Maury (talk show)

One of the most famous themes associated with Maury is paternity testing: a mother appears on-air attempting to prove (or disprove, in some cases) that a man is the biological father of her child or children. Often the mother will bring the child or children to the studio to prove her claim's validity to Maury, the audience, and the accused father. She will often say "I'm 100%/1000% (or some other absurdly high amount) sure he is the father!" Images of the father and child are displayed on the screen. She is occasionally accompanied by her mother or other family member, either on set or in the audience. In most cases, the accused father is hostile towards the accusing mother, giving various reasons (such as infidelity and sterility) why the child cannot be related to him, often saying "The baby doesn't look like me" and sometimes "I can't have kids", "She never told me she was pregnant", or "She cheated on me". Sometimes the accused father believes that the accusing mother is just after money. He is often booed loudly by the audience when coming out on the set. Both he and the mother occasionally have to be separated by Maury or security. The accused father is occasionally accompanied by his significant other or a family member to support his claim.

In other episodes, a man who has been a devoted dad for his child(ren)'s whole life/lives discovers that he might not be the biological father but might have suffered a paternity fraud (he discovers this either by infidelity suspicions/proof, or the wife may admit it to the husband on the show) and turn to a paternity test for proof.

After the initial accusations, Maury sits the opposing parties down to read the results of a paternity test that had been performed before the show's taping. Before reading the results, Maury asks the man what he plans to do if the child is, in fact, his, and the man almost always responds by promising that he will provide for the child in that case. Maury then says "When it comes to/In the case of [age and name of child], [man's name], 'You are the father!' or 'You are not the father!'" After the results are revealed, the parties react accordingly; when the man is proven to be the father, the mother often will celebrate, whereas if the man is proven not to be the father, he jumps out of his chair and celebrates, while the mother runs or walks backstage in humiliation, sometimes hiding in a green room or bathroom, or sometimes, running through the exit and demanding that cameras stop rolling. Maury follows her to console her, saying "We'll be glad to help you find the father". In either case, the audience cheers loudly for the victorious party, who often celebrates with over the top dancing or gymnastics. A follow-up episode often checks up on the story a few weeks or months later. Mothers often return on future episodes to test more potential fathers.

Some episodes of the series deal with infidelity in relationships. Despite the findings of the United States Supreme Court that "There is simply no consensus that polygraph evidence is reliable,"[5] the accused individual is attached to a polygraph machine prior to the show's taping and asked questions about the theme at hand (or will sometimes admit secrets to his/her partner). The person who suspects his or her partner is cheating will explain to Maury his or her suspicions then a video is often shown of the accused partner telling their side of the story and denying the accusations. He or she then comes on stage being loudly booed by the audience. Both parties sometimes have to be separated by Maury or security. When the results are revealed by Maury, he typically says "You were asked if you had sexual intercourse with any other woman during your relationship with (significant other's name). You said no, and the lie detector determined that was a lie/you are telling the truth." If a person is found to be lying, Ralph Barberi, the lie detector administrator, occasionally will appear and explain that the person had "significant reactions" to one or more questions. In rare circumstances, the accused individual would admit his/her affairs while being tested (result: "You admitted to our lie detector administrator you've done so."), or the person refuses to answer a specific question. Other times, an individual will maintain their innocence despite the test results (sometimes claiming that the test was "hacked" or that the lie detector machine was "broken" or otherwise defective or malfunctional), and ask to re-take the lie detector test.

In some cases, Maury and the show's producers would settle the accused in a "green room," where either a buddy or a sexy decoy would appear as another guest of the show in order to get to the whole truth. Additionally, in some cases the person who suspects that their partner is cheating on them will also take a polygraph test asking the same questions; in a few cases, this has brought the ironically uncomfortable situation of the accusing partner being proven to have committed adultery, especially if it was revealed that the person who was originally accused did not cheat on their partner.

Some episodes of the series deal with individuals who wish to reveal a secret to their loved ones. The segment usually begins with the person wishing to tell the secret on stage with Maury and he/she goes through the story with the loved one being secluded backstage. Next, the loved one is brought out, and soon after the secret is told. The loved one will often walk or run off the stage, with the person telling the secret chasing after them apologizing. Maury follows them and escorts them back on the stage. However, it may occasionally result in a positive reaction from the loved one. A video is often shown of the third party involved in the secret apologizing and asking for forgiveness before he/she comes on stages being loudly booed by the audience.

In some segments, the third party involved in the secret may also appear on the show. Secrets revealing a man may not be the father of their children can sometimes result in a paternity test.

Some episodes in the series also deal with abusive relationships where men believe it is their right to control and abuse the women they love. In these episodes, women currently in relationships with controlling and abusive men appear on the show for help. These men are brought to the studio and booed loudly by the audience. They will oftenly say things such as "It's a man's world" or "A woman is here to serve a man", and some say they were taught by their fathers to control women and teach their children likewise. A lot of the times they will emotionally and physically abuse women if they feel the women are not following their rules (e.g., when they can and can't see their family and friends, not allowing them to see other men, how they are to serve the men their food, how the men are to be addressed as, when and where they can sleep, etc.). In some episodes, the men may also inspect their woman's body on a consistent basis to make sure their wife or girlfriend does not cheat on them. These men are also brought to the studio and publicly rebel against their girlfriend, fiance, or wife and refuse to listen to their pleas. They will often publicly rebel against the audience as well.

In an attempt to help both the women who are being controlled and to stop the men's controlling ways, Povich brings in a variety of guests, from women who were previously in an abusive relationship to mothers of daughters in abusive relationships; in one episode, a former guest, a man who changed his controlling ways after his first appearance on the show, was brought in. After the show, the men are transported to a location in an attempt to scare them into acting differently; mostly the place was a funeral home (the abused women are in coffins to appear as if they are deceased); other times the place was a homeless shelter. In a few episodes, the places were prisons. Usually, the tables are turned and they are made to follow the rules (e.g., serve the women food in a different manner than their abusive manner).

When the men return to the studio, they often apologize for their behavior. Occasionally, couples return because the men, who stop the abuse, are suspected of cheating on the same women they beat.

In these episodes, distressed mothers or family members of delinquent teenage girls turn to Maury for help. These teenagers often have issues dealing with drug addiction, promiscuity, prostitution, shoplifting, gang involvement, partying, the strong desire to become pregnant at a young age, or some combination of these. More simply, the show usually deals with violent teens or teens who wish to have a baby (sometimes both). These teens are brought to the studio and booed loudly by the audience. They often publicly rebel against their parents/guardians/foster carers and refuse to listen to their pleas. Usually, they will tell the audience to "Shut Up!" as well as "You Don't Know Me", for many reasons. They may also use derogatory language towards the audience as well or dance in a provocative manner. Often the girls wear revealing clothing.

Former prostitutes and teen moms, as well as motivational speakers and police officers often share their stories with the girls, or attempt to motivate them to improve themselves. In recent episodes, Maury recruits a combination of Trisha Goddard (Conflict Resolution Expert), Raphael B. Johnson (Motivational Speaker), and Dave Vitalli (Special Ops Expert) to help reform the teens. Afterward, the girls are transported to a location in an attempt to scare them into acting differently; sometimes these places have been prisons, other times the girls have been forced to partake in boot camp activities, and often are shown that they could end up dead or homeless if they don't change.