Work It

Three decades after "Bosom Buddies" finished its brief 38 episode run on ABC, the network tried reviving the concept of a men-in-drag comedy. Strike that, ABC President Paul Lee tried reviving the concept of a men-in-drag comedy. Should probably explain that Lee is British, and lowbrow cross-dressing shenanigans have long been a staple of British humor, so it's little surprise that he greenlit and championed the series... despite the ridiculous uproar that ensued. “We thought there was room for a very, very, very silly show,” Lee told Entertainment Weekly. America didn't agree. On the surface it seemed a bit like "Bosom Buddies" but it was actually closer to a show called "Ask Harriet" that Fox aired for a month 14 years earlier (almost to the day) which no one batted an eyelash over -- but in 2012 this dopey comedy somehow managed to muster an absurd backlash from both the gay and Latino communities.

"See? It's all perfectly normal!"

The story? Car salesman Lee Standish (Ben Koldyke, "How I Met Your Mother," "Big Love") and his best friend, mechanic Angel Ortiz (Amaury Nolasco, "Prison Break") have been out of work since St. Louis Pontiac went belly up. So when Lee overhears that there's an abundance of jobs available in sales at Coreco, a pharmaceutical company, he is elated -- until he discovers the company is only hiring women. After an expensive colonoscopy, he learns that his health insurance has lapsed, so Lee puts on his wife's clothing, marches out and gets shimself a job! Angel, meanwhile, has been reduced to working at Astro Taco, where the food shoots right through the customers (yep, the show features that kinda humor), so when he learns of Lee's new occupation, Angel soon follows suit and dresses in drag.

Working with the "ladies" are clingy single mom Kristin (oddly, portrayed by similarly-named actress Kirstin Eggers), cheerful, slutty airhead Kelly (Kate Reinders), condescending sales leader Grace (Rebecca Mader, "Lost") and the boss/object-of-Angel's-affections, Vanessa (Rochelle Aytes). The boys also have to keep their secret from Lee's redneck brother-in-law Brian (John Caparulo, "Chelsea Lately"), as well as Lee's and teenage daughter Kat (Hannah Sullivan) and his wife Connie (Beth Lacke), who works in a doctor's office (nah, that wasn't a setup for an awkward situation or anything).

"There's a great deal of pressure on my character," Ben Koldyke said in an XFinity interview, "because I look like a wookie. I was jealous, really, because I'm quite ugly as a woman and Amaury Nolasco is really kinda pretty. That doesn't sit well with me, I kind of wanted to be the hot one!" In an MSN interview, Nolasco commented, "I'm getting too comfortable, sometimes, to the point where I'm actually more enjoying being the girl than the guy! It's not who I am, so I get to actually be somebody that I'd never be." The transformation into a woman, however, was not always easy for Nolasco. "They plucked my eyebrows and it's the most painful thing ever! I can't even imagine how getting waxed would feel." But the shaving/plucking wasn't the worst thing the guys had to endure for their metamorphosis. "Wearing the thong is the most uncomfortable part," said Nolasco. "I keep thinking I want to pull it out because I have a wedgie, but no, that's how it's supposed to feel." Paraphrasing the script, Koldyke sent out this message to women: "Ladies, you don't have to wear underwear that makes you feel like you're being sawed in half!" Of course, it's not hard to figure out what part of the costumes two heterosexual male leads would like best. "Boobs are powerful," commented Koldyke.. "About the third week, I requested bigger ones. I could then understand the whole idea of plastic surgery. I also understand the argument against it, but my life changed. I was more powerful and in command of every situation." Nolasco shared a similar sentiment, stating "There's a reason why men don't have boobs: I keep touching them, all the time. I just want to make sure they're there."

If you can suspend disbelief and turn off your mind, "Work It" is utterly enjoyable -- the whole thing is just one big dumb farce. Koldyke is a hunky dude (and former high school English teacher!?!) who looks like Herman Munster in drag and Nolasco is unusually good looking whether dressed as a male or female (and he's certainly less mannish than a lot of real-life Latino women I've seen). The pair had great chemistry and each seemed to be having a ball trying to hide theirs. The humor is low-brow, politically incorrect, and very reminiscent of '90s Fox sitcoms with some gags they couldn't have gotten away with pre-TV ratings (one episode's plot revolves around Koldyke's use of an electric-razor in the stall of the ladies room and his coworkers' assumption that he was using a vibrator). The ladies at work were pretty one-dimensional but played with zeal by each of the actresses. The weakest links in the show were Lee's family. Beth Lacke and Hannah Sullivan both gave wonderful performances, but Capurelo's annoying character was a bad decision from the start and, with nine regulars credited up front, there simply wasn't enough room to juggle the family members -- though they were getting better at the balancing act as the show progressed. When all is said and done, "Work It" wasn't the greatest sitcom ever made, but it got better as it went along, there were numerous hilarious one-liners, and the show was, at the very least, endearingly idiotic.

