FAYETTEVILLE — A reality-based drug court television show has been nominated for another Daytime Emmy Award.
“Last Shot with Judge Gunn” is nominated for a Daytime Emmy in the category of outstanding legal/courtroom program. Other nominees are “Judge Judy” and “The People’s Court.”
The syndicated show feature Mary Ann Gunn, former Washington County circuit judge, and her interactions with drug-related probationers.
Gunn said she thinks the show resonates with viewers because so many know someone struggling with addiction. And, the show offers hope to those willing to make an effort to break the cycle of addiction.
“I think we all know someone who’s ruining their life with drugs and alcohol and this is an answer to that,” Gunn said. “There are people all over the country that believe in treatment for addicts that are committed to changing their lives and living clean and sober. People are very supportive of this.”
At A Glance (w/logo)
Emmy Awards
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences established the Emmy Awards as part of an image-building opportunity and first presented on Jan. 25, 1949. Originally there was only one Emmy Awards ceremony each year to honor shows nationally broadcast in the United States. That changed in 1974 when the Daytime Emmy Awards were held for daytime programming.
Source: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
The awards will be presented July 16 in Beverly Hills, Calif.
“Last Shot” debuted in syndication Sept. 26, 2011, and in 2012 won a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding legal/courtroom program. The program was nominated for two Prism Awards but didn’t win.
The concept is based on a public access television program Gunn instituted in 2006 while she was on the bench. The show was filmed Saturdays in the historic Washington County Courthouse.
Drug court programs aim to keep nonviolent, first-time drug offenders out of the court system and get them off drugs. The primary goal is to make them productive members of society.
Criminal defendants choose to participate in a long-term outpatient drug treatment program with supervision by Gunn and her team. Participants attend individual and group therapy sessions, meet with probation offcers, take drug and alcohol tests and hold jobs.
The drug court team includes Gunn and Lisa Dennis, prosecutor, Kimberly Weber, defense attorney, Bobby McDonald, bailiff, Mary Scheele, drug counselor, and Michael McHenry, probation offcer. Gunn spent 12 years as an elected judge serving Washington and Madison counties before retiring in June 2011 to work on the television show.
Gunn stepped down after the Arkansas Supreme Court Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee issued an opinion expressing concern the televised hearings unnecessarily increased the notoriety of the defendants and could improperly advance the personal interests of a judge. The Supreme Court also banned cameras from actual drug court hearings.
Gunn maintained broadcasting the hearings was important because of their anti-drug educational value.