The Phil Donahue Show

Welcome to The Phil Donahue Show guide at TV.com. The precursor to all the daytime talk shows that arose during the 1980's and 90's. Phil Donahue's show started off similar to other shows of its day, featuring celebrities and musical acts, but he soon started pushing the envelope by discussing health and social topics previously considered taboo. Eventually, the popularity of this approach proved to be his downfall, as he was soon competing with host such as Oprah Winfrey, Sally Jesse Raphael and Geraldo Rivera, who were willing to stoop to new depths in search of sensational topics.

The Phil Donahue Show debuted in November 1967 as a local affairs talk show in Dayton, Ohio. It's host, Cleveland native Phil Donahue, was previously a news reporter for the small station on which it premiered. The show would premiere nationally on January 5, 1970 and run an astounding 26 years until September 13, 1996.