Phil McGraw is saying goodbye to his popular daytime talk show Dr. Phil after a stunning 21 years.
The series’ conclusion was announced on Tuesday, after the 72-year-old former clinical psychologist opted to stop producing the show.
Sources at CBS indicated that it was McGraw himself who made the decision to end the series, rather than the network, Variety reported, as he hopes to move into primetime programming.
The host — whose contributions to daytime television were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020 — reportedly plans to finish out the 2022–2023 season, but CBS hopes to keep reruns of the show airing in syndication through 2024.
End of an era: It was announced on Tuesday that Phil McGraw is ending his popular daytime talk show Dr. Phil after a stunning 21 years on the air; pictured on Dr. Phil in 2018
Variety notes that McGraw has been increasingly focused on scripted shows airing in higher-rated primetime slots in recent years, which seems to be where his focus has shifted.
His show has managed to stay remarkably popular over more than two decades on the air, and it averages around two million viewers per new episode. During its long run, the series earned 31 Daytime Emmy nominations.
ABC’s Live With Kelly And Ryan is currently the only daytime show that is able to best McGraw’s ratings.
McGraw’s public profile began to soar in the 1990s when he was a regular guest of Oprah Winfrey on her massively popular daytime talk show.
He proved to be a hit with her fans, and that success led to his eponymous talk show, which premiered in 2002.
Winfrey stayed invested in McGraw’s success, and her production company Harpo Productions produced the series initially.
Time for a change: Sources at CBS indicated that it was McGraw himself who made the decision to end the series, rather than the network, Variety reported, as he hopes to move into primetime programming; seen in Hollywood in 2020
‘I have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television,’ McGraw said via 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.’
He added that new projects were on the horizon with mention of a ‘strategic primetime partnership’ that would help him to ‘increase his impact on television and viewers.’
Although details about the project are minimal, he is hoping to launch the new project early in 2024.
McGraw added that his concern for the American social fabric led him to feel it was his duty to find an even bigger platform.
‘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,’ he said.
CBS Media Ventures President Steve LoCascio shared a glowing statement about McGraw upon news of Dr. Phil’s ending.
‘Phil is a valued partner and member of the CBS/King World family, and while his show may be ending after 21 years, I’m happy to say our relationship is not,’ he said. ‘Phil changed the daytime landscape as the force behind one of the most popular talk shows ever on daytime TV. 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.’
Variety noted that speculation about the end of Dr. Phil began to pop up after TV stations noted the unusually high cost of airing reruns of the show in the upcoming year.
But fans will still get a chance to see new material featuring McGraw, as the host — and his iconic mustache — will be back to film new wraparound segments. They will reportedly give viewers updates on what progress his guests have made.
McGraw may have hinted at his future plans for primetime content with the popular CBS legal drama Bull, which starred Michael Weatherly as a psychologist who heads a jury consulting firm.
Prior to becoming a television star, McGraw ran his own jury consulting firm, Courtroom Sciences Inc., and those experiences inspired the series, which he co-created and executive produced.
He and his son Jay are now executive producers on the legal drama So Help Me Todd, which stars Skylar Astin as a private investigator who begins to work for the law firm run by his mother (Marcia Gay Harden).
In addition to expanding to scripted television, McGraw has also mastered podcasting with his shows Phil In The Blanks and Mystery & Murder: Analysis By Dr. Phil.
McGraw has been married to his wife Robin since 1972, and they share sons Jay, 43, and Jordan, 36.
While Jay has collaborated with his father on multiple projects, Jordan has launched a successful musical career.
He serenaded Robin in February 2020 at the unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
‘She’s believed in me for 46 years. She is not just an observer she’s such a vital part of that show,’ he said.
Despite Dr. Phil running for more than 3000 episodes, Robin has never missed an episode and often has her say on the show from a seat in the audience.
Loved-up: McGraw has been married to his wife Robin since 1972, and they share sons Jay, 43, and Jordan, 36. He serenaded her — and shared a kiss — at the unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 2020