''Tracey Takes On...'' is an American
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...
series starring
Tracey Ullman
Tracey Ullman (born Trace Ullman, 30 December 1959) is a British-American actress, comedian, singer, writer, producer, and director. Her earliest mainstream appearances were on British television sketch comedy shows '' A Kick Up the Eighties'' ( ...
. The show ran for four seasons on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
and was commissioned after the success of the 1993 comedy special ''
Tracey Ullman Takes on New York
''Tracey Ullman Takes on New York'' is an HBO television special starring Tracey Ullman. The show was Ullman's first project for network; it led to the creation of the sketch comedy series '' Tracey Takes On...''
Premise The Johnsons
Visiting W ...
''. Each episode focuses on specific subject in which Ullman and her cast characters comment on or experience through a series of sketches and monologues.
Unlike her previous
Fox show, ''Tracey Takes On...'' was filmed without a studio audience, on location,
single-camera
The single-camera setup, or single-camera mode of production, also known as portable single camera, is a method of filmmaking and video production.
The single-camera setup originally developed during the birth of the classical Hollywood cinema i ...
; instead of upwards of a hundred characters, the show focused on a steady rotation of nearly 20. "I wanted to do a show where you could get familiar with the characters, where I could express a point of view, where we could get controversial
..I also didn't want to do a series where I had to do 22 or 26 episodes a year. I have two children and have a husband, and there are other things I'd like to do during the year. Ten shows is a good number, and HBO gives me a great (artistic) freedom," said Ullman in 1996.
The only character to return from the original ''Tracey Ullman Show'' was
Kay Clark, as Ullman was the sole creator.
Former cast member
Julie Kavner
Julie Deborah Kavner (born September 7, 1950) is an American actress. Best known for her voice role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', Kavner first attracted notice for her role as Brenda Morgenstern, the younger ...
became a recurring guest star in the series.
In 1998, a book based on the series, ''
Tracey Takes On
''Tracey Takes On...'' is an American sketch comedy series starring Tracey Ullman. The show ran for four seasons on HBO and was commissioned after the success of the 1993 comedy special '' Tracey Ullman Takes on New York''. Each episode focuse ...
'' was released. In 2003, the character
Ruby Romaine was spun-off into the HBO
television special
A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...
, ''
Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales
''Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales'' is a 2003 HBO television special starring Tracey Ullman in a spin-off from her sketch comedy series '' Tracey Takes On...''
The special, which was originally conceived as a pilot for a possible series, spot ...
''.
Premise
Tracey Ullman and her cast of characters "take on" a different subject for each episode of the series.
Production
Conception and development
In 1990, Ullman's husband
Allan McKeown
Allan McKeown (21 May 1946 – 24 December 2013), was a British television and stage producer.
Early life
McKeown was born in Ealing, London on 21 May 1946. His parents Edith Mabel (née Humphries) and Albert Victor McKeown moved first to Hack ...
, a founding member of Meridian consortium, placed a bid for an
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
television franchise in
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England at the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, first level of International Territorial Level, ITL for Statistics, statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of england, ...
. Along with the bid he included a potential programming lineup which included a Tracey Ullman special. Ullman, who had just ended four seasons of her
eponymous
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
series, had just given birth to their second child and was quite content staying at home. In September 1991, McKeown was elated when he was informed that his bid was successful; he was subsequently responsible for all of Meridian's comedy programming. Ullman dreaded the idea of doing another show. "I was really not prepared to do TV again. I had an extraordinary run at FOX in the late '80s with the Tracey Ullman Show, and couldn't imagine putting forth that amount of energy again.
..The type of makeups I liked to disguise myself under had not been conducive to a live show
..Once I inhaled so much remover that I passed out on the makeup room floor. I was resuscitated and went out to give a terrific performance, even though I can't remember being there." She had a year to deliver the show. The 1993 special ''
Tracey Ullman: A Class Act'', a satire about the
British class system
The social structure of the United Kingdom has historically been highly influenced by the concept of social class, which continues to affect British society today. British society, like its European neighbours and most societies in world history, w ...
, was shot entirely on location and co-starred actor
Michael Palin
Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries.
Palin w ...
