View source for Tracey Takes On...

{{short description|American Television sketch comedy show}}
{{about|the television series|the book based on the series|Tracey Takes On (book)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Tracey Takes on logo.svg
| genre                = [[Sketch comedy]]
| creator              = {{ubl|[[Tracey Ullman]]|[[Allan McKeown]]}}
| writer               =  {{Collapsible list|title={{nobold|Various}}| {{ubl|[[Tracey Ullman]]|[[Jerry Belson]]|[[Dick Clement]]|[[Kim Fuller]] (season 1)|[[Jenji Kohan]] (seasons 1–2 & 4)|[[Ian La Frenais]]|[[Molly Newman]] (seasons 1–3)|[[Gail Parent]]|[[Tony Sheehan (producer)|Tony Sheehan]] (season 1)|Allan J. Zipper (seasons 1–3)|[[Robert Klane]] (season 2)|[[George McGrath (writer)|George McGrath]] (seasons 3–4)}}}}
| director             = {{Collapsible list|title={{nobold|Various}}| {{ubl|[[Thomas Schlamme]]|[[Simon Curtis (filmmaker)|Simon Curtis]]|[[Nicola Pecorini]]|[[Don Scardino]]|[[Michael McKean]]|[[Michael Lange]]|[[Dennie Gordon]]|[[Todd Holland]]|Tracey Ullman{{efn|name="secondunit"|[[Second unit]] for season 4 only}}}}}}
| starring             = {{Plainlist|
*Tracey Ullman
}}
| theme_music_composer = 
| open_theme            = "[[They Don't Know (Kirsty MacColl song)#Tracey Ullman version|They Don't Know]]" {{small|(seasons 2–4)}}
| end_theme             = "They Don't Know" {{small|(seasons 2–4)}}
| composer             = {{ubl|[[Richard Gibbs]]|Philip Giffin|Steve Hampton|[[Randy Kerber]]}}
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 4
| num_episodes         = 65
| list_episodes        = List of Tracey Takes On... episodes
| executive_producer   = {{ubl|Allan McKeown|Tracey Ullman}}
| producer             = {{Collapsible list|title={{nobold|Various}}| {{ubl|Jamie Lynn Arsenault|Kevin Berg|Jerry Belson|Dick Clement|Carey Dietrich|Kim Fuller|Robert Klane|Jenji Kohan|Ian La Frenais|[[Stephanie Laing]]|George McGrath|Sandra McKerroll|Molly Newman|Gail Parent|Thomas Schlamme|Tony Sheehan|Tom Sherren|Allen J. Zipper}}}}
| editor               = {{ubl|Tammis Chandler|Barry Dresner|Scott Gamzon|Simeon Hutner}}
| location             = {{ubl|[[Los Angeles, California]]|[[Culver Studios|The Culver Studios]] {{small|(Season 3)}}}}
| cinematography       = {{ubl|Lucas Bielan|[[Mauro Fiore]]|[[Nicola Pecorini]]}}
| camera               = [[Single-camera setup|Single-camera]]
| runtime              = 22–28 minutes
| company              = {{ubl|Home Box Office|Takes On Productions, Inc.|[[WitzEnd Productions]]}}
| channel              = [[HBO]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1996|01|24}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1999|03|17}}
| related              = {{ubl|''[[The Tracey Ullman Show]]''|''[[Tracey Ullman: A Class Act]]''|''[[Tracey Ullman Takes on New York]]''|''[[Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales]]''}} 
}}

'''''Tracey Takes On...''''' is an American [[sketch comedy]] series starring [[Tracey Ullman]]. The show ran for four seasons on [[HBO]] and was commissioned following the success of the 1993 comedy special ''[[Tracey Ullman Takes on New York]]''. Each episode focuses on a specific subject which Ullman and her cast of characters take on through a series of sketches and monologues.

