DR PHIL is downright disturbing! Anyone else feel this way?

[bellcurve]

DR. PHIL, in season one, used to be a serious-issues show, but it never treaded the extremely controversial and was loyal to it's OPRAH-esque following(and I don't even like OPRAH).

Now, DR. PHIL has went into territory that JERRY, MAURY, GERALDO, and DONAHUE never dared to touch. And not because he wants to help people, IMO. It just seems like its all for ratings.

Like, the upcoming previews for the grandfather who is a child molester who says I did it because I thought she would like it "like a piece of candy." Child victimization and molestation are a huge problem in this country, I agree, but this just further exploits the people instead of "helping them." I honestly believed if DR. PHIL truly wanted to help these people, he would do something other than shack all of these people in a house and exploting them for his sweeps stunts. It's just inappropriate.

In addition to the exploitative child molester stories, there was one episode where these two sisters confronted the father who killed their mother. Instead of letting the confrontation go the way it did, PHIL staffers added soap opera-esque confrontation music to the background of the scene which absolutely exploited the situation.

I am usually not one to cry fowl on talk shows, because I feel like people go on the show knowing what they are going on their for. Even Nancy Grace, who asks tough questions to her guests, I will defend because she doesn't claim to be some shrink.

DR. PHIL, IMO, is hurting these people far more than he is helping them. Bring me back to the old days of PHIL when he confronted moms for overfeeding their kids and yelling at their children.

[Mason]

I can't stand Dr. Phil, and I haven't since day one.

[Q Steph]

I have lost all respect for Dr. Phil. I'm starting to lose some for Oprah. I wrote both letters begging for their help and not strictly in a professional manner. I really did need their guidance. Instead, they have Jay Z "stalkers" trying to make a name.

I'll take Jerry Springer any day. At least he is upfront that his show is a circus. Dr. Phil's shows have taken on a soap opera approach. You shouldn't exploit the vulnerable.

[Sweet_VeeVee24]

I have been noticing it each episode that he wants to keep pushing the envelope...heck he's already pushed it wide open.... Instead of having topics that actually help someone that is going through the same thing; we are subjected to watching how an older woman wants to date a man that can be her son, or watching how married women are sporting a sugar daddy on the side.

[EricaKane70]

I used to watch dr. phil, but I don't like his show's new format so I watch Ellen instead. I love Oprah show, but I really can't watch when she has that black therapist woman on she annoys me to no end.

[SpiritualJunkie]

I've had a love/hate relationship with the Dr. Phil show. When it first aired, I didn't like it...then I kinda got into the show up until the Dr. Phil house episode where they paired the black/white, lesbian/homophobic, thin/fat people together...while a bit interesting...the overweight guy got on my nerves and I hated how Dr. Phil just expected these people to work out their behavioural/cognitive problems on their own without any real intervention from a professional. I only saw one episode but I'm assuming that things didn't really get any better with that living situation.

[Rhiannon]

My Mom and I watched him for the first 3 years on a pretty regular basis, but by the 4th year he started treading into Jerry/Maury territory and it became increasingly hard to watch; it pretty much impossible to watch now without becoming disgusted by the show and his attitude....

We watch Judge Judy which comes on at the same time as Dr. Phil, it's either Judge Judy or Rachael Ray; and I won't say anything about Rachael since most of it wouldn't be nice....

[Brandeis]

I don't want to sound like a big "I told ya so!" type, but I've had reservations about his formula from day one, and about Oprah, who I now can't stand either. (though Oprah seems to have distanced herself from the DR. PHIL trainwreck after helping unleash it upon us)

There's no way anyone who has real problems can expect them to be resolved in any meaningful way through one televised hour with a big fat bully. To me it was exploitation of downtrodden people from day one. Shows that dealt with weight issues were downright laughable coming from that fat blowhard hog. I'm not surprised his shows have become more openly lurid. They always were about that big fat bully making money off of people who didn't know better.

Now most people do know better and I will be glad to see the sun set on his little pretend therapy sessions. Just a guess but are his ratings down?

[kelli_blue]

Same here....and each season he gets more pompous and arrogant.

He's always shoving HIS opinions down everyones throats, whether its right or not.