. The show's success led to American
cable television
Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...
network
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
becoming interested in having Ullman do a special for them. The only caveat was that she take on a more "American" subject. She chose
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. That special, ''
Tracey Ullman Takes on New York
''Tracey Ullman Takes on New York'' is an HBO television special starring Tracey Ullman. The show was Ullman's first project for network; it led to the creation of the sketch comedy series '' Tracey Takes On...''
Premise The Johnsons
Visiting W ...
'', was an award-winning success. HBO then broached the idea of a "Takes on" series.
Ullman was unsure if she could do it without the help of her "mentor"
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films. His television and film work includes ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Taxi'', ''The Simpsons'', '' Broadcast News'', ''As G ...
who helped launch her American career with ''The Tracey Ullman Show''. "Last year, I was 35 years old, and I thought, 'It's time to do it myself really. I thought, 'I know the premise, I know what I want to do...' I sat at the head of the table and made myself a boss."
Production on season one of ''Tracey Takes On...'' began in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in 1995. Characters created for her previous two HBO comedy specials were carried over for the series: gay airline steward Trevor Ayliss, British
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
MP wife Virginia Bugge, British magazine editor Janie Pillsworth,
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
housewife Fern Rosenthal, and faded Hollywood actress Linda Granger.
Ullman was thrilled with the artistic freedom working in cable television allotted her, specifically HBO. "If we did the story line with me and
ulie Kavneras gay golfers on network TV, Johnson & Johnson would pull their advertising, then there'd be a big piece in ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'', and it would be a headache. HBO let us have fun with it, and when Julie and I come out at the end, it's in the most wonderful way. Our ''Romance'' show may be a bit sappy, but it's more of a battle theme, something that will get people talking."
Production on ''Tracey Takes On...'' began each year in February with a staff retreat. Three months would then be spent writing the scripts. Pre-production would follow in July and August with filming commencing in September and wrapping in November. The completed season would "ideally" get delivered to HBO by December.
The series came to a close after a four season run in 1999. Ullman began conceiving a new show in which she'd play only one or two characters with minimal makeup. "This time I'll play one or two characters
nstead of all the characters I just don't want to put all that rubber on my face. That began to get really tedious. I've got make it easier on myself, and it'll be easier if I don't have to spend ten hours in make-up."
Format
A typical episode consists of two or three long sketches with interstitial character monologues all focusing on the episode's subject. However, every season featured one or two episodes which deviated from the show's regular format in favor of a single storyline (e.g., "Vegas", "Hollywood”, "Road Rage”, "The End of the World").
Opening title sequence and theme song
Each episode of season one opened with Ullman asleep in bed, musing about the topic she would be taking on in that particular episode. This was her only appearance out of character in the show. This would end up becoming an issue for some viewers as many were unaware that Ullman was playing every character. The theme song was an original song performed by Ullman, describing the show's characters as "company in between
erears."
A new opening was conceived for season two in which she opened the show with an anecdote or monologue in relation to each episode's subject. The show's theme song was also changed to her 1983 cover version of the
Kirsty MacColl
Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including " There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears ...
song "
They Don't Know", with Ullman and her characters lip-syncing and dancing to it.
In February 1998, Ullman revealed that some viewers were still unaware that she was playing all the characters, "We still get letters asking, 'Can I have a picture of Tracey and the rest of the cast?'"
Advertising
Famed
caricaturist
A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures.
List of caricaturists
* Abed Abdi (born 1942)
* Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003)
* Alex Gard (1900–1948)
* Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977)
* Alfred Grévin (1827–1892)
* Alf ...
Al Hirschfeld
Albert Hirschfeld (June 21, 1903 – January 20, 2003) was an American caricaturist best known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars.
Personal life
Al Hirschfeld was born in 1903 in a two-story duplex at 1313 Carr ...
's artistic rendering of Ullman surrounded her characters was used to promote the show's third season.
In 1999, Ullman was featured in a
Got Milk?
Got Milk? (stylized as got milk?) is an American advertising campaign encouraging the consumption of milk and dairy products. Created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993, it ...
ad campaign, along with three of her ''Tracey Takes On...'' characters, Kay Clark, Linda Granger, and Hope Finch.
