Phil McGraw just did what most NFL offensive lineman never could — he successfully blocked Michael Strahan.
For the week ending May 15 — the second full five days of the sweeps period — top talker “Dr. Phil” bested the ex-New York Giants player’s final “Live! With Kelly & Michael” episodes, per syndicated TV ratings.
“Live!” jumped 18 percent from the same week last year, the biggest growth among the talk shows. It also managed to increase 6 percent from the prior week, reaching a 3.3 rating on average.
“Dr. Phil” saw 6 percent growth from its prior session, hitting a 12-week high in the process. Its 3.4 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating handed the show another first-place finish — its 18th in the past 19 weeks.
The only week during the run that “Dr. Phil” didn’t finish on top was the week ending April 29, when “Live” experienced a 20 percent boost. That was the week when Kelly Ripa returned from her self-imposed hiatus — a protest over being left in the dark on Strahan’s decision to depart.
As for Strahan’s actual final episode, that one landed a big 3.9 rating. The former defensive end will end up at the “Good Morning America” anchor table this fall.