The Charles Perez Show

The Charles Perez Show
GenreTalk show
Directed byAlex Tyner
Presented byCharles Perez
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
Production
Executive producers
  • Ray Nunn (1994–1995)
  • Herman Williams (1995–1996)
Production locationsCBS Broadcast Center, Manhattan
Running time42–43 minutes
Production companyTribune Entertainment
Original release
NetworkSyndication
ReleaseDecember 12, 1994 (1994-12-12) –
January 26, 1996 (1996-01-26)

The Charles Perez Show is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Charles Perez. Taped in Manhattan, the show ran for two seasons from December 12, 1994, to January 26, 1996.

Production

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Conception and development

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Perez began his television career as a gofer for the 1993 talk show Jane Pratt; he subsequently worked in production roles on Ricki Lake and The Montel Williams Show.[1] Perez claimed it was his dream to host his own talk show, and he produced the pilot with money lended to him by friends.[2] He described his vision of the show as "the perfect union of Phil Donahue and Oprah Winfrey."[2] In an effort to target younger demographics, the show emphasized Perez's youth and Latin heritage.[3] Perez adopted his mother's maiden name over his surname, Dabney, in an effort to "get in touch with his Latin side".[1]

Tribune Entertainment scheduled a six-week trial run of the show, which began on December 12, 1994. The trial run was tested on Tribune Entertainment's eight owned-and-operated stations, with a national launch intended for January 1995. The trial run episodes featured topics such as botched plastic surgery procedures and interracial relationships.[3] The show averaged a 2.6 rating in these markets, which resulted in a national launch.

Topic selection

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The show attempted to balance its topics between sensational, such as whether blondes have more fun, and serious, such as police brutality.[1] According to producers, Perez, then a 31-year-old, covered topics "from the point of view of his generation".[4]

Ryan Ver Berkmoes of Electronic Media described the show's typical subject matter as "People whose behavior places them out of the norm, [and] people who like to fight on camera."[5]

Guest recruitment

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The Charles Perez Show recruited guests through carts, which provided viewers with upcoming show topics and the show's phone number. Producers typically booked guests who they believed were well-spoken and had a compelling story.[6] According to producer Hilery Kipnes, in order to book guests "you have to be a social worker, a therapist, a used-car salesman and a lawyer. You use the skills you would acquire in all these jobs to convince these [prospective guests] that this is the thing to do."[6]

Prior to their appearance on the show, all guests were required to provide production staff with two forms of identification.[7]

Broadcast history and release

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The Charles Perez Show was placed in first-run syndication in the United States, in which it was distributed by Tribune Entertainment. The series premiered on December 19, 1994, in which it was broadcast on Tribune Entertainment's owned-and-operated stations. The show made its national launch on March 6, 1995; it was picked up by 37 television stations, which increased the show's clearances from 21 percent to 60 percent.[8] The show's final episode was broadcast on January 26, 1996.[9]

Internationally, The Charles Perez show was distributed by Worldvision Enterprises.[10]

Reception

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Television viewership and ratings

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Seeing low ratings, most likely due to the glut of syndicated talk shows which debuted during Perez's second season, Tribune chose to cancel the program in mid-season, ending with a 1.7 average.

In December 1995, several syndicators alleged that The Charles Perez Show was likely to face cancellation due to law ratings.[11] On January 2, 1996, The Charles Perez Show was cancelled by Tribune Entertainment.[12] Karen Corbin, senior vice president of development at Tribune Entertainment, stated: "Because of increased competition in the talk-show genre, it is difficult to find an economic upside for Charles Perez in the near future."[13]

Critical response

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The show received a mixed reception from television critics. Irv Letofsky of The Hollywood Reporter believed Perez was personable, although he criticized Perez's line of questioning and the show's topics.[14]

Litigation

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The show became a source of controversy in March 1995, when a segment aired which producers reportedly knowingly used an imposter to portray another guest's sister to fabricate a personal story for the benefit of the show. The woman whose name was used and her husband sued the show, which settled the lawsuit.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Dominguez, Robert (October 27, 1995). "Perez Has a Host of Latino 'Success' Stories to Tell". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on June 6, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Collins, Michael (July 30, 1995). "Newsfeatures". Associated Press – via LexisNexis.
  3. ^ a b Smith, Sid (December 19, 1994). "Slow Capote". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Hevrdejs, Judy; Conklin, Mike (December 7, 1994). "Northwest Suburbs Suffer a Daily-Double Loss in Attractions". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Berkmoes, Ryan Ver (April 17, 1995). "A Guide to Which Talk Show Hosts Cover What Topics". Electronic Media – via LexisNexis.
  6. ^ a b Kolbert, Elizabeth (June 11, 1995). "Wages of Deceit: Untrue Confessions". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018.
  7. ^ Pollack Bianco, Jen (October 6, 1996). "Inside the Depths of Talk TV". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024.
  8. ^ Davies, Jonathan (March 9, 1995). "Barter income boom forecast; ASTA: Upfront, scatter markets seem promising". Associated Press – via LexisNexis.
  9. ^ Carmody, John (January 2, 1996). "The TV Column". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 13, 2024.
  10. ^ Benson, Jim (March 19, 1995). "Tribune Boosts Int'l, Firstrun". Variety. Archived from the original on March 25, 2024.
  11. ^ Mifflin, Lawrie (December 20, 1995). "Falling Ratings Threaten All Except Top Talk Shows". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024.
  12. ^ Mifflin, Lawrie (January 3, 1996). "2 Daytime Talk Shows Are Canceled". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023.
  13. ^ Hevrdejs, Judy; Conklin, Mike (January 3, 1996). "'Charles Perez' Latest Talk Show to Be Drowned Out". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 25, 2024.
  14. ^ Letofsky, Irv (December 14, 1994). "'Charles Perez'". The Hollywood Reporter – via LexisNexis.
  15. ^ "Couple settles with talk show over bogus guest paymemt follows lawsuit over a 'Charles Perez' segment where an actress played the wife and discussed personal matters with wife's sister". Morning Call. March 5, 1996. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013.
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