Character origins and development
All of the characters in ''Tracey Takes On'' were original creations. Ullman shied away from doing straight-up impersonations of celebrities believing it was ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' territory. She instead chose to do amalgamations – a combination of many real-life everyday people, and in some instances, famous ones.
The only character to return from ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' was
Kay Clark, as Ullman was the sole creator. Fox owned the rights to all the other characters that appeared on that show. "I love Kay. I'm very fond of her. This little British spinster - she's so courageous, and to think she's sort of on national television in America is rather thrilling to me when I used to witness her in the local bank in my village. She'd say, 'Hello, Miss Ullman. How's Hollywood?' And to think she's on American television and - she doesn't know!"
The characters Trevor Ayliss, Virginia and Timothy Bugge, and Janie Pillsworth, along with her mother Jackie were originally created for the 1993 British comedy special ''Tracey Ullman: A Class Act''.
Trevor was based on a real
British Airways
British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...
steward and an observation Ullman made about crewmen who would "butch up" once they made their way out of the galley.
"I love Trevor. I've always wanted to do one of those gay air stewards because they're always so lovely to me. As Linda
ranger
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
says (lower-ing her voice to the throaty, teeth-clenched contralto of the washed-up Linda Granger): "I have a wonderful homosexual fan base, and I love them!" Since playing the character, every male steward Ullman has encountered is convinced that she based it on them. "And I always say I did. I go, 'You're right, I based it on you,' because that way I get free caviar."
Fashion magazine editor Janie Pillsworth was an amalgamation of British editors such as
Tina Brown
Christina Hambley Brown, Lady Evans (born 21 November 1953), is an English journalist, magazine editor, columnist, talk-show host, and author of ''The Diana Chronicles'' (2007) a biography of Diana, Princess of Wales, '' The Vanity Fair Diarie ...
and
Anna Wintour
Dame Anna Wintour (; born 3 November 1949) is a British journalist based in New York City who has served as editor-in-Chief of ''Vogue'' since 1988 and Global Chief Content Officer for Condé Nast since 2020; she is also the artistic directo ...
.
The characters Fern and Harry Rosenthal and Linda Granger were created for ''Tracey Ullman Takes on New York''. Ullman had toyed with the idea of giving Fern her own show but found that playing Fern left her feeling like a limp rag and that her husband avoided her like the plague. "I had seen this kind of woman many times in New York over the years. 'Loud, emotional with 'I'm from the suburbs' written all over her. She sat behind me at matinees of ''Cats'' and ''Les Misérables'', not too shy to shout out to the performers, "Speak up, darling, we can't hear you!'"
When asked how many different actresses and celebrities she was channeling when portraying washed-up Hollywood actress Linda Granger, and who they were, Ullman cited
Loni Anderson
Loni Kaye Anderson (born August 5, 1945) is an American actress who played receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' (1978–1982), which earned her three Golden Globe Awards and two Emmy Award nominations.
Early ...
and actresses that ended up guest-starring in episodes of ''
Murder, She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...
'', "The kind of women that Ruby Romaine made up."
Feeling that it would have been passé to play a talent agent, Ullman opted instead to play an attorney, Sydney Kross, apropos in the wake of the
OJ Simpson trial
''The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson'' was a criminal trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court starting in 1994, in which O. J. Simpson, a former National Football League (NFL) player, broadcaster and actor, was tr ...
and
Court TV
Court TV is an American digital broadcast network and former cable television channel. It was originally launched in 1991 with a focus on crime-themed programs such as true crime documentary series, legal analysis talk shows, and live news cove ...
. Critics immediately took note of the character’s uncanny resemblance to real-life attorney
Leslie Abramson
Leslie Hope Abramson (born October 6, 1943) is an American criminal defense attorney best known for her role in the legal defense of Lyle and Erik Menendez. She is also a published author.
Education
Born in Flushing, Queens, New York, Abramson g ...
, who defended
Lyle and Erik Menendez
Joseph Lyle Menendez (born January 10, 1968) and Erik Galen Menendez (born November 27, 1970) are American brothers who were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents, José and Mary Louise ("Kitty") Menéndez.
During the trial, the Me ...