Unlike her previous [[The Tracey Ullman Show|eponymous Fox show]], ''Tracey Takes On...'' was filmed [[Single-camera setup|single-camera]] on location without a studio audience. The show also focuses on a steady rotation of nearly 20 characters, unlike ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' which featured upwards of 100, the majority of which only appeared once. "I wanted to do a show where you could get familiar with the characters, where I could express a point of view, where we could get controversial [...] I also didn't want to do a series where I had to do 22 or 26 episodes a year. I have two children and have a husband, and there are other things I'd like to do during the year. Ten shows is a good number, and HBO gives me a great (artistic) freedom," said Ullman in 1996.<ref name="tenn">{{cite news|first=Ian |last=Spelling |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/113491422 |title=Tracey Ullman 'Takes On' a New TV Series |newspaper=[[The Tennessean]] |date=January 21, 1996 |access-date=February 7, 2018}}</ref> The only character to be reprised from ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' was [[Kay Clark]], as Ullman was the sole creator.<ref name="deseretnews">{{cite web|url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/467617/TRACEY-TAKES-ON-AMERICAN-TV---AGAIN.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102073905/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/467617/TRACEY-TAKES-ON-AMERICAN-TV---AGAIN.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 2, 2018 |work=[[Deseret News]] |title=Tracey Takes On American TV - Again |access-date=January 1, 2018}}</ref> Former cast member, [[Julie Kavner]], became a recurring guest star on the series.

In 1998, a book based on the series, ''[[Tracey Takes On (book)|Tracey Takes On]]'', was released. In 2003, the character [[Ruby Romaine]] was spun-off into the HBO [[television special]], ''[[Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales]]''.

== Premise ==
Tracey Ullman and her cast of characters "take on" a different subject in each episode of the series.

== Production ==
=== Conception and development ===
[[File:traceyullmangotmilk.jpg|thumb|right|Ullman with three of her ''Tracey Takes On...'' characters for the [[Got Milk?]] advertising campaign]]
In 1990, Ullman's husband [[Allan McKeown]], a founding member of the [[ITV Meridian|Meridian Broadcasting]] consortium, placed a bid for the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] television franchise in [[South East England]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/news/a540751/tracey-ullmans-husband-producer-allan-mckeown-dies-at-67/ |work=[[Digital Spy]] |title=Tracey Ullman's Husband, producer Allan McKeown, Dies At 67 |date=December 28, 2013 |access-date=January 3, 2018}}</ref> Along with the bid he included a potential programming lineup which included a Tracey Ullman special. Ullman, who had just ended four seasons of her [[The Tracey Ullman Show|eponymous]] [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] series, had just given birth to their second child and was quite content staying at home. In September 1991, McKeown was elated when he was informed that his bid was successful; he was subsequently responsible for all of Meridian's comedy programming.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/10541513/Allan-McKeown-obituary.html |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |title=Allan McKeown - Obituary |date=December 29, 2013 |access-date=January 3, 2018}}</ref> Ullman dreaded the idea of doing another show. "I was really not prepared to do TV again. I had an extraordinary run at FOX in the late '80s with the Tracey Ullman Show, and couldn't imagine putting forth that amount of energy again. [...] The type of makeups I liked to disguise myself under had not been conducive to a live show [...] Once I inhaled so much remover that I passed out on the makeup room floor. I was resuscitated and went out to give a terrific performance, even though I can't remember being there."{{Sfn|Ullman|1998|p=xi}} She had a year to deliver the show. The 1993 special ''[[Tracey Ullman: A Class Act]]'', a satire about the [[Social class in the United Kingdom|British class system]], was shot entirely on location and co-starred actor [[Michael Palin]]. The show's success led to American [[cable television]] network [[HBO]] becoming interested in having Ullman do a special for them. The only caveat was that she take on a more "American" subject.{{Sfn|Ullman|1998|p=xii}} She chose [[New York City]]. That special, ''[[Tracey Ullman Takes on New York]]'', was an award-winning success. HBO then broached the idea of a "Takes on" series.{{Sfn|Ullman|1998|p=xv}}

