Genre Talk show Presented by Phil McGraw Original language(s) English | Created by Oprah Winfrey Country of origin United States | |
 | ||
Opening theme "Shine" by Meredith Brooks used from 2004–2008 | ||
Dr. Phil is an American talk show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002. On both shows McGraw offers advice in the form of "life strategies" from his life experience as a clinical and forensic psychologist.
Contents
The show is in syndication throughout the United States and a number of other countries. Its tenth season premiered on September 12, 2011. Occasional prime time specials have aired on CBS. The program has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award every year since 2004.
Since September 2009, Dr. Phil has been broadcast in HDTV with a revamped look and a new theme written and performed by McGraw's son, Jordan.
Dr. Phil is a production of Peteski Productions and distributed by CBS Television Distribution. Harpo Productions co-produced the series until 2010, with Paramount Domestic Television and its successor CBS Paramount Domestic Television serving as secondary co-producers until 2007, and it was originally distributed by King World Productions.
This program is taped before a live studio audience on Stage 29 at the Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood, California, twice in the morning on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Tapings take place from the end of August through mid December, and then from January through early May (excluding holidays).
Reruns of the series began broadcasting on the Oprah Winfrey Network as of January 2011.
Format
The show covers a wide variety of topics, including weight loss, financial planning, errant children, gift suggestions, children who have been diagnosed with autism, unhappily married couples, rebellious teenagers, mothers who dress far from their age, mothers who refuse to attend weddings, children being stars and their parents' rights, the emotional benefits of controlling, dysfunctional families, mothers who refuse to give their married sons money, and support for charitable causes. Radio personality and ex-child star Danny Bonaduce, came to the show twice in a year to discuss his failing marriage (and later divorce) with Gretchen.
On several shows, children and/or adults have taken polygraph exams, most particularly done by retired FBI agent, Jack Trimarco. The show is generally serious in tone, leavened with humor from time to time. It has its occasional tense moments and often trashy scenes, like that of The Montel Williams Show, but without melees or aggressive fights on stage, in contrast to tabloid talk shows, such as: The Jerry Springer Show, The Steve Wilkos Show or Maury Povich's program. McGraw is noted for often bringing families back on multiple shows for follow-up "therapy" sessions in his segment called "Dr. Phil Family."
Generally, the program is filmed and guests appear in studio, but in 2006, the Dr. Phil House began as an occasional series. McGraw and his production staff invite guests to a special house wired with numerous cameras and microphones. There, his staff monitors the conversations of the guests he is trying to help, and intervenes when necessary in order to prevent physical violence. McGraw also provides on-the-spot advice and counseling to the "house guests." McGraw's wife, Robin, sits in the studio audience for almost every show, and at the end of the show, walks out of the set with him.
Notable episodes
Dr. Phil Now
Episodes under the Dr. Phil Now banner usually feature current events in the news with McGraw's viewpoint, often with an interview with the subject involved, which may include a suspect in a true crime case, the parents in a contentious child custody battle, or a celebrity subject. These episodes often feature more urgent music, and often feature McGraw originating the segment from the master control room of KCBS-TV with a bank of monitors tuned to various news networks and local news stations to give a more news-like feel to the episode.
Criticism
McGraw's advice and methods have drawn criticism from some fellow psychotherapists as well as from some laymen. McGraw's critics regard advice given by him to be at best simplistic, and at worst, ineffective. McGraw said in a 2001 South Florida newspaper 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."