Blue Collar TV explained

Country:United States
Num Seasons:2[1]
Num Episodes:43

Blue Collar TV is an American sketch comedy television series that aired on The WB from July 29, 2004 to July 26, 2006 starring Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy. The show's humor dealt principally with contemporary American society, and especially hillbilly, redneck, and Southern stereotypes. The show was greenlighted on the heels of the success of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, which the series' three lead actors toured with in the early to mid-2000s. It was created by Fax Bahr and Adam Small, in addition to J.P. Williams and Jeff Foxworthy. "Blue collar" is an American phrase used to describe manual laborers, as opposed to white collar for office or professional workers.[2]

Overview

Unlike most sketch comedy programs, each episode of Blue Collar TV was generally centered on a theme, which Foxworthy revealed at the start of each episode. Themes included "Food", "Kids", and "Stupidity", among others, with Foxworthy generally performing a short comedic monologue based on the theme. Most sketches in each episode featured at least one of the three Blue Collar Comedy Tour veterans in an acting role (including almost all from the first season), but the second season saw more sketches featuring the six other cast members exclusively.

Recurring sketches

Cast

Main

Note: Due to the show's relatively short life, no cast members were added or removed during the show's run.

Guest appearances

Blue Collar TV had many guest stars during its short run. Sometimes, it was a musical guest that performed at the end of the episode. In most cases, the musical guest also takes part in at least one sketch.

Guests have included:

Production

Fellow Blue Collar Comedy Tour costar Ron White declined to star on Blue Collar TV due to a fear of being typecast as "blue collar". However, he guest-starred on many episodes of the show. On his 2006 comedy album, You Can't Fix Stupid, White jokingly cited his own lack of work ethic as a reason for not participating more on the show.

The show originated from the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Later episodes of season 1 and all episodes of season 2 were taped at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, although the show taped at the House of Blues in New Orleans during a two-episode road trip in 2004. Later episodes were recorded during their Blue Collar tour.

The show halted production a few weeks into the 2005 fall season. It was also removed from the WB's lineup. No official statement was given by the WB, though Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy both confirmed the end of Blue Collar TV on their websites.

Blue Collar TV returned on May 31, 2006, to finish airing its second season throughout the summer as filler for the final weeks of the WB, which would shut down later that year. The show did not move to The CW. In summer 2006, Foxworthy started his own show, Foxworthy's Big Night Out, which aired on Country Music Television and retained some aspects of the Blue Collar TV format. It was canceled after one season. The show aired in reruns on Comedy Central's sister network CMT for a time in the early 2010s. In Canada the series aired on The Comedy Network (Now CTV Comedy Channel), CTV, BiteTV (Now Makeful), and CMT.

In 2022, reruns began airing on Circle, a country music and lifestyle-focused digital multicast channel partially owned by Opry Entertainment Group.

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
30
13

Season 2 (2005–2006)

Home media

Season releases
DVD name
  1.  eps
Release dateAdditional information
Season 1 Volume 113Boyz in the Woods: A behind-the-scenes look at season 1, Live Comedy No Second Chances, Hatfield-McCoy Redneck Dictionary
Season 1 Volume 218February 7, 2006Bonus skits, a collection of bloopers and outtakes called "Let's Do That One Again"
13August 1, 2006Bonus skits and bloopers
The Complete Series432023All bonuses mentioned above

Notes and References

  1. Book: 261. Asian Americans in Dixie: Race and Migration in the South. Khyati Y.. Joshi. Jigna. Desai. University of Illinois Press. 2013. 9780252095955.
  2. Book: The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. 156. Tim. Brooks. Earle F.. Marsh. Random House Publishing Group. 2009. 9780307483201.