If you grew up in the 1990s, there’s a good chance you spent at least one or more sick days home from school (or work) watching “Jerry Springer.” From the cheering (“Jerry! Jerry!”) and bizarre guests that make you feel better about your life choices, to the inevitable on-screen fights, this was the epitome of trashy television. Some might even say America wouldn’t be in the predicament it’s in today (with reality show popularity at an all-time high and even a former reality TV star returning to the White House) if it weren’t for “Jerry.”
The new Netflix documentary “Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action” actually alludes to that at one point, but that might be a bit of a stretch.
From its inception in 1991, Jerry Springer’s daytime talk show kept audiences on their feet with outrageous stories that appeared to be ripped from supermarket tabloids. That’s no coincidence: Within the first few minutes of the doc, you find out that the executive producer, Richard Dominick, was a former writer for the Sun and Weekly World News. Moreover, you learn that Springer would likely have never become Springer were it not for Dominick’s vision — for better or worse.
But it didn’t all start out like that. The first 20 minutes of this two-part documentary highlight the old Jerry. The serious Jerry. The Jerry who was once Mayor of Cincinnati and who won multiple regional Emmy awards for his news commentary. It’s surprising to hear that the King of Trash TV was such a buttoned up, reputable journalist and politician then. Then again, Jerry was the most “normal” aspect of his show. He was the voice of reason. So reasonable, in fact, that when his “serious” talk show began tanking in the ratings, he was open to doing literally whatever he could to ensure he would become a success.
From there, the first episode (much like the show itself) dives into what led to the show’s turn into the scandalous daytime chat circus it became, with insight from Dominick as well as other “Springer” insiders like producers Melinda Chait Mele, Annette Grundy, and Tobias Yoshimura. Headlines like “I Refuse to Wear Clothes,” “Diaper Bob,” “I Married A Horse,” and “Klanfrontation!” Snippets of guests revealing shocking surprises in various states of dress. And yes, plenty of fights — the same ones that really put “Jerry Springer” on the same playing field as the Queen of Talk Shows, Oprah. Oh, and they make it clear that Ms. Winfrey was clearly not a “Springer” fan.
Like many recent documentaries about once-beloved shows, this docuseries also sheds some light into bits of behind-the-scenes exploitation. There are revelations into how intensely overworked the producers were, and some of the general fear around EP Dominick. But the series also goes further to showcase the twisted ways in which guests were treated, hyping them up to scream and fight just before going out on stage, and even refusing to fly them back home if they decided they didn’t want to participate in the full episode.
By Episode 2, the series goes headfirst into some of the more impactful catastrophes brought on by Springer, namely the murder of a former guest at the hands of her ex not long after their episode aired on national television. Those of us who watched Springer in real time know that little to no thought was given to the very real people whose lives were affected by going on the show and airing their dirty laundry. To hear from the son of the murdered guest and how it affected his life was an important addition to this documentary, which could have just as easily continued to make a spectacle of Springer guests.
All in all, the only thing missing from this docuseries is hearing from Jerry Springer himself. The man whose name was chanted every weekday for 27 years passed away from pancreatic cancer in April 2023. Unable to speak for himself, it would have been nice to include a few more clips from past interviews to get more of an understanding of his take on the show. That said, there’s rarely an ill word spoken of him throughout both episodes, so maybe it’s not entirely necessary.
“Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action” is clearly made for everyone who chose to spend a few hours now and then watching the worst of humanity bare its soul on national television in the 90s. It was a show that came about at the right time, before everyone had a camera in their pocket ready to record the next big, shocking thing. And while it’s a bit much to blame it for the “Idiocracy” we keep moving toward, it definitely had a significant impact in pushing the culture toward more shock, violence and, well, trash. Can you really blame them for giving the people what they wanted?
“Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action” premieres Tuesday, January 7 on Netflix.