Dr. Phil has been a fixture of daytime television for over 21 years. It would be hard to picture flicking through TV channels in the middle of the day and not come across Dr. Phil McGraw walking one of his many guests through the many different interpersonal issues that get thrown in his direction.
Dr. Phil is a successful spinoff of The Oprah Winfrey Show, where McGraw initially rose to prominence with his own weekly segment between 1998 and 2002. In 2018, the show was contracted to appear on CBS through to the end of its 21st season, which is due in May 2023.
With many daytime talk shows canceled in the last 12 months, nincluding The Ellen Degeneres Show, Maury, and Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil stands as one of the final bastions of the format in the early 21st century. Is it all coming to an end once the show’s current contract lapses?
Is Dr. Phil ending?
There’s a few layers to peel away in term’s of Dr. Phil’s future, both in terms of the show and the man himself, but in short, yes, the 21st season of Dr. Phil will be the show’s last.
As with other long-running talk shows with established and returning audiences, CBS will be syndicating old episodes of the show, according to Deadline. So, Dr. Phil will still grace our television screens, but we won’t be getting any new episodes.
It’s also worth noting that while Dr. Phil the show is over, Dr. Phil McGraw is not quite done creating new content for the small screen, as the talk show host and his team are seeking to bring a new show, and potentially new format, to a prime-time slot some time in early 2022, in partnership with CBS.