. "She has a fascinating look
..I think she'll recognize herself physically but not her personality.... I've got some things physically which
ren't her I've
adsome teeth
ade
Ade, Adé, or ADE may refer to:
Aeronautics
*Ada Air's ICAO code
* Aden International Airport's IATA code
*Aeronautical Development Establishment, a laboratory of the DRDO in India
Medical
* Adverse Drug Event
*Antibody-dependent enhancement
* A ...
that look like sharks. I've got some things physically which
ren't her I've
adsome teeth
ade
Ade, Adé, or ADE may refer to:
Aeronautics
*Ada Air's ICAO code
* Aden International Airport's IATA code
*Aeronautical Development Establishment, a laboratory of the DRDO in India
Medical
* Adverse Drug Event
*Antibody-dependent enhancement
* A ...
that look like sharks'. I had the glasses, the suit, but then I put these teeth in, and it made me move my mouth in a certain way. And I filed my nails square. Women in L.A. have these square white nails, reeeelly square...."
When it came to Sydney's personality, Ullman found inspiration from an agent she had in Los Angeles named Holly, "who was insane." Always wanting to find some redeeming quality in all her characters, she was found herself stuck at first when it came Sydney. "
seemed she had no redeeming features: she horrid, cold, impersonal." But then she found a "humanizing trait": loneliness. "She's so aggressive, and so ugly! She's got adult acne, and her teeth are terrible!
..She became sort of appealing to me. All of my characters have a sadness or inadequacy about them."
Her Royal Highness is a conglomeration of
Queen Elizabeth's voice,
Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...
's lifestyle, the
Dutchess of Kent's hats, and
Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...
's teeth. Ullman sent a copy of the show's ''Royalty'' episode to
Princess Diana
Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
feeling that she could use a laugh, and Diana, through her
lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...
, expressed that she had enjoyed it.
The show's Asian doughnut shop owner, Mrs. Noh Nang Ning was modeled after a real-life doughnut shop owner Ullman met while writing the show's first season in Los Angeles.
The character was the show's only encounter with controversy. An Asian American watchdog group protested the show, calling the character stereotypical and racist, and asked HBO to remove the character. HBO defended Ullman stating, "Tracey Ullman is a brilliant satirist and comedienne, and all of her work is in the spirit of fun and good humor." On the controversy Ullman stated: "My criteria for doing a character is do they exist, do they talk like this, would they indeed run a doughnut establishment? And I think Mrs. Noh Nang Ning meets all of that
..Asian people don't necessarily see themselves in mainstream television and certainly not comic situations and after
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...
at ''
Breakfast At Tiffany's'' I can understand why they're a little gun-shy."
The controversy later become comic fodder in season four when Ruby Romaine announces that she was behind Micky Rooney's look in ''Breakfast At Tiffany's''. True to form, Ruby doesn't get all the hubbub and declares that she should have won an Oscar. Mrs. Noh Nang Ning was retired after season three; Ullman had been complaining for years that the character's makeup felt like being buried alive.
Ironically, minorities made up the show's largest fan base – even those in the Asian community. "It's such a diverse audience that I get. They're all those characters that I portray that are supposed to be politically incorrect. I get these Asian teen-agers who come up and I think, 'Aren't you supposed to be offended by my doughnut-shop lady?' and they go, 'Oh, no! There's no one like that on TV. That's like my grandmother. I'd rather you do it than no one at all.'"
Ruby Romaine, who Ullman has described as "pure Hollywood white trash",
was based on many of the Hollywood union makeup artists sent to make her up over the years.
Romaine's look was inspired by Romaine Greene, a hairstylist who worked on many of
Woody Allen
Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...
's films.
The voice was inspired by Florence Aadland, mother to actress
Beverly Aadland, who at 15 had an affair with a 48-year-old
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...
. Ullman played Florence on Broadway in the 1991 one-woman show ''
The Big Love'' based on the 1961 book. She spent hours listening to audio recordings of the late Florence dictating her memoir to writer Tedd Thomey. There are parallels between Ruby Romaine's early days in Hollywood and that of Beverly Aadland's, specifically Aadland's affair with Erroll Flynn.
Beverly Hills madam, Madam Nadja was based on Hollywood madam,
Elizabeth Adams (known as "Madam Alex"), "I love that she kept money underneath her bed. She never gets up all day. If she ever has to get out of bed, it's like, 'Dammit, I've got to get out of bed. I've got to get dressed.' That's when something major happens that she has to get dressed. She's very angry because she had to get out of bed today because of some stupid hooker in Venice."
