Trash TV.

The most popular television talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, took the high ground in the explosion of talk shows in the 1990s. While Winfrey focused on personal empowerment, social activism, and books, other talk shows relied on raucous confrontations and tell-all revelations, culminating with the murder of a Jenny Jones Show guest who had revealed on a program his crush on another male participant. Guests came on talk shows voluntarily to air their grievances; reveal deep, dark secrets; or be reunited with mysterious people from their pasts. According to many guests, producers often tried to whip them into a frenzy before they went on the air. The resultant televised emotional outbursts proved entertaining for audiences and took hosts such as Ricki Lake and Jerry Springer to the top of daytime television.

Talk TV in the 1990s.

Coming into the 1990s...