Maury (TV series) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Maury is a syndicated American tabloid talk show

Tabloid talk show

Tabloid talk shows are a genre of American television programming talk shows that achieved peak viewership during the late 20th century. Airing mostly during the day and distributed mostly through broadcast syndication, this genre originated with The Phil Donahue Show and was popularized by the...

hosted by Maury Povich

Maury Povich

Maurice Richard "Maury" Povich is an American TV talk show host who currently hosts his self-titled talk show Maury.-Personal background:...

.

When the series first aired in 1991, the show was called The Maury Povich Show and was produced by MoPo Productions

Maury Povich

Maurice Richard "Maury" Povich is an American TV talk show host who currently hosts his self-titled talk show Maury.-Personal background:...

in association with Paramount Domestic Television

Paramount Domestic Television

Paramount Domestic Television was the television distribution arm of American television production company Paramount Television, once the TV arm of Paramount Pictures...

. The show was revamped in the late-1990s as Maury, adopting this title in 1998

1998 in television

The year 1998 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1998.For the American TV schedule, see: 1998–99 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...

when Studios USA (now NBC Universal

NBC Universal

NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...

) took over production. However, MoPo continues to co-produce with NBC Universal. For the series' first 18 seasons, it was taped in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, but beginning with Season 19, the show has been taped in the Stamford Media Center in Stamford, Connecticut

Stamford, Connecticut

Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...

. Maury is one of four NBC Universal syndicated properties to make the move to Connecticut, joining the former Chicago-based Jerry Springer
The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...

and Steve Wilkos
The Steve Wilkos Show
The Steve Wilkos Show is a syndicated American tabloid talk show hosted by Steve Wilkos. The show debuted on September 10, 2007, two months after Wilkos' departure as director of security on The Jerry Springer Show.-History:...

shows. (The fourth, the syndicated Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal (U.S. syndicated game show)
Deal or No Deal is an American game show, a daytime version of the American series of the same name that is syndicated by NBCUniversal Television Distribution. It premiered on September 8, 2008 and is hosted by Howie Mandel. The format is similar to the UK version of the show...

, is no longer in production.) But the TV rating on Maury has been rated TV-G, TV-PG, and TV-14 on the syndicated stations of the United States, based on each episode's content. Due to the show's suggestive content, it is recommended for local stations that air it do so mainly during the evening, late night, or overnight hours.

On October 25, 2010, it was announced that Maury will be picked up by NBC Universal

NBC Universal

NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...

through the 2013-14 season.

Common show themes

Maury has dealt with a variety of issues across its 21 seasons, including – but not limited to – teenage pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy is a pregnancy of a female under the age of 20 when the pregnancy ends. It generally refers to a female who is unmarried and usually refers to an unplanned pregnancy...

, sexual infidelity, paternity test results, uncommon illnesses, makeover

Makeover

A makeover is a term applied to changing one's appearance, sometimes through cosmetics. Makeovers can range from something as simple as a new haircut, to the use of cosmetic surgery, to the extreme of the implantation of dental veneers, eye-color-changing contact lenses, and the use of...

s, "out of control" teenagers, transgender

Transgender

Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....

individuals, obese children

Obesity

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...

, men controlling and abusing

Jealousy

Jealousy is a second emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, particularly in reference to a human connection. Jealousy often consists of a combination of presenting emotions...

women, little people

Dwarfism

Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....

, bully

Bully

Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior manifested by the use of force or coercion to affect others, particularly when the behavior is habitual and involves an imbalance of power...

ing, and unusual phobia

Phobia

A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational...

s. 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. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n62VCR--wA0

Paternity tests

One of the most famous topics associated with Maury is paternity testing, where a mother appears on air in an attempt to prove (or in some cases, disprove) that a man is the biological father of her child or children. The mother will often bring the child into the studio to prove to Maury, the audience, and the accused father, the validity of her claims. In most cases, the father is hostile towards the accusing mother, and is certain that he is unrelated to the child for a variety of reasons, sometimes due to infidelity

Infidelity

In many intimate relationships in many cultures there is usually an express or implied expectation of exclusivity, especially in sexual matters. Infidelity most commonly refers to a breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity.Infidelity can occur in relation to physical intimacy and/or...

or sterility

Sterility (physiology)

Sterility is the physiological inability to effect sexual reproduction in a living thing, members of whose kind have been produced sexually. The term may be used in reference to* types of organism, such as the mule, a sterile hybrid;...

.

In other episodes, adults who been fathering their child(ren) all the child(ren)'s life/lives discover that they may not be their biological father and have suffered a paternity fraud

Paternity fraud

Paternity fraud refers to a paternal discrepancy or a non-paternity event, in which a mother names a man to be the biological father of a child, particularly for self-interest, when she knows or suspects that he is not the biological father. The term entered into common use in the late 1990s. It...

