened the way they did. MKBO executives, upset about the hidden introduction, approved the concept to run for the full season and by December 2012, a 28-episode season two was ordered for production.

Plot

Justice & Judgement episodes are structured into two parts: the initial focus involves the crime being committed and then police investigations, followed by legal and courtroom proceedings. The show emphasizes case involvement over character backstories.

Police Segment (Justice Segment)

The show often opens with the committing and discovery of a crime, predominantly homicides, engaging different departments of the local Jorian Civil Control Service. Detectives handle various cases of many kinds from homicide to low-level fraud.

Investigations entail meticulous crime scene analysis, witness interviews, and the utilization of forensic tools and technology, aiding in evidence processing and suspect identification.

Legal Proceedings (Judgement Segment)

The legal aspect is depicted from the perspective of prosecutors from the Ministry of Justice's Office of Prosecutions. The focus lies on establishing the defendant's guilt rather than exploring innocence.

Pre-trial activities involve discussions with defense attorneys, evidence presentations, and attempts to negotiate plea bargains. Courtroom proceedings feature motions, hearings, etc.

Episodes often explore diverse defense strategies and ethical debates surrounding various issues.

Verdict outcomes evoke reactions from involved parties. Episode conclusions may reflect on case aspects or depict negotiation processes.