While “The Jennifer Hudson Show”, “The Drew Barrymore Show” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show” are ruling the talk show roost at the moment, in the ‘80s and ‘90s, it was a different ballgame.
Although “The Oprah Winfrey Show” was the holy grail in television when it came to audience-participation shows, there was another that, at one point, surpassed its ratings. It was “The Jerry Springer Show”, hosted by Jerry Springer.
And although it was huge in the US, it enjoyed a loyal audience in South Africa, too. It ran for an impressive 27 seasons from September 30, 1991, until July 26, 2018.
Springer passed away from cancer on April 27, 2003, at 79.
Interestingly, Netflix recently dropped a two-part special titled, “Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action”, which truly embodied the essence of the vulgar, vile and exploitative show.
The documentary does a deep dive into its origins and the mastermind behind it - executive producer, Richard Dominick, who is interviewed as well.
However, Dominick’s take differs from that of associate producer Toby Yoshimura, producer Melinda Chait Mele and producer Annette Grundy.
While Dominick’s insight was laden with pride at having conceived a show that was unlike anything else at the time and one that shook up the television industry, Yoshimura, Chait Mele and Grundy candidly spoke about the behind-the-scenes work that went into the show.
Yoshimura worked tirelessly day and night to ensure they filled the ratings mandate. It took a toll on his mental health and often left him wrestling with his conscience.
This resulted in him drowning his sorrows at the bottom of the bottle and, when that failed to numb his emotions, he switched to cocaine.
Chait Mele and Grundy unpacked the type of guests they needed to get, grooming the guests to ensure they made for exciting TV and the fact that there was no place for morality in their line of work.
Funnily enough, the viewers who hailed Springer as a saviour when it came to helping them with their problems were none the wiser to the exploitation that went on behind the scenes.
The documentary revealed how the malleable guests were from small towns and how they were conditioned to react when the cameras were on.
Chicago media critic Robert Feder provided insight on the show where Springer, a former mayor of Cincinnati and newsreader, started his career as a serious champion for change.
For those who happened to have watched an episode or several of Springer’s shows, you are au fait with how it started with a deafening chorus of the studio audience chanting “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry”.
This was a precursor to the shocking revelations, physical fights and yelling.
With episode titles like “Confront One-Night Stands”, “I Cut Off My Manhood”, “Klanfrontation”, “I’m Pregnant By My Brother” and I Married A Horse”, I will leave it to you to draw your conclusions on the nature of the content.
It was all about shock value. It was TV gold in trash entertainment.
There’s also a snippet when Oprah speaks out about the show, labelling it a “vulgarity circus”.
There is also one episode that, if it happened on TV today, would have seen the show and host cancelled. This particular episode centred on secret mistresses being confronted.
Months later, the guests were making news headlines when it was reported that the cheating husband in question, Ralph Panitz, killed his ex-wife Nancy in a fit of rage and went on the run with his new wife, Eleanor.
While the son addressed his mother Nancy’s humiliation on the show as well as how her murder impacted him, there was no accountability from the network or creatives on the show.
Even when Jerry was exposed for having a threesome with guests from the show, he was forgiven and allowed to helm the show.
Eventually, the network started imposing guidelines on the show which, for the longest time had carte blanche to push the envelope, marking its demise as ratings started to plummet with viewers growing bored of the same old scenarios.
If you are intrigued by the history of one of the smuttiest talk shows of all-time, watch this special.
∎ “Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action ” is streaming on Netflix.
Rating: 2/5
The talk shows that ruled the roost in the ‘80s and ‘90s
“The Oprah Winfrey Show”: Not long after her poignant performance as Sofia in Steven Spielberg’s epic coming-of-age period drama, “The Colour Purple”, Winfrey was given her own talk show, which launched on September 8, 1986. Her star-studded guests over 25 seasons, which ended on May 25, 2011, earned her the undisputed Queen of Talk Show title. She also helped launch the TV career of Phil McGraw, a regular on her show.
“Ricki Lake”: With Oprah setting the benchmark, this show was entertaining but a poorer substitute. It appealed to viewers looking for escapism in the day. Also, this was in the pre-streaming era so choices were limited.
That said, Ricki Lake was likeable as she unpacked relatable issues about family, marriage, parenting, divorce and weight loss. The show ran for 11 seasons from September 13, 1993, to May 21, 2004, until it was revamped for a new generation.
“The Felicia Show”: In South Africa, this was the benchmark talk show for viewers. Hosted by Felicia Mabuza-Suttle, it aired on SABC1 for six years and was later taken over by e.tv, before the channel pulled the plug on it in 2004. At first, viewers lapped up the dirty laundry drama. But after a while, it devolved into a pilloried mess.