Tracey Ullman's State of the Union is an American sketch comedy television series starring Tracey Ullman. The series is written by Ullman along with Hollywood satirist Bruce Wagner. Gail Parent and Craig DiGregorio act as contributing writers to the series' first season. The show ran for three seasons on Showtime. On May 17, 2010, it was announced that the show would not be returning for a fourth season.
Premise The show takes a satirical look at a day in the life of America.
Cast Tracey Ullman as Various Scott Bakula as Chris Fulbright Jennifer Fitzgerald as Various Jo Ann Harris as Various Lily Holleman as Various Johnny McKeown as Various Sam McMurray as Various Larry Poindexter as Various Vonda Shepard as Various Dylan Sprayberry as Jesse Lynne Marie Stewart as Various Peter Strauss as Narrator
Background After her HBO sketch comedy television series Tracey Takes On... ended in 1999, Ullman looked to take a break from her multi-character television work. Her initial plan was to develop a new show where she would play, at most, three characters. In the interim, she continued to work in film and managed her e-commerce boutique, Purple Skirt. The boutique's website eventually served as the inspiration for her fashion-based talk show, Tracey Ullman's Visible Panty Lines, which debuted on Oxygen in 2001.
She returned to HBO in 2003 with the television special Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales, which she both produced and directed, followed by a film version of her one-woman show, Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed, in 2005. Though she eventually approached HBO with an idea for a new sketch comedy series, the network was not in the market for it at the time.
Ullman then took the concept to Showtime. Robert Greenblatt, then President of Entertainment at Showtime, remembered Ullman from his early career at Fox. Greenblatt stated: "I have always loved Tracey Ullman ever since I was a young development executive at Fox when she was doing the original The Tracey Ullman Show... She is a one-of-a-kind comedienne and sketch comedy performer, a true artist. We are so proud to bring her to Showtime in a completely new show that will again showcase what she does best, and in this case, she will be looking at the wide cross-section of Americans and both celebrating us and sending us up."
Format
The show is shot in a cutaway fashion, with each sketch lasting only a few seconds to a few minutes, much like a YouTube clip, a style Ullman was looking to achieve.Variety. "Showtime's 'Tudors' Continues Reign, Network Gives Show An Early Renewal". Josef Adalian. April 12, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2007."Tracey Ullman creates a more humorous 'Union'". Bill Keveney, USA Today, March 27, 2008. Each episode takes place within a 24-hour period and is narrated throughout by actor Peter Strauss.
Showtime's Robert Greenblatt explained, "No sketch is longer than a minute and a half. Each episode is a day in the life of the United States. You pop in on people all over the country, really quick visits. You'll go to some famous people. You'll see some recognizable faces and some regular Americans. You revisit characters from episode to episode. You'll go in and out, like the Google map of the U.S., in and out from the outer atmosphere. You'll go to Iowa and visit two women on a farm and then you'll pull out and go to Los Angeles and see Arianna Huffington, played by Ullman, in her boudoir, and then pull out and go to Washington, D.C., and see a woman who's an anchor for the evening news. Ullman will play 90 percent of the characters, men and women."MediaVillage.com. "Ed Martin's Watercooler TV: Showtime's Robert Greenblatt on the Return of Dexter, Weeds and Brotherhood - and the Future of Sleeper Cell" . Ed Martin. June 27, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2007.
Episodes
Characters Original
Celebrity impersonations
The following is a complete list of celebrities impersonated by Tracey Ullman in the show.
Christiane Amanpour David Beckham Victoria Beckham Susan Boyle Tom Brokaw Campbell Brown Carla Bruni Laura Bush Rita Cosby Penélope Cruz Laurie David Judi Dench Cameron Diaz Celine Dion Jodie Foster Barney Frank Ruth Bader Ginsburg Len Goodman Jonah Hill Arianna Huffington Donna Karan Caroline Kennedy Dina Lohan Rachel Maddow Ruth Madoff Meghan McCain Matthew McConaughey Heather Mills Helen Mirren Nancy Pelosi Miuccia Prada Seth Rogen Andy Rooney Debbie Rowe J. K. Rowling Tony Sirico Suzanne Somers Sonia Sotomayor Candy Spelling Angela Suleman Kate Winslet Renée Zellweger
Reception Critical response The series received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with many critics dissecting elements of the show, including the length of the sketches, the show's format, and its celebrity mock-ups. Suggesting that Ullman's stronger portrayals are found in her original characters rather than the famous ones, one reviewer wrote, "Ullman's satire is at its best when she inhabits the little people.""Jonathan Storm: Tracey Ullman takes her licks at the US", Philly.com. Jonathan Storm. March 29, 2008. Others praised its collection of famous and semi-famous impersonations, including Arianna Huffington, "who sleeps with her laptop and has a dramatic Eva Gabor accent and penchant for using 'blog' in every part of her speech.""Tracey Ullman's Back As A Hilarious Cast of Thousands". Courant.com. Roger Catlin. March 30, 2008. "Her best moments came as Arianna, Dina [Lohan] and Laurie [David]", stated April MacIntyre of Monsters & Critics."Review: Tracey Ullman's State of the Union" . Monsters & Critics. April MacIntyre. Retrieved May 26, 2008.
