This is the song that has endured for decades: “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!“While some may find it nostalgic, others may not place as much importance on the notion.
With the upcoming documentary “Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action” premiering next month, fans will get a “breathtaking” glimpse into what was really going on behind the scenes of one of television’s most successful shows. controversial issues in pop culture. history.
In the new trailer for two-part Netflix documentaryViewers get a glimpse of the drama that unfolded on and off camera and some of the darkest secrets that embroiled crew members, producers, former guests and even Jerry Springer himself.
“I don’t think anyone knew how crazy this show was going to be,” admits former producer Toby Yoshimura in the trailer.
JERRY SPRINGER REFLECTS ON “THE MASKED SINGER” AND SHARES IF HE WILL EVER BE “FULLY RETIRED”
Netflix recently released a “breathtaking” trailer for the upcoming documentary “Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action.” (The Everett Collection)
“The Jerry Springer Show” launched on September 30, 1991 and ran for 27 seasons. The last episode aired on July 26, 2018.
“I want to take this opportunity to apologize for everything that I have done,” Springer, who died in 2023 following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, said in a resurfaced excerpt from the tape. announcement. “I ruined the culture.”
Initially, the program began as a daytime talk show. However, given the poor ratings, the producers were quick to flip the script.
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“All I had to do was convince him, ‘Let’s make it crazy,'” former executive producer Richard Dominick says in the trailer.
From onstage brawls to shocking revelations, the show quickly became “the modern version of the Roman Colosseum,” as one producer describes it.
“The Jerry Springer Show” launched in 1991 and ran for 27 seasons until 2018. (Getty Images)
Nicknamed the “King of Trash TV,” Springer was determined to “show outrage,” he said.
But behind this massive success lies a wave of dark secrets and controversies.
“The bigger the show got, the more it raised questions about what was really going on behind the scenes,” a voice can be heard in the trailer.
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“The producers told us what to say and how to act,” said a former guest on the show. “They didn’t care about the impact it was going to have on you.”
“Some stories went too far,” Yoshimura admits.
The controversial show was rife with questionable topics including incest, bestiality and adultery. (The Everett Collection)
The show also encouraged physical altercations, chair throwing, nudity, and lots of explicit behavior. (Virginia Sherwood/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
“It was the most vile and grotesque freak show that has ever been broadcast on television,” adds longtime journalist Robert Feder.
Despite the negativity surrounding the series’ content, Yoshimura says the producers began to push the boundaries even further.
“We started to push the needle toward the red,” he says. “Let’s see how far we can go.”
Controversial topics included incest, bestiality, adultery and more, while encouraging physical altercations, chair throwing, nudity and plenty of explicit behavior.
At one point during its 27-year run, Springer found himself in the middle of a murder trial involving former guests on the show.
The show’s former producers admit they constantly pushed the boundaries when it came to what was appropriate for daytime television. (Julie Dennis/NBC Universal/courtesy Everett Collection)
In 2000, a married couple, Ralf and Eleanor Panitz, were guests on an episode of the show called “Secret Mistresses Confronted.” The couple accused Ralf’s ex-wife, Nancy Campbell-Panitz, of stalking them.
Shortly after the episode aired, Campbell-Panitz was found dead. Ralf was charged with first degree murder. He was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
“I hope you feel some sense of responsibility,” a city council member says in the documentary’s trailer. However, it is unclear exactly what he is referring to.
Jerry Springer died in 2023 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. (Getty Images)
Springer’s publicist, Linda Shafran, confirmed his death to Fox News Digital in April 2023. The television personality died of pancreatic cancer, according to Springer’s spiritual leader and friend, Rabbi Sandford Kopnick.
“Jerry’s ability to communicate with people was central to his success in everything he did, whether it was politics, broadcasting, or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word,” said Jene Galvin, a family spokesperson and friend. of Springer since 1970, said in a statement. “He is irreplaceable and his loss is extremely painful, but the memories of his intelligence, his heart and his humor will live on.”
“Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action” is scheduled to premiere January 7 on Netflix.