The Jerry Springer Show
Jerry Springer is an American daytime talk show that was hosted by Jerry Springer. The show ran in syndication for twenty-seven seasons from September 30, 1991, to July 26, 2018, in which it broadcast 3,891 episodes, produced for most of its time by NBCUniversal. It was taped at the NBC Tower in Chicago until 2009, when production moved to Stamford Studios in Connecticut. The show premiered as a traditional talk show, with a focus on political issues and current events. However, it reformatted into a tabloid talk show by 1993, with a greater emphasis on single-issue panel discussions with everyday people.
Initially produced by Multimedia, Inc., the program was unsuccessful in ratings in its first seasons due to its focus on more political issues. This led to an overhaul of the structure by the mid-1990s, eventually leading to the show as it is best known for, filled with controversial topics, profanity, physical fights, and scantily clad guests. Chanting, heckling, and nudity was often featured on the show, including flashing audience members for "Jerry Beads."
Critical response to the show was overwhelmingly negative; in 2002, TV Guide proclaimed it to be the worst TV show of all time. Despite this, it was highly popular, peaking in popularity around 1997 and 1998, and being a major force in the explosion of "trash TV" at the time. The critique of the show was satirically embraced by the show, with Springer proudly introducing the program as the "worst TV show in the history of television" at the start of each episode. After the show's cancellation, Springer hosted a new courtroom show titled Judge Jerry, which premiered on September 9, 2019, and is also distributed by NBCUniversal; it was canceled after three seasons in 2022.
Format and content
Each episode of Jerry Springer began with Springer entering the stage and being greeted by a standing audience pumping the air with their right hand, chanting "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!". Beginning in 2007, Springer would arrive on stage by sliding down a stripper pole. He then shook hands with some of the audience members before introducing the episode's topic and guests. The topics were usually of an unsophisticated nature, such as infidelity and other relationship squabbles. Oftentimes, the guests would become emotional and get involved in heated arguments with one another; this would result in outbursts and physical fighting, and the audience chanting "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!". On-screen security guards were present and tasked with managing the potential violence.Once all the guests had told their stories, there was usually a "question and answer" segment where audience members asked guests questions. In earlier seasons, the questions tended to be serious. However, these questions gave way to insults as the show progressed. Throughout the show, some women in the audience would sometimes flash their breasts in exchange for "Jerry Beads". In later seasons, serious questions were typically mocked by the crowd with chants of "Go to Oprah!". Springer then ended the show by giving a formal lecture, sitting by himself on the stage, on the principles of refined values in regards to the featured guests. Springer's "final thought" segment ended with the concluding statement, "'Til next time, take care of yourselves and each other," which was his sign-off line during his days as a newscaster in Cincinnati.
Generally, Springer tended to present his program standing up, pacing the aisle steps between the seating areas, rather than having a podium or mark on the main stage. This was thought to be to protect himself from the potential violence occurring on the stage. He deliberately chose a role as straight man; he never directly involved himself in the arguments. "I'm always wearing a suit, I don't curse and I wasn't in fights involving Jell-O," Springer stated in retrospective.
Sometimes the show would have a look back at previous episodes. They had rebranded as Classic Springer, some with a false Masterpiece Theatre-like theme and patina. These shows were interspersed with commentary from Springer himself, usually before and after commercial breaks.
Production
Set
According to NBC, the set for the show has had three major changes over the years. When the show first started in 1991, it was very basic with white walls, in an effort to capture the feel of fellow talk show Donahue, Jerry's haircut and glasses even seeming to make him look like Phil Donahue. The general look of this set was carried over when the series first moved to Chicago in September 1992, with an unpolished, open air look and bright colored shapes.In the fall of 1994, a few months after the series underwent its format overhaul, the studio received a makeover to make it look a bit warmer and more inviting, complete with brick walls, artwork, and bookcases. The stage walls were designed so that they could be projected outward into the audience, making room for a catwalk that was used in shows such as the 1997 episode Stripper Wars! In late 2000, the whole set was changed to its "industrial" look, changes initially welcomed due to the reduced ratings of the 1999–2000 season. In 2007 the set was slightly changed, with a larger studio audience, bigger stage, and a balcony, which was above the stage and ended at the pole. Springer used this as his main entrance by sliding down the pole. The logo and stage design were carried across to the new studio in Stamford, Connecticut, with only a few changes and stayed as such until the end of the run.
