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COLLECTION · Series · 1996

Tracey Takes On...

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

Source: TMDB
* 8.2 (5)ComedyUnited States
Creators
Tracey Ullman · Allan McKeown
Countries
United States
Studios
HBO · Takes On Productions, Inc.
Runtime
30 min/ep
Release
24/01/1996
Score
8.2 / 10 (5)
Where to watch
Loading providers…
Seasons and episodes
Specials
8 episodes
Episode 1. Fern: The Early Years
30 min

Fern's daughter gets married. Fern is faced with Harry's illness. Fern tells her daughter that children ruined her life. Fern and Harry host a Wild West charity event which ends up being cancelled when a cure for the disease if found.…

Episode 2. Fern & Harry
30 min

Fern and her friend Jobie discuss how not to have sex. Fern is enjoying being a grandmother when she finds out that an alligator has eaten Harry. Fern gets a visit from Agent La Salle, finds her husband and then loses him again - this…

Episode 3. Linda
30 min

Linda and Candy hire a stalker to boost her image in the public eye but it backfires. Linda visits a prison inmate who once stalked her. Linda, a recovering sexaholic, falls off the wagon. Linda talks about marriage(s) but only gets to…

Episode 4. Janie
30 min

Janie's school years. Janie tells us how she benefits from charities. Janie admits her most secret desires to her psychiatrist and it involves a paddle. Janie believes that she is a successful magazine editor, because she can predict…

Episode 5. New York
1993-10-09 · 30 min

The Johnsons, Penny and Gordon, arrive in N.Y to see a Broadway musical, "Finnegan's Wake." Gordon gets the wrong subway train but agrees to meet Penny at the theatre. He gets mugged in Harlem, is chased by the police and eventually…

Episode 6. Chris
30 min

No synopsis

Episode 7. Hope
30 min

No synopsis

Episode 8. Kay
30 min

No synopsis

Season 1
Season 1
11 episodes · 1996
Episode 1. Romance
1996-01-24 · 30 min

Rayleen says her height-challenged husband maybe a midget, but he's not all small. Mrs. Noh Nang Ning compares love to a donut. Virginia Bugge reveals the identity of her most exciting lover – a horse. Hope fantasizes about a man at a…

Episode 2. Charity
1996-01-31 · 30 min

Janie Pillsworth reveals she exchanges food for poems with the ATM homeless man because his poems are a sure hit on her magazine. Hope unfortunately can't talk at the moment because she lost her voice doing reading for the blind. Fern…

Episode 3. Nostalgia
1996-02-07 · 30 min

Janie Pillsworth is too busy for nostalgia. Mrs. Noh Nang Ning is nostalgic about TV shows with talking objects/animals. Kay Clark misses the days when there was only one Metamucil flavor. A Russian family misses the old Soviet Union…

Episode 4. Royalty
1996-02-14 · 30 min

Rayleen questions if numbers are the most precise way to identify a royalty. She defends using referable phrases such as ""Henry the Serial Killer"" instead of Henry IV. Fern thinks Steve and Eydie are real royalty. Kay is a victim of a…

Episode 5. Family
1996-02-21 · 30 min

Fern says she'll never pressure her daughter to have children. She had and it ruined her life. Virginia Bugge still believes in corporal punishment. Kay is still following her mother's advice not to marry men because they kill you after…

Episode 6. Law
1996-02-28 · 30 min

Mrs. Noh Nang Ning says she once had a problem when a customer ate a finger donut. But it never went too far – no evidence left. Hope says some girls were caught shoplifting, but might be doing it again – a professor's hairpiece has…

Episode 7. Vanity
1996-03-06 · 30 min

Chic says he likes to look good for the ladies. Harry buys license plates for Fern that say ""4N"" and she doesn't like it because they sound more like ‘foreign' than ‘Fern'. Virginia Bugge says Americans are vain and think the show…

Episode 8. Death
1996-03-13 · 30 min

Trevor says what he does when a passenger dies in the air. Mrs. Noh Nang Ning says death is like a donut – you are born and die with the same characteristics. Virginia

Episode 9. Health
1996-03-20 · 30 min

Kay hasn't been sick in over 15 years due to all the potions her mother makes her take. Chic thinks it's better to pump chicks than iron. Sydney is forced by her partners to take a vacation and goes to a spa, where she runs into Rayleen,…

Episode 10. Fame
1996-03-27 · 30 min

Chic says he's the one that convinced Andrew Lloyd Webber into making ""The Phantom of the Opera"" but was never thanked for it. Sydney comments on how things changed since the O.J. trial. And that lawyers are the only ones that can…

Episode 11. The Best of Tracey Takes On... Season One
1996-04-03 · 30 min

From ""Romance"": Mrs. Noh Nang Ning's reflections Chris Warner, Midge Dexter lesbian life partner Hope Finch's fantasy about a man at the coffee shop From ""Charity"": Fern Rosenthal's fundraiser party Hope Finch's excessive…

