"Dr. Phil" (2002)TV series 2002-????

Directors:

Kathleen Dowdey
Marsha Armstrong

Seasons:

1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | unknown

Release Date:

24 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Talk-Show

Plot Keywords:

Talk Show | Psychologist | Self Help | Character Name In Title

Awards:

16 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 28	3:00 PM	CBS
Tue. July 29	3:00 PM	CBS

Cast

Phil McGraw

...

Himself / ... (13 episodes, 2004-2008)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Harpo Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Derby Stallion (2005)

If every one used their common sense there would be no need for this show

Dr. Phil is another show in a long procession of talk's shows that set out to provide assistance in their private lives. The difference that separates Dr. Phil from the others is that Dr. Phil McGraw is genuine in his concern for his guests and he is more than willing to provide the answers and solutions to thee guests private lives but only on the grounds that the guests are willing to work not for him but there selves. This approach to his work guarantees that his guests are 100 percent genuine in solving their private problems and not just being another form of white trash entertainment that Jerry Springer presented in the 90's.

I am not one to watch these kinds of talk shows because of the idiots that are inclined to be on them and the problems that these idiots bring on themselves by dating serial adulterers or living with their interfering mothers. With Dr. Phil you get the opposite of the spectrum. You get good decent everyday people whose private problems might seem minor from an outsider's point of view. But with the aid of verbal description and hidden cameras we discover examples of sleep terrors that are having a profound affect on the individual suffering on them and how he or she can become a physical night time threat to the health of his or her loved ones. Dr. Phil's problem solving technique is very straightforward. He uses a tough love approach where he insists on the guest using their common sense to solve their problems. This leads to often-humorous quips from Dr. Phil regarding the pettiness of the couple's situations. In the areas of substance dependency Dr. Phil is more than willing to use all his powers with seeking the best professional help available to help his guests.

With a show like Dr. Phil's you can expect that you will be completely enthralled by some case matters or totally bored by others. That is one of my main three faults with this show. My second fault is that Dr. Phil pretends he cares but not before he markets his latest book. Every show produces another new book that relates to that days subject matter. Either Dr. Phil publishes a new book every week or he wants to clear his shelves of the books that did not sell before 2002 and the first broadcasts of his show. Finally there is my biggest hate and that is his ever-present wife Robin. Dr. Phil gives this woman too much credit in his shows which makes me ask the question if she is so bloody inspirational and genuine and he wants to promote couples working together why isn't the show called the Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw show.

Despite these problems I do find the show to be very interesting. One of my favorite shows was the episode on people who think they are cursed. This featured a lady who at a young age was exorcised by her father who was a Pentecostal minister. In the intervening years that followed this lady had had a run of bad luck. She believed that during the exorcism she was possessed by a demons and these demons were responsible for many tragic events in her life. When I was watching this I felt bad for this lady as it was very obvious that her childhood innocence had been shattered by her parents spiritual leanings. It made me feel that although I think at times life is bad but for others it's a lot worse and the worst part is that a show like Dr. Phil has to remind me of this I myself automatically acknowledge it. What's more this show teaches me that what might seem to be a huge problem can be simply solved by using common sense at that organ that god gave me called a brain.

I often see Dr. Phil as the cool uncle you would go to if you had problems and his attitude would be comforting. This is cool as I personally would not want him as a dad. The show is really good at times it can be quite boring but that depends on the problems that you the audience can relate to on a personal basis. It is however definitely the best of these kind of shows that offer help to troubled people. 6 out of 10.