dr Phil ends his reign as the king of daytime television! The host announces his plan to step down from the iconic talk show after season 21… and has his eyes on primetime
- Phil McGraw, 72, has decided to end his show Dr. to quit Phil after 21 years
- The former psychologist hopes to move from daytime to prime time
- His profile rose in the ’90s with appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show
Phil McGraw says goodbye after a staggering 21 years from his popular daytime talk show Dr. Phil
The series’ conclusion was announced Tuesday after the 72-year-old former clinical psychologist decided to end production on the series.
Sources at CBS said it was McGraw himself who made the decision to end the series and not the network, Variety reported, as he hopes to break into primetime programming.
The host — whose contributions to daytime television were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020 — is reportedly planning to wrap up the 2022-2023 season, but CBS hopes to syndicate reruns of the show through 2024.
End of an era: It was announced on Tuesday that Phil McGraw was releasing his popular daytime talk show Dr. Phil retired after a staggering 21 years on the air; pictured on dr. Phillip in 2018
Variety notes that in recent years McGraw has increasingly focused on scripted shows that aired in higher-rated primetime slots, which appears to have shifted his focus.
His show has managed to remain remarkably popular for more than two decades on the air, averaging around two million viewers per new episode.
ABC’s Live With Kelly And Ryan is currently the only daytime show to top McGraw’s ratings.
McGraw’s public profile began to rise in the 1990s when he was a regular guest of Oprah Winfrey on her hugely popular daytime talk show.
He proved to be a hit with her fans, and that success led to his talk show of the same name, which premiered in 2002.
Winfrey remained invested in McGraw’s success, and her production company, Harpo Productions, initially produced the series.
Time for a change: Sources at CBS said it was McGraw himself who made the decision to end the series and not the network, Variety reported, as he hopes to break into primetime programming; To be seen in Hollywood in 2020
Moving up: McGraw’s public profile began to rise in the 1990s when he was a regular guest of Oprah Winfrey, which led to his own talk show starting in 2002; seen with (LR) Suze Orman, Winfrey, Dr. Mehmet Oz and Nate Berkus
“I have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television,” McGraw said in a statement. “Through this show, we’ve helped thousands of guests and millions of viewers through everything from addiction and marriage to mental wellbeing and parenting. This has been an incredible chapter of my life and career, but as I move from day to day there is so much more I want to do.
He added that new projects are on the horizon, with mention of a “strategic primetime partnership” that would help him “increase his influence on television and viewers.”
Though details about the project are minimal, he hopes to launch the new project in early 2024.
Living the Dream: “I have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television,” McGraw said in a statement. pictured in 2020 with wife Robin McGraw, son Jay and wife Erica Dahm, Avery Elizabeth McGraw and London Philip McGraw
Selfless: He said he is proud to have helped “thousands of guests and millions of viewers through everything from addiction and marriage to mental wellbeing and child rearing”; seen in 2019