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ABC Docuseries ‘Dirty Talk’ Debuts, Revisiting Daytime Talk’s Heyday as Povich Defends His Legacy

The three-part series probes the genre’s ethics through fresh insider accounts featuring cutthroat booking tactics.

Overview

  • The premiere aired Jan. 14 on ABC, with episodes available the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
  • In new interviews, Maury Povich says he has no regrets and contends on-air paternity tests were intended to bring families together.
  • Povich describes a relentless ratings race that pushed riskier segments and argues the era helped trigger modern reality franchises.
  • In the debut episode, former Maury producer Anthony Freire recounts poaching a guest from Sally Jessy Raphael, a story producer Burt Dubrow corroborates.
  • According to the announced lineup, episode two arrives Jan. 21 to examine audience and guest motives and a post-taping murder case, with episode three on Jan. 28 charting escalating sensationalism led by Jerry Springer.