Maury

"The Maury Povich Show" (1991)

Review: I'm not too much into TV reviews, but this one I will.

Let me make a point. I hate this show. It's the same thing every time. It's either about, Boot camp for brats, He's Cheating, and Who's the dad. One thing for sure is that this show is mostly driven to hate men. Like the who's the daddy episodes are making the women seem like the innocent victims and the men are pure evil at least 95% of the time. First off, you are at fault for not using birth control and did not consent to safe sex. Second, you are a whore if you do not know who the father is, by means who have to point a finger and administer a paternity test to find out. Just how many guys did you sleep with? Unprotected nonetheless. Stupidity. The dads are also idiots too for not paying 3 dollars to purchase condoms to make sure that a pregnancy does not happen. As far as I'm concerned, both of em got themselves into this situation themselves. The only "victim" here is the child.

This show is based too much on trying to be a glorified Jerry Springer wannabe instead of dealing with issues that need to be taken care of. From the loud crowd to the usual guest taunting the crowd to the unoriginal ideas, Maury Povich is trash TV.

The Last Word: Unoriginal and mean-spirited. At least Jerry Springer does not take themselves seriously. Maury Povich does. Total garbage.

"The Maury Povich Show" can be considered quite odd, even for a talk show. While it isn't as down-and-out sleazy and exploitive as many other talk shows, it is by no means wholesome entertainment. For example have B&W reenactments (ooh, arty!) of people naked and/or having sex that can't be there for any other reason than to titilate, since the guests and/or Maury could EASILY just SAY what happened with just a few words!

Of course, the topics that are chosen for the show can be considered exploitation. Even when it's about a real and serious problem (overweight babies), it comes off as exploitive. For example, whenever they do overweight toddlers, they are almost always brought into the show just in a diaper to emphasize their weight. The "I have a secret" episodes (which almost all the guests are there to confess to a loved one they cheated on him/her), even though they give guests a way to reveal their secret, still get you irked that Maury is showing, in front of millions, hearts being ripped apart.

And then, of course, we have the paternity tests. OVER AND OVER AND OVER! It seems like every other episode focuses on paternity tests! As others have pointed out, there seems to be an anti-male vibe to these particular episodes (as well as some other non-paternity episodes), with the men made to look like scum whether they are the fathers or not. In fairness, some men right from the start come off as decent (and the audience does show their approval to them), and the men who insult the women certainly aren't being forced to do so. Still, you sense a lot of bias. For one thing, during the lie detector shows, how come it's ALWAYS the MAN who is accused of cheating and is being tested - why doesn't Maury ever do any shows when it's the WOMAN who is being accused of cheating by the man?

What really makes the show odd, however, is the way Maury reacts to what he covers. We see him comforting upset guests, he offers various kinds of help to his guests, he tells rude guests they can't act that way, and he regards just about everything with utter seriousness. The way he acts is indeed warm and likable, but you cannot tell if Maury REALLY cares for his audience or not (unlikely, give this IS a talk show!) In fact, I would say that this attitude of Maury's - phony or not - is probably one of the big reasons for its success and long run.

I've seen so many of these shows, which underscore the seedier side of American lives, but Maury Povich treats his visitors with greater tact and gentleness than any of the others (except, perhaps, Oprah).

Yes, he deals with exactly the same 'Trailer Trash' elements as other shows AND he hosts those bizarre 'Is this person male or female?' shows, yet he also introduces Zoo animals for underprivileged children to meet and learn about.

With great sensitivity, he interviews people whose lives have taken an incredible turn - for example, the brave young man who lost about half his skull and brain when he was shot in his uncle's hardware store.

He also introduces his viewers to people who are living their lives through amazing adversity (I will never forget his programme about Tourette's Syndrome).

Through all of this, Maury treats his guests with the utmost courtesy and seems to wholly empathise with them. Oh, I know he's an old hand in the world of reporting, but other 'chat' show hosts don't use such discretion and consideration.

There are bound to be detractors, but this small corner of England shouts 'Rock On, MoPo!!'

A previous poster couldn't have said it better when he said "The Maury Povich Show" now just called "Maury" these days is an insult to men everywhere.If you are a man expect to be dragged out as some deadbeat dad,some suspected teen father forced to take a paternity test,some controlling husband or boyfriend,or some guy who hasn't seen some girl who looked like nerd in her school days but now must show off her wares to this guy who "called me names and taunted me at school" in one of these"you called me a nerd but look at me now" segments.It is all too much really with Povich with his raspy New Yorker voice smiling at this mess he started and hoisted upon the viewing audience. It is a doublestandard when these sad sack women start crying their eyes out to Maury about their problems and then when the cause of their problems comes out,a man of course,he is booed relentlessly by the studio meat puppets Povich has gathered to watch his travesty unfold. Men ,themselves,aren't the only targets of Povich's bull sessions,kids are too.A mother will cry that her kid is a bully,or dresses like a whore,or beat her up and now we have a show that is called"My Violent Teen Needs Boot Camp!"The kids are huddled off to these camps and are humiliated and scared into civility where when they come back on the next day they have flowers and kisses for their talk show oppressor Maury. Better to send these parents off to boot camp since they can't raise their kids properly than have them used by creeps like Povich.It is sad that television talk shows,a long time ago,used to be conversations about topics of the day concerning the general public.Now they are public embrassments of innocent men and others at the hands of Povich.The fact Maury Povich can run his game with a national TV audience watching no less,tells me what sad shape the country is in right now.

Why is this show still on? Can people not get enough images of naughty teens in boot camps or crying women or guys finding out they are fathers or not? Oh well. I at least give Maury props for doing shows on physical abnormalities like fat babies, midgets and those people with the gigantic heads and eyes that age too fast. *shivers*

Connie Chung seems to be the dumbest, least appealing woman in her field so I suppose it's appropriate she's married to the dumbest, least appealing man in his field. I want to punch Maury in the face every time I see his retarded, smiling mug. His voice is so annoying. Note the part of the show where he says "promotional consideration provided BY..." That "by" is the single most annoying syllable ever recorded by man....

Seriously, what else can expect from a guy named "Maury".... Sheesh..