Its YouTube format garnered a few complaints. "...She can do so much, initially she's doing too much. Though fun, the opener's skits are too short, and the characters too numerous, for any one joke to register. But give the show a week to settle, and the strengths of Ullman's concept come to the fore. As the show grows clearer and funnier, you may even find yourself anticipating the return of favorite characters...""State of Tracey Ullman's Union Is Strong", USA Today. Robert Bianco. March 27, 2008.
Commenting on the writing, a critic noted, "Ullman is obviously great at impressions, but it's the sharpness of the writing that sets this show apart from other sketch comedies. Ullman tosses off so many excellent one-liners along the way, it's hard to keep track of them all.""Tracey takes on the USA". Salon.com. March 30, 2008.
"It may take Saturday Night Live a season to put out this many funny characters and celebrity portrayals. But the glossy "State of the Union", narrated by Peter Strauss, churns out a dozen or more in each week's half-hour."
Ratings The show's premiere episode was watched by 907,000 viewers for its first night of three airings, with 776,000 tuning in during the 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. broadcasts (just short of the debut total for the Showtime series Californication, which drew 795,000 viewers). Pre-airings of State of the Union were available through cable television's On Demand service weeks before its official premiere on the network."Not As Good To Be King: 'Tudors' Second-Season Debut Slips". Multichannel News. Mike Reynolds. April 1, 2008.
Celebrity reaction Celebrity impersonations have become a recent addition to Ullman's comedic repertoire, something that she had not done since her early days at the BBC, nearly thirty years prior. The famous and the infamous are parodied in State of the Union. Reaction to the parodies came from the actual celebrities themselves.
One of the first reactions came from actress Renée Zellweger. In a sketch, Zellweger is featured on a press junket for her new movie, where her character has a condition called "chronic narcissistic squint". The real Zellweger was shown a picture of Ullman doing an impersonation of her on the Late Show with David Letterman. Ullman revealed that she wore no makeup to get her Zellweger appearance. She simply donned long eyelashes, very much like Shari Lewis's Lambchop. "This is why I need therapy... I better watch what I say. Look at what happens when I've done nothing to her."Renee Zellweger's Ullman Revulsion: Tracey's Impersonation A Reason To Call A Shrink, Huffington Post. April 4, 2008. She went on to say that Ullman looked like her "transvestite twin brother".
Political pundit Arianna Huffington's thick Greek accent and obsession with blogging receive numerous jabs throughout the series. The word "blog" is often substituted for various nouns and verbs. While filling out an internet dating profile, Ullman as Huffington types, "Must enjoy nice long blogs in the rain." She clutches her laptop in her arms and kisses it goodnight upon going to sleep. Huffington takes the parody in good humor, saying, "I actually loved it." Huffington continued, "She does a really good imitation of me... And you know... she ends a lot of her imitations of me by saying 'blogs and kisses,' which is kind of something pretty good. I like that."Arianna Huffington: Blogs and Kisses" Mark Silva. April 29, 2008.
Larry David, ex-husband of Laurie David (who is impersonated in the show), publicly confronted Ullman yelling that he didn't appreciate what she did to his wife and that she was upset. Ullman says it turned into an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. She later apologized personally to Laurie David.
In the end, Ullman contends that celebrities "love being impersonated"."Behind the Scenes". Showtime.com. Retrieved May 27, 2008.
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Recipient(s)/Nominee(s) Result2008Online Film & Television Association Best Host or Performer of a Variety, Musical, or Comedy Program Tracey Ullman Best Ensemble of a Variety, Musical, or Comedy Program Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Makeup For A Single-camera Series (non-prosthetic) Sally Sutton , Matthew W. Mungle Outstanding Hairstyling For A Single-camera Series Martin Samuel Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Miniseries, Movie Or A Special Sally Sutton , Matthew W. Mungle Satellite Awards Best Comedy Series Tracey Ullman's State of the Union Best Performance in a Comedy Series Tracey Ullman 2009 Art Director's Guild Variety, Music or Nonfiction Dan Butts Online Film & Television Association Best Host or Performer of a Variety, Musical, or Comedy Program Tracey Ullman Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Series Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Miniseries, Movie Or A Special Matthew W. Mungle , Sally Sutton . Kate Shorter Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single Camera Series Martin Samuel Screen Actors Guild Awards Best Actress in a Comedy Series Tracey Ullman 2010 Online Film & Television Association Best Female Performance in a Fiction Program Tracey Ullman Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single Camera Series Martin Samuel , Colleen LaBaff
Adaptations On November 6, 2008, it was announced that State of the Union would be remade for Germany starring comedian, writer, Mona Sharma, under the title Lage Der Nation.. C21Media. "McKeown pours US$15.9m into India". November 6, 2008.
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