Mehmet Oz is thisclose to catching Phil McGraw as TV’s top doc — in what would be a seismic shift in the daytime landscape.
“The Dr. Oz Show,” hosted by New York’s renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, premiered strongly in September and has continued to grow as the biggest daytime launch since “Dr. Phil” in 2002.
It’s averaging 3.5 million viewers season-to-date — just 200,000 viewers behind “Phil,” according to Nielsen data.
“I think ‘Dr. Oz’ could surpass ‘Dr. Phil’ in viewers by the end of its first season,” says industry expert Brad Adgate of Horizon Media. “It’s certainly possible, and even likely.
“Stations are very comfortable with giving ‘Oz’ good clearances and viewers are comfortable watching it — and want to watch it.”
Adding to the “Oz” vs. “Phil” intrigue is their similar pedigree: both feature hosts who were extremely popular “Oprah Winfrey Show” regulars — and both shows are co-produced by Winfrey’s Harpo Productions.
(Sony Television also co-produces “The Dr. Oz Show.”)
“It just shows the huge influence Oprah has,” says Adgate. “Both Oz and Phil McGraw . . . have gone off and done amazingly well.”
The success of “Dr. Oz” isn’t completely unexpected, given the proven track records of “Dr. Phil” and “Rachael Ray,” another Harpo-produced show that’s flourished in daytime.
And “Oprah” viewers were already familiar with the telegenic, scrubs-clad Oz, who continues to perform surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital — and whose profile was given a huge boost by his appearances on “Oprah.”
” ‘Dr. Oz’ has momentum, it’s new and there is some fatigue factor with ‘Dr. Phil,’ ” Adgate says.
“And Mehmet Oz has become a household name in the same way as Dr. Phil. For a show like ‘Oz’ to crack the top 10 in its first year is extraordinary.”
But that doesn’t mean that “Dr. Phil” isn’t spoiling for a fight.
The show, perched in the number two slot behind “Oprah” for seven years, was recently renewed for another four seasons, taking it through 2014.
And in the most recent syndicated ratings data (for the week ending Nov. 1), “Phil” increased its slight lead in households and viewers over “Dr. Oz.”
“Of course we care about numbers, but our focus is on doing the best shows we can do,” says a “Dr. Phil” spokeswoman.
“For eight years we’ve remained second only to ‘Oprah’ — and we expect to have the same kind of success through 2014.”