Season 2
Season 2
16 episodes · 1997
Episode 1. Sex
1997-01-18 · 30 min

Sydney goes on about how the last men she's been with haven't really satisfied her. Hope imagines her future sex life (she's still a virgin) and worries about obsessing about the guy's penis. Birdie Godsen says sex should be taught at…

Episode 2. Fantasy
1997-01-25 · 30 min

Jobie and Fern talk about Jobie's sexual fantasies with the pool guy. Trevor says his fantasy is to be the steward on the space shuttle, where he can weightless with other men. Sydney fantasizes about killing a priest just to win a case…

Episode 3. Mothers
1997-02-02 · 30 min

Ruby thinks she raised her kids well – despite her son being mentally ill and her daughter a morgue thief. Mrs. Nang says it's easier being a grandmother than a mother. She had a tough time raising her daughter. Janie feels bad for…

Episode 4. Las Vegas
1997-02-08 · 30 min

Virginia is frustrated when her flight is diverted from San Francisco to Las Vegas. Just in time as she was arriving from the ""gastronomical desert"" of New Zealand. Linda is excited about performing in Las Vegas once again, but she…

Episode 5. Secrets
1997-02-17 · 30 min

Kay confesses that she once kept a secret bird as a pet, until it learned how to speak and ordered Mother to take her medication 16 times, causing her to lose 22 pounds in 9 minutes. Linda's adopted daughter wants to find her birth…

Episode 6. Childhood
1997-02-24 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Rayleen tells how she was raised by a pack of wild dingoes, Mrs. Noh describes how important the circle has been in her life and Trevor reminisces about the day his family learned he was ""different"".

Episode 7. 1976
1997-03-05 · 30 min

Janie's magazine hosts a seventies retro-party at the famous Stage 24 disco. Janie and Hope, who is an intern at the magazine, arrive at the party via Chic's cab. In a flashback Chic tells Hope how be helped a young Janie sneak into the…

Episode 8. Food
1997-03-12 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Janie is upset over losing her favorite lunch table, Chic serves lunch to a busy businessman in his Cab Cafe and Trevor & Barry have a spat over a casserole with too much salt.

Episode 9. Crime
1997-03-19 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Kay is suspected of robbery but gets close to the PI following her, Linda goes to prison to visit the man who once stalked her and Timmy & Virginia accidently switch bags with a Mafia Boss.

Episode 10. Movies
1997-03-27 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Ruby goes to the ""Monsterplex"" and is thrown out for drinking and smoking, The Bugges rent their house to a film crew and Rayleen saves the day at a movie premiere.

Episode 11. Money
1997-04-02 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Chic gets audited, Fern and Harry invest in ostriches and Linda sells recovery dolls on the Family Spending Channel.

Episode 12. Race Relations
1997-04-09 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Linda's co-star in ""Driving Miss Daisy"" is mad at the world, Kay is the forewoman of a multi-racial jury that has a hard time finding common ground or coming to a verdictand and Harry Rosenthal appears in a rap…

Episode 13. Supernatural
1997-04-16 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Chris sells her soul to the devil so that Midge can be a better golfer, Janie believes that she is a successful magazine editor because she can predict trends and The Rosenthal's maid curses them for taking taxes…

Episode 14. Politics
1997-04-23 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Trevor as a decoy date for a senator's mistress and Fern runs for condo association president.

Episode 15. Music
1997-04-30 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Sydney defends her client in song, Chic runs after a deadbeat fare and ends up on stage at the opera, Linda sings before a crowd a detention facility and Erin reunites with her old band Wild Child, for a short time.

Episode 16. The Best of Tracey Takes On... Season Two
1997-05-28 · 30 min

Sketches include: Mrs. Noh on Food, Ruby on Mothers Chic on Crime, Trevor and Fern on Race Relations, Fern and Jobie on Sex, Birdie on Politics, Sydney on Sex, Kay on Movies, Janie on the Supernatural, Rayleen on Childhood, Trevor on…

Season 3
Season 3
11 episodes · 1998
Episode 1. Marriage
1998-01-04 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Sydney presses Kay to marry her client who's on Death Row to save him from the chair, Ruby meets her son's mail order bride, Sheneesha gives some advice to some newlyweds.

Episode 2. Hollywood
1998-01-11 · 30 min

The sketches in this episode all coincide with each other. Chic goes to Hollywood to pitch a script that falls into his hands, Fern appears on ""Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman"", Ruby is the subject of a documentary, Sydney has the hots for…

Episode 3. Smoking
1998-01-18 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Kay finds some medicinal marijuana for her mother, Linda tells how her first cigarette started her road of addictions and Ruby can't find a place to smoke.

Episode 4. Loss
1998-01-25 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Fern learns that Harry's apparently been eaten by an alligator, Rayleen mourns the death of husband Mitch and Sydney loses in court for the first time.

