It looks like Jerry Springer might be off the air for a while.
The 78-year-old London-born talk show host who rose to fame on “The Jerry Springer Show” recently traded in his microphone for a gavel on “Judge Jerry.” However, Deadline has reported that the show will end after its third season wraps up in September. The show first debuted on September 9, 2019, and featured Jerry serving as the judge of a small claims court that often featured family or friends suing each other for petty sums of money.
Why Is Jerry Springer’s ‘Judge Jerry’ Coming To An End?
This week on #JudgeJerry! pic.twitter.com/5QvTgyUZhD
— Judge Jerry (@JudgeJerryTV) March 6, 2022
It seems that NBCUniversal Syndication Studios couldn’t find the viewership to justify a fourth season of the daytime court TV show. NBC stations will continue to air the remaining episodes through September.
In 2019, NBCU said that “Judge Jerry” was the highest-rated syndicated court show premiere in five years. However, the show, which is executively produced by Kerry Shannon, eventually lost viewership and currently sits at the bottom of syndication ratings.
Several fans offered commentary as to why they felt Jerry was being pulled off the air.
— The Jerry Springer Show (@SpringerTV) March 3, 2022
“I actually enjoyed Judge Jerry, came on at 7:00 am and watched it while drinking my coffee,” another wrote. “Don’t understand why they are taking him off the air. 😕🥲🥲”
“I guess Jerry Springer isn’t seen as outrageous like in the past,” one fan commented. “There are many others who are crazier than he is. His judge show probably didn’t attract the crazed fans like his old show did.”
“The Jerry Springer Show” ran for 27 seasons and produced more than 5,000 episodes.
‘The Jerry Springer Show’ First Started Out As A Political Talk Show
Some fans might be surprised to learn that “The Jerry Springer Show” – which is known for its outrageous guests pulling hair and throwing chairs – first started out as a political talk show which covered topics ranging from homelessness to gun control when it debuted on September 30, 1991.
In 1994, Springer and producer Richard Dominick tried to find a way to build ratings to avoid cancelation. Viewership skyrocketed after the show became less political and more sensational. Guests started confronting their family members about controversial topics, such as cheating, homosexuality, prostitution, or other polarizing situations. Some encounters on stage turned violent and featured guests pulling each other’s hair or hitting each other with chairs. By 1998, it was even more popular than “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in many cities.
Unfortunately, the show wrapped up its 27 season run on July 26, 2018, although The CW continues to air old episodes.
Jerry Springer Admits That ‘The Jerry Springer Show’ Was ‘Stupid’
you just had to be there #JerrySpringer pic.twitter.com/Q7iqI7zjIY
— Judge Jerry (@JudgeJerryTV) March 1, 2021
As The Blast previously reported, Jerry said that he loved his “stupid’ show.
“I can’t think of anything more fun,” Jerry said of hosting the show. “I mean, I never took it seriously. I always knew it was a stupid show. But it’s fun, and people enjoyed it.” He compared the experience of watching the show to chewing bubble gum, saying, “It isn’t going to save the world, but it’s not going to kill you, either.”
He said that the show had “a democratic quality to it” that introduced the world to all kinds of people.
“‘Seinfeld,’ ‘Frasier,’ ‘Friends,’ it was always well-scrubbed-looking, upper-middle-class people. And that was it, and all of a sudden my show comes on,” he recalled. He said that “The Jerry Springer Show” showcased people who “had never really been on television before,” which is what led to the show’s massive appeal.
Jerry also joked that, compared to social media today, “our show is like ‘I Love Lucy.’”
When asked about his role as “Judge Jerry,” he said that he tried to be “fair” and “grandfatherly,” as opposed to someone like Judge Judy, who he called a “disciplinarian” and “very stern.”
“I am the second parent you go to after that disciplinarian parent says, ‘You’re not having that,’” he joked, adding, “It’s just not my personality. No one would take it seriously if all of a sudden I started [yelling]. A lot of people watched for 27 years my crazy show, but I’m never yelling at the guests. I’m never cursing.”
“So it’s easier to be yourself than to play any other role,” he added. “That’s what I feel, right?”
It remains to be seen if Jerry Springer has another TV show in the works, or if he’s going to take it easy for a while. Fans will support him either way!
