I don’t know if you watched Diff’rent Strokes, but I believe TV was ruined by the concept of the very special episode.
For you young kids out there, something happened in the early 80s. Suddenly it was important for TV to teach us a lesson. We had to be better people. We had to say no to drugs. We had to have honest discussions about bulimia and the dangers of hitchhiking.
That’s right. Hitchhiking.
Twenty years later, the very special episode did little to change our lives — and now the star of Diff’rent Strokes has a lengthy arrest record and will never pose for nude pictures. Ever. He swears.
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I just wonder how we got here. More importantly, I wonder how the concept of the very special episode will impact the show Undercover Boss.
I like a good reality show as much as the next person, but I really hope that we have one episode where the CEO doesn’t learn jack shit and takes down a lazy, disaffected employee. Not everything on TV needs to be a teachable moment, and I hope Undercover Boss can give us some authentic moments in the workforce.
Just once, maybe during sweeps week, I’d like to see a CEO go ballistic on a member of his team. Someone who deserves it. Someone who gets a big bonus and doesn’t do shit. I want to see the Undercover Boss go for the jugular and eviscerate one of his underlings — maybe the fool who recommends a task force or the shrew in HR who thinks that it’s okay to treat employees like widgets.
That would be some compelling television, yo.
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Love it! How can we compell CBS to air it? I will watch it with you! BTW my kids say “what you talking ’bout Willis?”
I’m still scarred by Gordon Jump playing the bicycle owner who tried to molest Arnold and Dudley.
Needless to say, those very special episodes and after-school specials are indeed special. Take “The Loneliest Runner.” Where else could I have learned to become a Olympic champion cross-country runner by rushing home to take down the urine-stained sheets my mom left hanging outside to shame me. Oh, Lance Kerwin, where are you now?
Nonetheless, don’t we have enough evisceration on TV already? Whether it be Simon Cowell laying into the latest misinformed singer with delusions of grandeur, Gordon Ramsay’s quick temper in “Hell’s Kitchen” or “Kitchen Nightmares,” or Jillian Michaels taking on a contestant in “The Biggest Loser,” wouldn’t it be better to have a CEO have a “Jerry McGuire”-esque epiphany and show how he will change the company and actually do it?
Another great workforce show concept would be “CEO For a Week” where a seasoned blue collar worker gets the authority of the CEO and goes about either saving the company or trashing the executives! I’d DVR that every week!!
@Chris Like Eddie Murphy in “Trading Places?”
I’m sick of seeing egomaniac meanies like Gordon Ramsey and Simon Cowell. I think that says something about society when we get enjoyment from other people’s belittlement. Mind you, I know there are those reality contestants that are jerks (because that makes good reality TV) but the Simons and Gordons do it to everybody and in my mind, no one deserves to be verbally abused like that. I wonder what affect this is having on the youth of today? Is this telling them it’s okay to scream at anyone for any reason? Yes I realize you are all thinking I’m a wimp and that I don’t get the concept of reality shows, but I do. I know they put confrontational people on them and that half of each show is fake and edited. But I am disturbed by the fact that people get enjoyment out of watching other people fail and get screamed at in the process. You don’t need TV for that.
Probably about as likely as Ty Pennington telling the homeowner if they weren’t such jackasses then they’d have a nicer house.
I am loving how many HR blogs are calling out or celebrating UB. Pretty fantastic conversations coming from one hour of TV.
@Rachel Oh snap, I wish I could teach my cats to talk. That is hilarious.
@Bruno Do we have enough tv like that? We have two extremes: super-nice or super-mean. How about just authentically pissed off and taking action? I’d like to see Larry from WM rip the heads off of his leadership team for creating a culture of ‘performance and efficiency’ where people are peeing in cans while on route. WM can do better than that. PS – Don’t forget we learned the dangers of steroids.
@Chris Why doesn’t CBS hire you right now?
@HR Hooligan I’m not looking for the scream. I’m looking for action. Since you can’t punch your VP of Operations in the face for docking a worker 2 minutes for every one minute that she’s late, maybe you can yell at him and tell him to pull his head out of his ass? The kids on American Idol don’t need to be yelled at — & no, it’s not healthy — but executive leaders can take it. They should hear it more often. UR DOIN IT WRONG LEADERSHIP TEAM.
@Breanne I’d like to suggest that Ty Pennington does a great impression of a tweaker. #justsayin
Oh my, I had the same thought as I watched. We were cracking jokes before the show started about how many of the employees would tell this “new guy” that the company sucked or the boss was a jerk. I wonder if they would even broadcast an episode with a disgruntled employee?
However I loved it when the COO was scrubbing toilets! Does that make me disgruntled?
I am waiting for a CEO on camera to say something ” Boy, this is sh*tty work for crappy pay. Thank-god you’re doing it and not me.” That would be reality tv.
Peeing in can has probably been around forever in the garbage hauling business. No one is going to let you use their bathrooms. Either you go outside, in a can, or drive back to your work site. They probably paid a big bonus to some executive for “implementing” an already existing practice.
I enjoyed the show but I’m just not buying that he met with good people every single time. There are disgruntled people in every office, even the ones that go on and on about how happy their employees are. I want to see a CEO find those pissy employees, find out what their issues and difficulties are and work to fix those. But yeah, the CEO going ballistic on a lazy overpaid suit, I’d watch that twice.
I heard that the episode with Hooters is going to be one where the CEO gets to go off on someone…. The manager of the restaurant or something like that.
