One of the kings of daytime TV (and arguably the titan of trashy TV) is saying goodbye. And if you can't guess who it is from that, here's a hint: some folks will need to go back to good old fashioned paternity tests to find out who the baby's daddy really is.
Yes, folks, we've finally hit the end of this run for Maury Povich. This Sunday (March 20), news broke that Maury (originally called The Maury Povich Show) is leaving the airwaves this September. The Today Show (via Yahoo! News) confirmed the reports that Maury's 31st season will be its last, ending a run that began in 1991. And this ending is apparently extremely amicable, unlike some of the entries on our list of the biggest canceled TV shows.
In a statement, Povich wrote that he was ready to leave the long-running series six years ago, and echoed his. But, unsurprisingly, NBCUniversal didn't want to let one of its most familiar and popular faces leave the airwaves. So, Povich renewed his contract, and says he did so "out of loyalty to NBCUniversal and my more than 100 staff and crew members." He's ending things on a positive note, stating "I’m so proud of my relationship with NBCUniversal and all those who worked on the ‘Maury’ show but as I occasionally tell my guests on Maury, 'Enough, already!'"
Who knows what Povich will do next, but NBCUniversal Syndication Studios Executive VP Tracie Wilson said "we are so happy for him to be able to spend more time on the golf course." The Maury show ran for more than 3,600 episodes, and it will likely live on in syndication.
Analysis: the end of a daytime TV era
This last year is a rocky moment in daytime TV talk shows, as constant change is taking place among the biggest names in the format.
We've known for a while that The Ellen Show is ending soon, and its finale will air much earlier than Maury's, on May 26, 2022. She's going out big with a huge guest list: First Lady Michelle Obama, Jennifer Garner, Channing Tatum, Serena Williams, Zac Efron, Adam Levine, Behati Prinsloo, Gwen Stefani, David Letterman, Diane Keaton, Kim Kardashian and DeGeneres' wife Portia de Rossi. While the series ends amidst a fog of controversy around accusations of a toxic workplace culture, Degeneres positioned the cancelation as her moving on, and needing a new challenge.
Earlier this year, word broke that Wendy Williams would be stepping back from The Wendy Williams Show. Oh, and Nick Cannon's talk show ended after one season.
How will TV networks fill the void? Sherri Shepherd will be the new host for a show in Williams' old timeslot, in a show called Sherri, while Fox announced that The Jennifer Hudson Show is coming soon.
Williams, though, is already talking about a return to TV.
