''TV Nation'' is a satirical

news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories, in greater depth than do newspapers or new ...

television series written, co-produced, directed and hosted by

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...

that was co-funded and originally broadcast by

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

in the United States and

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

in the United Kingdom. The show blended humor and journalism into provocative reports about various issues. After moving to

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 ...

for its second (and final) season, the show won an

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 ...

in 1995 for Outstanding Informational Series. ''TV Nation'' was created in the wake of the success Moore had with the documentary ''

Roger & Me ''Roger & Me'' is a 1989 American documentary film written, produced, directed by, and starring Michael Moore, in his directorial debut. Moore portrays the regional economic impact of General Motors CEO Roger Smith's action of closing several ...

'', prompting

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

to ask Moore for television series ideas. In January 1993, NBC green-lit a pilot episode which took three months to complete. Interest from the BBC prompted NBC to insert the show into its summer 1994 lineup.

Conception

After the success of the 1989 documentary ''

'',

and producer Kathleen Glynn, then a married couple, were approached by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

television about creating ideas for a television series. However, Moore was intent on making the full-length film ''

Canadian Bacon ''Canadian Bacon'' is a 1995 comedy film written, produced, and directed by Michael Moore which satirizes Canada–United States relations along the Canada–United States border. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Alan Alda, John Candy ...

'' after writing the script in the summer of 1991. After having his script passed on many times, it was on a visit to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

in November 1992 about the movie that Moore received a phone call in his hotel room from NBC. Without a single TV show idea in mind, Moore agreed to meet with NBC executives about TV show ideas that afternoon. Frantic for ideas, Moore brainstormed over a carphone with producer Glynn on his half-hour drive to Burbank, out of which TV Nation spawned. As Moore and Glynn would later describe it, ''TV Nation'' "would be a humorous magazine show but with one distinct difference—it would have a point of view." Expecting the concept to be quickly dismissed by NBC executives during the meeting, Moore proceeded to describe the show in the most ludicrous ways possible, saying, "it would be a cross between ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...

'' and

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

on laughing gas." Instead of quickly dismissing Moore's pitch, the NBC executives (including

Warren Littlefield Warren W. Littlefield (born May 11, 1952) is an American television executive. Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Littlefield attended Montclair High School and graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York, where he was award ...

) were laughing. When Moore returned to his hotel, a message had already been left for him saying that production of a pilot episode had the go-ahead. Production on the pilot episode of ''TV Nation'' began in January 1993. Moore initially turned to friends and colleagues in many production areas, while also making a point of ensuring the show's employees were

unionized A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

. For the show's title sequence, graphic designer Chris Harvey put together the images, and music group

tomandandy Tomandandy is an American musical duo from New York City, consisting of members Thomas Hajdu and Andy Milburn. While they are best known for their work scoring films, their portfolio includes music for television commercials as well as televisi ...

wrote the ''TV Nation'' theme. After completing the pilot in three months, both NBC executives and focus groups were highly impressed with the show. But without room in their fall 1993 schedule, NBC indefinitely delayed committing to a full season. That winter, the head of

heard about the pilot, and after watching it offered to buy the show. With firm interest in the show, NBC offered to put ''TV Nation'' into its summer 1994 lineup.

Episodes and format

Season one was originally broadcast in the United States on NBC in the summer of 1994, with the premiere airing July 19, 1994. After NBC canceled the show after one season, it was subsequently picked up by

, and the second season aired in the summer of 1995. ''TV Nation'' was formatted as a newsmagazine, with stories interspersed by short clips of the show's theme (for example, Moore spending a day with Dr.

Jack Kevorkian Murad Jacob "Jack" Kevorkian (May 26, 1928 – June 3, 2011) was an American pathologist and euthanasia proponent. He publicly championed a terminal patient's right to die by physician-assisted suicide, embodied in his quote, "Dying is not ...

) and factual polls surveying the American public. The show's investigative reports delved into various aspects of American life, and were filmed and presented in a style similar to Moore's feature-length documentaries such as '' The Big One'' (1998). The show featured segments such as "The Corporate Challenge," in which

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

s were challenged to prove they could use the products their companies created; the storming of the supposedly "private" beach in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...

; hiring ex-KGB officer

Yuri Shvets Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. * Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Ja ...

to conduct investigations; an experiment to see if hiring a lobbyist for $5,000 could get the

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

to declare a "TV Nation Day" (he got a bill introduced, but it never passed); and "

Crackers the Corporate Crime Fighting Chicken Crackers the Corporate Crime Fighting Chicken is an anthropomorphic chicken dedicated to raising awareness of and combating corporate crime. Crackers first appeared on Michael Moore's television show ''TV Nation'' in 1994, and later appeared on Moor ...

." Among its correspondents were

Janeane Garofalo Janeane Marie Garofalo ( ; born September 28, 1964) is an American comedian, actress, and former co-host on the now-defunct Air America Radio's ''The Majority Report''. Garofalo began her career as a stand-up comedian and became a cast member on ...

Karen Duffy Karen "Duff" Duffy (born May 23, 1961) is an American writer, model, television personality, and actress. She is a certified hospital chaplain, a former Coney Island Mermaid Queen, and one of ''People'' Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in ...

Jonathan Katz Jonathan Paul Katz (born December 1, 1946) is an American actor and comedian best known for his starring role in the animated sitcom ''Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist'' as Dr. Katz. He also is known for voicing Erik Robbins in the UPN/Adult Swi ...

