Undercover Boss (U.S. TV series)

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Undercover Boss
Undercover Boss Season 2 Intertitle.png
Season 2 Intertitle
Genre Reality television
Created by Stephen Lambert
Narrated by Mark Keller
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 61 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time 45 minutes
Production company(s) Studio Lambert
Broadcast
Original channel CBS
Picture format 480i SDTV (Season 1)
1080i HDTV
Original run February 7, 2010 (2010-02-07) – present
Chronology
Related shows Undercover Boss (franchise)
External links
Website
Production website

Undercover Boss is an Emmy Award winning American 2010 reality television series, based on the British series of the same name and produced by Studio Lambert in both countries. Each episode depicts a person who has a high management position at a major business, deciding to become undercover as an entry-level employee to discover the faults in the company. The first series consisted of nine episodes produced in 2009 and first aired on February 7, 2010 on CBS.[1] According to Advertising Age, companies that appear on the "reality" series are assured that the show will not damage their corporate brand.[2]

The series was a ratings success for the network, with its premiere episode receiving 38.6 million viewers and a share of 32 percent.[3] The first season was the most popular new show in any genre in the 2009–10 television season with an average audience of 17.7 million viewers.[4]

The second season averaged 12.158 million viewers [5] and the third season, which saw the show move from Sunday to the less popular Friday night, attracted an average of 9.347 million viewers.[6] CBS ordered a fourth season in March 2012[7] and a fifth season was confirmed in March 2013.[8] The series received Emmy Awards nominations for Outstanding Reality Program in 2010, 2011 and 2012, winning the category in 2012.

Reruns of Undercover Boss have been picked up by TLC and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Broadcasts on TLC began on July 25, 2011, initially Mondays at 8PM ET, later moving to Thursdays at 9PM ET; OWN has also broadcast repeats of Undercover Boss since Fall 2011.[9]

Contents

Format [edit]

Each episode features a high-positioned executive or the owner of a corporation going undercover as an entry-level employee in their own company. The executive changes appearance and assumes an alias and fictional back-story. The fictitious explanation for the accompanying camera crew is that the executive is being filmed as part of a documentary about entry-level workers in a particular industry. They spend approximately one week undercover, working in various areas of the company's operations, with a different job and in most cases a different location each day. The boss is exposed to a series of predicaments with amusing results and invariably spends time getting to know selected company employees, learning about their professional and personal challenges.

At the end of the undercover week, the boss returns to true identity and calls in the selected employees to corporate headquarters. The boss rewards hardworking employees through campaign, promotion or financial rewards. Other employees are given training or better working conditions.[citation needed]

The show's producers determine what companies will be featured, what jobs the bosses will do, and which employees and which situations will be shown. The company has no control over what airs, although a promise is made the companies' reputations will not be hurt.[10] Neither the company nor its executive receive money from, or give money to, CBS or the show's producers.[11]

Episodes [edit]

Main article: List of Undercover Boss (U.S. TV series) episodes

The first episode premiered on February 7, 2010 after Super Bowl XLIV and featured Larry O'Donnell, President and Chief Operating Officer of Waste Management, Inc.[12]

On March 9, 2010, CBS announced it had commissioned Undercover Boss for a second season.[13][14] On July 28, CBS announced four company executives had signed up for the second season, from NASCAR, DirecTV, Chiquita Brands International and Great Wolf Lodge, Inc.[15] The second season opener featured the Choice Hotels CEO, Steve Joyce on September 26, 2010.

Season Episodes Originally aired
Season premiere Season finale
1 9 February 7, 2010 April 11, 2010
2 22 September 26, 2010 May 1, 2011
3 13 January 15, 2012 May 11, 2012
4 17 November 2, 2012 May 17, 2013[16]

Reception [edit]

CBS's premiere of Undercover Boss on February 7, 2010, immediately following the network's coverage of Super Bowl XLIV, delivered 38.6 million viewers—the largest audience ever for a new series following the Super Bowl since the advent of people meters in 1987, the largest audience ever to watch the premiere episode of a reality series, the most watched new series premiere overall on television since Dolly on September 27, 1987 (39.47 million), and the third largest post-Super Bowl audience behind Friends Special on January 28, 1996 and Survivor: The Australian Outback on January 28, 2001.[17]

Undercover Boss received mixed reviews; most held good words for the opening episode, but some criticized elements of the show's format. The New York Daily News praised the concept as "simple and brilliant" and "an hour of feel-good television for underappreciated workers."[18] Reviewers with the Chicago Sun-Times[19] and the New York Times complimented the opening episode, although the latter had reservations on Waste Management, Inc COO Lawrence O’Donnell III's plan to create a task force to address the problems he found: "Larry’s plans to reform his company and humanize the workplace seem great, until he starts to order up committees to study what he has learned. So many good intentions have gone to die in task forces, off-site meetings and mentoring programs."[20] "The show is a welcome change from reality concepts based on humiliating people," concluded the Wall Street Journal.[21] "It is emotionally stirring, with catharsis and messages of virtue rewarded and lessons learned for the betterment of all," said the Baltimore Sun.[22]

The Washington Post, in a negative review, said that Undercover Boss "is a hollow catharsis for a nation already strung out on the futility of resenting those who occupy CEO suites."[23] Entertainment Weekly initially panned it, calling the first episode a "CBS-organized publicity stunt" and "a recruiting tool for a worker uprising,"[24] but in another review described the show as "irresistible."[25] The Los Angeles Times believed that it was deriving its idea from Fox's Secret Millionaire (also created by Stephen Lambert[26]) and that it was 'cooked' for TV, with the low-level workers being hand-picked, but conceded that the show is "undeniably touching".[27]