Topic selection
The show was initially formatted as a traditional talk show, in which Springer discussed serious topics and interviewed high-profile guests such as Oliver North and Jesse Jackson. It eventually reformatted into a tabloid talk show, where it covered more unusual and sensational topics. Springer claimed that this reformat was meant to target younger viewers, with Ricki Lake serving as inspiration.The show's premiere featured a family reunion.
The search for higher ratings led the program gradually towards provocative topics, becoming more successful as it became geared towards youthful viewers by introducing more controversial topics. However, there were still some traditional and serious topics featured on the show at this time, even with the format change.
By December 1994, the show started featuring physical brawls and fights on stage for the first time in episodes like "High Class Hookers Tell All", "Holiday Hell with My Feuding Family", "My Boyfriend Turned Out to Be a Girl", and "I Want My Man to Stop Watching Porn!".
The Chicago Tribunes Steve Johnson described the typical episode topic as "Threesomes with Mom."
Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter claimed that "he show’s topics were a veritable smorgasbord of incest, pedophilia, adultery, hate groups, perversion, and humanity's worst instincts in general."
Guest and audience recruitment
The show booked over 30,000 guests.History
1991–1994: Origins
Originally seen in only the five markets where Multimedia owned TV stations, it was dramatically different from the later version of the show. It started as an issues-oriented and political talk show, a longer version of the commentary for which Springer had gained local fame as a reporter and anchor, and for its first season, was even taped at Springer's former station, WLWT in Cincinnati. Guests early on included Oliver North and Jesse Jackson, and the topics included homelessness and gun politics, as well as the social effects of rock music, featuring shock rock star GG Allin, El Duce from The Mentors and Gwar as guests.For its second season in the fall of 1992, the series was purchased by the NBC owned-and-operated stations, thus allowing it to finally achieve full national distribution, and production was moved to its longtime home at Chicago's NBC Tower. Series creator and original executive producer Burt Dubrow became Senior Vice-president at Multimedia Entertainment and continued to oversee the show, while bringing in Terry Weible Murphy to become the executive producer.
1994–2000: Overhaul and ratings success
In April 1994, Multimedia threatened cancellation if ratings didn't improve by that November, which led to a major overhaul that saw Murphy's departure and replacement by fellow Jerry Springer producer Richard Dominick, under Dubrow's purview. As part of changes, the newer output contained more sex and conflict but Multimedia became uncomfortable and told the producer to tone these themes down. In 1995, there were two performances by Comedy Central Latin star Jade Esteban Estrada on the show.The Jerry Springer Show increasingly became a "freak show" where guests seek their 15 minutes of fame through discussion and demonstrations of deviant behavior. In 1996, Springer wanted people to send him videotapes explaining why they wanted Springer to tape a show in their home.
Universal Television took control of the show from Gannett and this was a catalyst point. Dominick, the producer, was allowed the freedoms he wished for, and the format began to change in January 1997. On-stage fights, which were previously cut for broadcast, were now openly aired. Brawls and crude topics became increasingly encouraged, and as a result the show became a tremendous success. Two episodes that aired in February 1997 became the first on broadcast TV to be rated TV-M directly by the producers. In November of 1997, viewership of Jerry Springer was up 70 percent compared to the same time the previous year. In February 1998, it became the first show in over a decade to dethrone The Oprah Winfrey Show as the most watched TV show in a single week.
The Jerry Springer Show became arguably the biggest figure in the rise of "tastelessness" and "trash TV" in the late 1990s. It attracted ever more controversy, such as the episode "I Married A Horse", which several stations that carried Jerry Springer, including WLWT in Cincinnati where Springer was a news anchor, refused to broadcast, leading to it being pulled before airing. Additionally, Barry Diller, the head of Jerry Springer distributor Studios USA, ordered producers to eliminate physical fighting between guests, as he had reportedly become upset by the show and the controversies it sparked. Studios USA later permitted fights to remain as long as they were "toned down". The show remained popular, though it lost its position as the most-viewed daytime show by June 1999, finishing slightly behind The Oprah Winfrey Show.