Dr. Phil, America’s most controversial therapist, is pulling the plug on the longstanding show.
The 2022-2023 season is set to air as planned, but Phil McGraw will stop producing new episodes after 21 seasons. Instead, according to PEOPLE, CBS Media Ventures is expected to offer the option to run previously-taped episodes for the forthcoming 2023-24 season.
“I have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television,” McGraw said in a statement to the publication. “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 top-rated daytime show is reportedly coming to an end due to McGraw’s interest in prime-time television. CBS Media Ventures announced the plans for the future in a joint statement with McGraw.
“McGraw will focus on prime-time programming and plans to announce a strategic prime-time partnership, scheduled for an early 2024 launch, which will expand his reach and increase his impact on television and viewers,” the statement read.
McGraw also included that his move comes with rising issues, citing “grave concerns for the American family” and is “determined to help restore a clarity of purpose as well as our core values.”
Dr. Phil premiered in September 2002, with perfect one-liners and unmanageable discoveries ranging from feuding couples and family drama.
The show was a prominent spinoff of Oprah Winfrey’s The Oprah Winfrey Show after he was featured on his dear friend’s show multiple times.
The show will end in the spring.
