Dr. Phil to work a night shift
Whatever the particulars of any family, Dr. Phil McGraw believes most share the same major issues.
The TV-friendly clinical psychologist moonlights from his syndicated weekday show, “Dr. Phil,” to do his first prime-time special as CBS presents “Family First” on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Hidden cameras capture what McGraw believes are the biggest mistakes moms and dads can make. Also during the two-hour program, McGraw visits a household that could use his help; the father and the son are estranged, and the daughter has taken up drinking and promiscuity.
The show also has its lighter moments, as when McGraw helps actresses Vanessa Marcil (“Las Vegas”) and Holly Robinson Peete (“For Your Love”) potty-train their young children.
Nicole Kidman, Will Smith, Robert Redford and Amy Brenneman (“Judging Amy”) are among other celebrities who turn up to share their adventures in parenting.
“I think there are an infinite number of ways to raise children,” McGraw says. “There are things that work better than others.
“If you have a child who’s out of control, you can spank him or put him into a time-out. I don’t think that’s even a close call. There are things clearly indicated as more efficient ways to shape a child’s behavior than others, and what we’ve tried to do in the special is to pull from all the different disciplines. It’s not just one approach.”
Brought to national prominence by Oprah Winfrey, McGraw believes “neglectful parenting is, far and away, contributing more to that pathology of children in America than any other thing. Parents are not intending to neglect their children. Parents are doing the best they can with what they have, and they’re doing the best they can with what they know.
“My approach to parenting in the special, and on the ‘Dr. Phil’ show, is not to guilt-induce parents or to indict them as being bad people. Nobody ever taught us how to be mothers and fathers, and what I’m trying to do is to bring some usable information to parents.”
The inclusion of superstars such as Kidman and Redford obviously makes “Family First” more appealing to CBS — and to viewers, the network hopes — but McGraw maintains he has featured celebrities only “if they had something significant to say that is instructive.
“If somebody has the ability to show that they’ve overcome something in their lives or they’ve used a certain skill or ability, then there will be something significant there.”
McGraw doesn’t find stars “drastically different” from other people when he discusses parenting matters with them, “but I think they can bring attention to an important issue: overcoming parental legacy, for example. If you’re talking about the need to reorder your life to put your kids as a high priority, I think a celebrity can turn up the volume on the issue. People will kind of perk up and go, ‘I know them. Let me hear what they have to say.’
“I don’t think their challenges are any different. Maybe they travel more than some.”
In some areas, “Family First” will have McGraw competing with himself, since “Dr. Phil” (which starts its third season this month) is shown in prime time there. He notes the situation is “very unique for a daytime talk show,” but he remains glad “Family First” is a nighttime offering.
“It gives me the chance to get some different eyeballs looking at something I’m passionate about. You have a set of viewers available during the day, and there’s a whole different set of viewers available in the evening.
“This gives me a chance to introduce these important concepts; it’s kind of a call-to-arms about what to do.”
“Family First” airs soon after McGraw’s son, author Jay McGraw, debuted the similarly themed Fox series “Renovate My Family.” Dad doesn’t mind, saying, “Jay has always been a very giving kid. It is only natural that he is delivering hope and optimism to families across America.”
The elder McGraw generally believes the more said about the issues involved, the better: “I think it’s not our right, but our responsibility, to focus on our family.”