Hard Phil to Swallow

He was one of the most fresh things on TV. Oprah's new friend, Dr. Phil McGraw, shared sensible advice for people who were making dumb decisions. No psycho-babble, no five-step plans, no blaming mommy or daddy. Dr. Phil was liked my many and launched a new show, backed by Oprah herself.

He quickly became a celebrity. The show received prime placement on stations across the country. People tuned in to watch him confront real people dealing with real issues. But somewhere along the way, Dr. Phil got off message.

I first noticed the change when Family First, Dr. Phil's book, came out. He featured the book on almost every episode. His show featured the book and spent more time promoting upcoming episodes. In recent seasons, the stories were made more spectacular by cut-aways where the staff recorded interviews with the guests and spliced comments together with staged video shots.

Altogether, Dr. Phil's show has become less homespun and more self-promotional. Its simple approach once came across strangely humble yet arrogant -- perhaps just plain sensible. Now one has to wade through stunts and pre-taped teasers to catch the little time Dr. Phil spends actually listening to and working through the steps with guests. He uses handy flash cards to quote guests and guide them to the big "will you accept the help we'll get you back home" moment.

It reminds me of evangelists who deliver a sermon then call everyone who isn't sure they have made things right with God to come down front and do it now before it's too late. Resolution isn't always possible. Dr. Phil isn't successful only if he gets a desperate person caught in a corner to promise they'll do what he says. It is the seed of sensibility that is planted, the time spent listening to and airing differences, and time to respond and reconcile that make sense. Forcing one's opinions down someone's throat is not the way to go.

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