Forgive or Forget

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Forgive or Forget was a talk show which aired in national syndication across the United States from June 1998 to May 2000. The premise of the show involved people talking about past incidents in which the guests had wronged, or had been wronged by, a friend or a loved one, in search of making amends. This show was produced and distributed by 20th Television.

[edit] Format

Three segments usually took place per show. At the beginning of each segment, a guest (or several guests) told their side of the story to the host. Normally, the guest was someone who had done something to hurt a friend or a family member, in which case the guest wanted the other party to forgive him or her; in other cases, the guest was the one wronged by someone else, and wanted an apology from the second party. Occasionally, the other party was interviewed during the segment via closed circuit television, during which time the host usually tried to help the two parties come to a resolution.

Near the end of the segment, the guest or guests were asked to proceed to a large door at the end of the stage. If the offended party was willing to forgive or apologize, they would be waiting behind the door, and both sides would reunite when the door opened. However, if the second party was not willing to make amends, the door would open to reveal no one on the other side.

After the reveal, Mother Love would further counsel the parties involved in the situation; if the guest received an "empty door", a taped response by the second party was shown to the guest explaining why they would not come to the door. (In later episodes, another live interview would be held via closed circuit TV, again with all guests participating; occasionally this second interview led to the offended party changing their mind and being willing to finally come to the door and reunite with the guest.)

On several episodes, a guest would be featured who had lost contact with their family and wished to be reunited; if the family was willing to reunite with the guest (which usually happened), they would be waiting on the other side of the door.

The original host of the show was Mother Love, but was replaced on January 17, 2000 with former Head of the Class actress Robin Givens. The new revamped show was not a hit and was cancelled that May.