The Doctors (talk show)
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''The Doctors'' is a daily American syndicated
talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...
featuring
medical advice Medical advice is the provision of a formal professional opinion regarding what a specific individual should or should not do to restore or preserve health. Typically, medical advice involves giving a diagnosis and/or prescribing a treatment for ...
. It debuted on September 8, 2008 and aired until August 8, 2022. The hour-long daytime program is produced by
Phil McGraw Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), better known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased rene ...
and his son
Jay McGraw Jay Phillip McGraw (born September 12, 1979) is an American writer and television producer. He has written several books aimed at young people and is president and CEO of Stage 29 Productions. He is the son of celebrity therapist Phil McGraw and ...
and is distributed domestically and globally by
CBS Media Ventures CBS Media Ventures, Inc. (formerly CBS Television Distribution, Inc. and CBS Paramount Domestic Television, Inc.) is an American television distribution company owned by CBS Studios, part of CBS Entertainment Group, a division of Paramount Glo ...
. The series is a spin-off of '' Dr. Phil'' and is the first talk show to be a third generation talk show spin-off, as ''Dr. Phil'' itself spun off ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...
''.


Details

The concept, which originated on ''Dr. Phil'', mostly focuses on health and medical issues, as a team of medical professionals (and sometimes
celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
guests/speakers) discuss a range of various health-related topics and answer questions from viewers who are too embarrassed to ask their doctors. The series was hosted by
emergency room An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pati ...
physician and former '' The Bachelor'' participant Travis Stork who has appeared frequently on ''Dr. Phil'', with pediatrician Jim Sears,
obstetrician/gynecologist Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and ...
Lisa Masterson, and
plastic surgeon Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniof ...
Andrew Ordon rounding out the discussion panel. On May 6, 2011, it was announced that
Jillian Michaels Jillian Michaels (born February 18, 1974) is an American personal trainer, businesswoman, author, and television personality from Los Angeles, California. Michaels is best known for her appearances on NBC, particularly ''The Biggest Loser''. She ...
had been added to the cast of ''The Doctors'' doing mainly segments outside the studio, along with serving as a "special correspondent" on ''Dr. Phil''.
Wendy Walsh Wendy Lee Walsh (born April 30, 1962) is a Canadian author, lecturer, radio host and television commentator. Walsh's family is from Prince Edward Island;psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...
and relationship expert seen usually in pundit panels on
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
and HLN, was announced as a fifth regular panelist to the show on September 1, 2011, to start as of September 12, 2011. In 2013,
OB-GYN Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and ...
Jennifer Ashton Jennifer Lee Garfein Ashton (born April 23, 1969) is a physician, author, and television correspondent. She is chief health and medical editor and chief medical correspondent for ''ABC News'' and ''Good Morning America'', chief women's health c ...
joined the show as a recurring co-host, a role she filled until 2016. During the holiday break at the end of 2011, Michaels left the show to return to ''
The Biggest Loser ''The Biggest Loser'' is a reality television format which started with the American TV show '' The Biggest Loser'' in 2004. The show centers on overweight and obese contestants attempting to lose the most weight; the winner receives a cash priz ...
'', with Walsh also departing the series and returning it to the original four-doctor format for the 2012 season. Lisa Masterson did not return for the sixth season.
Urologist Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and '' -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive org ...
Jennifer Berman Jennifer Ruth Berman is an American sexual health expert, urologist and female sexual medicine specialist. She is also a former co-host on the television show '' The Doctors''. She has been likened to Dr. Ruth Westheimer (Dr. Ruth). Media Berman ...
and family medicine physician and sexologist Rachael Ross, who has joined comparisons to sex therapist
Dr. Ruth Westheimer Karola Ruth Westheimer ( Siegel; born June 4, 1928), better known as Dr. Ruth, is a German-American sex therapist, talk show host, author, professor, Holocaust survivor, and former Haganah sniper. Westheimer was born in Germany to a Jewish fam ...
, joined the series. Beginning in 2017, Sako Karakozian, a dentist practicing in Studio City, Los Angeles, has made appearances on the show offering dental advice.
OB-GYN Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and ...
Nita Landry Nita Landry (born Chenita Marie Landry), better known as Dr. Nita, is an American obstetrician, gynecologist, author, and television correspondent. She co-hosted The Doctors from 2016 to 2020, and has made recurring appearances on several natio ...
joined the show in 2017 as a recurring co-host. On August 12, 2020, it was announced that the series would undergo several major changes for season 13, including production moving to
Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
, and a revamped format with a new singular host
Ian K. Smith Ian K. Smith (born July 15, 1969) is an American physician, author and television host best known for hosting The Doctors. In 2007, he launched the 50 Million Pound Challenge, a national weight loss initiative sponsored by CVS Pharmacy and Stat ...
, and a theme of " akingyour power back" amid uncertain times. Smith was later replaced by Ordon. In the spring of 2022, the show was canceled after 14 seasons.


