Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action

A fascinating look behind the scenes at The Jerry Springer show, a show that was pretty revolutionary, one that changed the genre forever.

This is a truly interesting watch, only two episodes long, so it's pacy, interesting and shocking, you'll want to watch it all in one go. It'll bring back memories, including the man and the Shetland pony, a reminder of just how far society has fallen (off a cliff.) Just remember the size of the audience the show got at its peak.

Most of us would have known that Jerry was just thr face of the show, this takes a look at the people behind the scenes, including the fascinating presenter Richard Dominick, who set the agenda, a man who clearly knew what he wanted, and achieved his aims.

I was surprised to see that the show ran until 2018, like many I lost interest some while back, initially it was edgy, it was risqué, it was something you'd not want to watch with your parents, after a while it became stale.

It's amazing to think it avoided cancellation, the infamous murder, can you imagine that in today's climate, a death did for The Jeremy Kyle show here in The UK, a show undoubtedly inspired by Jerry Springer.

It's very interesting, worth your time.

8/10.

It's common for modern documentary series to feel padded out, with content stretched to fill at least three episodes, leading to a sense of repetition. Curiously, the two-part documentary on Jerry Springer's talk show suffers from the opposite problem: it feels too short.

This is most evident when the executive producer, the puppet master behind all the controversy, is interviewed. Given the opportunity to delve deeper into the mind of this key figure in the show's drama, and considering his apparent lack of remorse for the practices he promoted, the filmmakers miss a significant opportunity. Why didn't they explore the broader implications of exploiting people for entertainment in today's media landscape?

The documentary starts promisingly, addressing a relevant contemporary topic, but ultimately fails to provide a meaningful conclusion. It perpetuates the very superficiality it seeks to expose. The overall impression is that, like the show itself, the documentary prioritizes entertainment over substance, leaving viewers wanting a deeper exploration of the issues at hand.

The documentary series "Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action" offers a captivating plunge into the inner workings of a show that left a significant mark on the American television landscape of the 90s and 2000s. One of the main strengths of this program lies in its ability to take us behind the studio doors, providing privileged access to the internal dynamics and mechanisms of this scandal-generating machine.

The testimonies scattered throughout the series are often damning, offering an unvarnished look at how the show was conceived and produced. We discover a reality where boundaries were constantly pushed in the name of ratings.

However, a slight reservation arises regarding the sometimes sugarcoated statements from former production members. While their memories shed interesting light, one can sense a certain reluctance to fully acknowledge the show's most controversial aspects.

Nevertheless, the series successfully highlights a segment of our society, albeit marginal but very real, where conflicts and personal dramas were exposed without filter. The show then appears as a modern-day gladiatorial arena, where individuals were thrown to the public.

The words of the main producer, quoted in the series ("if I could kill on TV, I would"), are particularly chilling. They brutally illustrate a relentless pursuit of ratings, where the well-being of participants and viewers seemed secondary.

In conclusion, this show is an informative and unsettling documentary. While it sometimes suffers from a certain self-censorship from its subjects, it remains a fascinating insight into a controversial show and the potential excesses of spectacle television. It raises important questions about media ethics and our own fascination with the sensational.

The producers are mentally ill, and I can't even fathom the audacity of them coming out now and boasting about their product, knowing they contributed to the death of a woman and who knows how many others they exploited. We don't even know the mental and psychological state of those other people who were used. Their actions are a blatant disregard for human life and dignity, and they should be held accountable for the consequences of their selfish and unethical decisions. Everyone who appeared on the program should now face prosecution, as their participation enabled this injustice. It's imperative to bring them to justice and prevent further harm.

I should begin by disclosing that I worked as a production assistant for "The Jerry Springer Show", when it was still plain vanilla and before it moved from Cincinnati to Chicago, sometime between September 1991 and September 1992. By the late 90s, I'd tuned out as the show descended into its infamous chaos. This entertaining 2-episode docuseries pulls back the curtain on how the talk show spiraled into a cultural phenomenon. As sleazy as the show itself, it showcases an unapologetic executive producer and offers a fascinating, if completely cringeworthy, look at its rise. Viewed through today's fractured reality, though, the show almost feels quaint, and Jerry comes across as a decent guy (even with the bounced check to the prostitute). For anyone with ties to Jerry or memories of his WLWT Channel 5 news days in the '80s, this is a quick trip down nostalgia lane.