Ricki Lake was a daytime
tabloid talk showTabloid talk shows are a genre of American television talk-shows that achieved peak viewership during the late 20th century. Airing mostly during the day and distributed mostly through syndication, this genre originated with The Phil Donahue Show and was popularized by the personal...
hosted by
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actressAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Ricki LakeRicki Pamela Lake is an American actress and television personality, best known for her talk show and starring role as Tracy Turnblad in the original Hairspray.-Early life:...
. The show specialized in sensationalist topics involving invited guests and incorporated questions and comments from a studio audience.
The show debuted in syndication on September 13, 1993 and ended first-run episodes on May 25, 2004 (although its final airing in syndication was on August 27, 2004, a rerun episode).
Ricki Lake was a daytime
tabloid talk showTabloid talk shows are a genre of American television talk-shows that achieved peak viewership during the late 20th century. Airing mostly during the day and distributed mostly through syndication, this genre originated with The Phil Donahue Show and was popularized by the personal...
hosted by
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actressAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Ricki LakeRicki Pamela Lake is an American actress and television personality, best known for her talk show and starring role as Tracy Turnblad in the original Hairspray.-Early life:...
. The show specialized in sensationalist topics involving invited guests and incorporated questions and comments from a studio audience.
The show debuted in syndication on September 13, 1993 and ended first-run episodes on May 25, 2004 (although its final airing in syndication was on August 27, 2004, a rerun episode). The show was renewed for the 2004-2005 TV season, but Lake decided not to continue with the show, opting to spend more time with her family. Sony did not issue any comments when the show was canceled.
In October 2005 Broadcasting & Cable magazine reported that Lake might return to do a 'new' version of her show. A source said it would be a surprise if there wasn't a deal struck by October 2005. If it were to have happened, it would have likely debuted in September 2006. Ricki did not appear at the 2006 NATPE convention to pitch the proposed program to television stations in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in January, 2006, only furthering speculation that there wouldn't be a show.
In 1994, the show was nominated for a
Daytime Emmy AwardThe Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming....
for Outstanding Talk Show Host, but Oprah won the award. Other awards the show has garnered includes the Gracie Allen Award, PRISM Certificates & Commendations, and many more.
It was filmed at the
Chelsea StudiosChelsea Studios is a television studio and sound stage at 221 West 26th Street in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City.-History:The building was originally an armory that was home to Ninth Mounted Calvary which moved to 14th Street in 1914....
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
.
Behind the scenes of Ricki Lake
The methodology for securing guests on the show, common to many shows similar to it, was as such:
- Producers would brainstorm and come up with a show title or theme, such as "Sexy Secrets Revealed."
- During an aired episode of the program spots would run for shows in pre-production. The goal was to recruit persons who may have a situation in their life that fits with the proposed topic and get them to appear on the show. An example "Do you have a sexy secret that you're keeping from someone in your life? Is there a friend, lover or family member who needs to know your sexy secret? Call 1-800-GO-RICKI (467-4254) and you could be on the show!"
- Messages left on the voicemail for the hotline would be screened and the most promising prospects would be contacted by a production assistant. The potential guest would be interviewed about their situation and urged to go into detail about how their situation relates to the proposed topic.
- Potential guests would be whittled down to a selected few. The show was then altered in theme, if it had to be, according to the guests who were chosen. The guests, and any other people associated with their story who were scheduled to appear on the program, were confirmed.
- Guests appearing on the show were booked airfare to New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. They were provided with sedan and/or limousine service between the airport and their home, between the airport and their hotels (for which hotel bookings the company also paid) and between the hotel and the television studio. They were given fifty dollars per day for their time in New York. They were flown in early, on the day before taping was scheduled to take place, so they would have "a day in the city" (on their own).
- The guests were brought to the television studio on the morning of their second day in New York. They were then sent to specific "green room
A green room is a room in a theater, studio, or other public venue for the accommodation of performers or speakers when not required on the stage....
s," inside which they were briefed in more detail on how the show would be taped. One of the producers then sat down with each guest to reiterate the story the guest would tell, including emphasis on various phrases or statements the guest might have made during pre-interviews which the producer felt would get a good response on television.
- All guests were warned that if it was discovered that they were lying, they would be sued for the full amount of the production of any one episode of the show (each cost about $80,000 to produce). They were further warned that if they attempted to back out at any time, their plane ticket home would be revoked and they would have to get home on their own. One example of this incident happened in 2000, when three guests were exposed on air as phonies after the producers discovered that they fabricated their story and were escorted out by security. That episode aired in syndication as Lake warned viewers what would happen if they (the guests) lied to the producers just to get 15 minutes of fame. Ironically, the show's topic that featured that aforementioned incident was about "Freeloaders."
- Guests were given an appearance and confidentiality contract to sign. It specified, among other things, that the program being taped had a tentative title and theme, either of which could change at any minute; and that they agreed to this regardless of the outcome.
