Inside L.A.’s booming fake courtroom show industry

Good morning, it’s Monday, May 4. You can expect cloud cover until the early afternoon with a high of 67.

If you’re new here from Morning, Trojan — welcome! In today’s newsletter, we’re covering the potential for higher gas prices, a busy week of political debates, and a Zyn-sational warehouse bust. But first, an adventure into the world of courtroom TV shows.

Now that we've been live for a little over a month, we want to hear from you!

A little-known studio in Culver City is one of the global epicenters of television output. Entertainment Studios — an unassuming facility that many local entertainment industry insiders probably don’t know exists — is home to the biggest producer of syndicated broadcast programming on Earth.

A lot of that programming is court shows. The studio produces Mathis Court with Judge Mathis, Justice for the People with Judge Milian, and seven other courtroom-based series. The “cases” aren’t real; actors joust over made-up lawsuits and receive witty reprimands from berobed magistrates (who are also acting, although they are typically played by former real-world judges or prosecutors).

As it so happens, the only real requirement to be a litigant on court TV is not being in an actors guild. And they’ll pay you $20 an hour.

Could this nondescript, windowless studio hold the antidote to AI slop? Or is it instead just producing 100% human-made slop? Our reporter Kelly Loudenberg investigated — by getting cast in an episode.

MONDAY: The last day for California counties to begin mailing out ballots for the June 2 election. Two big local events — the Milken Institute’s Global Conference and the Netflix Is a Joke Fest — start today, too.

TUESDAY: The politically potent Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. will hold a mayoral debate. Only Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman were invited to participate, much to the chagrin of other leading candidates. 

That same evening, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Elex Michaelson will moderate a gubernatorial debate in the L.A. area. 

WEDNESDAY: Boy, is this a debate-heavy week. NBC4/KNBC and Telemundo 52/KVEA will host two one-hour debates featuring “top-polling” candidates for both California governor and L.A. mayor.

THURSDAY: The 2026 L.A. County Fair will open in Pomona. 

FRIDAY: At long last, Metro’s D Line Extension opens, adding three new subway stations and extending rail service to Beverly Hills. Also, Ezra Klein will moderate yet another debate, this one a housing-focused gubernatorial forum.

SUNDAY: Mother’s Day. Prepare accordingly.

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ICE FEARS: Even as immigration raids have grown less visible in L.A., operators of Latino-owned shopping centers say customers are staying away. One retailer told the L.A. Times that sales of nonessential goods are down as much as 15% this year, while another likened the depression to COVID.

PRICE HIKE: There’s a fair chance that gas prices could rise even more when the last California-bound oil tanker that passed through the Strait of Hormuz unloads its cargo this week, the L.A. Times reported. Since the outbreak of the war in Iran, oil shipments have remained relatively steady because of the weekslong travel lag. Soon, though, “all bets are off,” one analyst said.

ZYN-SATION: Cops raided a Vernon warehouse containing more than $4 million in stolen goods, including 378,000 tins of Tucker Carlson’s off-brand nicotine pouches, the California Post reported. Carlson’s ALP Supply Co. — maker of “the people’s pouch” — previously posted a $100,000 bounty for the stolen cargo.

For today’s peek inside our subscriber-only Discord server, @ericspiegelman spotted a herd of brush-clearing goats:

AND FINALLY… A poem to pair with your morning coffee: “Happiness” by Raymond Carver.

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