Ullman was unsure if she could do it without the help of her "mentor" [[James L. Brooks]] who helped launch her American career with ''The Tracey Ullman Show''. "Last year, I was 35 years old, and I thought, 'It's time to do it myself really. I thought, 'I know the premise, I know what I want to do...' I sat at the head of the table and made myself a boss."<ref name="takescharge">{{cite news|first=Judith |last=Michaelson |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-02-07-ca-33095-story.html |title=Tracey Takes Charge : Ullman's at Home Behind the Scenes and in Front of the Camera |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=February 7, 1996 |access-date=January 1, 2018}}</ref>  Production on season one of ''Tracey Takes On...'' began in [[Los Angeles]] in 1995.{{Sfn|Ullman|1998|p=xv}} Characters created for her previous two HBO comedy specials were carried over for the series: gay airline steward Trevor Ayliss, British [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Member of parliament|MP]] wife Virginia Bugge, British magazine editor Janie Pillsworth, [[Long Island]] housewife Fern Rosenthal, and faded Hollywood actress Linda Granger.

[[File:Julie Kavner.jpg|thumb|200px|Actress [[Julie Kavner]] appeared in many episodes of the show]]
Ullman was thrilled with the artistic freedom working in cable television allotted her, specifically HBO. "If we did the story line with me and [Julie Kavner] as gay golfers on network TV, Johnson & Johnson would pull their advertising, then there'd be a big piece in ''[[USA Today]]'', and it would be a headache. HBO let us have fun with it, and when Julie and I come out at the end, it's in the most wonderful way. Our ''Romance'' show may be a bit sappy, but it's more of a battle theme, something that will get people talking."<ref name="tenn"/>

Production on ''Tracey Takes On...'' began each year in February with a staff retreat. Three months would then be spent writing the scripts. Pre-production would follow in July and August with filming commencing in September and wrapping in November. The completed season would "ideally" get delivered to HBO by December.<ref name="manyfaces">{{cite news|first=John |last=Levesque |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/90203779/?terms=the+many+faces+of+tracey+ullman |title=Tracey |newspaper=[[Santa Cruz Sentinel]] |date=March 18, 1998 |access-date=February 10, 2018}}</ref>

The series came to a close after a four season run in 1999. Ullman began conceiving a new show in which she'd play only one or two characters with minimal makeup. "This time I'll play one or two characters [instead of all the characters]. I just don't want to put all that rubber on my face. That began to get really tedious. I've got make it easier on myself, and it'll be easier if I don't have to spend ten hours in make-up."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Mills |first=Nancy |date=November 19, 2000 |title=A Demented Pixie Grows Up |magazine=You |location=United Kingdom}}</ref>

=== Format ===
A typical episode consists of two or three long sketches with interstitial character monologues all focusing on the episode's subject. However, every season featured one or two episodes which deviated from the show's regular format in favor of a single storyline (e.g., "Vegas", "Hollywood", "Road Rage", "The End of the World").

=== Opening title sequence and theme song ===
Each episode of season one opened with Ullman asleep in bed, musing about the topic she would be taking on for that particular episode. This was her only appearance out of character in the show. This would end up becoming an issue as many viewers were unaware that Ullman was playing every character. The theme song was an original song performed by Ullman, describing the show's characters as "company in between [her] ears."

A new opening was conceived for season two in which she opened the show with an anecdote or monologue in relation to each episode's subject. The show's theme song was also changed to her 1983 cover version of the [[Kirsty MacColl]] song "[[They Don't Know (Kirsty MacColl song)#Tracey Ullman version|They Don't Know]]", with Ullman and her characters lip-syncing and dancing to it.

In February 1998, Ullman revealed that some viewers were still unaware that she was playing all the characters, "We still get letters asking, 'Can I have a picture of Tracey and the rest of the cast?'"<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/70387412/ |title=Tracey |newspaper=The Index-Journal |date=February 18, 1998 |access-date=January 2, 2018}}</ref>

=== Marketing ===
Famed [[caricaturist]] [[Al Hirschfeld]]'s artistic rendering of Ullman surrounded by her characters was used to promote the show's third season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alhirschfeldfoundation.org/piece/tracey-ullman-0#result_info_7880 |title=Tracey Ullman; Al Hirschfeld |publisher=Alhirschfeldfoundation.org |date=October 1, 1997 |access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alhirschfeldfoundation.org/piece/tracey-ullman#result_info_7879 |title=Tracey Ullman; Al Hirschfeld |publisher=Alhirschfeldfoundation.org |date=October 1, 1997 |access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref>

