'Dr. Phil' talk show ending after 21 years
Dr. Phil on Thursday, April 26, 2018 -- (Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
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.