Undercover Boss (UK TV series)

Last updated

Undercover Boss
Undercover Boss.png
Intertitle
Genre Reality television
Created by Stephen Lambert
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series6
No. of episodes33 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production company(s) Studio Lambert
Distributor All3Media
Release
Original network Channel 4
Picture format 576i
Audio format Stereo
Original release15 June 2009 (2009-06-15) 
20 August 2014 (2014-08-20)
Chronology
Related shows Undercover Boss
External links
Website
Production website

Undercover Boss is a British reality television series. 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, consisting of two episodes was aired in 2009 followed by a second series consisting of six episodes one year later. This original series sparked the Undercover Boss franchise. [1] Localised versions of the show format are currently being produced in the United States, France, Australia, Germany and Canada.

Reality television genre of television programming that documents unscripted situations and actual occurrences

Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unknown individuals rather than professional actors. Reality television came to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the global successes of the series Survivor, Idols, and Big Brother, all of which became global franchises. Reality television shows tend to be interspersed with "confessionals", short interview segments in which cast members reflect on or provide context for the events being depicted on-screen. Competition-based reality shows typically feature gradual elimination of participants, either by a panel of judges or by the viewership of the show.

Undercover Boss is a television franchise series created by Stephen Lambert and produced in many countries. It originated in 2009 on the British Channel 4. The show’s format features the experiences of senior executives working undercover in their own companies to investigate how their firms really work and to identify how they can be improved, as well as to reward hard-working employees.

<i>Undercover Boss</i> (U.S. TV series) television series

Undercover Boss is an American 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 an upper-management position at a major business, deciding to go undercover as an entry-level employee to discover the faults in the company. The first season consisted of nine episodes produced in 2009 and first aired on February 7, 2010, on CBS. Companies that appear on the series are assured that the show will not damage their corporate brands.

Contents

Format

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 their 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. They invariably spend time getting to know the people who work in the company, learning about their professional and personal challenges.

A pseudonym or alias is a name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which can differ from their first or true name (orthonym).

At the end of their week undercover, the boss returns to their true identity and requests the employees he worked with individually to corporate headquarters. The boss reveals their identity and rewards hardworking employees through campaign, promotion or financial rewards. Other employees are given training or better working conditions.

Episodes

The first series of Undercover Boss was broadcast in 2009 and consisted of two episodes. [2] A second series was commissioned and was aired in 2010 featuring seven episodes, six with new companies and a return visit to the business where it all started to see what impact the show had in the longer term. [3] Subsequent series have been produced annually with the most recent being broadcast in 2014. [4]

International broadcasts

Selected episodes of the UK version of Undercover Boss air in the United States on TLC and OWN, as part of Undercover Boss: Abroad. [5] [6]

See also

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References

  1. Rocchio, Christopher (2 February 2009). "CBS orders 'Secret Millionaire'-like 'Undercover Boss' series". Reality TV World. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  2. "Undercover Boss - Series 1". Channel 4. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  3. "Undercover Boss - Series 2". Channel 4. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  4. "Undercover Boss - Series 6". Channel 4. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  5. The Daily OWN: "“Undercover Boss: Abroad” Coming to OWN in March", 6 February 2012.
  6. Discovery Communications press release: "OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK GO UNDERCOVER AND OVERSEAS", 6 February 2012.
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