It's hard to believe that anyone who watches TV on a regular basis didn't see at least one episode of "Undercover Boss" this past season — but with a second round of the show on order, CBS wants to make sure.
The network will air all eight episodes of its ratings hit and Emmy nominee, and why wouldn't it? CBS has been very successful with the traditional TV model of airing repeats of all of its scripted dramas and comedies during the summer.
Episodes will air beginning on July 25 at 9 p.m. each Sunday through Sept. 12, but not in the same order as the originals — not that it matters, since each episode is about a different boss at a different company.
In fact, the first episode that aired leading out of the Feb. 7 Super Bowl telecast, featuring Waste Management President and COO Larry O'Donnell, will be the last to repeat — on Sept. 12.
The premiere episode of the show was seen by 38.7 million viewers leading out of the Super Bowl and averaged 17.7 million for the season. "Undercover Boss" was the third most-watched show on television this past season, behind Fox's "American Idol" and CBS drama "NCIS," and averaged a 6.2 18-49 rating, second only to "Idol."
"Undercover Boss" is produced by Studio Lambert Ltd., and both the producer and CBS have been mum about how the second season, which will probably air sometime in first quarter of 2011, plans to fool workers this time.
During the first season the disguised bosses explained being followed by a camera crew as being filmed for a documentary on new workers on a job, and all the episodes were shot prior to the first one airing. It's possible that the producers could use hidden cameras for the second season, but no one is saying.
Airing the entire season in repeat during the summer, and giving the show more exposure, is only going to make the producers' jobs harder to fool the supposed unsuspecting workers.
