BLOGS

Work It: Take This Show and Shove It

by Angel Cohn January 4, 2012 11:11 AM
Work It: Take This Show and Shove It

I was about six years old when I was introduced to Buffy and Hildegard on Bosom Buddies and thought that the show was wildly funny. So it should really be no surprise that during the series premiere of Work It last night (same basic premise), my six-year-old daughter thought that the five minutes I let her watch were very entertaining. But, given the not-at-all-coyly-disguised sexual comments and tampon jokes during those few minutes, I turned it off. She'll thank me later. Because while old Bosom Buddies reruns today are still entertaining, even for an adult audience (thanks largely to the comic timing of a young Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari), this new show cannot possibly stand the test of time.

That said, Work It did manage to put seemingly every single cliché about women and men into the first episode, so in that sense, it was indeed timeless. The women on the show are all catty about handbags, make fun of large women to their faces, only eat salad, are all dumb and only want to talk about their children. The men like to drink in a bar, complain about cuddling and make tasteless jokes about sex.

The gist of the program is that Lee (Benjamin Koldyke) is an out-of-work dad who is forced to cut things like his daughter's cell phone because he can't find a job in sales. He hears about a job hawking pharmaceuticals, but they only hire women. Instead of calling out the company for discrimination, he opts to put on a dress, heels and makeup and pretend to be a woman in order to get hired. Then his other out-of-work buddy Angel (Amaury Nolasco) is convinced to follow suit. Lee also has a beleaguered wife who puts up with him going out drinking every night, despite the fact that he has no discernible source of income.

From concept to acting to writing, this show is deeply flawed. There is not one likable character, and I can only imagine how actual drag performers will be offended by it. Can RuPaul stage a protest and help get this show cancelled immediately? The idea of a guy dressing up as a woman to get something unattainable isn't new -- it did work for the aforementioned Bosom Buddies and also Mrs. Doubtfire -- and since the idea is clearly appealing a younger demographic, they should have made this a silly show on Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel. Seems like an obvious fit for Nick Cannon, and watching him goof around in heels to make little kids laugh wouldn't bother me as much as seeing Prison Break's Sucre ask a woman in a bar how she has no visible panty lines.

Check out this dubbed version of Work It, courtesy of Hulu's The Morning After. Trust us, it's funnier (but then again, how could it not be?).

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18 Comments

January 4, 2012 2:42 PM
Dave
Reply

Angel, I found this show to be funny. That's because I grew up with shows like Married with Children. They are very obviously playing at Cliches. Same as Last Man standing. I am not sure why all the TV critics want these shows to be as involved and deep as an HBO drama. These shows are meant to be Cotton Candy not Beef Wellington. Its quick, funny, simple, and self contained.

January 4, 2012 6:04 PM
Volourn
Reply

I'm wuith Dave. the concept might be beyond silly but it was funny for the most part. And, I disagree. The main character was fantastic and believeable (not as a woman though lol) and the actor did a fine job. The wife, however, was horrible.

January 5, 2012 10:56 AM
Erin
Reply

Pharmaceutical sales reps are generally not just women, but gorgeous. The male leads of this show can't credibly pass for women, let alone hot women.

Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire and even the creepy-looking 'girls' from White Chicks were all more convincing women than these guys.

There are male actors with sufficiently femme features that that this concept could have been explored in a daring way. Instead, they cast very masculine, strong-jawed men. Why not cast men able to pass well as women? Would it have been too threatening somehow?

January 6, 2012 8:55 AM
may posse
Reply

Erin, the very masculine strong jaws is what makes it FUNNY.
I think Angel is way off. My 26 year old daughter and myself 62 were in stitches. Cliches whatever.Loved it. It was so funny especially whehn he mentioned his "waxer" and used his hand to gesture. I thought my daughter was gonna fall off the sofa laughing!! The REASON it´s is so good is that the tall guy is really charming and has CARISMA!!

January 6, 2012 9:22 AM
Katie M.
Reply

Every TV show doesn't have to be "involved and deep." What they need to be, regardless of premise, is well executed. This one is not. It is stale, lame, and stupid. If you are going to make stupid jokes then you need to commit to it and deliver unlike these people. There are comedies out there that can make a cliche hilarious by using a fresh approach. This is not one of them. Charisma can only go so far with a bad script and mediocre acting.

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