TV Nation

Last updated

TV Nation
TV Nation.jpg
Title design by Chris Harvey
Starring Michael Moore
Rusty Cundieff
Karen Duffy
Janeane Garofalo
Louis Theroux
Theme music composer tomandandy
Country of originUnited States
United Kingdom
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes17 [1] (list of episodes)
Production
ProducersKathleen Glynn
Jerry Kupfer
Running time45 minutes
Production companiesDog Eat Dog Films
BBC
TriStar Television
Original release
Network NBC (season 1)
Fox (season 2)
BBC2
ReleaseJuly 19, 1994 (1994-07-19) 
September 8, 1995 (1995-09-08) [2]

TV Nation is a satirical news magazine television series written, co-produced, directed and hosted by Michael Moore that was co-funded and originally broadcast by NBC in the United States and BBC2 in the United Kingdom. The show blended humor and journalism into provocative reports about various issues. After moving to Fox for its second (and final) season, the show won an Emmy Award in 1995 for Outstanding Informational Series.

Contents

TV Nation was created in the wake of the success Moore had with the documentary Roger & Me , prompting Warner Bros. Television 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 Roger & Me , Michael Moore and producer Kathleen Glynn, then a married couple, were approached by Warner Bros. television about creating ideas for a television series. [3] However, Moore was intent on making the full-length film Canadian Bacon after writing the script in the summer of 1991. After having his script passed on many times, it was on a visit to Hollywood in November 1992 about the movie that Moore received a phone call in his hotel room from NBC. [3] 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. [3] 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." [3] 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 and Fidel Castro on laughing gas." [3] Instead of quickly dismissing Moore's pitch, the NBC executives (including Warren Littlefield) 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. [3]

42% of Americans feel that Kato Kaelin should be a passenger on the next space shuttle, whether he wants to go or not.

TV Nation poll conducted by Widgery & Associates [4]

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. [5] For the show's title sequence, graphic designer Chris Harvey put together the images, and music group tomandandy wrote the TV Nation theme. [3] 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 BBC2 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. [3]

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. [6] After NBC canceled the show after one season, it was subsequently picked up by Fox, and the second season aired in the summer of 1995.

TV Nation is that rarest of species—a television program both funny and important.

Robert Goldberg, The Wall Street Journal [7]

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) and factual polls surveying the American public. The show's investigative reports delved into various aspects of American life, and they 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 CEOs were challenged to prove they could use the products their companies created; the storming of the supposedly "private" beach in Greenwich, Connecticut; hiring ex-KGB officer Yuri Shvets to conduct investigations; an experiment to see if hiring a lobbyist for $5,000 could get the Congress to declare a "TV Nation Day" (he got a bill introduced, but it never passed); [8] and "Crackers the Corporate Crime Fighting Chicken." [9] [10] Among its correspondents were Merrill Markoe, Janeane Garofalo, Karen Duffy, Jonathan Katz, Rusty Cundieff and Louis Theroux. Crackers was first portrayed by Lee Brownstein, but TV Nation writer John Derevlany played Crackers for the remainder of the show's run. [11] 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. [3] [9]

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. [12] In the first segment at the end of Volume One, one of the correspondents visits drug stores and inquires about extra-small sized condoms. [12] The second unaired segment at the end of Volume Two looks at the Phelps family, known for picketing the funerals of AIDS victims. [13] 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 using Civil War re-enactors. [14]

Awards and recognition

...be it Resolved, that August 16, 1994, shall be designated as "TV Nation Day."

Bill HJ 365 IH, 103rd Congress, 2nd session [15]

TV Nation won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series on September 8, 1995, and was later named number 90 on the list of the British Film Institute's 100 Greatest British Television Programmes. [16] [17] During its original broadcast run, TV Nation working with the well known Washington lobbyist William C. Chasey was recognized by the United States Congress in resolution H.J. 365, which declared August 16, 1994 as "TV Nation Day." The bill was introduced by Rep. Howard Coble, R, North Carolina, co-sponsored by Rep. Floyd H. Flake D, New York. [15] TV Guide named TV Nation one of the ten best television shows of 1995. [1]

