Dr. Phil will be coming to an end after 21 seasons, Variety reports.
The Phil McGraw-hosted daytime talk show is ending after he decided against producing further episodes following the end of the 2022-23 season. Created by McGraw and Oprah Winfrey, who introduced him to American audiences on her own eponymous show, Dr. Phil produced over 3,500 episodes during its time on the air.
“I have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television,” McGraw said in 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.”
The decision to pull the plug on the show comes as McGraw’s contract with distributor CBS Media Ventures comes to end. Dr. Phil was renewed for five seasons in 2018, and as of last year it was still averaging around two million viewers per episode. McGraw has hinted that he might be returning to TV soon, with the promise of a “strategic primetime partnership” that will allow him to “increase his impact on television and viewers.”
The aim is to launch whatever that will be in 2024.
“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,” McGraw added. CBS Media Ventures is looking to keep the show syndicated with repeats through to the 2023-24 season. “Phil changed the daytime landscape as the force behind one of the most popular talk shows ever on daytime TV,” said CBS Media Ventures president Steve LoCascio. “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.”
