Undercover Boss is a television franchise series that has been released in multiple countries, originating in 2009 on the British Channel 4.[1] The show’s format is based on a senior executive of a company working undercover in their own firm to investigate how the company really works and identify how it can be improved, as well as rewarding the hard working staff.
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Each episode features a high-ranking executive or the owner of a corporation going undercover as an entry-level employee in their own company. The executives alter their appearance and assume an alias and fictional back-story. The fictitious explanation given for the accompanying camera crew is that the executives are being filmed as part of a documentary about entry-level workers in a particular industry, or a competition with another individual with the winner getting a job with the company. They spend approximately one week undercover, working in various areas of their company operations, with a different job and in most cases a different location each day. They are exposed to a series of predicaments with amusing results, and invariably spend time getting to know the people who work in the company, learning about their professional and personal challenges.
At the end of their week undercover, the executives return to their true identity and request the employees they worked with individually to corporate headquarters. The bosses reveal their identity, and reward hard-working employees through campaign, promotion, or financial rewards, while other employees are given training or better working conditions.
The original UK series started airing in June 2009 on Channel 4 and returned for a third season in July 2011, featuring the bosses of Best Western, Jockey Club, Harry Ramsden's, Npower and Poundworld, amongst others.[2]
The first episode premièred on February 7, 2010 after Super Bowl XLIV and featured Larry O'Donnell, President and Chief Operating Officer of Waste Management, Inc.[3]
On March 9, 2010, CBS announced it had commissioned Undercover Boss for a second season.[4][5] On July 28, CBS announced four company executives had signed up for the second season of Undercover Boss, the executives were from NASCAR, DirecTV, Chiquita Brands International and Great Wolf Lodge, Inc.[6] The second season opener was the Choice Hotels CEO, Steve Joyce on 26 September 2010.
The series was a ratings success for the network, with its premiere episode receiving 38.6 million viewers and a share of 32%.[7] The first season was the most popular new show in any genre in the 2009-10 television season with an average audience of 17.7 million viewers.[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—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, and the most watched new series premiere overall on television since Dolly on 27 September 1987 (39.47 million). It was also the third largest post-Super Bowl audience behind Friends Special on January 28, 1996 and Survivor: The Australian Outback on January 28, 2001.[9]
Repeats of Undercover Boss have been picked up by TLC, beginning July 25, 2011; and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, beginning Fall 2012.[10]
Undercover Boss has been criticized as a "reality show" for presenting scenarios and situations which rarely happen to employees in real workplaces and are in fact dramatic tricks.[11] Others point out that CEO's in real life workplaces do not typically go out of their way to provide gifts and other extra benefits to front-line employees at the expense of the bottom line.[12]
Season 3 is scheduled to start Sunday, January 15, 2012 with an as yet an undetermined number of episodes.
The Australian version of the franchise premiered on Network Ten on October 18, 2010[13] with the CEO of Domino's Pizza Australia, Don Meij.
The episodes to follow will include the CEO of Boost Juice, Janine Allis, and Peter Murray, National Director of Operations of Veolia Environmental Services.[14]
The Norwegian version of Undercover Boss premiered on TV2 on March 8, 2011 with the CEO of Rimi, Thor Linge.[15] Ten episodes are scheduled.
The German version of Undercover Boss premiered on RTL on March 28, 2011 with the CEO of Eismann, Mika Ramm.
Localized versions of the show format are being produced in Denmark, Spain, Turkey, Sweden, Belgium, The Netherlands and Israel.[16][17]
The American version has been broadcast on a variety of international networks:[18]
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