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. [18] 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). [19] What prevented the third season from becoming a reality was a lack of a major American television network outlet for the show. [19] During this time reruns of the show began appearing on Comedy Central, and ratings for the first week were, in Moore's words, "incredible." [19]

After TV Nation ended, two VHS volumes of the show were released in 1997. Adventures in a TV Nation , a book about the series written by Moore and Glynn, was published in 1998. The funding previously acquired from British broadcaster Channel 4 for a third season eventually turned into the new TV series The Awful Truth . It was broadcast on the Bravo 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. [20]

Home video releases

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

TitleMedia TypeRelease DateApproximate LengthISBN
TV Nation—Volume 1VHS videotape
(NTSC)
November 4, 1997120 minutes ISBN   0-8001-9910-3
TV Nation—Volume 2VHS videotape
(NTSC)
November 4, 1997120 minutes ISBN   0-8001-9881-6

Reboot

In 2019, TBS cancelled plans to reboot TV Nation. [21] The series was originally greenlighted in 2017 with the title "Live from the Apocalypse" and developed for TNT. [21]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Moore, Michael (February 1, 1996). "TV Nation Newsletter February 1, 1996". Dog Eat Dog Films. Archived from the original on January 8, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
  2. Moore, Michael (August 25, 1995). "TV Nation Newsletter August 25, 1995". Dog Eat Dog Films. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Moore, Michael; Kathleen Glynn (1998). "Adventures in a TV Nation, Chapt. 1". Dog Eat Dog Films. Archived from the original on December 27, 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  4. "TV Nation Polls". Dog Eat Dog Films. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  5. Moore, Michael (January 25, 2008). ""Sicko" Gets the Oscar High-Five ...a note from Michael Moore". MichaelMoore.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  6. "Episode list for "TV Nation" (1994)". IMDB.com. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  7. "TV Nation Quotes". Dog Eat Dog Films. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  8. "H.J.Res.365 - To designate August 16, 1994, as "TV Nation Day". at congress.gov".
  9. 1 2 "TV Nation Segment Summaries". Dog Eat Dog Films. Archived from the original on September 29, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  10. Johnson, Steve (August 14, 1995). "Tongue In Beak; Fox's 'TV Nation' Strikes Chord With Humorous Anti-Corporate Message". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  11. "Crackers the Corporate Crime-Fighting Chicken (Character)". IMDB.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  12. 1 2 "TV Nation 1:Video". Amazon.com. November 4, 1997. Retrieved January 22, 2008.
  13. "TV Nation 2:Video". Amazon.com. November 4, 1997. Retrieved January 22, 2008.
  14. Moore & Glynn, pp. 191—99
  15. 1 2 Coble, Howard (May 10, 1994). "To designate August 16, 1994, as 'TV Nation Day'. (Introduced in House)". The Library of Congress. Retrieved January 3, 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  16. "TV Nation Wins the Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series". Dog Eat Dog Films. Archived from the original on October 9, 1999. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  17. Birchall, Danny (September 4, 2006). "90: Michael Moore's TV Nation". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on November 23, 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  18. Moore, Michael (December 15, 1995). "TV Nation Newsletter December 15, 1995". Dog Eat Dog Films. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
  19. 1 2 3 Moore, Michael (January 29, 1997). "TV Nation Newsletter January 29, 1997". Dog Eat Dog Films. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
  20. "TV Nation on NBC". TV Guide .
  21. 1 2 Schneider, Michael (February 7, 2019). "Michael Moore and TBS Scrap Plans to Revive 'TV Nation' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety .

Related Research Articles

<i>ER</i> (TV series) American medical drama television series (1994–2009)

ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist and physician Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994, to April 2, 2009, with a total of 331 episodes spanning 15 seasons. It was produced by Constant C Productions and Amblin Television, in association with Warner Bros. Television. ER follows the inner life of the emergency room (ER) of Cook County General Hospital in Chicago, and various critical issues faced by the department's physicians and staff.

