When John Masterson devised the original camera-in-court concept in 1975, he first pitched it to Monty Hall, the producer and host of the game show Let's Make a Deal, and his partner, producer-writer Stefan Hatos. They put a young associate, Stu Billett, in charge of selling it, but the networks were not interested. Billett later went out on his own and refined the concept into a show shot in a studio rather than a real courtroom. Small-claims court participants agreed to drop their court cases and accept binding arbitration in a simulated courtroom. The networks expressed interest, but still did not buy it; however, it did sell into the first-run syndication market. The series was executive produced by Ralph Edwards, who also created and hosted the documentary show This Is Your Life, and Stu Billett, who later went on to create Moral Court. John Masterson, whom many consider a pioneer and originator of "reality TV" also created Bride and Groom and Queen for a Day.

The People's Court is the first court show to use binding arbitration, introducing the format into the genre in 1981. The system has been duplicated by most of the show's successors in the judicial genre. Moreover, The People's Court is the first popular, long-running reality in the judicial genre. It was preceded only by a few short-lived realities in the genre; these short-lived predecessors were only loosely related to judicial proceedings, except for one: Parole (1959) took footage from real-life courtrooms holding legal proceedings. Before The People's Court, the vast majority of TV courtroom shows used actors, and recreated or fictional cases (as did radio before that). Examples of these types of court shows include Famous Jury Trials and Your Witness.

The People's Court has had two incarnations. The show's first life was presided over solely by former Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joseph Wapner. His tenure lasted from the show's debut on September 14, 1981, until May 28, 1993, when the show was canceled due to falling ratings. This left the show with a total of 2,484 half-hour episodes and 12 seasons. The show was taped in Los Angeles during its first life. After being canceled, reruns aired in syndication until September 9, 1994, and on the USA Network from October 16, 1995, to June 6, 1997.

On September 8, 1997, after being out of production for four years, The People's Court was revived in first-run syndication as a 60-minute program. Former lawyer and Mayor of New York Ed Koch was chosen as arbiter, which he maintained for two seasons. By the 1999–2000 season, former New York State Supreme Court Judge Jerry Sheindlin (husband of Judy Sheindlin from Judge Judy and Judy Justice) succeeded Koch. Sheindlin only lasted one and a half seasons and was replaced towards the end of the 2000–01 season. For the remainder of the revival's run, Marilyn Milian was the judge.

After the O. J. Simpson murder trial revived interest in court shows, and Judge Judy became very successful, on September 8, 1997, a revival of The People's Court debuted in first-run syndication. The series as a whole reached its 38th season in September 2022, with its 26th and final season in its production cycle. The 1997–2023 reincarnation has vastly outlasted the program's original version, which ran 12 seasons. The show's second incarnation was headed by three judges in all.

The new The People's Court expanded from the original version's 30-minute length to a 60-minute broadcast where former New York Newscaster Carol Martin (1997–98) of WCBS-TV hosted from a studio. Harvey Levin (1997–2023) was also added to the show cast in a role that was added to reflect the court show's title People's Court: returning from breaks, Levin acting as a field reporter, is shown at an external public place taking questions and opinions from people about the case, and then, returning to the studio at the end of the show for a wrap-up. Curt Chaplin (1997–2023) replaced Jack Harrell as the show's announcer and appeared on camera as the court reporter with the addition of a litigant-final-thoughts interviewer, known for snippily interviewing the program's litigants following the conclusion of each case. Beginning with the 2016-17 season, Doug Llewelyn from the first incarnation of The People's Court took over this litigant interviewing role. Chaplin, however, maintained his voice-over role in the series. In this role, Chaplin narrated the court show in a manner that poked fun at the cases with melodramatic and exaggerated vocal expressions and verbiage.
Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch presided over the court from September 8, 1997, to June 25, 1999, with reruns airing until September 10. In 1998, Carol Martin left the show, with Levin becoming the sole host. The studio segments were done away with and Levin hosted the entire episodes from the viewing area, which eventually moved from the Manhattan Mall to the Times Square visitors' center. Since Levin is now based in Los Angeles with TMZ, the viewing area has moved to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California, while production of The People's Court has moved to Connecticut. The opening outlines of the taped cases are shown to people in the outdoor viewing area on a monitor. Their responses are edited into the program.
Judge Jerry Sheindlin (husband of Judge Judy Sheindlin, the presiding judge over Judge Judy) sat on the bench from September 13, 1999, to March 9, 2001, and ratings on the show lagged. The bailiff for both of these judges' tenures was Josephine Ann Longobardi.
On March 12, 2001, late in The People's Court's fourth season, retired Florida State Circuit Court Judge Marilyn Milian replaced Sheindlin as presiding judge on the court show. Under Milian, People's Court ratings improved. Milian is the first Hispanic judge to preside over a courtroom series. By the completion of the 16th season of The People's Court (2012–13), Milian had completed 12+1⁄2 seasons presiding over the series, officially making her the longest reigning judge over the program—outlasting Joseph Wapner's reign of 12 seasons. For the remainder of the 2000–01 season, Davey Jones took over the role of bailiff, replacing Longobardi. In September 2001, Jones was replaced by Douglas McIntosh, who remained on the show until its cancellation in July 2023.

In 2008, The People's Court, under Milian's reign, was nominated for a Daytim…

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When The People's Court premiered on September 14, 1981, as a half-hour show, the first opening disclaimer was used during the first five seasons of the Wapner run, and was narrated by Jack Harrell:

What you are about to witness is real. The participants are not actors. They are the actual people who have already either filed suit or been served a summons to appear in a California Municipal Court. Both parties in the suit have agreed to dismiss their court cases, and have their disputes settled here...in our forum...The People's Court.

Beginning in Season 6 (1986-1987), and running until the end of the Wapner run in 1993, the opening disclaimer by Jack Harrell was changed:

What you are witnessing is real. The participants are not actors. They are actual litigants with a case pending in a California Municipal Court. Both parties have agreed to dismiss their court cases, and have their disputes settled here...in our forum...The People's Court.

On September 8, 1997, when The People's Court expanded from 30 minutes to 60 minutes, where former New York mayor Ed Koch became the judge, the show moved to New York City, and the opening disclaimer was changed and was narrated by Curt Chaplin:

What you are witnessing is real. The participants are not actors. They are actual litigants with a case pending in a New York Metropolitan Area Court. Both parties have agreed to drop their claims, and have their dispute settled here...in our forum...The People's Court.

On September 13, 1999, when Jerry Sheindlin replaced Ed Koch as the judge, the opening disclaimer by Curt Chaplin was changed:

What you are witnessing is real. The participants are not actors. They are actual litigants with a case pending in civil court. Both sides have agreed to settle their dispute here in Judge Jerry Sheindlin's forum...The People's Court.

When Marilyn Milian replaced Jerry Sheindlin as the final judge on March 12, 2001, the opening disclaimer was changed:

What you are witnessing is real. The participants are not actors. They are actual litigants with real cases. They will settle their disputes here...in Judge Marilyn Milian's forum...The People's Court.

Later, Milian's opening disclaimer was changed:

There's a new judge in town, the honorable Marilyn Milian. She will be hearing real cases presented by real litigants who have agreed to have their disputes settled here...in our forum...The People's Court.

Then, a couple of years later, Milian's opening disclaimer changed again:

The …

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