Jerry Springer Gets Focused

By Ali Trachta in Miscellaneous on Jul 10, 2008 6:45PM

Maybe it’s too much hullabaloo. Maybe the circus freaks were unionizing. Maybe the man’s just getting old and all the colors are making him dizzy. Whatever the reason, The Jerry Springer Show, now coming of age in its 18th season, will be taking a more focused approach to its programming this year.

Lately the stage has run amok with a cast of crazy recurring characters including Reverend Shnorr, (whose role usually consists of marrying couples who will hopefully never spawn,) various martial arts experts, and the guest turned official mascot of the show, “Kenny the Wonderboy,” to name a few. In the new format, these extra bodies will be weeded out in favor of a more streamlined program that focuses on the shows’ guests as the central theme.

Executive Producer Richard Dominick explained to Television Week, "We've always reinvented the show every couple of years. This time I felt that I wanted to go back to the basics of focusing on a single storyline over the course of a show instead of going in a bunch of different directions."

Still, we’re still a little surprised at the switch, considering the show has maintained steady ratings through February sweeps week. We’re supportive of the show finding its center, but come on, we’ve never relied on Jerry Springer to keep us focused. We may tune in just to see if this pared down version is shocking enough to keep our jaws dropped. [S-T]