Rusty Cundieff George Arthur "Rusty" Cundieff (born December 13, 1960) is an American film and television director, actor, and writer known for his work on ''Fear of a Black Hat'' (1993), ''Tales from the Hood'' (1995), and ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006). ...

and

Louis Theroux Louis Sebastian Theroux (; born 20 May 1970) is a British-American documentarian, journalist, broadcaster, and author. He has received two British Academy Television Awards and a Royal Television Society Television Award. After graduating fro ...

. Crackers was first portrayed by Lee Brownstein, but ''TV Nation'' writer

John Derevlany John A. Derevlany (born October 3, 1964) is a writer, director, and performer known for co-creating the TV series ''Legends of Chima'' for LEGO. He also wrote every episode of the series and the ''Legends of Chima'' 4D movie playing at Legoland th ...

played Crackers for the remainder of the show's run. ''TV Nation'' also featured humorous (but true) public opinion polls, each conducted by the firm of Widgery and Associates from a random sample of Americans.

Unaired segments

The release of ''TV Nation'' on two VHS volumes in 1997 offered a chance to view two unaired segments considered too controversial to be aired on broadcast television at the time. In the first segment at the end of Volume One, one of the correspondents visits drug stores and inquires about extra-small sized

condoms A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of inte ...

. The second unaired segment at the end of Volume Two looks at the Phelps family, known for picketing the

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

s of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

victims. Three additional segments were not allowed to air on American television, although all aired in United Kingdom: A segment on a support group formed for executives involved in the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s; an examination of the extreme anti-abortion movement; and re-enacting the

1992 Los Angeles riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots, sometimes called the 1992 Los Angeles uprising and the Los Angeles Race Riots, were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, in April and May 1992. Unrest began in S ...

using

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

re-enactors.

Awards and recognition

''TV Nation'' won an

for Outstanding Informational Series on September 8, 1995, and was later named number 90 on the list of the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

100 Greatest British Television Programmes The BFI TV 100 is a list of 100 television programmes or series that was compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute (BFI), as chosen by a poll of industry professionals, with the aim to determine the best British television programmes of any ...

. During its original broadcast run, ''TV Nation'' working with the well known Washington lobbyist William C. Chasey was recognized by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

in resolution H.J. 365, which declared August 16, 1994 as "TV Nation Day." The bill was introduced by Rep.

Howard Coble John Howard Coble (March 18, 1931 – November 3, 2015) was an American politician who was the U.S. Representative for , serving from 1985 to 2015. He was a member of the Republican Party. The district includes all or portions of ten counties in ...

, R, North Carolina, co-sponsored by Rep.

Floyd H. Flake Floyd Harold Flake (born January 30, 1945) is an American businessman and former politician who is the senior pastor of the 23,000 member Greater Allen African Methodist Episcopal Cathedral in Jamaica, Queens, New York, and former president of ...

D, New York. ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' named ''TV Nation'' one of the ten best television shows of 1995.

Cancellation and post-''TV Nation''

In December 1995, the Fox network decided not to pick up its option for more episodes of the show, despite receiving more letters and mail than they ever had for any show. By January 1997, the BBC had raised all of the necessary money for an eight-episode-long third season of ''TV Nation'', receiving funds from TV networks in five different countries (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and France). What prevented the third season from becoming a reality was a lack of a major American television network outlet for the show. During this time reruns of the show began appearing on

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

, and ratings for the first week were, in Moore's words, "incredible." After ''TV Nation'' ended, two VHS volumes of the show were released in 1997. ''

Adventures in a TV Nation ''Adventures in a TV Nation'' is a book by American author and film director Michael Moore and his producer and then-wife Kathleen Glynn. It is a chronicle of Moore's series ''TV Nation'', a 1994-95 newsmagazine A news magazine is a typed, ...

'', a book about the series written by Moore and Glynn, was published in 1998. The funding previously acquired from British broadcaster

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

for a third season eventually turned into the new TV series ''

The Awful Truth ''The Awful Truth'' is a 1937 American screwball comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. Based on the 1923 play ''The Awful Truth'' by Arthur Richman, the film recounts how a distrustful rich couple begins d ...

''. It was broadcast on the

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels *Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 *Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...

cable television network in the US from 1999 to 2000. There are currently no known reruns of ''TV Nation'' being shown by a United States TV station or cable channel, nor are there any plans to release it on DVD or to online video sites like Hulu.com.

Home video releases

Two VHS videocassettes were released in 1997 by Columbia TriStar Home Video.

Reboot

In 2019, TBS cancelled plans to reboot ''TV Nation''. The series was originally greenlighted in 2017 with the title "Live from the Apocalypse" and developed for TNT.

Notes

References

* Moore, Michael and Kathleen Glynn (1998). ''Adventures in a TV Nation: The Stories Behind America's Most Outrageous TV Show''. HarperPerennial, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. .

External links

''TV Nation''
official site * {{Louis Theroux BBC Television shows NBC original programming Fox Broadcasting Company original programming 1990s American television news shows Television series about television 1990s American satirical television series 1994 American television series debuts 1995 American television series endings 1990s British satirical television series 1994 British television series debuts 1995 British television series endings Television series by Sony Pictures Television Works by Michael Moore