Arianna Huffington noted, "In the 19th century, one of the most effective ways to convey the quiet desperation of the working class to a wide audience was via a realistic novel. In 2010, it's through reality TV. And Undercover Boss has clearly touched a nerve with viewers. Last week [February 28 - March 6, 2010], only the Olympics and American Idol scored higher in the ratings."[28]

In an end of season review, the New York Times's chief television critic, Alessandra Stanley, examined the unexpected success of the show and concluded that "it’s the humility of the workers, their genuine astonishment and thankfulness over small acts of benevolence, that is most striking. If nothing else, Undercover Boss is a reminder that in bad times, people are less eager to confront or provoke authority; mostly they wish for small favors and the big, serendipitous strokes of luck."[29]

The CBS season two premiere drew 11.02 million, down 27.58 million from the previous seasons premiere, and with a 9.55% share, the episode ranked number 2 against its major competition consisting of Sunday Night Football on NBC and Brothers & Sisters on ABC.[30]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Undercover Boss coming to Ten". What's-On-The-Tube.com.au. 4 August 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010. 
  2. ^ Bryson, Emily (2010-02-15). "7-Eleven, Hooters, Others Take Risk in 'Undercover Boss'". Adage.com. Retrieved 2013-04-20. 
  3. ^ "TV Ratings: Super Bowl XIV post game and Undercover Boss dominate weekly viewing". TV-By-The-Numbers.com. 4 August 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010. 
  4. ^ CBS (July 28, 2010). "CBS ANNOUNCES FOUR COMPANIES PARTICIPATING IN THE SECOND SEASON OF THE EMMY AWARD-NOMINATED SERIES, "UNDERCOVER BOSS"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 12, 2010. 
  5. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "Full 2010-2011 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2013-04-20. 
  6. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "Full 2011-2012 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2013-04-20. 
  7. ^ "'The Good Wife,' 'Blue Bloods,' 'Undercover Boss' And More Get Early Pickups From CBS". Huffingtonpost.com. 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2013-04-20. 
  8. ^ Post to Facebook (2013-03-28). "CBS renews top shows". Usatoday.com. Retrieved 2013-04-20. 
  9. ^ Hollywood Reporter: "OWN, TLC Pick Up Reruns of 'Undercover Boss'", July 11, 2011.
  10. ^ York, Emily Bryson and Bush, Michael, "What It Takes to Be an 'Undercover Boss'", Advertising Age 2/15/2010, Vol. 81 Issue 7.
  11. ^ Owen, Rob (2011-07-22). "TV Q&A: 'The Big C' + 'The Closer' + Verizon changes". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2011-07-22. 
  12. ^ "CBS picks "Undercover Boss" for post-Super Bowl slot". TVbytheNumbers.com. December 20, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2010. 
  13. ^ "CBS renews 'Undercover Boss' for second season". The Live Feed. March 9, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2010. [dead link]
  14. ^ Fernandez, Maria-Elena (22 March 2010). "The rewards of hanging with the 'Undercover Boss'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 August 2010. 
  15. ^ Serjeant, Jill (28 July 2010). "NASCAR, DirecTV sign up for "Undercover Boss" TV show". Reuters. Retrieved 8 August 2010. 
  16. ^ Kondology, Amanda (March 11, 2013). "CBS Announces Finale Dates for 'The Good Wife', 'Elementary', 'Person of Interest', 'Vegas', 'NCIS', 'The Big Bang Theory' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 12, 2013. 
  17. ^ Undercover Boss Marks Biggest New Series Premiere Since 1987
  18. ^ Hinckley, David (February 6, 2010). "CBS' 'Undercover Boss' is an hour of feel-good television for underappreciated workers". Daily News. Retrieved February 19, 2010. 
  19. ^ Wiser, Paige (February 5, 2010). "Quite a kickoff for 'Boss'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 19, 2010. 
  20. ^ Stanley, Alessandra (February 5, 2010). "He's Good at Pushing Paper, but Can He Pick Up Trash?". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2010. 
  21. ^ Chozick, Amy (February 5, 2010). "The CEO Wears Coveralls". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 19, 2010. 
  22. ^ Zurawik, David (February 7, 2010). "'Undercover Boss' makes a case for CEO as hero". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 19, 2010. 
  23. ^ Stuever, Hank (February 7, 2010). "TV preview of 'Undercover Boss' on CBS". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 19, 2010. 
  24. ^ Tucker, Ken (February 7, 2010). "'Undercover Boss' review: Literally crappy reality TV". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 21, 2010. 
  25. ^ Tucker, Ken (February 14, 2010). "'Undercover Boss': Deep inside Hooters". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 21, 2010. 
  26. ^ Eureka!: The Secret Millionaire (RDF for C4) | In-depth | Broadcast
  27. ^ McNamara, Mary (February 6, 2010). "The reality series puts CEOs incognito amid low-level employees in their companies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 21, 2010. 
  28. ^ Arianna, Huffington (March 8, 2010). "Is Undercover Boss the Most Subversive Show on Television?". Huffington Post. Retrieved 8 August 2010. 
  29. ^ Stanley, Alessandra (April 9, 2010). "Reality TV That Puts the Boss in Meek’s Clothing". New York Times. Retrieved 8 August 2010. 
  30. ^ "TV Ratings: TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football Wins; Simpsons, Cleveland Show, Family Guy, Makeover, Housewives All Down vs. Last Season’s Premieres". TV-By-The-Numbers.com. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2010. 

External links [edit]


Preceded by
The Office
2009		 Undercover Boss
Super Bowl lead-out program
2010		 Succeeded by
Glee
2011
CBS Network programming (current and upcoming)
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