The Downfall of Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil began his rise to fame after helping Oprah Winfrey when in 1995 she became involved in a lawsuit with the Beef Council in Texas for comments she made on her popular television show. Winfrey was impressed with Dr. Phil, and invited him on her show where he began to appear weekly.
Dr. Phil's advice on Oprah's show was generally very sound and made a lot of sense to a lot of people. His in-your-face, "how's-that-workin'-for-ya?" style was humorous, refreshing, and soon endeared him to many viewers. In 2002, as a result of the relationship between Dr. Phil and Oprah Winfrey (and her Harpo Studios), Dr. Phil began his own syndicated show that was an expansion of his weekly visits on Oprah which was an immediate hit.
Since that time Dr. Phil has filled the airwaves with advice doled out to people ranging from a lady that would rather have her dog in her bed than her husband, to mothers-in-law that are too involved. Everyday people felt comfortable writing to the Dr. Phil show with their problems, and stood a good chance of being on his show because, in fact, they were everyday people.
However, as of late, Dr. Phil's shows have been rife with people that more appropriately belong on episodes of Jerry Springer than Dr. Phil. He has orchestrated chaos by putting people together in his 'Dr. Phil house' to see how they respond. He invites rabid enemies on the show in an attempt to help them 'work through things,' when all they end up doing is fighting.
Sadly, much of the advice on these sensational Dr. Phil episodes is no longer usable by the majority of Americans. I fail to be entertained by the problems and arguments of others when, in the end, nothing is achieved. The reason I, and many Americans, tuned in to Dr. Phil was because of the universal applicability of his life strategy principles. I daresay that it is the reason Oprah supported him to begin with. I am disappointed in the change I've seen in Dr. Phil. At least I now have more space on my TiVo.
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20 Comments
Post a CommentBig mistake on his part. Sad to see!
I feel bad for Dr. Phil becuase I think he was honestly trying to help, and I think he wanted to turn it into a show to bring attention to mental illness. After all, how many other people are running around like Brittany, but less in the public eye (unless of course they land on Jerry or Dr. Phil's stage), that aren't getting the help they need? Personally though, I haven't watched his show in a while. It never really caught my interest.
It is too bad to see him going this way. It seems every great talk show person starts out with the best of intentions, but after so many years they fall back on the power of ratings. I was concerned when he signed a 10-year contract. I knew he wouldn't be able to keep up on the helpful subject matter.
I wrote about Dr. Phil. Although he is not a licensed psychologist, he is still a member of the APA and should be bound by those ethics. I don't think he will be able to get over this, but to be another Jerry Springer as mentioned. Good article.
Great analysis. I liked Dr. Phil in the beginning, but now, like you said, he is just giving in to sensationalism. We want the Old Dr. Phil back! Very well done.
Dr Phil needs to take a pill!
Dr Phil is only popular if we watch. I don't. Some of his advice is good but enough is enough. I don't watch Jerry Springer either.
And I thought the inception of the DR. Phil House was the downfall. this Britney Spears fiasco takes him to a whole new level of oppurtunistic creepiness!
I have a big problem with Dr. Phil. He is now trying to move into the Christian arena (he has appeared on TBN with T.D. Jakes) and is saying some pretty weird things that don't match up. I personally believe he had good intentions when he first started with Oprah, but has since turned into a gimmick. Great article!
Ha! What an idiot!