Buzz
For 17 weeks, viewers have been glued to their screens, captivated by the trial of Jodi Arias—the photographer with a fiery gaze, Mormon background, and accused of murdering her boyfriend, Travis Alexander. Around 500,000 people have tuned in daily to HLN (formerly Court TV, now a sister channel to TruTV), as the salacious details of the case infiltrated every aspect of the channel's programming.
Throughout the day, courtroom cameras never stop rolling, pausing only for commercial breaks (which one host humorously calls “time to pay the bills”) and brief analysis by commentators. To make sure no viewer misses a single moment, the production team added massive on-screen “Play” and “Pause” buttons for anyone worried about missing testimony.
Regular programming has all but disappeared in favor of covering the Arias trial, with the network even launching a late-night show, HLN After Dark: The Jodi Arias Trial. Each night, lawyers present a new “bold accusation” (Was Jodi guilty of torturing Travis? Is she a sexual deviant?), while a group of 12 mock jurors weighs in. It's a revival of the fun in mock trials, reminiscent of Arrested Development.
Arias isn't the first defendant to become a household name through television. On April 11, 1961, the trial of war criminal Adolf Eichmann was the first to be entirely televised. Here are 11 of the most-watched trials since then.
1. Ted Bundy, 1979
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Just before his execution in 1989, serial killer Ted Bundy admitted to murdering 30 women across the United States between 1974 and 1978, though some suspect the real number was even higher. With his good looks and charm, Bundy's arrest and trial became a media sensation. He was given five court-appointed attorneys but insisted on representing himself, speaking in the third person during his defense. In the summer of 1979, over 250 reporters flooded Miami for his trial concerning the Chi Omega murders. In a brutal attack, Bundy broke into a sorority house at Florida State University, assaulting four women in less than 15 minutes, two of whom died. His trial was the first to be televised nationally, and the outcome was grim: guilty on all charges, resulting in two death sentences, followed by a third after a separate trial in Orlando six months later.
2. William Kennedy Smith, 1991
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Much like the O.J. Simpson trial, the famous Kennedy name sparked massive public interest and boosted viewer ratings in the case of William Kennedy Smith, the 30-year-old member of the Kennedy family who was accused of rape after claiming a sexual encounter in Palm Beach, Florida was consensual. CNN’s coverage of the trial, where Smith was acquitted of all charges, was seen as a success for televised courtroom proceedings, offering everyday viewers an intimate look at how the American justice system truly works.
3. Jeffrey Dahmer, 1992
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When it came time for cannibalistic serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer to stand trial for the murders of 15 boys and men, Court TV was ready—but with a 10-second delay, carefully editing out any particularly disturbing evidence or testimony. On February 17, 1992, over 60 news organizations from around the world broadcast the guilty verdict. Dahmer received 15 consecutive life sentences for his crimes. On November 28, 1994, he was killed by a fellow inmate in prison.
4. The Officers who assaulted Rodney King, 1992
From the violent beating that led to the trial of four LAPD officers to the fiery riots that erupted after the verdict, the savage assault on construction worker Rodney King transcended typical courtroom coverage. The charges against the officers included assault with a deadly weapon and excessive use of force, following their attack on King after a high-speed chase. A nearby resident captured the beating on video, sparking a national conversation on police brutality. When the officers were acquitted on April 29, 1992, it ignited immediate riots across Los Angeles, resulting in 54 deaths, 2328 injuries, and over 7000 fires, causing $900 million in property damage.
5. Lyle and Erik Menendez, 1993
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Just two years after its debut, journalist and media mogul Steve Brill scored a major victory for Court TV (later renamed TruTV in 2008) by broadcasting the sensational trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez, the infamous Menendez Brothers. With cameras capturing every moment and millions watching, the brothers’ shocking defense for killing their affluent parents—arguing that their father was an abusive pedophile and their mother was a drug-addicted narcissist—turned the trial into a global media spectacle. The brothers were tried together (although separate juries decided each of their fates). When both juries deadlocked, a retrial was held in 1995, this time without cameras. In just four days, the brothers were convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
6. O.J. Simpson, 1995
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The trial of O.J. Simpson—charged with the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman—was heavily fueled by the celebrity status of the former NFL star and occasional actor. It also brought Johnnie Cochran, Simpson’s theatrical defense attorney, into the limelight. Cochran famously stated during his closing argument, referring to a pair of gloves that didn’t fit Simpson’s hands, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” The jury followed suit, delivering a “Not Guilty” verdict while over 100 million viewers tuned in to watch the dramatic conclusion (comparable to the viewership of the 2010 Super Bowl).
7. Phil Spector, 2007 & 2009
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Court TV was on hand for yet another high-profile celebrity trial when legendary music producer Phil Spector faced charges for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson, who he claimed had committed suicide at his home. In reality, Spector's eccentric behavior and his collection of bizarre wigs may have garnered more attention during this trial, which ultimately resulted in a hung jury. In his 2009 retrial, cameras were barred from the courtroom, but the jury eventually found Spector guilty of second-degree murder.
8. Lindsay Lohan, 2010
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In 2010, TV trials took a high-tech turn when troubled star Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to 90 days in jail and another 90 days in rehab for violating her probation multiple times (after two arrests for DUI in 2007). TMZ.com set a record for viewership as 2.3 million people tuned in to watch the verdict streamed live from the courtroom on July 7, 2010.
9. Casey Anthony, 2011
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Had it not been for the polarizing figure of Nancy Grace—a former prosecutor and now HLN’s most famous host and legal analyst—the case of Casey Anthony, the young Florida mother accused of killing her two-year-old daughter Caylee Marie, might not have captured such national attention. Driven by Grace’s outrage (she famously dubbed the defendant “Tot Mom”), HLN devoted continuous coverage to the case for the entire six-week trial, not to mention hundreds of hours spent analyzing the evidence in the three years following Casey’s arrest. When the jury announced their acquittal of the 25-year-old, 5.2 million viewers tuned in to watch the verdict on HLN, marking the channel’s highest-ever ratings. Grace’s response? “The devil is dancing tonight.”
10. Dr. Conrad Murray, 2011
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Only three months after the Casey Anthony trial, HLN sought to recapture the ratings magic by providing full coverage of the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician who was ultimately convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson. While the viewership didn’t quite reach Anthony-level numbers, it did boost the channel’s October ratings by a remarkable 98 percent compared to the same month the previous year, with 2.1 million people watching the verdict being read live.
11. Jodi Arias, 2013
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The comparisons to Casey Anthony began almost immediately after Jodi Arias was arrested: both women were attractive, young, prone to dishonesty, and accused of murdering someone close to them. Even as the trial stretched into its 17th week, Arias remained HLN’s top priority. The channel devoted round-the-clock coverage, with virtually every regular program—including “Showbiz Tonight,” its entertainment-focused late-night show—centered around the Arias case. Experts, psychologists, legal analysts, and court enthusiasts offered their constant commentary and analysis. With closing arguments scheduled for Thursday and Friday, the live verdict audience is expected to surpass the current daily viewership of approximately 435,000 people.