In 1999, Ullman was featured in a [[Got Milk?]] ad campaign, along with three of her ''Tracey Takes On...'' characters, Kay Clark, Linda Granger, and Hope Finch.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tracey-archives.tumblr.com/post/169531197813/got-milk-1999 |work=The Tracey Ullman Archives |title=Got Milk?, 1999 |date=January 10, 2018 |access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref>

Ullman reprised the character Fern Rosenthal for a [[Marshall Field's]] department store commercial in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.mcall.com/1996/03/20/marshalls-ads-on-tv-aim-to-revive-quality-price-image-department-store-uses-high-profile-effort-to-sharply-define-itself |work=[[McCall's]] |title=Marshalls Ads Aim to Revive Quality, Price Image Department Store Uses High Profile Effort to Sharply Define Itself |date=March 20, 1996 |access-date=January 17, 2025}}</ref>

== Character origins and development ==
{{main|List of Tracey Takes On... characters}}
{{Rquote|right|All of my characters have a sadness or inadequacy about them.|Tracey Ullman<ref name="converge">{{cite news|last=Moore |first=Frazier |date=February 6, 1998  |title=Chameleon's Many Characters Converge When 'Tracey Takes On...' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/297774786 |work=[[Lincoln Journal Star]] |access-date=March 22, 2018}}</ref>}}
All of the characters in ''Tracey Takes On...'' are original creations. Ullman shied away from doing straight-up impersonations of celebrities believing it was ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' territory.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/10/28/499796182/british-comedian-tracey-ullman-brings-celebrity-impersonations-to-hbo |work=[[All Things Considered]] |publisher=[[NPR]] |title=From Maggie Smith To Angela Merkel, Comic Tracey Ullman Leaves An Impression |date=October 28, 2016 |access-date=October 23, 2017}}</ref> She instead chose to do amalgamations of many real-life everyday people, and in some instances, famous ones.<ref name="takescharge"/>

The only character to return from ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' is [[Kay Clark]], as Ullman was the sole creator and Fox owned the rights to all the other characters that appeared on that show. "I love Kay. I'm very fond of her. This little British spinster – she's so courageous, and to think she's sort of on national television in America is rather thrilling to me when I used to witness her in the local bank in my village. She'd say, 'Hello, Miss Ullman. How's Hollywood?' And to think she's on American television and – she doesn't know!"<ref name="deseretnews"/>

[[Ruby Romaine]], who Ullman has described as "pure Hollywood white trash",<ref name="characterization">{{cite news|last=Avasthi |first=Sarubhui |date=17 January 1997 |title=Tracey Ullman Defies Characterization |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/296428181 |work=[[The News Journal]] |access-date=March 16, 2018}}</ref> was based on many of the Hollywood union makeup artists sent to make her up over the years.<ref name="characters"/> Ruby's look was inspired by Romaine Greene, a hairstylist who worked on many of [[Woody Allen]]'s films,<ref name="92nd"/> while her voice was inspired by Florence Aadland, mother of actress [[Beverly Aadland]], who at 15 had an affair with then 48-year-old actor [[Errol Flynn]]. Ullman had played Florence in the one-woman Broadway show ''The Big Love'', which she had prepared for by listening to hours of recordings of Florence dictating her life story to writer Tedd Thomey for the [[The Big Love|book of the same name]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Hilary |last=De Vries |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-03-03-ca-102-story.html |title=Interview: Voice No. 1,001: Her TV show is history, but Tracey Ullman has found another offbeat American misfit to play, this time on Broadway |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=March 3, 1991 |access-date=January 1, 2018}}</ref> There are parallels between Ruby Romaine's early days in Hollywood and those of Beverly Aadland, specifically Beverly's affair with Erroll Flynn.

