‘Dr. Phil’ talk show to end daytime TV run after 21 years

By The Associated Press on February 1, 2023.

NEW YORK (AP) – Daytime television psychologist “Dr. Phil” McGraw says he plans to end his talk show after 21 years in the coming months, but viewers haven’t seen the last of him.

“Dr. Phil” was the most prominent spinoff from Oprah Winfrey’s show, which once dominated daytime TV. The Texan’s program debuted in September 2002 after he’d been featured as a regular guest on Winfrey’s.

“With this show, we have helped thousands of guest and millions of viewers through everything from addiction and marriage to mental wellness and raising children,” McGraw said in a statement. “This has been an incredible chapter of my life and career, but while I’m moving on from daytime, there is so much more I wish to do.”

The traditional broadcast TV season ends in spring; there was no date given for Phil’s final show.

McGraw, 72, said he wants to focus on prime-time programming and is planning an unspecified project for early next year.

In the meantime, while new “Dr. Phil” episodes won’t be made, the show won’t disappear from TV. CBS Media Ventures, which syndicates his program, said it will offer stations a package of reruns with occasional new wraparound content for future seasons.

That’s a cost-saving path blazed by “Judge Judy,” which aired its last original show in June 2021 but continues to be popular in reruns.

“We plan to be in the “˜Dr. Phil’ business with the library for years to come and welcome opportunities to work together in the future,” said Steve LoCascio, president of CBS Media Ventures.

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