History Series / TheJerrySpringerShow

Jerry Springer, a former mayor of Cincinnati [[note]]Best known for trying to pay a prostitute... ''with a city government check''. It's important to note he became mayor ''after'' the scandal and was pretty popular while in office -- in fact, his honesty about the scandal (rather than trying to cover it up) is part of what got him elected mayor in the first place.[[/note]], hosts this show that [[InsultToRocks has to pull itself ''up'' in content quality to qualify as "Trash TV"]]. ''TV Guide'' named it as the worst show ever -- [[InsultBackfire which it proudly declares at the start of every episode]]. One of the most infamous GuiltyPleasures on TV. (September 1991 - present)

It goes without saying that the show couldn't be quite that bad without some help. While (presumably) most of the guests are real[[note]][[ProfessionalWrestling Professional wrestler JC Ice]] has played guests on the show, and wrestlers from [[http://www.marylandwrestling.com Maryland Championship Wrestling]] have been used as well. In return, Steve teamed with Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s [[TakeThat/ProfessionalWrestling Gillberg]] on their March 27, 2002 show.[[/note]], the production crew has admitted to giving them advice on how to make a better show out of their issues. In addition, Jerry and Steve themselves often dispense advice, on-stage or off-stage. A short-lived show called ''The Springer Hustle'' covered the backstage activity.

* FollowTheLeader:
** Jenny Jones, Ricki Lake, [[Series/{{Maury}} Maury Povich]], and many other tabloid talk show hosts. One could also argue that Jerry's trashier bent was due to the success of ''Geraldo''.
** Steve got his own SpinOff, which has the added bonus of Steve tearing into guests he doesn't like.
-->[[CatchPhrase Get the hell off my stage!]]
** A show called ''The Test'', hosted by Kirk Fox, attempted to combine elements of ''Jerry Springer'' and ''Maury.'' It leans more toward ''Maury'' or ''Steve Wilkos'' with DNA and lie detector tests. This still makes it at no more than two degrees of separation from Springer.

** On ''The Steve Wilkos Show'', "STEEEEEEEEEEEEVE!" is the equivalent, to the point that some of the asshole guests mock it. Then there's Steve's aforementioned "Get the hell off my stage!"

* DirtyCoward: All of the [[{{Jerkass}} scumbags]] on ''The Steve Wikos Show'' when they are confronted by Steve count as this. They act tough, but cower when Steve gets close.

* MamaBear: During a segment on ''The Steve Wilkos Show'', where a mother finds out her husband had molested and set up her daughter to be killed, it took 3 men including Steve to hold her back from attacking him and she still managed to get her hands on him.

* BlackComedyRape: In earlier seasons of ''The Steve Wilkos Show'', Steve would often make jokes about people being raped in prison. He seems to have completely removed that in recent years, probably because of the number of actual rape victims appearing on the show increasing tenfold.

* BlackComedyRape / DontDropTheSoap: In earlier seasons of ''The Steve Wilkos Show'', Steve would often make jokes about people being raped in prison. He seems to have completely removed that in recent years, probably because of the number of actual rape victims appearing on the show increasing tenfold.

The 1998 movie ''Ringmaster'' starred Jerry playing, essentially (but not in name), himself.

* PeopleInGlassHouses: The audience often take their sweet time on The Steve Wilkos Show to insult, berate, swear at and laugh at guests misfortune, when it's highly likely that some of them are hiding sins too.

** Jerry's audience does it to have fun or mock the guests. Steve's audience does the "Steeeeeeeve!" chant to indicate that they agree with his point or that of someone making their case against whichever scumbag is on stage.

* LargeHam: Steve, especially when he's confronting an antagonistic guest.

%%* ArgumentOfContradictions:

* HeroicBSOD: Because of the greater seriousness of the topics on ''The Steve Wilkos Show'', it's more likely to happen there. Often, parents who had no idea their child was being abused or wives who weren't aware their husbands were cheating on them suffer from this.

* DirtyCoward: All of the scumbags on ''The Steve Wikos Show'' when they are confronted by Steve count as this. They cower.

* NewsBroadcast: After leaving politics, Jerry became a highly respected newsanchor for Cincinnati's NBC affiliate, with a segment devoted to his personal commentary, which were always intelligent, thoughtful, and passionate. His "final thoughts" on the talk show started out as a spiritual successor to these commentary segments, before the show changed tone and emulated Geraldo Rivera rather than Phil Donohue. Sadly, his name is so synonymous with trash TV now that it's been impossible for him to return to serious journalism or politics and be taken seriously by the general public. There's an episode of the ''Radio/ThisAmericanLife'' radio series that examines this in detail. In 2005 he shook off the rep and hosted a serious, syndicated political talk show until 2006.

* ArmouredClosetGay: Occasionally they will have a guy who hooks up with men or drag queens, who still insists that she is not gay or even bisexual and has no attraction to men.

* ArmouredClosetGay: Occasionally they will have a guy who hooks up with men, or male-to-female transgender women, who still insists that she is not gay or even bisexual and has no attraction to men.

* TheCastShowoff: When a guest says that they're a dancer, stripper, rapper or other performer, the audience immediately chants "LET'S SEE!" Sometimes (usually the strippers and dancers), they're quite good. Sometimes (especially the rappers) they're horrible. If a rapper messes up, sometimes an audience member will challenge them during the questions segment at the end.

