'Undercover Boss'
Three and a half stars
9 p.m. Sunday on WBBM-Channel 2
"Extreme times call for extreme measures," say the ads for this show, and CBS is showing extreme confidence in it - airing it after the Super Bowl. Smart move. The impressive premiere will probably be even more touching after a few rounds of beer.
The idea for the series: A CEO will go undercover each week in his or her own company to find out what it's like to work even the lowliest jobs. First up: The president and COO of Waste Management, a Fortune 200 company.
It takes a few minutes to suspend disbelief - I mean, would a guy his age even get a shot at an entry-level job? - but Larry O'Donnell is extremely sympathetic. His wife is age-appropriate, his daughter is brain-damaged, and O'Donnell has the humility to spend a day spearing trash on the side of a hill while a patronizing supervisor barks at him to go faster.
Then O'Donnell gets fired.
Any worker who's heard, "That's the way Corporate wants it" will respond to this drone fantasy. O'Donnell tries sorting trash from recyclables, riding around on a garbage truck with a woman driver who has to pee in a can rather than take a break, and go to dinner with an overworked office manager who is supporting three families. It doesn't amount to the overcoming-tragedy vibe of "Extreme Home Makeover," but it's gratifying to see the big man learn how tough everyday life can be.
O'Donnell is eager and sincere, and the five underlings he meets are real characters. My favorite part is when O'Donnell has to clean out the Porta Potties at a carnival grounds. The guy who shows him the ropes has been doing the job for 10 years, and has developed a lively sense of humor. "Get in there!" he coaches O'Donnell. "Make it dance!" I was laughing and gagging at the same time.
Fair warning: The ending is a bit anticlimactic. Nobody wants to hear the words "We'll be assembling a task force" at the end of a show. They want to hear, "You have won ONE MILLION DOLLARS" or at least "Please accept this mirrorball trophy." I suppose the producers are trying to keep it real.
I'm also not sure if the first episode is a fluke. The personalities are so appealing, and the jobs are so humbling, that this would have been a great one-shot documentary. Can they keep up the impact week after week? Or will we suffer from empathy fatigue sooner rather than later?
Future episodes will feature 7-11, White Castle, Churchill Downs - and Hooters. That last one, I must admit, has potential.
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