Dr. Phil (talk show)

History

The Dr. Phil talk show premiered on September 16, 2002. Before starting the show, McGraw had made regular appearances as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

From September 2008 to its end, Dr. Phil was broadcast in HDTV with a revamped look and a theme written and performed by McGraw's son, Jordan. Its tenth season premiered on September 12, 2011. Reruns of earlier episodes of the series began broadcasting on the Oprah Winfrey Network in January 2011.

Since 2011, Dr. Phil has ranked as the top syndicated talk show, before that it was the second highest-rated talk show after The Oprah Winfrey Show. In October 2015, it was reported that Dr. Phil had been renewed through 2020.

On October 25, 2018, it was announced that Dr. Phil had been renewed for four additional seasons, for a total of 21 seasons, ending in 2023.

On January 31, 2023, CBS Media Ventures confirmed Dr. Phil would cease production of new episodes with the current season, ending its run at 21 seasons, with the final episode airing on May 25, 2023. The distributor offered a package of 'best-of' reruns a la Judge Judy (another show distributed by CBS Media Ventures) for stations to fulfill the remainder of their contracts, though for the most part, much of its affiliate base refused the package for other current-day programming options, or pushed it to graveyard slots or other sister stations, and in some markets, the reruns air on other stations entirely if not completely refused. On April 2, 2024, McGraw debuted his new show, Dr. Phil Primetime, out of Fort Worth, Texas, on his own television network, Merit Street. Dozens of longtime Dr. Phil staffers were reported to have relocated from Los Angeles to Texas to continue working alongside McGraw. The program features more of McGraw's conservative views on education, family values, and immigration.

On February 19, 2025, CBS Media Ventures announced that reruns of Dr. Phil will leave broadcast syndication after September 5, 2025 once its contracts with station groups expires and move the reruns of the show to Merit TV, officially becoming the new exclusive home of the show's 21 seasons.

Controversies

McGraw's advice and methods have drawn much criticism from psychotherapists as well as from laypersons. McGraw said in a 2001 Chicago Tribune interview that he never liked traditional one-on-one counseling, and that "I'm not the Hush-Puppies, pipe and 'Let's talk about your mother' kind of psychologist." In 2004, the National Alliance on Mental Illness called McGraw's conduct in one episode of his television show "unethical" and "incredibly irresponsible". McGraw's critics regard advice given by him to be at best simplistic, and at worst, ineffective.

On April 13, 2008, an unnamed staffer for Dr. Phil put up 10%, or a total of $3,300 towards the $33,000 bail for 17-year-old Mercades Nichols, one of a group of eight teenage girls who beat another girl and videotaped the attack. Someone put up the remaining 90% of the bail for Nichols, who had been booked at the Polk County, Florida, jail. Theresa Corigliano, spokesperson for the Dr. Phil show said that "In this case certain staffers went beyond our guidelines," and that the producers had "decided not to go forward with the story as our guidelines have been compromised."

Shelley Duvall, who was reportedly suffering from mental illness, appeared on a segment on the show in 2016. It drew significant criticism from the public, with many suggesting that Duvall's mental illness was being exploited. In the segment, she refused the offered treatment.

In February 2022, around a dozen current and former employees of Dr. Phil alleged that they experienced "verbal abuse in a workplace that fosters fear, intimidation, and racism". Seven current employees also claimed that the show's guests are often manipulated and treated unethically.

Format

The show covered a wide variety of topics including weight loss, financial planning, grief, dysfunctional families, marriage counselling, rebellious teenagers, child stars, and support for charitable causes.

Guests on the show sometimes underwent polygraph tests. These tests were usually administered by retired FBI agent Jack Trimarco, who was a frequent guest on the show until he died in 2018. After Trimarco's death, he was replaced by polygraph examiner John Leo Grogan. McGraw is noted for often bringing families back on multiple shows for follow-up "therapy" sessions in his segment called "Dr. Phil Family."

Reception

Ratings

On May 21, 2007, the Dr. Phil show was ranked 4th by Nielsen Media Research, with 6.69 million viewers. The show was ranked 6th with 5.69 million viewers on May 12, 2008. In May 2008, Dr. Phil was the second most popular talk show on television, after The Oprah Winfrey Show.

