Phil McGraw is saying goodbye to his popular daytime talk show Dr. Phil after a stunning 21 years.
The series’ conclusion was announced on Tuesday, after the 72-year-old former clinical psychologist opted to stop producing the show.
Sources at CBS indicated that it was McGraw himself who made the decision to end the series, rather than the network, Variety reported, as he hopes to move into primetime programming.
The host — whose contributions to daytime television were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020 — reportedly plans to finish out the 2022–2023 season, but CBS hopes to keep reruns of the show airing in syndication through 2024.
End of an era: It was announced on Tuesday that Phil McGraw is ending his popular daytime talk show Dr. Phil after a stunning 21 years on the air; pictured on Dr. Phil in 2018
Variety notes that McGraw has been increasingly focused on scripted shows airing in higher-rated primetime slots in recent years, which seems to be where his focus has shifted.
His show has managed to stay remarkably popular over more than two decades on the air, and it averages around two million viewers per new episode.
ABC’s Live With Kelly And Ryan is currently the only daytime show that is able to best McGraw’s ratings.
McGraw’s public profile began to soar in the 1990s when he was a regular guest of Oprah Winfrey on her massively popular daytime talk show.
He proved to be a hit with her fans, and that success led to his eponymous talk show, which premiered in 2002.
Winfrey stayed invested in McGraw’s success, and her production company Harpo Productions produced the series initially.
Time for a change: Sources at CBS indicated that it was McGraw himself who made the decision to end the series, rather than the network, Variety reported, as he hopes to move into primetime programming; seen in Hollywood in 2020
Moving on up: McGraw’s public profile began to soar in the 1990s when he was a regular guest of Oprah Winfrey, which led to his own talk show starting in 2002; seen with (L-R) Suze Orman, Winfrey, Dr. Mehmet Oz and Nate Berkus
‘I have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television,’ McGraw said via a statement. ‘With this show, we have helped thousands of guests and millions of viewers through everything from addiction and marriage to mental wellness and raising children. 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.’
He added that new projects were on the horizon with mention of a ‘strategic primetime partnership’ that would help him to ‘increase his impact on television and viewers.’
Although details about the project are minimal, he is hoping to launch the new project early in 2024.
McGraw added that his concern for the American social fabric led him to feel it was his duty to find an even bigger platform.
‘I am compelled to engage with a broader audience because I have grave concerns for the American family, and I am determined to help restore a clarity of purpose as well as our core values,’ he said.
Living the dream: ‘I have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television,’ McGraw said via a statement; pictured in 2020 with wife Robin McGraw, son Jay and his wife Erica Dahm, Avery Elizabeth McGraw and London Philip McGraw
Selfless: He said he was proud to have helped ‘thousands of guests and millions of viewers through everything from addiction and marriage to mental wellness and raising children’; seen in 2019
CBS Media Ventures President Steve LoCascio shared a glowing statement about McGraw upon news of Dr. Phil’s ending.
‘Phil is a valued partner and member of the CBS/King World family, and while his show may be ending after 21 years, I’m happy to say our relationship is not,’ he said. ‘Phil changed the daytime landscape as the force behind one of the most popular talk shows ever on daytime TV. 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.’
Variety noted that speculation about the end of Dr. Phil began to pop up after TV stations noted the unusually high cost of airing reruns of the show in the upcoming year.
But fans will still get a chance to see new material featuring McGraw, as the host — and his iconic mustache — will be back to film new wraparound segments. They will reportedly give viewers updates on what progress his guests have made.
Phew! Fans will still get a chance to see new material featuring McGraw, as the host — and his iconic mustache — will be back to film new wraparound segments for his reruns
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