The characters Fern and Harry Rosenthal and Linda Granger were created for ''[[Tracey Ullman Takes on New York]]''. Ullman had toyed with the idea of giving Fern her own show but found that playing Fern left her "feeling like a limp rag" and that her husband avoided her like the plague. She described Fern as "Loud, emotional with 'I'm from the suburbs' written all over her. She sat behind me at matinees of ''Cats'' and ''Les Misérables'', not too shy to shout out to the performers, 'Speak up, darling, we can't hear you!'" When asked who had inspired washed-up Hollywood actress Linda Granger, Ullman responded, [[Loni Anderson]] and actresses who ended up guest starring in episodes of ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'', "the kind of women that Ruby Romaine made up."<ref name="92nd"/>

The characters Trevor Ayliss, Virginia and Timothy Bugge, and Janie Pillsworth, along with her mother Jackie, were originally created for the 1993 special ''[[Tracey Ullman: A Class Act]]''. Trevor was based on a real [[British Airways]] steward and an observation Ullman made about crewmen who would "butch up" when leaving the galley.<ref name="92nd">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34djW4poo3E  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/34djW4poo3E |archive-date=November 30, 2021 |url-status=live |last=Marx |first=Patricia |publisher=92nd Street Y |title=Tracey Ullman is back! Tracy Ullman with Patricia Marx |date=November 21, 2016|access-date=April 9, 2025 |via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Ullman said of him, "I love Trevor. I've always wanted to do one of those gay air stewards because they're always so lovely to me. As Linda [Granger] says ... 'I have a wonderful homosexual fan base, and I love them!'"<ref>{{cite news|first=Scott |last=Williams |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/2960326 |title=The Tracey Papers |newspaper=Ukiah Daily Journal |date=January 26, 1996|access-date=January 1, 2018}}</ref> Since playing the character, every male steward Ullman has encountered is convinced that she based it on them. "And I always say I did. I go, 'You're right, I based it on you,' because that way I get free caviar."<ref name="who">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUWCr2yY8Yk  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/kUWCr2yY8Yk |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live |title=Who is Tracey? |date=1998 |access-date=January 1, 2018 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Fashion magazine editor Janie Pillsworth was an amalgamation of British editors such as [[Tina Brown]] and [[Anna Wintour]].<ref name="takescharge"/>

Feeling that it would have been passé to play a talent agent, Ullman opted instead to play an attorney, Sydney Kross, apropos in the wake of the [[O. J. Simpson murder case|OJ Simpson trial]] and [[Court TV]]. Critics immediately took note of the character’s uncanny resemblance to real-life attorney [[Leslie Abramson]], who defended [[Lyle and Erik Menendez]]. Ullman noted, "She has a fascinating look.... I think she'll recognize herself physically but not her personality.... I've got some things physically which [aren't her]. I've [had] some teeth [made] that look like sharks. I had the glasses, the suit, but then I put these teeth in, and it made me move my mouth in a certain way. And I filed my nails square. Women in L.A. have these square white nails, reeeelly square...."<ref name="takescharge"/> When it came to Sydney's personality, Ullman found inspiration in an agent she had in Los Angeles named Holly, "who was insane." Always wanting to find some redeeming quality in all her characters, she was found herself stuck at first when it came Sydney. "[I]t seemed she had no redeeming features: she's horrid, cold, impersonal." But then she found a "humanizing trait": loneliness. "She's so aggressive, and so ugly! She's got adult acne, and her teeth are terrible! [...] She became sort of appealing to me. All of my characters have a sadness or inadequacy about them."<ref name="converge"/>

Her Royal Highness is a combination of [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth]]'s voice, [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon|Princess Margaret]]'s lifestyle, the [[Katharine, Duchess of Kent|Duchess of Kent]]'s hats, and [[Anne, Princess Royal|Princess Anne]]'s teeth. Ullman sent a copy of the show's "Royalty" episode to [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess Diana]] feeling that she could use a laugh, and Diana, through her [[lady-in-waiting]], expressed that she had enjoyed it.<ref>{{cite episode |url=https://freshairarchive.org/segments/tracey-ullman-takes-new-television-show |series=[[Fresh Air]] |title=Tracey Ullman Takes On a New Television Show |date=January 14, 1998 |access-date=March 17, 2021}}</ref>

