Maury

Maury Information

Maury (sometimes known as The Maury Povich Show) is a syndicated American tabloid talk show hosted by Maury Povich.

When the series first aired in 1991, the show was called The Maury Povich Show and was produced by MoPo Productions in association with Paramount Domestic Television. The show adopted the title Maury in the 1995"1996 season. The show was then revamped in the 1998"1999 season, when Studios USA (now NBCUniversal) took over production. However, MoPo continues to co-produce with NBCUniversal. For the series' first 18 seasons, it was taped in New York City, but beginning with Season 19, the show has been taped in the Stamford Media Center in Stamford, Connecticut. Maury is one of four NBC Universal syndicated properties to make the move to Connecticut, joining the former Chicago-based Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos shows. The fourth, the syndicated Deal or No Deal, is no longer in production. The Trisha Goddard Show became the fourth show in production with NBC Universal. The TV rating on Maury is rated TV-PG and TV-14 on the syndicated stations of the United States, based on each episode's content.

On September 17, 2012, during the premiere of its fifteenth season, episodes of Maury began airing in widescreen. However, like its sister shows, it is still broadcasting 480i standard definition. The show is currently in productions of new episodes through June 2013.

Common show themes

Maury has dealt with a variety of issues across its 21 seasons, including"?but not limited to"?teenage pregnancy, sexual infidelity, paternity test results, uncommon illnesses, makeovers, "out of control" teenagers, transgender individuals, obese children, domestic violence, little people, bullying, and unusual phobias. After the taping of these episodes, guests are often tracked for progress, both on air and on the Maury website.

The show in its early years covered topics of a serious nature, including gang warfare.

In recent years, the most common case (namely from 2008 onwards) is paternity testing, followed by lie-detector testing. Abusive relationships and "out-of-control" teen girls are approximately tied for third. Guest update shows seem to be fourth. Shows with a topic that is not one of the listed four are rare, and only appear a few times a year.

Paternity tests

One of the most famous topics associated with Maury is paternity testing: a mother appears on-air attempting to prove (or disprove, in some cases) that a man is the biological father of her child or children. Often the mother will bring the child or children to the studio to prove her claim's validity to Maury, the audience, and the accused father. In most cases, the accused father is hostile towards the accusing mother, certain for various reasons (such as infidelity and sterility) that the child cannot be related to him. Sometimes the accused father believes that the accusing mother is just after money.

In other episodes, a man who has been a devoted dad for his child(ren)'s whole life/lives discovers that he might not be the biological father but might have suffered a paternity fraud (he discovers this either by infidelity suspicions/proof, or the wife may admit it to the husband on the show) and turn to a paternity test for proof. These episodes are more sentimental.

After the initial accusations, Maury sits the opposing parties down to read the results of a paternity test that had been performed before the show's taping. This can be either "You are the father!" or "You are not the father!" After the results are revealed, the parties react accordingly; a follow-up episode often checks up on the story months later.

DNA Diagnostics Center is the exclusive DNA laboratory for Maury (as well as other popular daytime TV series including Judge Judy, Divorce Court, and Dr. Phil

Polygraph tests

Some episodes of the series deal with infidelity in relationships. Despite the findings of the United States Supreme Court that "There is simply no consensus that polygraph evidence is reliable," the accused individual is often attached to a polygraph machine and asked questions about the topic at hand (or will sometimes admit secrets to his/her partner). The results will come up "That's a Lie" or "You are Telling the Truth". In rare circumstances, the accused individual would admit his/her affairs while being tested (result: "You admitted to our lie detector administrator you've done so."), or if the person refuses to answer a specific question.

In some cases, Maury and the shows producers would settle the accused in a "green room," where either a buddy or a sexy decoy would appear as another guest of the show in order to get to the whole truth.

Shocking Sex Secrets

Some episodes of the series deal with individuals who wish to reveal a secret to their loved ones. The segment usually begins with the person wishing to tell the secret on stage with Maury and he/she goes through the story. Next, the wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend is brought out, and soon after the secret is told. The wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend will often walk off the stage, with the person telling the secret chasing after them apologizing. However, it may occasionally result in a positive reaction from the wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend.

In some segments, the third party involved in the secret may also appear on the show. Secrets revealing a man may not be the father of their children can sometimes result in a paternity test.

Controlling and abusive men

Some episodes in the series also deal with abusive relationships where men believe it is their right to control and abuse the women they love. In these episodes, women currently in relationships with controlling and abusive men appear on the show for help. These men often say things such as "It's a man's world" or "A woman is here to serve a man". A lot of the times they will emotionally and physically abuse women if they feel the women are not following their rules (i.e. when they can and can't see their family and friends, not allowing them to see other men, how they are to serve the men their food, how the men are to be addressed as, when and where they can sleep, etc.). In some episodes, the men may also inspect their woman's body on a consistent basis to make sure their wife or girlfriend does not cheat on them. These men are also brought to the studio and publicly rebel against their girlfriend, fiance, or wife and refuse to listen to their pleas.

In an attempt to help both the women who are being controlled and to stop the men's controlling ways, Povich brings in a variety of guests, from women who were previously in an abusive relationship to mothers of daughters in abusive relationships; in one episode, a former guest, a man who changed his controlling ways after his first appearance on the show, was brought in. After the show, the men are transported to a location in an attempt to scare them into acting differently; mostly the place was a funeral home (the abused women are in coffins to appear as if they are deceased); other times the place was a homeless shelter. In one episode, the place was a prison. Usually, the tables are turned and they are made to follow the rules (i.e. serve the women food in a different manner than their abusive manner).