The series was created by Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen, veterans of "Friends" and the American version of "The Worst Week of My Life" ("Worst Week"), but expectations were never high. The moment the show was announced (replacing the quirky, testosterone-fueled buddy comedy and fan-favorite "Man Up") and ABC began a promotional blitz to drum up interest, critics, analysts and TV fans (myself included) predicted that it would be canceled quickly. However, it's doubtful that anyone predicted the show would be controversial -- but controversy did soon begin when GLAAD got their hands on the pilot in December 2011. Immediately after, the gay and lesbian organization put a full-page ad in Variety denouncing the show as being harmful to transgender persons. Herndon Graddick, Senior Director of Programs and Communications at GLAAD, went whining to media outlets like "Entertainment Tonight" that previous cross-dressing comedies like 'Tootsie' and 'Bosom Buddies' "had some social commentary that elevated the conversation. This show is not doing that."

If Graddick -- or anyone else, for that matter -- had watched beyond the pilot he might've seen that there was far more social commentary throughout the 13 episodes of 'Work It' than there was in two entire seasons of 'Bosom Buddies.' They addressed the recession, sexuality, gender stereotypes, the various hardships of men and women, and they even had a very friggin' special breast cancer episode! Judging an entire series solely by its pilot seems worse to me than judging a book by its cover. Occasionally, there's a pilot which emerges fully formed ("That '70s Show," for example), but most are not great because they're juggling establishing story, characters, and relationships -- plus telling jokes -- in an increasingly slim amount of time.

"While the show did not explicitly address transgender people," GLAAD's blog claimed, "many viewers unfamiliar with the realities of being transgender will still make the connection." Now, I personally have nothing but respect for transgendered persons (it takes a lot of balls to mutilate them) and think that workplace discrimination of lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgendered people is reprehensible (if you look at the content of this site, it should be pretty obvious that I myself am a homo -- and I was out in the bible belt of Texas years before being gay was socially acceptable -- so I get it) but the whole ballyhoo was ridiculous and seemed motivated more by agendas and misconceptions than outrage over the show's actual content. This was just a goofy sitcom about macho men in drag. Despite the fact that Koldyke is clearly a man, all of the characters on the show perceived him as an ugly woman -- and as for the gay jokes (which were plentiful throughout the series), personally, I think that the rampant stereotypes on the critically lauded "Modern Family" are infinitely more offensive than this nonsense. It's fairly transparent from the statistics cited in the GLAAD ads that the organization was simply using the show that everyone predicted would fail as a pawn, a springboard to rack focus onto their own issues. But as silly as the whole GLAAD uproar was, it was nowhere near as ridiculous as the second time the show wound up in the headlines...During the pilot, Lee tells Angel that he's landed a job as a pharmaceutical sales rep but hesitates to tell him that he's masquerading as a woman, so Angel begs him to hook him up with a job. Here's the oft-miquoted dialogue that caused all the hoopla:Lee: I'm not sure you'd be up for everything this job requires.Angel: But I'm Puerto Rican. I'll be great at selling drugs!Immediately following the January 3rd airing of the pilot, the Latino community got up in arms over this stupid one-liner, with Puerto Rican activist Julio Pabon, Sr. crying to Fox News Latino, "For many of us, it reinforces the stereotype that just because we are Puerto Rican, we are from the ghettos and we know how to sell drugs.” Word spread throughout social media and the next day there were 50 protestors braving freezing temperatures to stand outside of ABC's New York studios and boycott the show.Okay, this is absolutely a case of political correctness running amok! I mean, if I got offended by every stereotypical dumb-white-guy or gay joke... well, gee, I'd have to give up watching comedy altogether. All of this outrage over a mindless sitcom was far more inane than the show itself!

In the days leading up to the January 10th airing, ABC began trying to spin the negative attention into positive hype. "It started last week and people have been talking about it ever since," boasted one on-air ad. "Get ready for an all-new episode of Tuesday's most buzzed about new comedy!," boasted another. And virtually every one of the commercials touted it as "the new hit comedy Work It!" The first episode was low rated and the second was down a quarter of the audience of the pilot... though even those numbers weren't as terrible as NBC's ratings for the critically acclaimed "Parenthood." However, anyone who pays attention should notice that every new show is boasted as a "hit" by every major American television network soon after they premiere, and most of those new "hit" shows are gone within three months. "Work It" was certainly no exception... though it didn't last anywhere near that long....

Late night on Friday, January 13, 2012 (ironic day), word began to spread that the show had been canceled after only two episodes had aired. Writers, bloggers, media outlets and internet geeks rejoiced! The following Wednesday after the third episode was scheduled to air, it was released on iTunes, amazon and On Demand with absolutely no fanfare -- clearly the someone didn't get the memo that the show was canceled.