<i>Unsolved Mysteries</i> American true crime television series

Unsolved Mysteries is an American mystery documentary television show, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Karl Malden, and Robert Stack, beginning on NBC on January 20, 1987, becoming a full-fledged series on October 5, 1988, hosted by Stack. After nine seasons on NBC, the series moved to CBS for its 10th season on November 13, 1997. After adding Virginia Madsen as a co-host during season 11 failed to boost slipping ratings, CBS canceled the series after only a two-season, 12-episode run on June 11, 1999. The series was revived by Lifetime in 2000, with season 12 beginning on July 2, 2001. Unsolved Mysteries aired 103 episodes on Lifetime, before ending on September 20, 2002, an end that coincided with Stack's illness and eventual death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney anthology television series</span> Anthology television series

The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, The Wonderful World of Disney, was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 onward. The program moved among the Big Three television networks in its first four decades, but has aired on ABC since 1997 and Disney+ since 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Davies</span> English comedian, presenter and actor

Alan Roger Davies is an English stand-up comedian, writer, actor and TV presenter. He is best known for his portrayal of the title role in the BBC mystery drama series Jonathan Creek (1997–2016) and as the only permanent panellist on the BBC panel show QI since its premiere in 2003, outlasting its original host Stephen Fry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triumph the Insult Comic Dog</span> Puppet character best known for mocking celebrities

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a puppet character created, puppeteered and voiced by Robert Smigel. As his name indicates, Triumph's comedic style is almost exclusively insult comedy. A Montenegrin Mountain Hound, Triumph often puffs a cigar, which usually falls out of his mouth when he starts talking. He first appeared in 1997 on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and also appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien from time to time, as well as the short-lived TV Funhouse, TBS's Conan, Adult Swim's The Jack and Triumph Show, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Smigel and Triumph have been ejected from several events for Triumph's antics, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the Honolulu line for auditions for American Idol, and the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Dateline NBC is a weekly American television news magazine/reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasional editions that focus on other topics. The program airs Fridays at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Special weekend encore editions also air at 9:00 p.m.. One or two-hour feature-length editions sometimes air on any given scheduled evening, often to fill vacancies in the primetime schedule on the program's respective nights due to program cancellations. In February 2021, the program aired its first ever docuseries, "The Widower", a five-hour true crime saga about a man who married six women, four of whom died.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Masur</span> American actor

Richard Masur is an American character actor who has appeared in more than 80 films. From 1995 to 1999, he served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He is best known for playing David Kane on One Day at a Time (1975–1976), Nick Lobo on Rhoda (1974–1977), Clark in The Thing (1982), Stanley Uris in the miniseries It (1990), and Edward L. L. Moore on Younger (2016–2018).

<i>Saturday Night Live</i> American late-night live TV sketch comedy and variety show

Saturday Night Live is an American late-night live television sketch comedy, political satire, and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. Michaels currently serves as the program's showrunner. The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. The show's comedy sketches, which often parody contemporary American culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, with featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", properly beginning the show.

<i>Blue Heelers</i> Australian police drama series

Blue Heelers is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for twelve years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted the everyday lives and relationships of the residents of Mount Thomas, a fictional small town in Victoria.

The Awful Truth (1999–2000) is a satirical television show that was directed, written, and hosted by filmmaker Michael Moore, and funded by the British broadcaster Channel 4.

<i>Adventures in a TV Nation</i>

Adventures in a TV Nation is a book by American author and film director Michael Moore and his producer and then-wife Kathleen Glynn.

Merrill Markoe is an American author, television writer, and occasional standup comedian.

"Booze Cruise" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's seventeenth episode overall. Written by Greg Daniels and directed by Ken Kwapis, the episode first aired in the United States on January 5, 2006 on NBC. The episode featured Rob Riggle and Amy Adams as guest stars.

Michael Allan Zinberg is an American television director, producer and writer.

Coupling is an American sitcom television series, a remake of the British show of the same title, which aired on NBC from September 25 to October 23, 2003.

<i>Saturday Night Live</i> (season 20) Season of television series

The twentieth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 24, 1994, and May 13, 1995.

Dog Eat Dog Films is film director Michael Moore's production company. Dog Eat Dog Films has produced films, television programs, and DVDs. Moore founded Dog Eat Dog Films in 1989.

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 Moore's The Awful Truth.

References