The Charles Perez Show

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.

Conception and development
In 1992, Perez began his television career as a gofer for the talk show Jane Pratt. He eventually progressed to production roles on Ricki Lake and The Montel Williams Show.

Perez described his vision of the show as "the perfect union of Phil Donahue and Oprah Winfrey."

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. The show averaged a 2.6 rating in these markets, which resulted in a national launch.

The show placed emphasis on Perez's youth and Latin heritage. Perez adopted his mother's maiden name over his actual surname, Dabney, in an effort to "get in touch with his Latin side".

Topic selection
The show attempted to balance its topics between sensational, such as whether blondes have more fun, and serious, such as police brutality.

Guest recruitment
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. 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."

Broadcast history and release
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. The show's final episode was broadcast on January 26, 1996.

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

Television viewership and ratings
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. On January 2, 1996, The Charles Perez Show was cancelled by Tribune Entertainment. 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."

Critical response
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.

Litigation
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.