Rick Mercer Report

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Stickguy (talk | contribs) at 22:38, 6 December 2008 (I wouldn't say the show "focuses on Canadian politics" when the bulk of the show most weeks is on-locations with non-political figures). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Rick Mercer Report
Rick Mercer Report main title
Created byRick Mercer
Gerald Lunz
StarringRick Mercer
Country of originCanada
No. of episodes6th season
Production
Running time22–23 minutes
Original release
NetworkCBC
ReleaseJanuary 12, 2004 –
Present

Rick Mercer Report (or the Mercer Report; formerly known as Rick Mercer's Monday Report or simply Monday Report) is a Canadian television comedy series which airs on CBC Television and the Comedy Network. Launched in 2004 and hosted by comedian Rick Mercer, the weekly half-hour show combines news parody, sketch comedy, visits to interesting places across Canada, and satirical editorials, often involving Canadian politics. The show's format is similar to Mercer's prior series, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and to Jon Stewart's The Daily Show.

The first two seasons aired on Monday nights – hence the original name, which was likely also a pun on the then-current name of CBC's main Sunday news broadcast, Sunday Report (now CBC News: Sunday Night). The Mercer Report now airs Tuesday nights at 8:00pm.

Segments

  • Monologue—At the beginning part of each show, Mercer covers Canadian politics and comedy during a monologue. The segment is performed in front of a live audience at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the most recent episodes the opening monologue is rarely more than a outline of the on-location segments to come, punctuated with a related joke or two.
  • On-location—On each program Mercer travels to one or more different parts of Canada—often to communities that are currently in the news—collecting opinions, reactions, and quotes from people on the street. Two on-location segments (sometimes different locations in the same area, sometimes two distant locations; occasionally one may be a direct continuation of the other) appear in a typical episode.
  • Ad spoofs—Rick does a parody ad, often spoofing a real one. Usually appears at least once per episode, right before a commercial break.
  • The Front Page—Mercer uses comical bits on certain photos on famous people in the world. Normally seen at the start of segment 2.
  • Rant—Mercer does a 'streeter'-style monologue about current issues, using the same format that he popularized on 22 Minutes. Usually used to begin segment 3.
  • Additional topical jokes, performed in-studio, are sometimes seen in the latter part of the program to pad time.
  • Conclusion—During the brief final segment, Rick invites the audience to visit his website with his blog, video clips and photo challenge. He then mentioned a local event happening in a (usually) small town somewhere in Canada.

Recurring or discontinued

  • Daryn Jones—Correspondent Daryn Jones goes out and checks out cool things. This segment was discontinued in Season 3.
  • Celebrity Tip—A Canadian celebrity gives how-to advice to the audience, such as Shirley Douglas demonstrating how to boost a car's battery, Pierre Berton demonstrating how to roll a joint or Conrad Black demonstrating how to wax a maple leaf. The humour in this segment often comes from the juxtaposition between the celebrity and their ability to demonstrate something the viewing public might not have expected them to know how to do. Currently airs sporadically.
  • Occasionally Mercer will perform a "lecture"-type monologue in-studio, usually standing next to a TV screen and waving a metal pointer, attempting to point out the absurdity of a particular policy. This is a continuation of a sketch style Mercer also used from time to time on 22 Minutes (most famously the Stockwell Day / Doris Day petition sketches).

Notable guests

Several notable Canadian celebrities and politicians have appeared on the show, including:


Production details

Rick Mercer Report is produced by Island Edge Inc and the CBC.

Starting with Season 3, Rick Mercer Report is presented in HDTV. (Royal Canadian Air Farce, which is now Air Farce Live, switched to HDTV at the same time)

In October 2006 the Comedy Network began showing reruns of Rick Mercer Report.

External links

See also

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