Review: The Neutering Of 'Dr. Laura'

You always hear various showbiz types blow off bad publicity with the same tired line: "Ah, I don't care what they say as long as they spell my name right." According to them, there's no such thing as bad publicity.

I'm guessing that at this point, Dr. Laura may disagree.

While the good doctor may have been a success on talk radio, her move into broadcast television has been in trouble from the start. As soon as plans for her daytime talker were announced by Paramount Television, the production company and the shows advertisers have been the focus of protests from every organization from gay and lesbian rights to pro-choice. And their argument has consistently hit the same note. She doesn't deserve to be on the air.

While I'm not particularly a fan of hers, I've never been much for letting mob action determine who will or won't have access to the public airwaves. If you want to try and persuade advertisers to walk away, fine. But in the end, I believe everyone has the right to be heard, and let the public decide with their remotes.

Which brings us to Dr. Laura (the show), a muddled, often boring hybrid of a talk show.

I'm not sure if the shows producers were skittish after all of the protests, or just unsure of Dr. Laura's abilities to carry a show for an hour every day. But somehow they've managed to lose the core strength of her radio program. Her ability to dominate the conversation.

Instead, every show begins with a topic--say adoption. Dr. Laura makes a brief comment upfront, then explores the subject with a mind-numbing procession of guests, experts and examples. Every point she makes has to be illustrated with a living, breathing reminder to the audience. She's talking to predetermined people in the audience, bringing guests on and off at such a dizzying pace that she resembles more of a ringmaster than a host.

The effect of all of this is that viewers who haven't heard her radio show must be confused by the furor of her critics. On television, she's not judgmental, or domineering or critical. For the most part, she's just another voice on the show. And this show can't survive with that reaction.

Early ratings have been disappointing, and the show is already rumored to be on the way to a week-long hiatus while the show is retooled.

Perhaps producers should look at the success fellow radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh had with his TV effort a few years back. That show--whether you like him or not--played to his strengths, and that is ultimately what made the show a success.

The producers need to do the same with Dr. Laura. Don't be scared by the protests, or by the perceptions of what you *think* the audience might say about her opinions. If you believed in her enough to give her a show, then have the stones to deliver the goods.

At least if it fails, then everyone involved will have done all they could.