The character Chic was based on a real New York City cab driver who once drove writer Allen Zipper to
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City. Covering , the facility was established in 1929 and began operating as a public airport in 1939. It is named after former New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia. ...
. The line "You want to fuck me or you want to fuck my Mercedes" used in the series was an actual line that the driver used when talking about how women in Los Angeles only cared about money. Ullman had a similar experience and spent the entire ride wondering how she could turn herself into the driver. The character was also partially based on a guy she knew as a teenager in London who worked in restaurant who used the come on line, "Hey, darling, you like sex?"
Guest stars
Guest stars marked with an
asterisk
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
(*) represent those who made recurring appearances.
*
Amy Alcott
Amy Alcott (born February 22, 1956) is an American professional golfer and golf course designer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1975, and won five major championships and 29 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf H ...
as herself
*
Joan van Ark
Joan Van Ark (born June 16, 1943) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Valene Ewing on the primetime soap opera ''Knots Landing.'' A life member of The Actors Studio, she made her Broadway debut in 1966 in ''Barefoot in the P ...
as herself
*
Corbin Bernsen
Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor and film director. He appeared as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series '' L.A. Law'',
*
Julie Brown
Julie Ann Brown (born August 31, 1958) is an American actress, comedian, screen/television writer, singer-songwriter, and television director. Brown is known for her work in the 1980s, where she often played a quintessential valley girl charac ...
*
Timothy Busfield
Timothy Busfield (born June 12, 1957) is an American actor and director. He has played Elliot Weston on the television series ''thirtysomething''; Mark, the brother-in-law of Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) in ''Field of Dreams''; and Danny Concann ...
*
Ron Canada
Ronald Ellis Canada (born May 3, 1949) is an American actor with a specialty in portraying judges and detectives. He is best known for '' One on One'' (2001–2004), ''The Shield'' (2003–2004), and '' Lone Star'' (1996).
Career
Following ...
*
*
Seymour Cassel
Seymour Joseph Cassel (January 22, 1935 – April 7, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies and television shows, and had a career that spanned over 50 years.
Cassel first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering in ...
*
*
Billy Connolly
Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...
*
Bob Costas
Robert Quinlan Costas (born March 22, 1952) is an American sportscaster who is known for his long tenure with NBC Sports, from 1980 through 2019. He has received 28 Emmy awards for his work and was the prime-time host of 12 Olympic Games from 19 ...
as himself
*
Kristin Dattilo
Kristin Dattilo (born November 30, 1970) is an American television actress, known for playing manager Yola Gaylen on ''The Chris Isaak Show'' from 2001 to 2004 and detective Barbara Gianna in season 3 of ''Dexter''.
Early life
Dattilo was bo ...
*
*
Melinda Dillon
Melinda Dillon (born October 13, 1939) is a retired American actress. She received a 1963 Tony Award nomination for her Broadway debut in the original production of ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'', and she was nominated for the Academy Award ...
*
Richard Dimitri
Richard Dimitri (born June 27, 1942) is an American character actor and comedian principally known for his roles as the twin characters of Bertram and Renaldo in the 1975 Mel Brooks television show ''When Things Were Rotten'' and Roman Troy Moron ...
*
*
Alastair Duncan *
*
Chris Elliott
Christopher Nash Elliott (born May 31, 1960) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He appeared in comedic sketches on '' Late Night with David Letterman'' (1982–1988), created and starred in the comedy series '' Get a Life'' (1990–1992) ...
*
Erik Estrada
Henry Enrique Estrada (born March 16, 1949) is an American actor and police officer. He is known for his co-starring lead role as California Highway Patrol officer Francis (Frank) Llewelyn "Ponch" Poncherello in the police drama television series ...
as himself
*
Jon Favreau
Jonathan Kolia Favreau (; born October 19, 1966) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Favreau has appeared in films such as ''Rudy (film), Rudy'' (1993), ''PCU (film), PCU'' (1994), ''Swingers (1996 film), Swingers'' (1996), ''Very ...