Reception


Ratings

The show had not ranked in the top 20 syndicated programs at all during the beginning of its first season, coming in behind the syndicated version of the game show ''
Deal or No Deal ''Deal or No Deal'' is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch ''Miljoenenjacht (Netherlands), Miljoenenjacht'' (''Hunt/Chase for Millions''). The centerpiece of this f ...
'' among new syndicated programs, garnering a 1.3 rating at the time of its launch. In 2009, it had a 1.5 rating by the end of October, up to 1.9 by December, and 2.3 by January, surpassing ''Deal or No Deal''; the show remained the top new talk show of the season. In
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
, the show was credited in 2008 with increasing the lead-in for
WKBW-TV WKBW-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Buffalo, New York, United States, affiliated with ABC. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, the station maintains studios at 7 Broadcast Plaza in downtown Buffalo and a transmitter on Center Stree ...
's 5:00 newscasts, to the point that the station was competitive with other stations in the market.


Quality of advice

A 2014 study in the ''
British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origi ...
'' examined 40 randomly-selected episodes of ''The Doctors'' and studied the veracity of 80 randomly-selected statements or recommendations made in each episode. The study determined that "evidence supported 63%, contradicted 14%, and was not found for 24%" of recommendations made by the panel of doctors, and advised that "the public should be skeptical about recommendations made on medical talk shows". However, the limitations of that study included "the inherent complexity of the shows, including the subjective nature of the recommendations such as distinguishing between what was said and what was implied".


Non-American versions

In the Canadian province of
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, a French language version called ''Les Docteurs'' aired on
Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
(simultaneously with ''The Doctors'', which airs on a different channel at that time) from 2011 to 2013, with doctors Alain Vadeboncoeur, Chantal Guimont, Gaëlle Vekemans and Jacques Toueg. The show, whose format was identical to the previous seasons of the English version, features French-Canadian doctors in a similar-looking set with the same color scheme and French wording, though it did not license the theme song and goes without sound effects. In
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, a Latin American version called ''Los Doctores'' is airs on
Televisa Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...
and
Telefe Telefe (acronym for Televisión Federal) is a television station located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The station is owned and operated by Paramount Global through Televisión Federal S.A. Telefe is also one of Argentina's six national televisio ...
. In
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, a
Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...
version of ''The Doctors'' called ''MY Doctors'' airs on
Astro Ria Astro Ria is a 24-hour Southeast Asia Bahasa Malaysia television channel exclusive to the Astro satellite television provider. It was one of the first 22 channels to be launched on Astro in 1996. Astro Ria offers a variety of shows including ...
. In
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, an
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
version of ''The Doctors'' is aired on MTV and Dubai TV and AWAAN. In
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, the program is called ''Các Bác sĩ nói gì?'' (''What do the Doctors say?''). In
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, the show airs in English with Portuguese subtitles on
SIC The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; "thus", "just as"; in full: , "thus was it written") inserted after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated exactly as found in the source text, complete with any e ...
. In
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
, after the end of ''Al-Bernameg'', rumors surfaced on the internet that Egyptian satirist
Bassem Youssef Bassem Raafat Mohamed Youssef ( ar, باسم رأفت محمد يوسف, ; born 21 March 1974) is an Egyptian comedian, writer, producer, surgeon, doctor, media critic, and television host, who hosted '' El-Bernameg'' (''The Show''), a satirica ...
will return with a new program on Egyptian television that has no relation with satire and politics. Bassem denied the rumors.


References


External links

*
"The Doctors" page at "Dr. Phil"From New York Post (October 9, 2007)
*
NextTV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doctors (2008 TV series), The 2008 American television series debuts 2022 American television series endings 2000s American television talk shows 2010s American television talk shows 2020s American television talk shows Television medical talk shows First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Television series by CBS Studios American television spin-offs Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show winners