(they discover this either by infidelity

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, and a follow-up episode often checks up on the story months later.

Lie-detector tests

Some episodes of the series deal with infidelity in relationships. The accused individual is often attached to a lie-detector machine and asked questions about the topic at hand (or will sometimes admit secrets to his/her partner). Additionally, the "Special Ops Expert" Dave Vitalli will often set up an undercover sting operation in which the accused cheater is put into a green room with a decoy (buddy and/or sexy, and in one episode Vitalli himself served as the "buddy decoy"), and everything that happens between the man and the decoy(s) is recorded and shown on the show (though the men have no idea that they have been busted doing this until it is revealed during the show). In recent episodes, this may sometimes be a Facebook

Facebook

Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

decoy; essentially the same except it happens over the internet.

This process is done to men who are being accused by their wife or girlfriend. Often, this could be done the other way round; a man may make his wife or girlfriend take a lie-detector test if he has doubts that his child(ren) are his.

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 away 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 basic 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 their abuse are suspected of cheating on the same women they beat.

"Out of control" teenagers

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

Drug

A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...

s, promiscuity

Promiscuity

In humans, promiscuity refers to less discriminating casual sex with many sexual partners. The term carries a moral or religious judgement and is viewed in the context of the mainstream social ideal for sexual activity to take place within exclusive committed relationships...

, prostitution

Prostitution

Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...

, shoplifting

Shoplifting

Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....

, gang

Gang

A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...

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.

In an attempt to help the young girls, Maury brings in a variety a guests, from former prostitutes and teen moms, to motivational speakers and police officers. In recent episodes, Maury gets a combination of Trisha Goddard

Trisha Goddard

Patricia "Trisha" Goddard is a British television presenter and actress best known for her morning talk show, Trisha Goddard, which is broadcast on a mid morning slot on Channel 5 in the UK. In Australia she is known as a long time presenter of Play School.-Background:Goddard was born in London,...

(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 apologize for their behavior, and, in cases where they want babies, realise 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 sex.

Occasionally, there would be shows in which some of the guests who look like men are actually women but it doesn't happen nearly as often.

Transformations

These type of episodes focus on a man or woman who used to be very different and have now changed their life. Usually, the man or woman that has changed their life will show what their lives had been like before they had changed themselves. Then, they will walk in to the stage, showing off their new looks. One of the people who primarily hated their old looks will then come out on to their stage, and the person that had changed their looks will briefly "hide" from the stage. Then, the person who had changed their life 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 that's changed their life, but men that have changed their life 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).

Studios

For the first 18 seasons, Maury episodes were taped back-to-back at the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Pennsylvania

Hotel Pennsylvania

The Hotel Pennsylvania is a hotel located at 401 7th Avenue in Manhattan, across the street from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden in New York City.- History :...

in New York City. The studio shared the facility in the Hotel Pennsylvania with The People's Court
The People's Court
The People's Court is a US television court show in which small claims court cases are heard, though what is shown is actually a binding arbitration....

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

Stamford, Connecticut

, where the series is now taped at the Stamford Media Center, along with The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...

and The Steve Wilkos Show
The Steve Wilkos Show
The Steve Wilkos Show is a syndicated American tabloid talk show hosted by Steve Wilkos. The show debuted on September 10, 2007, two months after Wilkos' departure as director of security on The Jerry Springer Show.-History:...

. This move was made in part because Connecticut is offering 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

Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...

(FCC) regulations regarding the broadcast of indecency and obscenity. Profanity

Profanity

Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...

, guests' last names or other unusual language on the program is bleeped

Bleep censor

A bleep censor is the replacement of profanity or classified information with a beep sound , in television or radio...

out. In fact, this can extend as far as to remove a group of many bad words or even of an entire sentence, but making some speech incomprehensible. In addition, nudity and the partial exposure of breast

Breast

The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...

s or buttocks

Buttocks

The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...

are pixelized

Pixelization

Pixelization is a video- and image-editing technique in which an image is blurred by displaying part or all of it at a markedly lower resolution. It is primarily used for censorship...

out.

Criticism

Although Maury has a more serious tone and is less raunchy in nature, some critics denounce it as being even worse than other similar talk shows such as The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...

, 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

Whitney Matheson

Whitney Matheson in Fredericksburg, Va. is a writer and the author of Pop Candy, a popular entertainment blog which is posted on USA Todays website, and also writes entertainment and pop culture features for the newspaper....

wrote about the show in her USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

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 further down the commode than Jerry Springer." This was also mocked on a South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...

episode called "Freak Strike

Freak Strike

"Freak Strike" is the 3rd episode of the sixth season of the Comedy Central series South Park and the 82nd episode of the series overall. It originally aired on March 20, 2002.-Plot:...

External links

Official website

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.