The show's Asian donut shop owner, Mrs. Noh Nang Ning, is modeled after a real-life donut shop owner Ullman met while writing the show's first season in Los Angeles.<ref name="takescharge"/> The character was the show's only encounter with controversy. An Asian American watchdog group protested the show, calling the character stereotypical and racist, and asked HBO to remove the character. HBO defended the character, saying, "Tracey Ullman is a brilliant satirist and comedienne, and all of her work is in the spirit of fun and good humor."<ref>{{cite news|first=Shauna |last=Snow |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-03-16-ca-47540-story.html |title=TV & Radio |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=March 16, 1996 |access-date=January 1, 2018}}</ref> Ullman said of the controversy, "My criteria for doing a character is, do they exist, do they talk like this, would they indeed run a doughnut establishment? And I think Mrs. Noh Nang Ning meets all of that." However, she acknowledged, "Asian people don't necessarily see themselves in mainstream television and certainly not comic situations and after [[Mickey Rooney]] [as [[I. Y. Yunioshi|Mr. Yunioshi]]] in ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'', I can understand why they're a little gun-shy."<ref name="characters">{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVdnm6F7Q74 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/bVdnm6F7Q74 |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live |title=''Tracey Takes On...'' The Characters |date=28 December 2017 |access-date=January 1, 2018 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The controversy likely inspired a monologue delivered by Ruby Romaine in which she reveals that she was responsible for Mickey Rooney's look in ''Breakfast at Tiffany's''. True to form, Ruby doesn't understand the controversy and declares that she should have won an Oscar. Mrs. Noh Nang Ning was retired after season three as Ullman had been complaining for years that the character's makeup felt like being buried alive.<ref name="deseretnews"/> People of color, including Asian Americans, made up the show's largest fan base. "It's such a diverse audience that I get. They're all those characters that I portray that are supposed to be politically incorrect. I get these Asian teenagers who come up and I think, 'Aren't you supposed to be offended by my doughnut-shop lady?' and they go, 'Oh, no! There's no one like that on TV. That's like my grandmother. I'd rather you do it than no one at all,'" stated Ullman in 1998.<ref name="manyfaces"/>

[[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]] madam Madam Nadja is based on [[Elizabeth Adams (madam)|Elizabeth Adams]] (known as "Madam Alex"), of whom Ullman said, "I love that she kept money underneath her bed. She never gets up all day. If she ever has to get out of bed, it's like, 'Dammit, I've got to get out of bed. I've got to get dressed.' That's when something major happens that she has to get dressed. She's very angry because she had to get out of bed today because of some stupid hooker in Venice."<ref>{{cite news|first=Irene |last=Lacher |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-feb-22-ls-21662-story.html |title=The Tracey Papers |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=February 22, 1998 |access-date=January 1, 2018}}</ref>

The character Chic is based on a real New York City cab driver who once drove writer Allen Zipper to [[LaGuardia Airport]]. The line "You want to fuck me or you want to fuck my [[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]]?" was an actual comment from the driver, about how women in Los Angeles only cared about money. Ullman had a similar experience and spent the entire ride wondering how she could turn herself into the driver. The character was also partially based on a man she knew as a teenager in London, who worked in a restaurant and used the come-on line: "Hey, darling, you like sex?"<ref name="who"/>

== Guest stars ==
Guest stars marked with an [[asterisk]] (*) indicate those who made recurring guest appearances.