When the men return to the studio, they often apologize for their behavior. Occasionally, couples return because the men, who stop the abuse, are suspected of cheating on the same women they beat.

"Out of control" teenage girls

In these episodes, distressed mothers or family members of delinquent teenage girls turn to Maury for help. These teenagers often have issues dealing with drug addiction, promiscuity, prostitution, shoplifting, gang involvement, or the strong desire to become pregnant at a young age. More simply, the show usually deals with violent teens or teens who wish to have a baby (sometimes both). These teens are brought to the studio, where, like the controlling men, they publicly rebel against their parents/guardians/foster carers and refuse to listen to their pleas. Often the girls wear revealing clothing.

From former prostitutes and teen moms, to motivational speakers and police officers. In recent episodes, Maury gets a combination of Trisha Goddard (Conflict Resolution Expert), Raphael B. Johnson (Motivational Speaker), and Dave Vitalli (Special Ops Expert) to help reform the teens. These individuals will often share their stories with the girls, or attempt to motivate them to improve themselves. Afterward, the girls are shipped to a location in an attempt to scare them into acting differently; sometimes these places have been prisons, other times the girls have been forced to partake in boot camp activities, and often are shown that they could end up dead or homeless if they don't change their ways. Teens wanting babies are sent to "Baby Boot Camp" and are forced to take care of young children.

When the girls return to the studio, the majority of them appear wearing better clothing, apologize for their behavior, and, in cases where they want babies, realize that they are not ready to be parents.

Transsexuals

In these episodes, a group of ten to twelve guests who look like beautiful women (but in reality, some of these guests were born male) would parade on the set in revealing clothes (i.e., skimpy dresses, lingerie, swimsuits, etc.) while Maury would ask the audience if the guest in question was a man or a woman. Towards the end of the show, the guest would reveal his/her physical sex.

Occasionally, there would be shows in which some of the guests who appear male are actually biologically female.

Caught on Tape Moments

Maury, namely in recent years, has begun showcasing clip shows. These shows often involve other famous news anchors appearing and commentating on them. Also, bizarre medical cases have been shown as well that show amazing survivals.

Missing Children

Maury has also done episodes focusing on children who have gone missing. These episodes contain an interview and explanation with/by the parent(s) and/or other family of the missing children, then shows a dramatization of the events causing that child's disappearance. Appropriate phone numbers that one should call if he/she spots or knows of the child are also showed.

Transformations

These type of episodes focus on a man or woman who used to be very different and have now changed his or her life. Usually, the man or woman that has changed his/her life will show what that life had been like before it changed. Then, the person will walk in to the stage, showing off a new look. One of the people who primarily hated his/her old look will then come out on to the stage, and the person that had changed will briefly "hide" from the stage. Then, the person who had transformed will walk back on to the stage, and the once-opposing person will then react accordingly.

Most of the time this will be a woman who has changed her life, but men who have changed their lives have also sometimes appeared.

Other

At the end of each year, Maury will do a "top 10" of the season and do an update on each guest.

He will also occasionally do a "guest update" and reveal to the viewers what happened to a guest after the show (i.e. if a man is still raising a child proven not to be his, or if a husband who previously controlled his spouse is back to his old ways).

Maury would also do episodes where people confront their fears and phobias on stage, with the help of Gary Coxe or Boris Cherniak. The most recent phobia episode originally aired on August 6, 2009.

Studios

For the first 18 seasons, Maury episodes were taped back-to-back at the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City. The studio shared the facility in the Hotel Pennsylvania with The People's Court until the show relocated studios in 1998, and The Sally Jessy Raphael Show until its cancellation in 2002.

For the 2009-10 season, production was moved from New York City to Stamford, Connecticut, where the series is now taped at the Stamford Media Center, along with The Jerry Springer Show and The Steve Wilkos Show. This move was made in part because Connecticut offered NBC a tax credit if production of these three series was moved to the state.

Studio audience members obtain free tickets to the taping of Maury via the show's official website.

Censorship

Maury is syndicated on various stations in the United States at various times of the day, whether in the morning, afternoon, or late evening. All syndicated episodes of Maury are edited for content for broadcast regardless of broadcast time to comply with U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations regarding the broadcast of indecency and obscenity. Profanity, guests' last names or other unusual language on the program is bleeped out. In fact, this can extend as far as to remove a group of many expletives or even of an entire sentence, but making some speech incomprehensible. In addition, nudity and the partial exposure of breasts or buttocks are pixelized out.

Criticism

Some critics denounce it as being even worse than other similar talk shows such as The Jerry Springer Show, due to what is perceived as an insincere sympathy for the guests and using their serious problems for the entertainment and humor of the viewing audience. Whitney Matheson wrote about the show in her USA Today column, "Povich's talk show is, without a doubt, the worst thing on television. Period. Don't be fooled by the pressed shirt and pleated khakis; Maury is miles farther down the commode than Jerry Springer." This was also mocked on a South Park episode called "Freak Strike".

Spin-off and inspiration

On February 27, 2012, it was announced that Maury regular Trisha Goddard would be receiving her own spin-off series The Trisha Goddard Show, which premiered in syndication in Fall 2012.

Though not a spin-off, it has been reported that upcoming 2013 tabloid talk/court show Paternity Court is inspired by Maury, which is a show dubbed as the "father of paternity cases."