As expected, the long-running “Dr. Oz Show” will end in the wake of host Dr. Mehmet Oz’s announcement late last month that he’s running for U.S. Senate.
The daily hourlong talk show, syndicated across the country by Sony Pictures Television, will end Jan. 14 after 13 seasons, Sony said in a statement Monday.
As the Los Angeles Times previously reported, the program will be replaced by “The Good Dish,” a one-hour syndicated show co-hosted by Oz’s daughter Daphne Oz, “Top Chef” judge Gail Simmons and Food Network star Jamika Pessoa. It will debut Jan. 17 in the Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Dallas markets.
“The Dr. Oz Show” was promptly pulled from several of those markets — specifically those that reach Pennsylvania TV households — after the celebrity heart surgeon announced his intention to run for the state’s open Senate seat as a Republican, in hopes of replacing retiring Sen. Pat Toomey.
The move brings Oz’s unrivaled name recognition and wealth to a political race that is expected to be among the nation’s most competitive and could determine control of the Senate in next year’s election, the Associated Press reported.
The decision to pull the 10-time Emmy-winning program is necessitated by the FCC’s equal-time provision for broadcast TV stations. If a declared candidate for political office is given free airtime on a TV station, the same opportunity has to be given to other contenders, the L.A. Times reported.
Observing that rule would have been a logistical nightmare for TV stations that run “Dr. Oz,” and TV stations would have likely replaced the show with other programming during the campaign.
Oz — a longtime New Jersey resident — did not acknowledge his talk show’s end Monday on Twitter but instead took aim at ABC’s “The View” and the Philadelphia Inquirer, accusing them of trying to “cancel” him after learning his party affiliation.
Meanwhile, Sony’s revelation of the show’s conclusion was couched in an announcement about “The Good Dish,” which grew out of weekly segments on “The Dr. Oz Show.” The show is touted as offering “simple shortcuts, money-saving tips, must-have trends and effortless how-tos that will make life easier, more delicious and more fun,” according to a press release.
“Audiences have been loving what Daphne, Gail and Jamika have been serving up during their weekly segments on ‘The Dr. Oz Show’ for years,” said Sony Pictures Television’s Zack Hernandez, the senior vice president and general sales manager of U.S. syndication sales.
“We have long believed ‘The Good Dish’ would make an excellent stand-alone series and are delighted to be able to deliver this fresh take on the cooking genre to our station partners and their viewers across the country.”
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