Rick Mercer Report

Rick Mercer Report(also called theMercer ReportorRMR) is aCanadiantelevisioncomedy series which aired onCBC Televisionfrom 2004 to 2018. Launched asRick Mercer's Monday Report,or simplyMonday Report,by comedianRick Mercer,the weekly half-hour show combined newsparody,sketch comedy,visits to interesting places across Canada, andsatiricaleditorials, often involvingCanadian politics.The show's format was similar in some respects tosatirical newsshows like Mercer's prior series,This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

Rick Mercer Report
Rick Mercer Reportmain title
Also known as	Rick Mercer's Monday Report (2004–2006)
Created by	Rick Mercer Gerald Lunz
Presented by	Rick Mercer
Country of origin	Canada
No.of seasons	15
No.of episodes	255
Production
Production locations	Canadian Broadcasting Centre Toronto,Ontario
Running time	22–23 minutes
Original release
Network	CBC Television
Release	January 12, 2004(2004-01-12)– April 10, 2018(2018-04-10)

The first two seasons aired on Monday nights, and aired its remaining seasons Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m. on CBC. The program was recorded in front of a live audience at theCanadian Broadcasting CentreinToronto,Ontario, except for the on-location and rant segments. These segments were shown to the studio audience during taping, with their reactions recorded for broadcast.

In September 2017, Mercer announced that the show would conclude on April 10, 2018, after a total of 15 seasons.

Segments

• Monologue– At the beginning of each show, Mercer delivers a brief monologue. In the earliest episodes this was similar to a late-night talk show monologue, with Mercer joking about Canadian politics. In more recent seasons, the opening monologue has been rarely more than an outline of the on-location segments to come, punctuated with a related joke or two.
• On-location– On each programme Mercer travels to one or more different parts of Canada, often to communities that are currently in the news or celebrating some event, and collects opinions, reactions, and quotes from people on the street. Often Mercer will participate in some demonstration related to the location (e.g. driving aTTCbus while visiting the agency's bus compound), with comic results. 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– Mercer 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 makes comical comments on certain photos of famous people in the world. Normally seen at the start of segment 2.
• Rant– Mercer does a 'streeter'-style tongue-in-cheek monologue about current issues, using the same format that he popularized on22 Minuteswith along takeand camera tilting; the main variation is that his old22 Minutesrants were filmed in black and white, while hisRMRrants are filmed in colour. These are almost always taped while Mercer walks up and downRush Lane,a graffiti-strewn Toronto alleyway. Usually used to begin segment 3.
• Newsdesk– Additionaltopical jokes,similar to the newsdesk segments on22 Minutes,are sometimes seen in the latter part of the programme to pad time.
• Conclusion– During the brief final segment, Mercer 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. In early seasons, this is also where Mercer would give updates on the monthly contest.

Recurring

• Celebrity Tip— A Canadiancelebritygives how-to advice to the audience, such asGeddy Leeshowing viewers how to properly ride a toboggan,Shirley Douglasdemonstrating how to boost a car's battery,Pierre Bertondemonstrating how to roll ajointorConrad Blackdemonstrating how to wax amaple 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.
• Monitor Piece— Occasionally Mercer will perform a "lecture" -type monologue in-studio, usually standing next to a TV screen and waving a metal pointer, attempting to explain a complicated issue or point out the absurdity of a particular policy. Typically the piece will end with an instrumental version of "O Canada"playing in the background. This is a continuation of a sketch style Mercer also used from time to time on22 Minutes,most famously for theStockwell Day/Doris Day petition sketch.

Discontinued

• Daryn Jones— CorrespondentDaryn Jonesgoes out and checks out cool things. This segment was discontinued in Season 3, with Jones leaving the show forMTV Canada.
• Contest— Early seasons featured a monthly contest in which viewers were encouraged to send in pictures. Mercer would show these pictures at the conclusion of the show throughout the month, and declare the winner on the final show of the month. Some examples include "Canada's BiggestPothole"or" Canada's BestShed."The prize was usually a free trip to Toronto to attend a taping of the show.

Production details

Rick Mercer Reportwas produced byIsland Edge Incand theCBC.The show was produced in HD beginning in its third season. Reruns of the program air onThe Comedy NetworkandCBC Television.

Set interior

• 
  Set of the Rick Mercer Report before filming of an episode in 2011
• 
  Mercer in March 2011 during a taping of the Mercer Report

Further reading

• Mercer, Rick (2007),Rick Mercer Report: The Book,Doubleday Canada,ISBN978-0-385-66518-6
• Mercer, Rick (2008),Rick Mercer Report: The Paperback Book,Anchor Canada,ISBN9780385665193

External links

• Official website at CBC
• Rick Mercer's official website
• on TV.com
• Rick Mercer ReportatIMDb