'The Verdict Is Yours' premiered on September 2, 1957, in the CBS Daytime lineup. Unscripted, the show featured real lawyers playing the lawyers and judge. The defendants and witnesses on the program were professional actors who ad-libbed their dialogue, although they were given a general outline of what they were supposed to say. Sportscaster Jim McKay was the original reporter, providing commentary on the trials. He was succeeded in 1960 by newsman Bill Stout.