The Dr. Phil talk show is one of the longest running programs on television. Phil McGraw has appeared in over 2,000 episodes over the course of 16 seasons and does not seem to plan on stopping any time soon. His show involves just about anything you can think of. The guests who appear are often unhappy couples who are married, dysfunctional families, rebellious teenagers, exes fighting over custody of a child, victims of abuse as a child, rape victims, the occasional celebrity, and so forth. The first episode of season 16 recently involved an interview with singer Sinead O'Connor who revealed that she suffered through horrific abuse as a child and bottled her feelings for decades. The superstar of the late 1980s decided to release all of her emotions on the Dr Phil Show meanwhile she could have appeared on any other talk show. Sinead and the countless other guests who have appeared on the show wanted to receive help and advice from McGraw because his success on television and experience is unprecedented. Dr Phil was raised in Texas and was a linebacker in high school and at the University of Tulsa. The last thing you would expect from a 6'4 Texan is for them to pursue a profession such as psychology and also become a TV personality instead of possibly even going into the NFL. McGraw first began appearing on the big screen with the help of Oprah Winfrey. After she got sued in 1996 for defaming the beef industry, Oprah hired Dr Phil to assist her in the trial. After helping her win the case, he became a regular expert on her show, dealing with life strategies and relationships. With his catchphrase, "Get real," Dr Phil provided the audience and viewers at home with common sense advice which was rare to see on television. This brings me to my next point- the objective quality and nature of the show. On every single episode, Dr Phil thinks in a very pragmatic way. He can always tell if a person is being deceitful after his many years as a psychiatrist and discovers the root of the problem. Without his no nonsense approach, the problems that the guests on the show reveal could never be solved. McGraw is always impartial and listens to both sides/arguments before he makes any conclusions. The other major half of the show consists of subjective affairs. Whenever a guest is talking about their problems or something personal, it is a subjective quality of the show. The guest always tries to persuade the audience and Dr Phil into believing their side of the story or defend their erratic behaviors. When an episode sheds light on an issue such as domestic violence or drug addiction, the audience can either relate and sympathize for the people seeking help or they can disregard the sob stories and any personal involvement. The magic of the show lies in Dr Phil's ability to see through the lies and complex situations that come into his studio and ultimately help improve people's lives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXRoBFgZSJg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elItrweaIFA
The show is definitely very good at giving practical advice about relationships and life in general. I myself have enjoyed watching clips on youtube where he lists on a screen signs of being in an abusive relationship, or watching him tell a group of adults that their first priority should be the child. Personally, though, I avoid watching too much Dr. Phil, since watching it brings down my mood for me. The first few clips are insightful, then I fall down the rabbit hole of the misery of other people's problems. In addition, stories on Dr. Phil are often too sensationalized for my taste in promotion clips and whenever the guests tell their story to a camera. It's reality TV so it's expected, but it's so strange looking at the soap-opera kind of editing for a guest to tell their side of the problem, and then they act more normal in person in front of Dr. Phil himself.
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