On July 30, 2019, Dr. Phil was the top syndicated show with a 2.9 national Nielsen rating, ranking first among talk shows for the 150th consecutive week. The Dr. Phil show was the highest rated talk show in the first week of March 2020, with a 2.8 national Nielsen rating.

Accolades

References

References

1. "Shine – Meredith Brooks | AllMusic".
2. [https://www.drphil.com/shows/dr-phils-3000th-show/ Dr. Phil's 3,000th Show]
3. (2015-10-22). "About Dr. Phil {{!}} Dr. Phil".
4. Andreeva, Nellie. (2018-10-25). "Phil McGraw To Host 'Dr. Phil' Through 2023 In New Mega Deal Extension With CBS Television Distribution".
5. Stanley, Alessandra. (2002-09-24). "Blunt Advice And No Pity Get Ratings For Dr. Phil (Published 2002)". The New York Times.
6. Day, Sherri. (2003-10-27). "MEDIA; Dr. Phil, Medicine Man (Published 2003)". The New York Times.
7. (September 2002). "Dr. Phil Goes Hollywood".
8. Andreeva, Nellie. (2015-10-20). "Phil McGraw To Host 'Dr. Phil' Through 2020 With New CBS TV Distribution Deal".
9. Littleton, Cynthia. (2015-10-20). "Phil McGraw Renews Talk Show Pact with CBS Through 2020".
10. Littleton, Cynthia. (2023-02-01). "'Dr. Phil' Talk Show to End in Spring After 21 Seasons".
11. Nellie Andreeva. (6 November 2023). "Phil McGraw To Launch Cable Network Anchored By 'Dr. Phil Primetime' Nightly Show".
12. Jillian Bowe. (6 November 2023). "Dr. Phil Is Launching a Cable Network".
13. Lavin, Cheryl. (June 13, 2001). "Dr. Tell it Like it Is". Chicago Tribune.
14. de Moraes, Lisa. (1 September 2004). "On Dr. Phil, a Dose of Bad Medicine?". The Washington Post.
15. Salerno, Steve. (2005). "SHAM; How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless". Crown Publishers.
16. Finn, natalie. (15 April 2008). "Dr. Phil Staffers Bail on Show Guidelines". E!.
17. LEDGER, JEREMY MAREADYTHE. (October 2022). "'Dr. Phil' Intervenes in Beating Case".
18. (22 May 2008). "'Dr. Phil' Staff Bails Out Jailed Teen".
19. (November 16, 2017). "'Shining' actress Shelley Duvall tells Dr. Phil she's mentally ill".
20. De Moraes, Lisa. (November 18, 2016). "'Dr. Phil' Airs Hour Of Ill & Confused Shelley Duvall For November Sweep Broadcast, Triggering Hollywood Outrage". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
21. Yandoli, Krystie Lee. (10 February 2022). "Workplace. The Show Says Everything's Fine". BuzzFeed News.
22. (11 February 2022). "Bombshell Allegation Against Dr. Phil Show". News.co.au.
23. (10 February 2022). "'Dr. Phil' Accused of Toxic Workplace in Report; Host's Lawyer Blasts Back: 'Clickbait Story'". Variety.
24. Hernandez, Greg. (March 2004). "The Doctor's In". [[Orange Coast (magazine).
25. "The Dr. Phil exploitation spectacular!".
26. (2014-11-07). "Death, Dying, and Bereavement: Contemporary Perspectives, Institutions, and Practices". [[Springer Publishing Company]].
27. Kisken, Tom. (November 28, 2012). ["Better not lie to this former FBI investigator from Oxnard"](http://www.vcstar.com/news/better-not-lie-to-this-former-fbi-investigator-from-oxnard-ep-362814509-351885321.htm }}{{Dead link). [[Ventura County Star]].
28. (2022-04-08). "Live polygraph test for accused Call of Duty cheater ends before the good part". pcgamer.
29. "Dr. Phil".
30. (2007). "Week of May 21, 2007". Nielsen TV.
31. (2008). "Week of August 11, 2008". Nielsen TV.
32. Wyatt, Edward. (2008-05-26). "A Few Tremors in Oprahland". The New York Times.
33. (2019-07-30). "'Dr Phil' Hits 150 Weeks as Top-Rated Syndicated Talk Show".
34. (2020-03-10). "'Dr Phil' Hits Season-High Ratings Amid Coronavirus Preemptions".