-->-- Music/WeirdAlYankovic, "Jerry Springer"

Jerry Springer, a former mayor of Cincinnati [[note]]Best known for trying to pay a prostitute... ''with a city government check''. It's important to note he became mayor ''after'' the scandal and was pretty popular while in office -- in fact, his honesty about the scandal (rather than trying to cover it up) is part of what got him elected mayor in the first place.[[/note]], hosts this show that [[AnInsultToRocks has to pull itself ''up'' in content quality to qualify as "Trash TV"]]. ''TV Guide'' named it as the worst show ever -- [[InsultBackfire which it proudly declares at the start of every episode]]. One of the most infamous GuiltyPleasures on TV. (September 1991 - present)

Jerry Springer, a former mayor of Cincinnati [[note]]Best known for trying to pay a prostitute... ''with a city government check''. It's important to note he became mayor ''after'' the scandal and was pretty popular while in office -- in fact, his honesty about the scandal (rather than trying to cover it up) is part of what got him elected mayor in the first place.[[/note]], hosts this show that has to pull itself ''up'' in content quality to qualify as "Trash TV". ''TV Guide'' named it as the worst show ever -- [[InsultBackfire which it proudly declares at the start of every episode]]. One of the most infamous GuiltyPleasures on TV. (September 1991 - present)

* ArgumentOfContradictions: A bread-and-butter staple of both shows.

* BestialityIsDepraved: the ''shocking'' case of a man who [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWNtw8HENlI married his horse]].

** Weirdly enough, subverted. While ''Series/{{Maury}}'' and ''The Steve Wilkos Show'' are about finding the truth (and occasionally pulling it out like teeth), the guests on ''Springer'' revel in revealing their ugly truths.

** Also subverted with the fact that, as opposed to ''Maury'' and ''The Steve Wilkos Show'', he doesn't use polygraph tests (a notoriously unreliable method).
* [[HeroicBSOD Blue Screen of Death]]: Because of the greater seriousness of the topics on ''The Steve Wilkos Show'', it's more likely to happen there. Often, parents who had no idea their child was being abused or wives who weren't aware their husbands were cheating on them suffer from this.

* TheCameo[=/=]CelebrityStar: Along with the expected porn stars, '''Wrestling/TheIronSheik''' once showed up in full character and received likely the biggest [[{{Face}} babyface]] reaction of his career.

** More of a "Catch Chant" at this point, but "JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!" and the newer [[LesYay "WE LOVE LESBIANS! WE LOVE LESBIANS! WE LOVE LESBIANS!"]] and "LET'S SEE! LET'S SEE! LET'S SEE!" whenever someone mentions they're a stripper.

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''The Steve Wilkos Show'' is this for ''Jerry Springer''. While Jerry deals with cases of weird sexual fetishes, cheating spouses and general weirdness, Steve deals with cases of rape, incest, child molestation, and murder. Steve's show also has a much more angry, harsh, and depressing tone to it than Jerry's does.
** However, in a bit of inversion, Jerry's set is dark and industrial looking while Steve's is bright and somewhat more contemporary.

* DirtyCoward: All of the scumbags on ''The Steve Wikos Show''.

** The above mentioned episode about how a guest was able to make anyone into a porn star, even children, disgusting Jerry enough to hurl him off the stage and then leave production for a while.

** Recently, a new show called ''The Test'', hosted by Kirk Fox, has attempted to combine elements of ''Jerry Springer'' and ''Maury.'' It leans more toward ''Maury'' or ''Steve Wilkos'' with DNA and lie detector tests. But that still makes it at no more than two degrees of separation from Springer.

** [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs Lesbian guest strippers]]. (This actually happened twice.)

* NewsBroadcast: After leaving politics, Jerry became a highly respected newsanchor for Cincinnati's NBC affiliate, with a segment devoted to his personal commentary, which were always intelligent, thoughtful, and passionate. His "final thoughts" on the talk show started out as a spiritual successor to these commentary segments, before the show changed tone and emulated Geraldo Rivera rather than Phil Donohue. Sadly, his name is so synonymous with trash TV now that it's been impossible for him to return to serious journalism or politics and be taken seriously by the general public. There's an episode of the ''Radio/ThisAmericanLife'' radio series that examines this in detail. He ''did'' host a serious, syndicated political talk show from 2005-2006.

* SubcultureOfTheWeek: This week "adulteers", next week "neo nazi", the week after that, the guy that screws goats, etc

* TalkShow: It used to be a prim and proper one.

* TranquilFury: When Steve yells at you during the first instance, he's mad. When he starts off against a guy with a [[HaHaHaNo smile on his face]], pray to every god of every religion.

* UnsettlingGenderReveal: Just about every fifth episode. Most featured men who, up until that point, thought they were dating a woman will unleash their fury upon the newly-discovered man. Hilariously inverted on a few occasions where women find out their boyfriends are actually women.

* ArmouredClosetGay: Occasionally they will have a guy who hooks up with men, or male-to-female transgender women, who still insists that he is not gay or even bisexual and has no attraction to men.

Jerry Springer, a former mayor of Cincinnati [[note]]Best known for trying to pay a prostitute... ''with a city government check''. It's important to note he became mayor ''after'' the scandal and was pretty popular while in office -- in fact, his honesty about the scandal (rather than trying to cover it up) is part of what got him elected mayor in the first place.[[/note]], hosts this show that has to pull itself ''up'' in content quality to qualify as "Trash TV". ''TV Guide'' named it as the worst show ever -- [[InsultBackfire which it proudly declares at the start of every episode]]. One of the most infamous GuiltyPleasures on TV.

*** Any kind of attempt to ''improve'' the quality of the show is jokingly rejected. During the second-to-last segment, giving individual members of the audience the chance to ask questions of the guests, when someone offers a suggestion that could help the guests' lives, the crowd would chant "Go to [[Series/TheOprahWinfreyShow Oprah!]] Go to Oprah!"

* PointAndLaughShow: The TropeCodifier. Any such show with this premise is taking its cues from this show.

* TooHotForTV: Many specials and some [=DVD=]s.

* BannedInChina: It lasted ''one episode'' in Malaysia before is was unceremoniously pulled.