‘Taxicab Confessions,’ All Night Long
Be a Backseat Viewer with Bravo’s Overnight Marathon
Basic cable’s Bravo scored big time last December when it struck a deal with HBO to acquire the rights for nine episodes of the Emmy-winning voyeuristic series Taxicab Confessions. The urban settings and raw, honest footage of people who are clueless that they are on camera (fares only find out what’s going on upon disembarking when producers present them with a waiver to allow usage of the footage in the series) helped to establish the show as one of the original reality series. Its 1995 pilot later went on to receive an Emmy for Outstanding Informational Special, the equivalent of today’s Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Reality) category.
Tonight—or early tomorrow morning, depending on your perspective—Bravo presents a five-hour marathon of Taxicab Confessions to get the weekend off to an intriguing start. The episodes scheduled from midnight to 5am EST are: “2001 All’s Fare in Love & Vegas: America Undercover,” “The Best of Taxicab Confessions 2: Fare Play,” and three installments of “America Undercover.”
When I first caught a glimpse of this, at that time, very unusual show, I had no idea what to make of the everyday riders talking about (and sometimes actually doing) all sorts of odd and moving stuff that you didn’t normally hear (or see) on television in those days. Although I wouldn’t call myself a fan, the show came in very handy during the occasional late-night bout of insomnia. I just might tune in tonight just to see if my older, wiser self will find new value in the backseat confessions.
Other Good Stuff on TV Tonight
- 20 Most Horrifying Hollywood Murders: Well, the media and society are so obsessed with these beings called celebrities nowadays (just count the ridiculous number of bald-Britney-rehab articles clogging the spotlight both online and off), why not watch a morbid two-hour documentary about their most gruesome deaths? [E!/8:00]
- The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale: This original telefilm on the life of American Idol‘s third-season winner delivered phenomenal ratings for Lifetime when it premiered last August 19, making it the basic-cable channel’s second most-watched movie ever. [Lifetime/9:00]
- Ghost Whisperer—THE WALK-IN: Battlestar Galactica fans, check it out. Jamie Bamber (BSG‘s Lee “Apollo” Adama) is in the house tonight. [CBS/8:00]
- Law & Order—MURDER BOOK: The headline ripped in the latest installment? Last year’s sordid O.J. Simpson/If I Did It book deal. This episode is guaranteed to make you feel dirty all over when it ends. [NBC/10:00]
- Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel: The life and times of one of hip-hop’s most influential, respected, and enduring personalities, recounted by the people who should know. [BET/8:00]
- WWE Friday Night SmackDown!: There’s got to be a reason why this wrestling series is so darn popular week after week. Somebody named Rey Mysterio drops by tonight, so get pumped if he’s your man. [The CW/8:00]
All times are PM and EST/Eastern Standard Time, unless otherwise noted
Taxicab Confessions photo courtesy of HBO
