The late Jerry Springer was one of the pioneers of daytime television - although opinions about his self-titled series, Jerry Springer, also known as The Jerry Springer Show, varied depending on who you spoke to. Some people enjoy the outlandish setups for each episode, which almost always involve infidelity and guests coming to blows. Some feel that it's the bottom of the barrel; CBS News even listed it as one of "The Worst Shows Ever", which Springer adopted as a badge of honor. Believe it or not, there was a time when Springer's show wasn't known for shocking parental revelations and bare-knuckle brawls.
The Jerry Springer Show originally started out as a show that was focused on political matters, with comparisons being drawn between Springer and his fellow journalist-turned-talk show host Phil Donohue. But in 1994, Jerry Springer wound up shifting gears when a new producer, Richard Dominick, came on board; Springer was urged to tackle more controversial matters in order to boost ratings. It wasn't until December 1994 that the show had one of its first fights - and set the stage for future seasons of The Jerry Springer Show.
Jerry Springer’s Early Fights Paved the Way for Future Episodes
On December 21, 1994, The Jerry Springer Show aired an episode titled "High Class Call Girls". True to the title, this episode featured a collection of sex workers talking about their profession, and revealing some scathing secrets in the process. The conversation starts getting heated between two of the women, and soon things escalate to the point where one of them slaps the other - resulting in a full-on scuffle. While this fight is far tamer than some of the fights that graced future episodes of The Jerry Springer Show, it was still a shock to witness on a daytime talk show. That's not even getting into the fact that prostitution was a taboo subject; you'd usually see that as the subject of an HBO series.
"High Class Call Girls" opened the doors to more outlandish episodes of The Jerry Springer Show, and more subjects that were considered taboo for daytime TV. Some of those episodes include a woman who moved in with her husband and her father...and started sleeping with the father, and a man who married a horse. I am not joking, that was the entire focus of a episode. More often than not, fights would break out between guests. This method worked wonders for Springer, as his show soon became the top rated daytime television program. It also drew ire from TV executives and politicians alike, most notably future Disney boss Bob Iger who referred to it as an "embarrasment". Still, Singer had succeeded in getting his views up, and he had another daytime host to thank.
Jerry Springer Was Inspired by The Ricki Lake Show
Believe it or not, Springer wasn't the first daytime TV host to take an unorthodox approach to hosting a TV show. That honor goes to Ricki Lake, who had her own self-titled talk show in the '90s. What made Lake unlike her contemporaries was the audience she chose to appeal to; her show was mostly targeted toward younger viewers, particularly the 18-25 set. Lake also wasn't afraid to tackle topics that might have been taboo, particularly in a heated confrontation with Fred Phelps, the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church. Lake didn't take too kindly to Phelps' religious views, which included a backwards view of how AIDS affects others, and her kicking him off the set gave Lake a newfound respect from her audience.
Springer definitely went for more risqué content compared to Lake, but it was the success of her show that convinced Dominick and other producers to change the direction of The Jerry Springer Show. And when Springer did change his format, he did see an uptick in younger viewers...which led to an outcry as some felt that the show's content could be detrimental to those young viewers. Lake, on the other hand, had respect for Springer and offered some thoughtful words after his passing. "Jerry's persona was the polar opposite of what many remember of his show," she said. "He was a Mensch, brilliant, hilarious, and what I remember most, absolutely devoted to his daughter."
Jerry Springer Caused a Massive Shift in Daytime Television
Springer wound up having a massive influence on the state of daytime television, with more hosts choosing to explore taboo topics on their own shows. The most infamous would probably be Maury Povich, who, like Springer, had his own talk show that often saw fights break out. The cause of those fights? Povich often would have guests take paternity tests, and the revelation would have him declaring "You are NOT the father!" or "You ARE the father!" Phil McGraw took a more serious approach, though his shows were no less sensational - or less subject to controversy. Even the UK has gotten in on the act, with Jeremy Kyle subjecting his guests to scathing diatribes, like Dr. Phil, he's been called out for this behavior.
The biggest change, though, was that Springer's success led to one of his employees getting his own talk show. Steve Wilkos, who was the director of security on The Jerry Springer Show, wound up getting his own series - titled The Steve Wilkos Show - after he made a strong impression with his "Steve Comes to the Rescue" segments on Jerry Springer. Like his former boss, Wilkos tackled a number of sensitive topics but didn't resort to showing fights. He actually parted ways with Richard Dominick when Dominick tried to encourage him to get overly physical with a guest. This was a bridge too far for Wilkos - and NBCUniversal, who subsequently fired Dominick from Wilkos' show. Wilkos continues hosting his show to this day, proving that even if Jerry Springer did dip into some highly sensitive topics, he did leave a lasting mark for better or worse on how we view daytime TV.
The Jerry Springer Show is available to stream on Peaco*ck.
