That daytime talk shows like "Geraldo" and "Sally Jessy Raphael" and "Jerry Springer" are sleazy comes as no surprise to anyone who's ever seen them.
But just how irresponsible they can be is clearly demonstrated in HBO's "America Undercover" installment titled "Talked to Death," which airs tonight at 11:15 p.m.This behind-the-scenes look actually makes these shows look even worse than they do just by watching their broadcast. And there are several cases in point in producer John Parsons Peditto's hourlong documentary:
- "Geraldo" producers are anxious and enraged that a guest refuses to shout back at the woman who's shouting insults at her. "Why aren't they screaming!" the producer screams.
During a commercial break, producers instruct the noncombative guest to become combative.
- There's a clip of Charles Perez (whose talk show was canceled some months ago) refusing to answer a question about whether his show had ever knowingly put an imposter on the air.
That's juxtaposed with an interview with a woman who refused to appear on Perez's show - so an imposter used her name and took her place.
- There's a grotesque sequence about the competition between "Maury Povich" and "Sally Jessy Raphael" to book a woman who removed her own breast implants.
At one point, Povich himself insists that no guest on his show has ever been lied to - juxtaposed with both that woman and a plastic surgeon insisting they had indeed been misled.
We also learn that the woman was forced out of a hospital against doctors' orders because "Sally" producers threatened to sue her if she didn't appear.
- There's a segment with a woman lied to by the producers of "Montel Williams" to get her on the show. She's trapped on stage when her sister reveals that she's been having an ongoing affair with the woman's boyfriend.
Williams is his normal pompous, arrogant self, taking none of the blame for what has just happened and actually having the gall to ask the sister why she chose to reveal this on national television.
That, of course, begs the question of why anyone would want to go on one of these shows. Apparently, it's a pathetic attempt to grab some attention.
Morton Downey Jr. - who at one time hosted one of the worst TV talk shows imaginable - is at least honest now that he's out of the business. And his words should be kept in mind by anyone considering making an appearance on "Geraldo" or "Maury" or "Sally" or "Jerry" or "Ricki."
"We're in this business to make money," Downey said. "To make money we have to get ratings. A lot of times to get ratings we have to make you look stupid, not ourselves. And we will always opt to make you look stupid."
As for that woman who slashed herself open to remove her breast implants, she opines that the hosts and producers "only care about you till the final taping."
That's no surprise. But just how shameless hosts like Rivera and Raphael and Williams with their phony caring and compassion is enough to turn your stomach.
"Talked to Death" also recapitulates the "talk-show murder," in which "Jenny Jones" guest Jonathan Schmitz killed fellow guest Scott Amedure after Amedure - who was gay - revealed he had a crush on Schmitz - who is not.
It's not just that it happened, but how. Amedure was encouraged to drink enough alcohol to loosen his inhibitions, and Jones pressed him for enough details to totally humiliate Schmitz - who show producers didn't bother to check out well enough to know he had a history of mental instability.
How anyone can watch Jones acting like a mindless (thus guiltless) fool during the trial and watch her show again is unfathomable.
There's a great deal of false piety expressed here. Hosts and producers proclaim they've learned their lesson and they won't be so naughty in the future.
"Everything that is nasty ended with that show," Povich says of that infamous "Jenny" episode.
But it rings hollow. Sure, Rivera has promised to tone down the sleaze - but he's made and broken that promise before. And for every "serious" issue that he or Lake or Raphael tackle, there are still several hours filled with cross-dressers and dysfunctional families.
A look at a week's worth of "Geraldo" and "Jenny" and "Ricki" clearly demonstrates that the outrageous still rules, that tawdry is still tops, that exploitation is still explosive.
And there's plenty of blame to go around for the high crimes and misdemeanors of daytime talk shows. The fact is that, like all programming on commercial television, these shows would not exist unless people were watching them.
What does it say about American viewers that the ratings for these shows have declined since they have brought the sleaze factor down by a notch or two?
And local stations share in the culpability. If stations like KJZZ-Ch. 14 ("Jenny's" current home) and KSTU-Ch. 13 ("Jenny's" future home) refused to carry the program, it would disappear.
Not that Channels 13 and 14 are alone. KUTV-Ch. 2 has "Maury Povich,"; KTVX-Ch. 4 has "Montel Williams" and "Ricki Lake"; and KOOG-Ch. 30 has "Jerry Springer" - not to mention "Sally Jessy Raphael" on Ch. 14.
KSL-Ch. 5 stands alone in its refusal to air tawdry daytime talk - and it has hurt the station's daytime ratings.
Thankfully, the pendulum has begun to swing away from tawdry talk. While "Rosie O'Donnell" has become a big hit its mix of comedy and entertainment, shows like "Richard Bey" and "Gordon Elliott" have been canceled.
But sleaze has not disappeared. And whether the current trend continues remains to be seen.
If the ratings support sleaze, it isn't going anywhere.