By Universal Decree, Work It Is The Worst Show On Television—Possibly Ever
The reviews are in for ABC’s Work It, and, yes, they’re as horrible as we all expected. In fact, the show has such a train-wreck quality that some critics are rooting for it in that perverse “it-sucks-so-much-it’s-good” way. Hopefully GLAAD and the HRC can join us in watching it slowly die, although they urged ABC to cancel the show ASAP on the basis that it’s harmful to transgender people.
We don’t want to get too deep into the plot—we’re scared of getting post-traumatic stress disorder—but it ran like a misogynistic, misanthropic of Bosom Buddies. Straight man Lee is broke and unemployed—he can’t even pay his proctologist bill because he doesn’t have insurance (ooh social relevance!). Then he overhears how pharmaceutical reps make big bank and decides that’s his new dream job. Only you gotta be a lady so you can flirt with all those dumb, sexist doctors. Because all MDs are hot for ugly, broad-shouldered men in bad drag (see photo above).
Lee decides cross-dressing is the solution and, after roping in his pal Angel, quickly lands a cushy gig at a firm populated by a variety of female stereotypes: the slut, the lunatic, the girl next door, etc. Hilarity does not ensue.
Overall, Doesn’t Work scored a pitifully low 20 out of 100 on Metacritic, the Rotten Tomatoes of the small screen. That’s the rock-bottom lowest Metacritic score of any show on television right
now.
We collected some of the reviews below. Enjoy the schadenfreude:
*“While [Graydon] Sheppard’s harmlessly amusing [Sh*t Girls Say] may have made you say, ‘That’s so true!’ the new sitcom Work It, which debuted last night on ABC, instead probably made you scream, ‘That’s not even remotely close to resembling any sort of reality as a female or a human person in the history of time!’ ” [Aly Semigran at EW]
*“No one is claiming that this show was ever supposed to be capital-G ‘Good,’ or that there’s anything wrong with a little goofy, not-very-cerebral fun. But while intelligence may not be a necessary condition for a funny comedy, stupidity is not a sufficient condition for it. Work It is simple network anti-intellectualism, daring you to reject it based on its brainlessness and be branded a no-fun enemy of everyone’s good time.” [Linda Holmes at NPR]
*“Wanted to tweet something funny about the new show ‘Work It,’ but if they can’t be bothered to be funny why should I?” [@BettyFckinWhite]
*“If you want to call it insulting to men who dress as women, you have to also call it insulting to men who don’t, and to women. (Sample lines: ‘Have I gotten drunk and slept with a random guy yet?’ ‘I’m Puerto Rican—I’d be great at selling drugs.’) Yet it is not actually ill-willed, just ill-witted.” [Robert Lloyd from the LAT]
I guess that I am odd man out… I kinda found it a bit funny… but i think I was laughing at the wrong parts… I will watch it again
I did find it much more harmful to men and even women… then to anyone Trans.
Men were shown as real assholes… hanging out at bars drinking too much beer… being rude to the wife etc. Doctors only want sex from the drug reps.
The “girls” in the office were catty and almost played stupid. And the drug rep suggesting that she sleeps with Dr’s for a sale what a slut. How about women Doc’s… why were they left out… and the Boss (she was the strong powerful woman)suggesting that she was a Lesbian… Too funny
I doubt that the show will last… but the straight folk have more to bitch about then anyone in the GLBT community
as an FYI… If you missed it… it is available on hulu.com
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A true guilty pleasure…..so bad it’s good!!!
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*“Wanted to tweet something funny about the new show ‘Work It,’ but if they can’t be bothered to be funny why should I?”*
ROFLMAO… now THAT person should be writing sitcoms!!!!!!
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a show where men are drunken morons and women are harridans…
…now THERES a new type of show we havent had before[!].
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Another show that is not only an insult to the Transgender community, but also to straight men. Just another “men are stupid, insensitive and unemployable while the wives are the poor victims of sexist, beer drinking husbands. Same old theme in TV plots. Men…wake-up and stop this treatment. Women would not stand for it and we should not either. And, to be fair, women in this office are not shown in a very good light either.
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Another show where men are morons and women are put-upon…
wow…now THERES a new type of show we havent had before!
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I think “My mother the car” is actually the holder of that title.
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I thought it was OK. The actor is good, the show is a little cheap. Didn’t think they were trying to offend any one. Whether they actually did is another question, but I didn’t feel anything like that.
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I’m with #3: it was so ridiculously stupid it was good. The list of preposterous scenes is long, including Lee’s coming out to Angel at the taco joint (classic! Tacos give you diarrhea!), Lee’s popping an erection while playing with his boobs, and especially Angel rejecting a slutty woman’s come-ons because eight hours in a dress has *seriously* changed him. Ha! If they tossed in a few musical numbers this could make Broadway.
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It’s truly harmful to trans individuals. But let’s be real: it is just painful for ANYONE to watch. I had forgotten the crosdressing element and called it out in the first 30 seconds.
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The title is classic. And the show sounds like it’d be ok. The So Bad It’s Good catagory is venerable in the camp play book. And the scenes that #11 describes sound great. A straight man getting hard by playing with his fake boobs. That’s priceless. I’ll definitely watch next week.
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@Mrs. Cynthia Rosenthal: No I don’t mind a ‘normal’ heterosexual woman’s opinion at all, I do just object to yours. Now would you mind pissing off and taking your 2 cents with you.
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@Mrs. Cynthia Rosenthal: No I don’t mind a ‘normal’ heterosexual woman’s opinion at all, I do just object to yours. though. Now would you mind pissing off and taking your 2 cents with you.
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@Mrs. Cynthia Rosenthal: No I don’t mind a ‘normal’ heterosexual woman’s opinion at all, I do just object to yours. though. Now would you mind p!ssing off and taking your 2 cents with you.
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@Mrs. Cynthia Rosenthal: You just stated that gay sex is unatural on a blog for gay men. But it’s nothing personal? You moron.
I don’t mind an educated, kind hearted woman’s opinion. You are neither. Please go away.
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Mr. alan and WillBfair – I sense hostility. I’m sure you are nice gentlemen. I just wanted to add my 2 cents on how much I enjoyed the show. It’s a delightful comedic farce. I googled the show to send a note of thanks to the network and it brought me here.
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Never feed the trolls, guys.
Hasn’t being around Jason taught you anything?
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My gay family, friends, co-workers and roommates are welcome to stick their penises into any happily consenting adult rectum of choice. After all, the straight dudes are always trying to get into the girley butts and fair’s fair.
Signed, an abnormal heterosexual woman with a girley butt.
P.S. There’s no show so asinine that someone, somewhere, doesn’t like it.
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@Mrs. Cynthia Rosenthal:
Your two cents worth was fine. It was your ignorant and hateful comment ‘you fellas need to get the penises out of your rectum (where they don’t belong by the way)’ that was not appreciated. Keep your hate to your self or use it where it is appreciated such as on a Republican blog. And I would rather be celebate than have to put my penis in something you have to offer!
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for a “sitcom” it wasn’t horrible. silly, stupid, cliche, predictable, yes. but horrible and offinsive I did not find it. after all it’s a SITCOM!!! out of the hundreds of sitcoms out there there is only a handful of good ones: Modern Family, Seinfeld, Family Guy, Everybody Loves Raymond, 30 Rock…and half of these are in reruns.
I won’t be DRVring “Work It” like I will Rupaul’s Drag Race but I give the “Work It” pilot a C+ for at least bringing light to the topic of gender.
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ugh. It’s truly the worst ever