by Thinus Ferreira
America's Dr. Phil talk show is ending after 21 seasons with Dr. Phil McGraw who decided that he wanted to stop doing his daytime show at the end of the current season.
The Oprah spin-off talk show was seen on South African television - first SABC2 where it ran from its beginning for several seasons, after switching to pay-TV with M-Net picking it up for the Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel for a few further seasons.
Dr. Phil McGraw started out with appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, also seen in South Africa, in the late 1990s, before he transitioned to his own tough-talking talk show in 2002.
"I have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television. 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," Phil McGraw (72) says in a statement announcing the end of the show.
"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."
"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."
Steve LoCascio, CBS Media Ventures president, says "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".
"Phil changed the daytime landscape as the force behind one of the most popular talk shows ever on daytime TV."
