Ricki Lake (talk show)
| Ricki Lake | |
|---|---|
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| Created by |
Garth Ancier Gail Steinberg |
| Presented by | Ricki Lake |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 11 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45 to 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | The Garth Ancier Company |
| Distributor |
Columbia Pictures Television (1993-1994) (season 1) Columbia TriStar Television (1994-2002) (seasons 2-10) Sony Pictures Television (2002-2004) (seasons 10-11) |
| Release | |
| Original network | First-run syndication |
| Original release | September 13, 1993 – May 21, 2004 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | The Ricki Lake Show |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Ricki Lake is a daytime tabloid talk show hosted by American actress Ricki Lake.
The series debuted in syndication on September 13, 1993 and ended first-run episodes on May 21, 2004, though the series continued in reruns through the summer until August 27, 2004.
The show specialized in sensationalist topics involving invited guests and incorporated questions and comments from a studio audience. But unlike most of the counterparts of the day, her primary audience was aimed at teenagers, young adults, college students, and urban viewers (who described themselves as "Generation X") rather than the 25+ audience that advertisers were catering to, plus it was less sensational and tamer compared to the other programs. It was taped at the Chelsea Studios in New York City.
During the series' run, its primary focus was on dealing with personal subjects like parenting skills (including single mothers who are accused of having the lack of experience of taking care of children), romantic relationships (both marital and non-marital), LGBT issues (like discrimination, same-sex couples who want to have children or straight people attracted to a person who is a LGBT or the other way around), racism and prejudice (even within their own race and gender), interracial relationships, family discord, revealing secrets, and social topics of the day (like money, looking for work or being on welfare). At times she had lighter shows, ranging from contests (including female impersonators, beauticians, or those who want to prove others that they do have talent), celebrity guests, and reunions, to granting viewers' personal wishes. There was even a practical joke show where people would go into a restaurant and have to take off a piece of clothing every time they got a part of the meal. Comedian John Carfi was part of the practical joke scene in the Strip Steak Restaurant in New York City. He played a waiter who would make the guests take some of their clothing off for their meal. Every time he brought food, they would have to take clothing off.
A majority of the shows had surprises waiting in store for the guests, which were revealed by a doorbell ringing if a guest didn't come clean about themselves. This prompted Ricki to bring out another guest who knew the truth about the primary guest's intentions. At times, the guests would find out that someone else had been listening to their confession while they were on stage or in the audience. On one show in 1997 for example, a guy who admitted to having an affair was unaware that his wife was on stage (this after Ricki turn around and saw her sitting on the steps to ask her why she was there). The doorbell (and other surprises) were a major part of the series throughout its run.
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