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* [[Amy Alcott]]{{efn|name="themselves"|Playing themselves.}}
* [[Joan van Ark]]{{efn|name="themselves"}}
* [[Corbin Bernsen]]
* [[Julie Brown]]
* [[Timothy Busfield]]
* [[Ron Canada]] *
* [[Seymour Cassel]] *
* [[Billy Connolly]]
* [[Bob Costas]]{{efn|name="themselves"}}
* [[Kristin Dattilo]] *
* [[Mark DeCarlo]] *
* [[Melinda Dillon]]
* [[Richard Dimitri]] *
* [[Alastair Duncan (actor, born 1958)|Alastair Duncan]] *
* [[Chris Elliott]]
* [[Erik Estrada]]{{efn|name="themselves"}}
* [[Jon Favreau]] *
* [[Matt Frewer]]
* [[Mo Gaffney]] *
* [[Judy Geeson]] *
* Gloria Gifford *
* [[Steven Gilborn]]
* [[Adele Givens]] *
* [[Joanna Gleason]] *
* [[Whoopi Goldberg]]
* [[Bill Harris (journalist)|Bill Harris]]{{efn|name="themselves"}}
* [[Huell Howser]]{{efn|name="themselves"}}
* [[Finola Hughes]]
* [[Alex Karras]]{{efn|name="themselves"}}
* [[Julie Kavner]] *
* [[Hugh Laurie]] *
* [[Hiep Thi Le]] 
* [[Jennifer Jason Leigh]]
* [[Tobey Maguire]]
* [[John Mahoney]] 
* [[Cheech Marin]] *
* [[Penny Marshall]]{{efn|name="themselves"}}
* [[Roddy McDowall]]
* [[Bruce McGill]] 
* [[Tim McInnerny]] *
* [[Michael McKean]] *
* [[Sam McMurray]] 
* [[Helen Mirren]]
* [[Joshua Malina]] *
* [[Alfred Molina]] 
* [[Olivia Newton-John]]{{efn|name="themselves"}}
* [[Natalija Nogulich]] *
* [[Gary Oldman]]
* [[Todd Oldham]]{{efn|name="themselves"}}
* [[Carre Otis]]{{efn|name="themselves"}} 
* [[Maulik Pancholy]] *
* [[Ron Perlman]]
* [[Victoria Principal]]{{efn|name="themselves"}}
* [[Giovanni Ribisi]]
* [[Marissa Ribisi]] *
* [[Melissa Rivers]]{{efn|name="themselves"}}
* [[Glenn Shadix]]
* [[George Segal]] *
* [[Harry Shearer]]
* [[John Stamos]]
* [[Jeffrey Tambor]]
* [[The Roches]]{{efn|name="themselves"}}
* [[Scott Thompson (actor)|Scott Thompson]]
* [[Liz Torres]] *
* [[M. Emmet Walsh]]
* [[Bradley Whitford]]
* [[Danny Woodburn]] *
{{div col end}}

== Episodes ==
{{main|List of Tracey Takes On... episodes}}
{{:List of Tracey Takes On... episodes}}

== Reception ==
=== Awards and nominations ===
{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Tracey Takes On...}}
The series was nominated for 30 [[Primetime Emmy Award]]s, winning 7, including 1 in 1997 for Outstanding Music, Comedy and Variety Show. The show won a [[CableACE award]] in 1996 for Best Comedy Variety Series, 3 [[American Comedy Awards]], and 2 [[GLAAD Media Award]]s in 1998 and 1999.

; [[American Comedy Awards]]
* 1998–Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication
* 1999–Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication
* 2000–Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication

; [[CableACE Awards]]
* 1996–Actress in a Comedy Series
* 1996–Variety Special or Series

; [[Directors Guild of America]]
* 1997–Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical/Variety

; [[Primetime Emmy Award]]s
* 1996–Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program
* 1997–Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
* 1997–Outstanding Makeup for a Series
* 1997–Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program
* 1998–Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series
* 1998–Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program
* 1999–Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series

; [[GLAAD Media Awards]]
* 1996–Outstanding TV Individual Episode ("Romance")
* 1999–Outstanding TV - Individual Episode ("Religion")

; Online Film & Television Association
* 1998–Best Ensemble in a Variety, Musical, or Comedy Series
* 1998–Best Host or Performer in a Variety, Musical, or Comedy Series
* 1998–Best Variety, Musical, or Comedy Series
* 1998–Best Actress in a Cable Series
* 1999–Best Costume Design in a Series
* 1999–Best Host or Performer in a Variety, Musical, or Comedy Series
* 1999–Best Variety, Musical, or Comedy Series

; [[Satellite Awards]]
* 1998–Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical

; [[Screen Actors Guild Awards]]
* 1999–Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, ''Tracey Takes On...''

