The Doctors is an American daily syndicated talk show created and produced by Phil McGraw and his son Jay McGraw as a spin-off of Dr. Phil and is the first talk show to be spun off from another talk show spin-off, as Dr. Phil itself is a spin-off of The Oprah Winfrey Show.
The concept, which originated on Dr. Phil, mostly focuses on health and medical issues, as a team of medical professionals discuss a range of various health-related topics and answer questions from viewers who are too embarrassed to ask their own doctors.
The show premiered in the USA in syndication on 8 September, 2008.
The Doctors premiered in South Africa on DStv's M-Net Series channel on Wednesday 1 April 2009, at 17h00. It moved to M-Net Series Reality when the channel debuted in July 2013. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 6 premiered on M-Net Series Reality on Monday 7 October 2013, at 19h30. New episodes broadcast on weekdays until 21 October, when the show moved to weekdays at 17h30. It moved again to weekdays at 16h30 from Monday 2 December, 2013.
Synopsis
From the creative team behind the long-running series Dr. Phil comes The Doctors. For the first time on daytime television, viewers have a source of reliable medical and health advice, dispensed daily by a distinguished panel of four "on-call" professionals.
These experts focus on the real-life experiences of the show's guests and then weigh in, disseminating valuable information about health, medical care and drugs in a compelling, informal, easy-to-understand and entertaining format.
The show features on-set medical procedures, either directly in front of the studio audience or in its backstage examining room, and off-site "house calls".
This medical dream team will be the "must-go-to" source for information on the latest medical breakthroughs and cutting-edge practices and procedures, providing a valuable resource for viewers who might not have access to the most updated medical advances.
Four medical practitioners, with four different specialties, five days a week, discuss what people need to know to live their best lives. If it matters to you, it matters to The Doctors.
Taped in front of an audience in Hollywood, The Doctors is produced by Stage 29 Productions and distributed by CBS Television Distribution. Jay McGraw, Carla Pennington, Patricia Ciano and Dr. Phil McGraw are executive producers.
Seasons
Note: the first five seasons aired on M-Net Series except for the final three episodes of Season 5, which moved to M-Net Series Reality.
Season 1 (180 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 1 Apr 2009 | Finale: 7 Dec 2009 | Weekdays, 17h00
Season 2 (170 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 8 Dec 2009 | Finale: 2 Aug 2010 | Weekdays, 17h00
Season 3 (171 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 2 Nov 2010 | Finale: 28 Jun 2011 | Weekdays, 17h30
Season 4 (171 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 7 Nov 2011 | Finale: 2 Jul 2012 | Weekdays, 17h30
Season 5 (170 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 9 Oct 2012 | Finale: 8 Jul 2013 | Weekdays, 17h30
Channel: MS Reality | Premiere: 9 Jul 2013 | Finale: 11 Jul 2013 | Weekdays, 19h30
Season 6
Channel: MS Reality | Premiere: 7 Oct 2013 | Finale: TBD, 2014 | Weekdays, 16h30