Judge John Hodgman logo (Supplied) Photo: Supplied
Next time you have a trivial disagreement about something don't just bicker and squabble about it, have it properly decided by a Minor Television Personality and self-certified 'fake internet judge'!
That's the compelling appeal of 'Judge John Hodgman', a long-running show that involves the actor and writer John Hodgman adjudicating on real-life disputes that tend towards the minor and the mundane. So, how should you fold socks? How many birthday-related events are too many? And is it ever OK to leave the dinner table before meal completion if you live with a particularly slow eater?!
The props and the pomp of courtroom procedure- the sound of the gavel, the production of affidavits and evidence, the citing of precedents, and the pronouncements of regular court bailiff Jesse Thorn- are nicely undercut by the trivial nature of the disagreements themselves.
And the judge's quick-witted remarks and his off-the-cuff logic sometimes, just sometimes, make you feel that you might have heard something approaching justice.
Certainly the idea and the format's proved to be a winner- with 422 episodes and counting, spread over nearly 9 years. Meanwhile, the judge also settles disputes in a weekly column in The New York Times Magazine.
In 'Open House Arrest' (produced by Jennifer Marmor for Maximum Fun), Eric is doing something in Blockchain- nobody quite seems to know what!- but he's been sharing as many as 5 online real estate listings a day with long-suffering girlfriend Elena. Even worse, he drags her off to meet with real estate agents every time they go away on holiday! Elena has imposed a shared listings ban that Eric would like lifted so they can plan for a life together.
