Movies

‘dr. Phil’ to end after 21 seasons amid seismic changes in syndication – Deadline

February 1, 2023

Another daytime fixture, Dr. Phil McGraw, is leaving after more than two decades as one of television’s most popular talk show hosts. Its subscribed daytime show, Dr Phil, will end its run of original episodes with the current 2022-2023 television season, the show’s 21st.

McGraw’s decision comes as his last contract comes to an end. Dr Phil received a five-season renewal in 2018 as part of a mega-deal extension with CBS Media Ventures, carrying it through its current season.

It’s been a transformative year in the increasingly difficult landscape of daytime talk shows, with stalwarts The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Wendy Williams Show, Maury, Dr Oz as good as The truth all ending within the last 12 months.

CBS Media Ventures will offer stations episodes from the library of Dr Phil for the 2023-24 season and beyond. They will include new content such as recaps and intros from McGraw, as well as guest updates.

I heard the distributor was aiming to keep Dr. Phil’s in prime time for repeats at the same or similar price, which faced some initial resistance from stations. CBS Media Ventures did it successfully with Judge Judy after the 2021 end of the hit short show. Reruns air at the same times in most major markets, with Judge Judy as the #4 most-watched syndicated program currently, with low ratings erosion.

McGraw, the current Dean of the Day, began his television career on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the late 90s before headlining its own spin-off, produced by Winfrey’s Harpo Studios. Launched in September 2002, Dr Phil was an instant hit, second in the ratings only to Opera. After Winfrey left the day in 2011, Dr Phil won the crown as the most-watched syndicated daytime talk show, which it has held for the past decade, only recently slipping to No. 2 behind Live with Kelly and Ryan.

“I’ve been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television,” McGraw said. “With this show, we’ve helped thousands of guests and millions of viewers through everything from addiction and marriage to mental wellness and parenting. It’s been an amazing chapter in my life and career, but as I walk away from the day, there’s so much more I want to do.

Along with two other syndicated daytime shows produced by McGraw, The doctors and TV Daily Mail, overturned last year, its decision to terminate Dr Phil marks a final daytime outing for the popular TV personality who, alongside her daytime career, has built a primetime chart-topping chart, producing back-to-back hit drama series on CBS in Bull and freshman So help me Todd.

In the immediate term, McGraw plans to focus on primetime programming with a new partnership, slated to launch in early 2024.

“I am compelled to engage with a wider audience because I have serious concerns for the American family, and I am determined to help restore clarity of purpose and our core values,” he said. he declares.

During his run, Dr Philfeaturing McGraw tackling a different topic on each show and offering advice to his guests, received 31 Emmy Award nominations and won five PRISM Awards for his accurate portrayal of drug abuse and addiction, alcohol and tobacco, as well as a MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) Media Award.

“Phil is a valued partner and member of the CBS/King World family, and although his show is ending after 21 years, I’m happy to say our relationship is not,” said Steve LoCascio, president of CBS Media Ventures. “Phil changed the landscape of the day as the force behind one of the most popular talk shows ever to air on daytime television. We plan to be in the Dr Phil do business with the library for years to come and seize opportunities to work together in the future.