It is just the oddest phenomena that this series was so hated, but I think that might be because it got a big promotional push and unflattering headlines, so everyone hopped aboard the "worst show ever produced" bandwagon. But precisely because the show was so hated, I just wanna sing its praises. And I'm not alone. A small group of people online did express some love for the show while it was on the air... but they were quickly squelched and overwhelmed by the outraged masses. Over at AV Club, Todd VanDerWerff sort of summed it up: "It’s fascinatingly awful, in that way where you wonder how the hell something like this got on TV in the year 2012... There’s something so vaguely desperate about everybody involved in the production that it’s sort of impossible to hate this as much as it probably should be hated."

In September 2013, a year and a half after the ludicrous uproar died down, all 13 episodes were finally broadcast in New Zealand on TV2 without controversy... and then they aired again in early 2014. Sort of goes to prove that Americans are ridiculously oversensitive.

The first three episodes of "Work It" were available at amazon and iTunes for a few weeks before they were pulled. It's not often that such a silly show gets so much attention and is so universally-panned, so Warner Brothers would be wise to release the whole series for digital download/burn-on-demand. I mean, they're still talking about "Pink Lady and Jeff" being a low point in television more than 30 years later. "Work It" isn't anywhere near that painful (or even as stereotype reinforcing), but it will likely be remembered as being so. Which certainly makes it a cult oddity.

And P.S., huge thanks to the Kiwis who leaked the rest of the installments of this idiotically charming series onto the net!

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EPISODES

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1. Pilot

Lee and Angel decide to dress in drag and take jobs as salesladies at Coreco Pharmaceuticals.

Original airdate: January 3, 2012

NOTE: In addition to the obligatory trailer, ABC released a featurette prior to the airing of this episode to promote the show.

2. Shake Your Moneymaker

Petty rivalry ensues when Angel outsells Lee, but Lee gets the last laugh when a doctor asks out the flirtatious Angel.

Original airdate: January 10, 2012

3. Close Shave

Lee touches up his shave in the bathroom stall, leading to office gossip about his use of a vibrator. Meanwhile, Connie is starved for sex and feeling ignored by Lee, who's spending all his time at work.

4. Space Invaders

When Lee and Angel join the office book club, they come to the realization that it's just an excuse for coworkers to snoop in each others' private lives. Meanwhile, Connie enthusiastically takes her reluctant daughter to a Justin Bieber concert.

5. Breast Awareness Week

Angel's perception about breasts changes when he learns about the horrors of breast cancer. Meanwhile, Lee and Kristin are sent to solicit drugs to the doctor Connie works for.

6. Immaculate Deception

Kelly drags Angel to a psychic who declares that Angel's keeping a secret: that she's pregnant. Meanwhile, Lee discovers work is interfering with his relationship with his daughter.

7. Girl Fight

Lee and Angel compete against Connie and Brian in a trivia game at the bar, but Angel, who's become increasingly jealous that Lee's been hanging out with Kristin, finally blows his top when Lee blows off trivia night to set up a gaming system for Kristin's son.

8. Surprise Package

Lee's plans to spend a quiet evening alone for his 40th birthday hits a few snags when his coworkers drag him to a strip club -- while Connie awaits his arrival at home for a surprise party. Meanwhile, a wayward champagne-cork-to-the-crotch has Angel in agony, so he swallows what he thinks is a pain pill.

9. Hunger Games

The ladies at work encourage Lee to go on a diet. Meanwhile, Angel helps the girls shop for clothes; and Kat hangs out with a popular, status-conscious classmate.

10. Cinderella Story

When Angel tells a partially-true story about his falling out with his family, the girls arrange to throw him the sweet 16 party "she" never had. Meanwhile, Brian's plans to sell his collectible Pac-Man lunchbox are squelched by Connie, who insists she won it from him in a bet when they were kids.

11. Masquerade Balls

Connie's office costume party puts Lee in jeopardy of Kristin discovering his charade. Meanwhile, Angel's use of a company credit card leads Vanessa to corner him out of drag; and Grace and Kelly ogle the hunky office maintenance man.

NOTE: Young Hollywood shot a behind-the-scenes featurette during the making of this episode.

12. My So-Called Mid-Life Crisis

Kristin sneak-attacks Lee and pierces his ears, so he passes it off at home by pretending he's having a midlife crisis. Meanwhile, Angel gets hypnotized and confesses that he has the hots for a woman, which leads his coworkers to believe he's a lesbian; and Brian tries to land a job driving a shuttle-bus but instead winds up working as a dreaded hospital greeter.

13. Field of Schemes

Lee is announced the sales leader for the month, much to the chagrin of Grace, so when the ladies escort a potential client to a baseball game, the two begin an escalating war to win the account, Meanwhile, Angel becomes determined to get a baseball signed by David Freese; and Brian has a promising flirtation with a woman at the game.

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LINKS

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*No infringement is intended. History on the internet tends to vanish in the blink of an eye, and I believe there's good reason to preserve it for future education. Plus I hate clicking for more information and finding dead links... and seriously, in 20 years, after the show has gone on to become a minor cult classic, someone will thank me.