*
*
Mo Gaffney
Maureen E. Gaffney (born November 5, 1958, in San Diego, California) is an American actress and activist.
Career
Gaffney hosted two of her own television talk shows: ''Women Aloud!'' (which was shown on the Comedy Central network) and ''The Mo ...
*
*
Judy Geeson
Judith Amanda Geeson (born 10 September 1948) is an English film, stage, and television actress. She began her career primarily working on British television series, with a leading role on '' The Newcomers'' from 1965 to 1967, before making he ...
*
* Gloria Gifford *
*
Steven Gilborn
Steven Neil Gilborn (July 15, 1936 – January 2, 2009) was an American actor and educator.
Gilborn was born in New Rochelle, New York. He attended Swarthmore College, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in English and earned a Ph.D. ...
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Adele Givens
Willadele Givens is an American comedian, actress and writer. Beginning her career during the late–1980s in comedy, Givens television appearances include ''The Hughleys'', '' Moesha'', ''The Parkers'', ''Comedy Central Presents'', ''Def Comed ...
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Joanna Gleason
Joanna Gleason (née Hall; born June 2, 1950) is a Canadian actress and singer. She is a Tony Award–winning musical theatre actress and has also had a number of notable film and TV roles. She's known for originating the role of the Baker's Wife ...
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Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
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Huell Howser
Huell Burnley Howser (October 18, 1945 – January 7, 2013) was an American television personality, actor, producer, writer, singer, and voice artist, best known for hosting, producing, and writing ''California's Gold'' and his human interest sh ...
as himself
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Finola Hughes
Finola Hughes (born 29 October 1959) is an English actress, best known for her role as Anna Devane on the ABC soap operas '' General Hospital'' and '' All My Children'', and her portrayal of Laura in the 1983 film '' Staying Alive'', the seq ...
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Alex Karras
Alexander George Karras (July 15, 1935 – October 10, 2012) was an American football player, professional wrestler, sportscaster, and actor. He was a four-time Pro Bowl player with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), ...
as himself
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Julie Kavner
Julie Deborah Kavner (born September 7, 1950) is an American actress. Best known for her voice role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', Kavner first attracted notice for her role as Brenda Morgenstern, the younger ...
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Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician. He first gained recognition for his work as one half of the comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. The two men acted together in a ...
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Hiep Thi Le
Hiep Thi Le ( vi, Lê Thị Hiệp; February 18, 1971 – December 19, 2017) was an American actress and restaurateur. She is best known for her portrayal of Le Ly in the film '' Heaven & Earth'' (1993).
Early life
Le was born on February 18, ...
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Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough as Stacy Hamilton in ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). She ...
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Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent Maguire (born June 27, 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for playing Peter Parker (Sam Raimi film series), the title character from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man in film#Sam Raimi films, ''Spider-Man'' tril ...
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John Mahoney
Charles John Mahoney (June 20, 1940 – February 4, 2018) was an English-born American actor. He was known for playing Martin Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' (1993–2004), and won a Screen Actors Guild Award for the role in 2000. Mahone ...
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Cheech Marin
:''The surname'' Marin ''is of Spanish language origin. In Spanish, it is spelled'' Marín'', with an acute accent on the'' í.
Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is an American actor, musician, comedian, and activist who gained ...
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Penny Marshall
Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, director and producer. She is known for her role as ...
as herself
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Roddy McDowall
Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 4 October 1998) was a British actor, photographer and film director. He began his acting career as a child in England, and then in the United States, in ''How Green Was My Valley'' (1 ...
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Bruce McGill
Bruce Travis McGill (born July 11, 1950) is an American actor. He worked with director Michael Mann in the movies '' The Insider'' (1999), ''Ali'' (2001), and '' Collateral'' (2004). McGill's other notable film roles include Daniel Simpson "D-Da ...
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Tim McInnerny
Tim McInnerny ( ; born 18 September 1956) is an English actor. He is known for his many roles on stage and television, including as Lord Percy Percy and Captain Darling in the 1980s British sitcom ''Blackadder''.
Early life
McInnerny was bor ...
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Michael McKean
Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician known for various roles in film and television such as Lenny Kosnowski in '' Laverne & Shirley'', David St. Hubbins in '' ...
