It's a different kind of People's Court than viewers may remember when Judge Wapner was presiding.

This is China, where, as business booms and capitalism takes firm root, a new form of jurisprudence rushes to keep pace.

Marking the return of "Wide Angle" for its sixth season of documentaries about global affairs, "The People's Court" takes viewers inside Chinese courtrooms and law schools for a portrait of the country's legal revolution.

"The more the economy grows, the more we see problems that need legal action," a judge says. Employee disputes, traffic accidents, divorce petitions, migrant labor conflicts — they all were among the 8 million cases jamming Chinese courts last year.

In the past quarter-century, the country has opened nearly 400 law schools, trained hundreds of thousands of judges and lawyers, and launched education campaigns to encourage people to bring their grievances to court rather than taking to the streets.

Even so, more than 99 percent of criminal cases end in convictions, and China executes more prisoners every year than the rest of the world combined. Profiling itinerant judges, law students, a human-rights lawyer and ordinary citizens, "The People's Court" raises a fundamental question about Chinese law: Is it possible to get a fair trial?

Future editions of "Wide Angle" will explore a legendary boxing academy in Cuba, an allfemale talk show shaking up the Arab world, and the impact of new racial quotas in Brazil.

With Daljit Dhaliwal back as host, "Wide Angle" airs tomorrow on PBS.

Other shows to look out for: