TV Trend: Shut Up

By Stephen M. Silverman

Tuesday September 29, 1998 12:00 AM EDT

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Talk may be cheap, but it doesn't score big TV ratings. Roseanne, Martin Short, Dr. Joy Browne, Leeza Gibbons and hip-swiveling chef Ainsley Harriott are all expected to lose their basement-rated gabfests soon, reports USA Today. Richard Simmons's "DreamMaker" was axed earlier this season, while Robin Givens (replacing Mother Love) has failed to attract a healthy viewership for "Forgive or Forget." And who is slamming these daytime stalwarts in the ratings game? No, not Jerry Springer, whose toned-down series is actually losing viewers. It's Judge Judy. The feisty magistrate is still an audience favorite, as is the entire courtroom genre. There are currently six shows featuring a judge banging a gavel, including the newly revived and popular "Divorce Court" and "The People's Court" with Judy's husband, Jerry Sheindlin. Still, talk is not dead. Against all odds, Dr. Laura Schlessinger continues to proceed with her show, due to bow in September.