‘The Jerry Springer Show’ Effectively Canceled, Source Says

The Jerry Springer Show has effectively been canceled, with NBCUniversal Television Distribution no longer making new episodes of the iconic talk show, a source told The Wrap Thursday.

Jerry Springer will move over to The CW starting this fall, where all remaining episodes will air. Repeats will air on The CW and other networks nationwide with still active syndication deals with NBCU.

However, The Wrap‘s source said that The CW does have the option of ordering new episodes.

News of the series facing cancellation surfaced last week when Broadcasting & Cable first reported on the show’s move to The CW.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight earlier this week, Springer confirmed the move to The CW, and said the network will air older episodes alongside new ones.

“A deal has been made with The CW and so our show will be on in most cities twice a day,” Springer said. “It will be mostly from the shows we’ve done, so every once in a while you’ll be seeing shows where I look a lot younger.”

Springer said the show could be on for “at least another two or three years” before network executives would have to decide to keep it going. The 74-year-old also said there has been talk about him doing something else on television, but he is not sure he could take on another project.

“Other people have come and talked about possible television projects, but I don’t know that I can maintain this schedule that … has been insane for all these years,” he told ET.

The Jerry Springer Show started in 1991, with 3,891 episodes airing over 27 seasons. Springer initially wanted to host a serious political talk show, but it soon turned into the low-brow format we know today, where conflicts between guests would break out on the stage.

Before Springer became a talkshow host, he worked as an attorney and was a campaign advisor for Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. He unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1970 and served as the Mayor of Cincinnati for a year between 1977 and 1978.

In a February interview with The Daily Beast, Springer admitted his show is “stupid,” but rejected the idea his show influenced bad behavior.

“To suggest that bad behavior came about because of television is drugstore psychology, and hard to take that seriously,” Springer said. “Look, the show’s stupid. Don’t watch it. That’s why God gave us remote controls. The show is a one-hour escape. It’s not great literature. If I were in college, would I watch it? Hell, yeah. I wouldn’t watch it now, but I’m a 74-year-old man. It’s not aimed at me. It’s aimed at college kids. That’s basically our audience.”

Outside of The Jerry Springer Show, Springer also hosted America’s Got Talent for two seasons.