Netflix is set to release a two-part documentary on The Jerry Springer Show on January 7, which promises to lift the lid on what really went on behind the scenes on the infamous talk show.
The Jerry Springer Show debuted on September 30, 1991, and would go on to air 27 seasons, becoming one of the biggest shows of the 1990s. At one point, the show even beat Oprah in the ratings. However, it also came with much controversy for its outlandish topics, onstage fights, and backstage drama.
In the newly released trailer for Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action, viewers hear from former producers and guests as they discuss the inner workings of the landmark tabloid talk show.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize for everything I’ve ever done. I have ruined the culture,” host Jerry Springer says in a resurfaced clip from the trailer. Springer died in April 2023 following a short battle with pancreatic cancer.
The doc also features interviews with former producers, including Toby Yoshimura, who says in the trailer, “I don’t think anybody knew how crazy this show was going to be.”
While the show started off as a typical syndicated talk show, poor ratings forced the producers to take a different direction. “All I had to do was convince [Springer], ‘Let’s make it wild,’” Richard Dominick, a former executive producer, says in the teaser.
Another producer refers to the show as “the modern version of the Roman Colosseum,” noting that Springer was determined to “demonstrate outrageousness.”
RelatedJerry Springer Docuseries Coming to Netflix to Reveal ‘Darker Truths’ of the Controversial Talk Show
However, the show came under fire for its lewd content and questions about authenticity and exploiting its guests. “The bigger that show got, it raised questions about what really went on backstage,” one voice is heard saying in the trailer.
A former guest on the show adds, “The producers were coaching us on what to say and how to act. They weren’t interested in what kind of impact it was going to have on you.”
Yoshimura admits, “Some stories went too far… We started pushing the needle towards red. Let’s see how far we can push it.”
Speaking to Extra about the upcoming Netflix doc, Yoshimura stated, “It’s all the stuff that you didn’t see onstage that people are always wondering how we did it and what was going on back then.”
Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action, Premieres, January 7, Netflix
More Headlines:
‘Gilmore Girls’ Gets Cozy Over at Hulu This Holiday SeasonHouse Where Brittany Murphy & Husband Died Goes Up for SaleJerry Springer Netflix Doc Reveals Bombshell Secrets of Tawdry Show — Watch Trailer (VIDEO)Did Angelina Jolie Really Sing in Netflix’s Maria Callas Biopic?Wendy Williams Bombshell as ‘Incapacitated’ Star Is Seen in Public