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Sam McMurray
Sam, SAM or variants may refer to:
Places
* Sam, Benin
* Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Iran
* Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place
People and fictional ...
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Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...
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Joshua Malina
Joshua Charles Malina (born January 17, 1966) is an American film and stage actor known for playing Will Bailey on the NBC drama ''The West Wing'', Jeremy Goodwin on '' Sports Night'', US Attorney General David Rosen on ''Scandal'', and Caltech P ...
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Alfred Molina
Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British-American actor known for his work on the stage and screen. He first rose to prominence in the West End, earning a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Pla ...
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Olivia Newton-John
Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...
as herself
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Natalija Nogulich
Natalia Nogulich is an American film- and television actress and author.
Nogulich was born Natalija Nogulich in Chicago, Illinois, of Serbian descent. Her best-known appearances have been on '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and '' Star Tr ...
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Todd Oldham
Todd Oldham (born Jacky Todd Oldham; October 22, 1961) is an American-born designer and president of L-7 Designs Inc and Todd Oldham Studios. His approach to fashion and style has become known to millions through his fashion lines, interior desig ...
as himself
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Carre Otis as herself
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Maulik Pancholy
Maulik Navin Pancholy (, born January 18, 1974) is an American actor and author who is best known for his roles as Jonathan on '' 30 Rock'', Baljeet Tjinder in ''Phineas and Ferb'', Neal in the first season of ''Whitney'', and as a character nam ...
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Ron Perlman
Ronald Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor. His credits include the roles of Amoukar in ''Quest for Fire'' (1981), Salvatore in ''The Name of the Rose'' (1986), Vincent in the television series ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1987–199 ...
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Victoria Principal
Vicki Ree Principal (born January 3, 1950),[Giovanni Ribisi
Antonino Giovanni Ribisi (; born December 17, 1974) is an American actor known for his starring roles in the TV series ''Sneaky Pete'' and the films ''Avatar'' (2009), '' Lost in Translation'' (2003), ''Ted'' (2012) and its sequel ''Ted 2'' (201 ...](_blank)
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Marissa Ribisi
Santina Marissa Ribisi (born December 17, 1974) is an American actress who performed in the films '' Dazed and Confused, True Crime, The Brady Bunch Movie, Pleasantville'', and '' Don's Plum'' and television shows such as '' Felicity'', ''Frien ...
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Melissa Rivers
Melissa Warburg Rosenberg (previously Endicott; born January 20, 1968), known professionally as Melissa Rivers, is an American actress and television host. She is the only child of comedian Joan Rivers and producer Edgar Rosenberg.
Early life
M ...
as herself
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Glenn Shadix
William Glenn Shadix (April 15, 1952 – September 7, 2010) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his role as Otho in Tim Burton's horror comedy film ''Beetlejuice'' and as the voice of the Mayor of Halloween Town in ''The Nightmare ...
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George Segal *
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Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, writer, musician, radio host, director and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member ...
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John Stamos
John Phillip Stamos ( ; born August 19, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He first gained recognition for his contract role as Blackie Parrish on the ABC television soap opera ''General Hospital'', for which he was nominated for the Da ...
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Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank Kings ...
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The Roches
The Roches were an American vocal trio of sisters Maggie, Terre and Suzzy Roche, from Park Ridge, New Jersey.
Career
In the late 1960s, eldest sister Maggie (October 26, 1951 – January 21, 2017) and middle sister Terre (pronounced "Terry", ...
as themselves
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Scott Thompson
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Liz Torres
Elizabeth Larrieu Torres (born September 27, 1947) is an American actress, singer, and comedian. Torres is best known for her role as Mahalia Sanchez in the NBC comedy series ''The John Larroquette Show'' (1993–1996), for which she received two ...
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Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he w ...
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Danny Woodburn
Daniel Charles Woodburn (born July 26, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, and activist for the disability rights movement linked to his dwarfism.
He played Mickey Abbott on the sitcom '' Seinfeld''. He has more than 150 television and 30 ...