- The show was recorded in real-time and took approximately 80 minutes to complete. Lake came into the audience for taped segments, and during the paused portion (where commercial breaks were inserted) she left the audience to consult with producers. The final show was aired approximately one month later.
- The show was often inconsistent. For example: In one show a male stripper would come on, and the all-female crowd would go wild. A few weeks later, some men were put in the pillory for having gone to a striptease joint after work, and the serious Ricki Lake came out.
(Depending on the theme of the show and the type of taping needed to satisfy the outline of the topic, certain variables in this pattern could and sometimes did change.)
Popularity around the world
The show was also popular in other countries, especially in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
where it aired on
Channel 4Channel 4 is a UK public-service television broadcaster which began working on November 2, 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station owned now and operated by the Channel Four Television...
, and is now aired daily on
ITV2ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms...
, in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
where she was seen on both the
SevenThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by the Seven Media Group. It dates back to 2 December 1970, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Sydney and Melbourne. It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
and Ten Networks, and in The Netherlands where it aired on
SBS6SBS 6 is a commercial TV channel in the Netherlands owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media. Other channels of the group in the Netherlands are NET 5 and Veronica.- History :...
. Even though it has been out of production, the show is still seen in various places around the world such as
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
(
TV3TV3 is a television channel targeted at a Swedish language audience owned by Modern Times Group . It was founded on December 31, 1987 by entrepreneur Jan Stenbeck as joint Scandinavian channel, but Denmark and Norway soon got their own versions of TV3...
),
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
and the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. It is still currently aired in Ireland on TV3, weekdays at 12.55pm.
Production/distribution
Garth AncierGarth Ancier is the President of BBC Worldwide America.-Early life:Ancier began his broadcasting career as a high school sophomore in 1972, working as a reporter for NBC radio affiliates WBUD-AM and WBJH-FM in Trenton, New Jersey...
and Gail Steinberg were the original
executive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the filmmaking or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production. Typically an executive producer handles business and legal issues. See also associate producer, co-producer, line producer...
s. Michael Rourke moved into the executive producer role in 2003.
The theme was written by Jellybean Benítez.
The show was produced by The Garth Ancier Company in association with
Columbia Pictures TelevisionColumbia Pictures Television was the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems . The studio changed its name on September 4, 1974.-1974-1982:...
(later
Columbia TriStar TelevisionColumbia TriStar Television was the third name of the television studio Screen Gems, named after its then-current 1991 home video division....
and currently
Sony Pictures TelevisionSony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American television production/distribution company. It is a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony....
).
Satire
Lake's talk show has often been the butt of
satireSatire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods,...
. It was repeatedly parodied during the 1990s on
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a weekly late-night sketch comedy and variety show filmed in New York City. It made its debut on October 11, 1975, under a slightly different title. The show features a regular cast of comedy actors, joined by a guest host and musical act...
, with male cast member
Jay MohrJay Mohr is an American actor, impressionist and stand-up comedian.-Personal life:Mohr was born Jon Ferguson Mohr in Verona, New Jersey to Jean, a nurse, and Jon Mohr, a marketing executive. He has two sisters, Julia and Virginia. He also has one son, Jackson, from his six-year marriage with...
impersonating Lake in
dragDrag in its broadest sense means any clothing one wears. However, the traditional use of the term is for any costume or outfit that carries symbolic significance. This usually refers to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of the other gender...
. In addition, it was mentioned in the chorus of the hit 1998 song "
Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)"Pretty Fly " is a punk rock song by The Offspring. It is the fourth track from their fifth studio album Americana and was released as the first single from the album. It achieved significant pop and alternative radio play and popularity, peaking at number 53 on the US charts, and reaching #1 in...
" by
The OffspringThe Offspring is an American rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California in 1984. Since its formation, the band's line-up had included Dexter Holland , Noodles , Greg K. , and Ron Welty , who left in 2003...
: "So if you don't rate, just overcompensate, at least you'll know you can always go on
Ricki Lake." It is also mentioned in the 2004 hit by Australian band Butterfingers, "I Love Work", as well as "Strong" by
Robbie WilliamsRobert Peter Williams, better known as Robbie Williams is a BRIT Award-winning English British singer-songwriter. His career started in 1989, at the age of 15, as a dancer and singer with the pop band Take That. He left the band in 1995 to launch his solo career...
and "Hole in the Head" by
SugababesSugababes are an English all-female pop trio based in London, currently consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen.The group were formed in 1998 by original members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan...
. It was also mentioned in an episode of the TV show
Family GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television sitcom, created by Seth MacFarlane, for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family which consists of Peter, Lois, Meg, Chris, Stewie, and their pet dog Brian...
entitled
Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater"Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater" is the first episode from the second season of FOX's animated series Family Guy. It is also the eighth overall episode of Family Guy. It guest-stars Robin Leach as himself, and Fairuza Balk as Connie D'Amico. This episode's title is a reference to the nursery rhyme...
, in which Brian, attempting to rehabilitate Peter in the ways of a gentleman, electrically shocks Peter every time he looks at a television showing an episode of Ricki Lake.
External links