| Undercover Boss | |
|---|---|
 Title card |
|
| Genre | Reality television |
| Created by | Stephen Lambert |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 (on going) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 43-45 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original run | February 7, 2010 – present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Undercover Boss is a television series on CBS produced by Studio Lambert. It is based on the 2009 British Channel 4 series of the same name.[1]
Each episode of the show features a senior executive at a major corporation, working incognito as a new entry-level hire in his or her company for one week, to find out how the company really works (including the impact of "corporate policy") and identify some of the unsung heroes among the employees.
The first episode premiered on February 7, 2010 after Super Bowl XLIV and featured Larry O'Donnell, President and Chief Operating Officer of Waste Management, Inc.[2]
On March 9, 2010, Undercover Boss was renewed for a second season. [3]
Contents |
Each episode features a high-ranking executive or the owner of a corporation going undercover as an entry-level employee in his own company. The executive alters his appearance and assumes an alias and fictional backstory. The fictitious explanation for the accompanying camera crew is that the executive is being filmed as part of a documentary about workers in a particular industry. The "undercover boss" then tries to do the same work that the actual employees do, experiences what they experience on the job, and talks with people to learn more about them.
At the end of the show, the boss reveals his identity and talks about what he has learned about the business, and ways to improve it for both the workers and the company. The boss also presents several of the employees that he met during the week undercover with varying rewards including job promotions and vacations.
| № | Title | "Boss" | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Waste Management" | Lawrence O'Donnell III | February 7, 2010 |
| Larry O'Donnell, President and COO of Waste Management, Inc,[4] works alongside his employees, cleaning porta-potties, sorting waste at one of their recycling plants, collecting garbage from a landfill and even being fired for the first time in his life. O'Donnell's mission is to garner an up-close look at his company and workforce to see how and where improvements can be made from both an operational and morale standpoint. | |||
| 2 | "Hooters" | Coby G. Brooks | February 14, 2010 |
| When Coby G. Brooks, President and CEO of Hooters,[5] goes undercover in his own company, he finds himself struggling to keep up in a fast-paced kitchen and is later forced to take immediate action when a restaurant manager steps out of line. | |||
| 3 | "7-Eleven" | Joseph DePinto | February 21, 2010 |
| Joseph DePinto, President and CEO of 7-Eleven,[6] goes undercover and discovers that a corporate policy is not being put into effect. Later on, a delivery driver's approach to life opens the undercover boss' eyes. | |||
| 4 | "White Castle" | Dave Rife | February 28, 2010 |
| Dave Rife, Owner & Executive Board Member of White Castle,[6] goes undercover in his own company where he accidentally ruins thousands of hamburger buns after mishandling equipment in one of his bakeries, and also discovers low morale among his employees at a local factory. | |||
| 5 | "Churchill Downs" | William C. Carstanjen | March 14, 2010 |
| Bill Carstanjen, President & COO of Churchill Downs, goes undercover at his own racetracks.[6] This however proves difficult as he is afraid of horses. | |||
| 6 | "GSI Commerce" | Michael G. Rubin | March 21, 2010 |
| Michael G. Rubin, Chairman, President and CEO of GSI Commerce, the e-commerce giant behind numerous top U.S. retailers, goes undercover.[7] | |||
| 7 | "Herschend Family Entertainment" | Joel Manby | March 28, 2010 |
| Joel Manby, President and CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment, a leader in the world of family theme parks and attractions, goes undercover.[8] | |||
CBS's premiere of Undercover Boss on February 7, 2010, immediately following the network's coverage of Super Bowl XLIV, delivered 38.6 million viewers, meaning it had the largest audience ever for a new series following the Super Bowl since the advent of people meters in 1987, the largest audience ever to watch the premiere episode of a reality series, the most watched new series premiere overall on television since Dolly on September 27, 1987 (39.47m), and the third largest post-Super Bowl audience behind Friends Special on January 28, 1996 and Survivor: The Australian Outback on January 28, 2001.[9]
Undercover Boss received mixed reviews; most held good words for the opening episode but criticized many elements of the show's format. The New York Daily News praised the concept as "simple and brilliant" and "an hour of feel-good television for underappreciated workers."[10] Reviewers with the Chicago Sun-Times,[11] The Baltimore Sun,[12] and The New York Times complimented the opening episode, although the latter had reservations on Waste Management CEO Lawrence O’Donnell III's plan to create a task force to address the problems he found: "Larry’s plans to reform his company and humanize the workplace seem great, until he starts to order up committees to study what he has learned. So many good intentions have gone to die in task forces, off-site meetings and mentoring programs."[13] "The show is a welcome change from reality concepts based on humiliating people," concluded The Wall Street Journal.[14]
The Washington Post, in a severely negative review, said that Undercover Boss "is a hollow catharsis for a nation already strung out on the futility of resenting those who occupy CEO suites."[15] It also took aim at the show's ending:
Then it's out to the parking lot for an employee pep assembly. Huzzah! O'Donnell talks about how much he's learned: It's the power of positive thinking, no-I-in-team and plastered smiles all around. Be sure to check the credits and see if the producers remembered to thank George Orwell.[15]
Entertainment Weekly initially panned it, calling the first episode a "CBS-organized publicity stunt" and "a recruiting tool for a worker uprising,"[16] but said a week later that it was "irresistible."[17] The Los Angeles Times believed that it was deriving its idea from Fox's Secret Millionaire (also created by Stephen Lambert[18]) and that it was 'cooked' for TV, with the low-level workers being hand-picked, but conceded that the show is "undeniably touching".[19]
Arianna Huffington noted, "In the 19th century, one of the most effective ways to convey the quiet desperation of the working class to a wide audience was via a realistic novel. In 2010, it's through reality TV. And Undercover Boss has clearly touched a nerve with viewers. Last week, only the Olympics and American Idol scored higher in the ratings."[20]
Undercover Boss currently holds a 59 out of 100 score on Metacritic.[21]
| Order | Episode | Rating | Share | Rating/share (18-49) |
Viewers (millions) |
Rank (Timeslot) |
Rank (Night) |
Rank (Week) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waste Management, Inc/Larry O'Donnell | 19.1[22] | 32[22] | 16.2/38[22] | 38.65[22] | #1 | #2 | #3[23] |
| 2 | Hooters, Inc/Coby G. Brooks | 8.6[24] | 13[24] | 5.2/13[24] | 15.45[24] | #2 | #2 | #11[25] |
| 3 | 7-Eleven/Joseph DePinto | 8.0[26] | 12[26] | 4.8/11[26] | 13.76[26] | #2 | #2 | #10[27] |
| 4 | White Castle/Dave Rife | 8.7[28] | 13[28] | 5.1/12[28] | 15.15[28] | #2 | #2 | #12[29] |
| 5 | Churchill Downs/William C. Carstanjen | 7.8[30] | 12[30] | 3.9/10[30] | 13.51[30] | #1 | #1 | #11[31] |
| 6 | GSI Commerce/Michael G. Rubin | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 7 | Herschend Family Entertainment/Joel Manby | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| TBD | Roto-Rooter/Rick L. Arquilla | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| TBD | 1-800-Flowers/Chris McCann | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Preceded by The Office 2009 |
Undercover Boss Super Bowl lead-out program 2010 |
Succeeded by FOX program 2011 |
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