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Episodes
Reception
Awards and nominations
The series was nominated for 24
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
s, winning 6, including 1 in 1997 for Outstanding Music, Comedy and Variety Show. The show won a
CableACE award
The CableACE Award (earlier known as the ACE Awards; ACE was an acronym for "Award for Cable Excellence") is a defunct award that was given by what was then the National Cable Television Association from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in Amer ...
in 1996 for Best Comedy Variety Series, 3
American Comedy Awards
The American Comedy Awards were a group of awards presented annually in the United States recognizing performances and performers in the field of comedy, with an emphasis on television comedy and comedy films. They began in 1987, billed as the "f ...
, and 2
GLAAD Media Awards
The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their live ...
in 1998 and 1999.
;
American Comedy Awards
The American Comedy Awards were a group of awards presented annually in the United States recognizing performances and performers in the field of comedy, with an emphasis on television comedy and comedy films. They began in 1987, billed as the "f ...
* 1998–Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication
* 1999–Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication
* 2000–Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication
;
CableACE Awards
The CableACE Award (earlier known as the ACE Awards; ACE was an acronym for "Award for Cable Excellence") is a defunct award that was given by what was then the National Cable Television Association from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in Ame ...
* 1996–Actress in a Comedy Series
* 1996–Variety Special or Series
;
Directors Guild of America
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...
* 1997–Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical/Variety
;
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
s
* 1997–Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
* 1997–Outstanding Makeup for a Series
* 1997–Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program
* 1998–Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series
* 1998–Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program
* 1999–Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series
;
GLAAD Media Awards
The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their live ...
* 1996–Outstanding TV Individual Episode ("Romance")
* 1999–Outstanding TV - Individual Episode ("Religion")
; Online Film & Television Association
* 1998–Best Ensemble in a Variety, Musical, or Comedy Series
* 1998–Best Host or Performer in a Variety, Musical, or Comedy Series
* 1998–Best Variety, Musical, or Comedy Series
* 1998–Best Actress in a Cable Series
* 1999–Best Costume Design in a Series
* 1999–Best Host or Performer in a Variety, Musical, or Comedy Series
* 1999–Best Variety, Musical, or Comedy Series
;
Satellite Awards
The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...
* 1998–Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical
;
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
* 1999–Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, ''Tracey Takes On...''
Home media
VHS
DVD
On December 26, 2005, ''Tracey Takes On...'' officially came to DVD via
HBO Home Video
Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO) is an American multinational media and entertainment company operating as a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Founded by Charles Dolan and based out of WarnerMedia's former corporate headquarters at the 30 Hudson Yar ...
. The series had been previously scheduled to be released independently but was scrapped once HBO announced that it too was planning to release the series. The second season's opening "They Don't Know" lip-syncing title sequence has been removed and replaced with a blank black screen featuring an instrumental of the first season theme song and episode title. The closing credits feature the first season's theme song as well. Extras on the sets include the original HBO pilot ''Tracey Ullman Takes on New York'' (season 1), commentary on one episode per season by Tracey, previously unreleased Character Comedies, and character bios and photo gallery.
Seasons 3 and 4 were released by
Eagle Rock as one DVD set on July 14, 2009 in the United States. While it claims to be "complete" the set's episodes are severely edited with some whittled down to a mere three to five minutes in length. "Tracey Takes On... Religion" is missing entirely. The set boasts 72 minutes of unseen bonus footage: three Character Comedies: Virginia, Ruby, Rayleen. The DVDs are
region-free
A regional lockout (or region coding) is a class of digital rights management preventing the use of a certain product or service, such as multimedia or a hardware device, outside a certain region or territory. A regional lockout may be enforced ...
.
Streaming
Seasons 1 through 4 were released for purchase through
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
and
Amazon Video-on-Demand service in the United States in 2009, but are currently unavailable in either store. The episodes were heavily edited; some episodes were combined to make up for lost running time due to editing. In 2012, the entire series of 65 episodes could be streamed through
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
, including all 15 unaired Character Comedies episodes.
References
Sources
*
External links
*
*
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''Tracey_Takes_On...''_Emmy_Awards.html" ;"title="Emmy Awards">''Tracey Takes On...'' Emmy Awards
">Emmy Awards">''Tracey Takes On...'' Emmy Awards
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{{HBONetwork Shows
Tracey Ullman
HBO original programming
1996 American television series debuts
1999 American television series endings
1990s American sketch comedy television series
1990s American LGBT-related comedy television series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series winners
Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series
English-language television shows
Television series by Fremantle (company)