I liked most of the show and the basic premise, and thought the whole bit w/Jaclyn was pretty authentic – the kind of thing upper mgmt would miss if they weren’t out in the field.
But some of it seemed to miss the point. I didn’t understand Larry’s “outrage” over the time-clock thing. Yeah, it was harsh to dock workers for two minutes for every minute they’re late. But that whole bit overlooked two bigger issues: (a) You have employees who are willing to lie about their time punches, and (b) You have an inflexible system that isn’t working, because your employees are driven to lie to manage even the basics of a paid lunch. Missed opportunity to talk about what the real issue was, and offer resolutions that meet both employee needs and productivity goals.
I have to admit I only had the show on in the background – as I was still entertaining families and friends at our Super Bowl gathering. I did manage to catch one of the early lines by the COO as they intro the premise of the show – he said he wanted to do this because it “means it can make us more efficient and that means we can save jobs” I knew at that moment this was not reality or even a good documentary on work but someone’s careful orchestrated message – makes it hard for me to look forward to future episodes.
I’d especially like to watch the CEO go off on a manager who is caught bullying and harassing employees because they’ve ‘gotta make the numbers.’
Fact is– “reality” shows aren’t reality at all anymore— they’re scripted comedy. I mean, take Gordon Ramsey— who takes that guy seriously?? I just laugh, and laugh, and laugh some more. Also– the “reality” show producers find the bubbly, positive personalities in their contestants just like they do for game shows. pfftt— I’d rather watch Gary Coleman’s Circus of Horror’s than some of these “reality” shows— at least Punk’d had some genuine moments—
btw– very first time hitchhiking— picked up by a molester— basically told him “I’ve been really curious what it’s like to roll over a VW bug cause you’re in a world of hurt in about two seconds.” He let me out. Never did it again— Thanks Gary!!
Maybe I don’t know how television is made, but I am finding it hard to believe that anyone (CEO to garbage collector) can be authentic with a camera in your face. It’s made for TV, not reality.
This is the line that makes me want to marry you:
“or the shrew in HR who thinks that it’s okay to treat employees like widgets.”
I would have thought the WM episode was better if “Randy” had told Jaclyn’s manager that he was blantantly taking advantage of this woman in order to make his numbers and get his bonus, so he was being demoted and his next four bonus payments would be going to her to make up for the years he used her up. She was given all of those other jobs while still acting has his admin…because he can’t open his own mail?????
I was excited about the premise, but it did come off as “oh look, the high-rolling suits do care…” For one thing, I’m pretty sure other C-suite execs aren’t watching this show – it’s aimed at the front-line workers.
Reminds me of all the $200K crowd who don’t want a progressive tax system because they “work harder” than the minimum wage employees and deserve to keep their money – I don’t think your job is harder than any of these people’s jobs.
Have to say though, I am eagerly awaiting the reaction of the Hooter’s CEO to the Restaurant Manager who makes his employees play “reindeer games.” If he doesn’t fire the guy immediately, I give up.
I can’t get into this show. It smacks of very carefully crafted corporate re-branding. Obviously the producers have to be scouring for the best employees to feature in order to position the CEO to save the day, so he can feel good about going back to his high-rent office and continue to make 500 times what the rank and file are making.
I can’t bring myself to watch the Hooters episode. As if the CEO of Hooters would be surprised by misogynistic bullshit going on in the restaurants when their entire business model is based on misogynistic bullshit.
Besides, ER already cornered the market on The Very Special Episode. Or The Most Shocking ER Ever. Or The Most Unforgettable ER Ever. What’s left for Undercover Boss? Frankly, I’d rather see some good dishy dirt on one of the Best Companies. Zappos or Google, someplace like that. Just so the rest of us can feel better about our own, very real and human workplaces. ‘Cause I’m shallow that way.
HAria – You’re right about ER but I don’t blame the show itself so much, more NBC’s PR department.
They got to a point where every commercial had that ultra serious deep voice – “the finest hour of television. It’s exceptional, life changing TV…it saves puppies and cures cancer!”
Eh, I’m a big fan of: don’t tell me. SHOW me.
BTW They’re doing the same thing for Grey’s Anatomy now. A sure sign they’re running out of ideas and/or nice things to say.
I like the concept of the show, but I am not buying the fact that these employees don’t know who he is. They camera is following the CEO and he is doing private interviews at every location while the real employees are doing what???
Plus, I don’t see the point, the real issues are many, many levels above the people the Undercover CEO is visiting. Those people know who the CEO is because they spend a good deal of the day trying to impress him. To really get at the root of the problems in the company the CEO should be looking one or two levels below, not 20!
It is good the CEO is learning about how their changes impact people, but shouldn’t a good CEO already be learning about this from the executives and middle managers? If HR is doing their job you know if the employee are struggling with implemented changes. There are so many ways to figure that out!
Who would give a real opinion with any cameras around. Nothing will be changed unless a labor law is broken. Its a exec feel good show. Not reality
At the risk of sounding sappy, I have to admit I liked the show. Yes, I completely get that reality TV is far from actual reality. But I like to believe in a better work environment if the CEO saw what the rank and file was really dealing with. I liked the show not so much from what Larry is supposedly taking back to the C-suite, but from how the experience affected those he came into contact with. With the wave of a magic TV camera, those employees had some aspect of their lives made better. Yeah, I get teary at Hallmark commercials too – but isn’t sentimentality what separates us from the animals?