== Home media ==
=== VHS ===
{| class="wikitable"|width=100%
|- style="background:#cdcccc;"
! style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; width:480px;"| Title
! style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; width:200px;"| Release date
! style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; width:100px;"| Running time
! style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; width:100px;"| Extras
|- style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| ''Tracey Takes On... Sex, Romance, Fantasy''
| January 27, 1998
| 80:00
| Outtakes
|-
| ''Tracey Takes On... Movies, Vanity, Fame''
| January 27, 1998
| 80:00
| Outtakes
|- style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| ''Tracey Takes On... Fern & Kay''
| January 26, 1999
| 50:00
| {{N/A}}
|}

=== DVD ===
[[File:TTO home video.jpg|thumb|300px|"Tracey Takes On..." North American VHS and DVD releases from 1998 to 2009.]]
On December 26, 2005, [[HBO Home Video]] released the first two seasons of ''Tracey Takes On...'' to DVD. The second season's "They Don't Know" lip-syncing title sequence has been removed and replaced with a black screen with the episode title, with an instrumental version of the first season's theme song. The closing credits feature the first season's theme song as well. Extras on the sets include the original HBO special ''[[Tracey Ullman Takes On New York]]'' (season 1), commentary on one episode per season by Tracey, previously unreleased Character Comedies, character bios (season 1), and a photo gallery (season 2).

Seasons 3 and 4 were released by [[Eagle Rock Entertainment]] as one DVD set on July 14, 2009 in the United States. While it claims to be "complete", the set's episodes are heavily edited, some are whittled down to only three to five minutes in length; "Religion" is missing entirely. The set includes three Character Comedies: Virginia, Ruby, and Rayleen. The DVDs are [[DVD region code|region-free]].
 
{| class="wikitable"|width=100%
|- style="background:#cdcccc;"
! style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; width:300px;"| Title
! style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; width:200px;"| Release date
! style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; width:400px;"| Special features
! style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; width:100px;"| Running time
|-
| ''Tracey Takes On... The Complete First Season''
| December 26, 2005
|
* Commentary by Tracey on "Romance"
* ''Tracey Ullman Takes On New York''
* Character Comedies: Fern: The Early Years, Fern & Harry, Linda, Janie
* "Meet the Characters" slide show 
| 300 minutes
|-
| ''Tracey Takes On... The Complete Second Season''
| June 27, 2006
|
* Commentary by Tracey on "Las Vegas"
* Character Comedies: Kay, Chris, Hope
* "The Many Faces of Tracey" slide show
| 450 minutes
|-
| ''Tracey Takes On... Complete Seasons 3 & 4''
| July 14, 2009
|
* Character Comedies: Virginia, Ruby, Rayleen
| 366 minutes
|-
|}

=== Streaming ===
Seasons 1 through 4 were released for purchase through [[iTunes]] and [[Amazon.com|Amazon Video-on-Demand]] service in the United States in 2009, but are currently unavailable in either store. The episodes were heavily edited; some episodes were combined to make up for lost running time due to editing. In 2012, the entire series of 65 episodes could be streamed through [[Hulu]], including all 15 unaired Character Comedies episodes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hulu.com/tracey-takes-on |title=Tracey Takes On - Full Episodes and Clips Streaming Online |publisher=[[Hulu]] |access-date=August 17, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817141412/http://www.hulu.com/tracey-takes-on |archive-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book|last=Ullman|first=Tracey|title=Tracey Takes On|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PCjuAAAAMAAJ|year=1998|publisher=[[Hachette Books|Hyperion]]|isbn=978-0-786-86340-2}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
  {{wikiquote}}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.takeson.com/ |title=Official web site |access-date=April 9, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980623152359/http://www.takeson.com/ |archive-date=June 23, 1998 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}
* {{IMDb title|0115396}}
* {{epguides|id=TraceyTakesOn}}
* [http://www.emmys.com/shows/tracey-takes ''Tracey Takes On...'' Emmy Awards]
* {{EmmyTVLegends title|tracey-takes-on|Tracey Takes On...}}

{{Tracey Ullman}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''Tracey Takes On...''
|list =
{{EmmyAward VarietyMusicComedy 1976-2000}}
{{GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode}}
}}
{{HBONetwork Shows}}

[[Category:Tracey Ullman]]
[[Category:HBO original programming]]
[[Category:1996 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1999 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1990s American sketch comedy television series]]
[[Category:1990s American LGBTQ-related comedy television series]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series winners]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award–winning television series]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Television series by Fremantle (company)]]