Episode 5. Agents
1998-02-01 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Fern finds out Harry faked his death from an insurance agent. Then tracks him down to a tropical island, only for him to actually die. Linda leaves her longtime agent Candy Casino and finds out how hard it is to…

Age
Episode 6. Age
1998-02-08 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Hope falls for her older, physically challenged professor(think stephen hawking), Fern receives a marriage proposal and then he drops dead, and Trevor & Barry comment on how differently they've aged.

Episode 7. Religion
1998-02-15 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Birdie kidnaps Chris and tries to ""cure"" her of her homosexuality and Linda rediscovers her relationship with God.

Episode 8. Man's Best Friend
1998-02-22 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Linda and Trevor smuggle a dog onto the plane and Ruby gets some unwanted and rather ""personal"" attention from the neighbor's pitbull.

Episode 9. Culture
1998-03-01 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Hope wants to have sex with a scottish poet, Sydney's method of stress relief: ""Riverdance"" in a woman's restroom, Linda fights against funding cuts for the arts and Sheneesha gets a book deal.

Episode 10. Sports
1998-03-08 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Ruby has a good day at the track and Janie relives her competition with a school rival.

Episode 11. The Best of Tracey Takes On... Season Three
1998-06-04 · 30 min

Sketches: Chic on Sports, Ruby on Sports, Trevor on Loss, Janie on Loss, Kay on Smoking, Hope on Smoking, Janie on Sports, Sheneesha on Age, Sydney on Culture, Birdie on Man's Best Friend, Fern on Age, Linda on Smoking, HRH on Age, Kay…

Season 4
Season 4
12 episodes · 1999
Episode 1. Dating
1999-01-13 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Sydney tries a dating agency, Erin objects to Dusty's going on a date and Linda's limo driver turns out to be an old flame and they have a Titanicesque moment

Episode 2. Drugs
1999-01-13 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Erin's drug dealer contemplates his life, Sheneesha needs her blood-pressure medication, Midge develops a steriod problem while Chris has her own problems with pot and Kay talks to a co-worker about an…

Episode 3. Scandal
1999-01-20 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Fern is touched inappropriately by her dentist, Sydney goes away on vacation and finds a p*bic hair in her bed and Janie is attracted to a young man -- a very young man

Episode 4. Hair
1999-01-20 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Linda is upset she doesnt have a nude scene in ""Hair"", Trevor recalls getting a Beatle haircut as a youth, Fern's hairdresser dies and Erin has a problem with a cactus

Lies
Episode 5. Lies
1999-01-27 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Fern and Phyllis discuss their late husbands' infidelities, Sheneesha and Hellura discuss how to respond to deal with cheating boyfriends and Chic tells a lie to get out of a ticket and suffers the consequences

Episode 6. Erotica
1999-02-03 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Janie brings home an arousing sculpture, Chic has an idea for Taxicab Confessions, Linda Granger and Victoria Principal are held against their will by a sultan

Episode 7. Books
1999-02-10 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Linda reads Chekhov, Kay finds love at the library and Fern trys to retrieve her signed ""Valley Of The Dolls"" from a friend who died

Episode 8. Road Rage
1999-02-17 · 30 min

All sketches coincide with one another.. Sydney enjoys her new Hummer, Linda flies with Chopper Tim, Ruby is carjacked and becomes a hero, Hope retrieves her first car that had been stolen, Fern and Jobie visit L.A., Midge and Chris…

Episode 9. America
1999-02-24 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Ruby was Sen. McCarthy's lover, Fern remembers her past with a jewish mobster

Episode 10. Hype
1999-03-03 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Madame Nadja wonders about America, Fern has an unexpected surplus of caskets and Sheneesha hates the conditions in the new airport terminal

Episode 11. Obsession
1999-03-10 · 30 min

Main Sketches include: Sydney gives an impromptu slide show at her high school reunion for revenge, Trevor and Barry take up Latin dancing, and Sheneesha on Steven Spielberg's stalker

Episode 12. End of the World
1999-03-17 · 30 min

All the sketches coincide with each other as a meteor shower heads toward Earth and everyone reacts differently: Hope may lose her virginity, Ruby has an unexpected visitation, Trevor & Barry consider a Thelma & Louise situation, Linda…

Cast by season
Tracey Ullman
Tracey Ullman
Various
Adele Givens
Adele Givens
Hellura
George Segal
George Segal
Harry Rosenthal
Danny Woodburn
Danny Woodburn
Mitch Gibson
Michael McKean
Michael McKean
Barry
Julie Kavner
Julie Kavner
Jodie Wolf / Midge Dexter
Seymour Cassel
Seymour Cassel
Candy Casino
Michael Tucker
Michael Tucker
Harry Rosenthal
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Keywords
satiresocial satiresketch comedycomedy
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