Work It
Work It
| 03 January 2012 (USA)
SEASON & EPISODES
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  • Reviews
    VinnieRattolle

    Salesman Lee and mechanic Angel are best friends who have been out of work since the St. Louis Pontiac factory closed, so when Lee needs money for medical expenses and hears there are abundant jobs for women as pharmaceutical reps, he dons his wife's dress and *drags* Angel along for the ride. Their new coworkers are relentlessly-chipper single mom Kristin, slutty airhead Kelly, condescending Grace and boss-lady Vanessa, whom Angel instantly falls in love with. In addition to the ladies at work, the guys have to keep their secret identities from Lee's wife Connie, daughter Kat, and redneck brother-in-law Brian.No one anticipated that this goofy sitcom would last very long, but it caused an uproar just prior to the premiere when the gay and lesbian organization GLAAD launched a ridiculous attack, claiming it "will harm transgender people." Although it was a silly comedy about macho men in drag (a combination of the well-known flop "Bosom Buddies" and a forgotten 1998 Fox show called "Ask Harriet"), the assertion was that viewers would perceive it as making fun of the plight of transsexuals seeking employment. As if -- the hoopla was merely GLAAD using the show as a springboard to rack focus onto their own issues. Further scandal erupted the day after the pilot aired when the Latino community denounced it and began protests thanks to this stupid one-liner uttered by Angel: "I'm Puerto Rican. I'll be great at selling drugs!" Talk about political-correctness running amok! ABC tried to spin the negative press (on-air ads boasted, "It started last week and people have been talking about it ever since," and "Get ready for an all-new episode of Tuesday's most buzzed about new comedy!") but the damage was done, ratings plummeted and it was canceled after the second episode. A year-and-a-half later, all 13 episodes finally aired in Finland and New Zealand... unsurprisingly, without scandal.Admittedly, one must be able to suspend disbelief to swallow the premise and the pilot (which seems to be the only episode anyone reviewed) was not great -- but realistically, how many sitcom pilots are? Hits like "Seinfeld," "The Big Bang Theory" and "Friends" all had pretty weak openers establishing the characters/plots. Granted, "Work It" was never in that league (it probably never would have been and certainly wasn't given the opportunity), but there was some really funny stuff that Americans never had the option to see, as well as some poignant social commentary about the roles that men and women have to play. Koldyke (who looked like Herman Munster in drag) and Nolasco (who's bizarrely attractive as both a man and woman) both appeared to be having a ball trying to hide theirs, and each of their coworkers were a riot (albeit thoroughly one-dimensional). Unfortunately, the writers were never able to effectively utilize Lee's family (and the Brian character was ill-conceived from the start), but they were just beginning to find a balance as the show drew to a close.It wasn't the greatest sitcom that ever aired but it was endearingly idiotic -- and it's a real shame that some overzealous people completely wrecked it for those of us willing to embrace such a giddily offbeat show. And as a P.S., major thanks to the Kiwis who leaked the remainder of the episodes online!

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    renob1

    The Show starts of kinda slow like most shows do, actors needing to build rapport with their character and each other .... the Show had me & my Spouse laughing at several points in the show, i was apprehensive at first, My Spouse being a bosom buddies fan we gave it a try & I have to say I like it! I mean who has not thought about Drag (Male & Female alike)at one point or another in their career to advance among the ranks? Been looking for more shows please tell me it is still in production and not another (in a long line of many) that I like to be canceled .... I want TV acting back no More Reality TV, PLEASE The show is worth watching!

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    pensman

    The best thing ABC can do for the viewing public and their own reputation is cancel this show immediately. First, it is not funny. Second, it is not funny and has about the worst cast I have seen since the disaster of Hank. Third, it is not funny and the premise, given that this is the 21st Century, is plainly stupid. I gather the Brits still find men in drag hilarious so perhaps we might send them this series as reparations for the Revolutionary War. Then again, maybe not. I can't believe someone saw the pilot for this and still green lit it for a go ahead. If a show can jump the shark on its first episode then we have a winner.

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    sad-eyed-angel

    This show, like I Hate My Teenage Daughter and I Don't Know How She Does It, is another idea that could have worked fifteen years ago but really shouldn't have made it into this century. I believe that there is a time where this show would have been okay, but that time was at least twenty years ago. Like Tom Hanks in Bosom Buddies, funny sort of. Cory and Shawn in Boy Meets World putting on skirts to write an article about how what it's like to be a girl on a date, funny. Eric and Jack (why there was so much cross-dressing in Boy Meets World I don't know) stuffing their chests and calling themselves Chantel and Lala... well that was hysterical. But that was also in the 90's. A show in 2012 about two unemployed guys who pretend they're women who gets jobs... all that's gonna do is make people mad. This show is flawed in almost every way possible, not just this premise, but the plot of the show. The plot is that by pretending to be women and being around women all day, these men will become better men. Which might be okay if they were real jerks, but they actually don't seem like bad guys to begin with. Sure the married guy didn't understand at first why his wife didn't want to go out with him and his friends but really, there are a lot worse husbands on TV. And the other guy is a womanizer, but if Barney Stinson and Chuck Bass have taught us anything, it's that that's not always the worst thing either. This show is so bad it actually makes you feel sorry for the men portraying these characters who have this gig because it's quite possible that they, like their characters were in desperate need of a job, otherwise why would they be on this show?! This show could have been a mild hit in another time (Bosom Buddies ran for at least a couple years) but that time is not now, and this show is destined to be off TV faster than How to be a Gentlemen.

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