The Tracey Ullman Show

I love Tracey Ullman and I don't know why the Queen hasn't honored her yet with some kind of British Honor. I remember when I first saw her in the video of They Don't Know About Us with Paul McCartney MBE before he was knighted many years ago. The network brought Tracey Ullman who is a great talent to create a sketch show which she played everything from a teenager to an old woman. She did everything without being vulgar, difficult, or cruel. I loved it when she and Dan Castellnata played a yuppie married couple who discover that their young son is normal and not a genius at school. Tracey also introduced the Simpsons to the world. Of course, it was 30 minute show and I felt that it wasn't enough time to get everything in. I think the show would have fared better if it was expanded to an hour. Still, I remember that show fondly as one of Fox's early efforts.

The Tracey Ullman Show, which premiered in April of 1987 (and didn't run nearly long enough), is the closest thing to the timeless classic Carol Burnett Show (circa late 60s/early 70s) that Generation X will probably ever see. Tracey brought back the variety show with a vengeance, and it was truly amazing. The acting (by a phenomenal cast) was nothing short of inspired, the dialogue was brilliantly written, it was nominated and deservedly won several Emmy and other awards, and it also gave the world The Simpsons. What more could one ask? For all these reasons and more, this series should be released on DVD, if for no other reason than to show the world what a great variety show this was.

The Tracey Ullman Show also boasted any number of very special guest stars, such as Tim Curry, Cesar Romero, Isabella Rossellini, Marilu Henner, Keanu Reeves, Kelsey Grammer, Carole King, Martin Short, and Glenn Close, among others - many of them appearing in musical numbers that I only wish I could obtain on CD.

Catch it...if you can.

I'd give this a 10 out of 10 if the IMDb had a rating system for TV series.

This was one of Fox's flagship shows that aired along with Married With Children opening night on Fox. Before this, Tracey was known to a few in America that either saw one of her britcoms via someone in England or owned a copy of her 1983 album, You Broke My Heart In 17 Places. This showed got her launched and it was too funny. My favorite character was Franchesca. It was amusing seeing her transform into a teenager. She was also backed up by a great supporting cast with Julie Kavner, Dan Castelleneta, Sam McMurray, Joseph Malone, and later, Anne Levine. I miss this show and the Sunday nights it was on. It's too bad comedy like this doesn't work on TV anymore. She was talented and many of the skits were downright hilarious. Especially from the first episode where a busy couple spends all but five minutes with their child until they run off again, and in a later episode a woman who gets pulled over for drunk driving (who really isn't) and is asked to perform odd tests. Truly comic genius.

The Tracey Ullman Show helped to spin off The Simpsons into their own show and even helped launch the FOX Network (along with Married With Children). All an all, this was a pretty good show. It had a lot of funny sketches and some very funny, though crudely drawn, animated filler material (The Simpsons). There was another animated filler called Dr. N!godatu, but it did not last as long as the Simpson shorts. The Tracey Ullman Show was entertaining to say the least.

Why isn't this series ever been made available on DVD? I imagine part of the answer might have to do with the Simpsons shorts which appeared in the few couple seasons. The answer seems simple: Remove them. Although they are the introduction to these iconic characters they would never be missed if deleted. The bigger picture is to reintroduce this series to a new generation. Tracey Ullman is among the genuinely funny people and this was a great showcase for their talents. I regret not recording them when they first aired. My favourite moment was when Tim Curry guest starred on one episode and at the end they perform his song I Do the Rock, which unfortunately is marred by the tv announcer giving a rundown on that evening's programs. I'd love to see that footage unedited . Whether it still exists is open to speculation as tapes oftentimes go missing or destroyed. But like many comedy skit shows it could be very hit and miss, but it more the former than the latter. It's just a shame that we cannot the series in its entirety. It once aired on the Lifetime channel decades ago, but as in the case of many rebroadcasts things get edited out in order to make room for more advertising time.