Tracey Takes On...
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Still from opening title sequence (1997-99)
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| Genre | Comedy Sketch comedy Mockumentary |
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| Starring | Tracey Ullman |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 65 (list of episodes) |
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| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 21–27 minutes |
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| Original network | HBO |
| Picture format | 480i (4:3 SDTV) |
| Audio format | Dolby Surround |
| First shown in | United States |
| Original release | January 24, 1996 – March 17, 1999 |
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Tracey Takes On... is an HBO sketch comedy series starring actress-comedian Tracey Ullman. The show ran for four seasons, and won multiple awards. Each week, each episode would focus on, or "take on," a certain subject giving the show focus. Ullman decided on twenty characters to play each episode, unlike her Fox series, which featured her playing a new character every week. Shooting the show on location gave her the ability to apply makeup, wigs, and teeth at a less frantic pace. The Tracey Ullman Show featured makeups that had not been conducted to a live audience. Ullman found herself fainting on the makeup floor, having to be revived. HBO commissioned a "Takes On" series after two successful specials were screened, Tracey Ullman: A Class Act, and Tracey Ullman Takes On New York.
Cable television gave her the freedom to create (adult) content that would be considered unsuitable for network television. Many Tracey Ullman Show alums, such as Julie Kavner, guest-starred throughout the run of the series.
Ullman created and portrayed a wide spectrum of characters; men and women of all ages, of different ethnic or cultural backgrounds, as well as different sexual orientations. The show was known to push the envelope with little to no controversy. Only her character Kay would return from The Tracey Ullman Show, as Ullman was the sole creator of the character. Over the course of the show, Ullman played a total of twenty-nine characters.
In 2003, the character Ruby Romaine was spun-off into a potential television series for HBO. A pilot was filmed but a full series was never green-lighted by the network. The pilot was aired as a comedy special, Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales.
In 1998, Ullman released a book based on the series, Tracey Takes On.
In 1990, Ullman's husband, television producer, Allan McKeown placed a bid for a television network. His bid included a possible show lineup. Among the shows he submitted, he included a "Tracey Ullman special." Ullman, who had just ended the run of her eponymous Fox series, had just given birth to their son, and was quite content staying at home. When McKeown informed her of the schedule he submitted, she expected nothing would come of it. When McKeown informed her that his bid was successful, Ullman felt a sense of dread; she would now have to do a television special. The special turned out to be Tracey Ullman: A Class Act, a show that poked fun at the British class system. The special's success led to HBO's interest in having Ullman do a special for their network. They requested that the show focus on a more "American subject." Ullman chose New York. That special, Tracey Ullman Takes On New York, was an award-winning success. Its result led to HBO asking Ullman and McKeown doing a "Takes On" series.
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Wikipedia