WORK STOPPAGE

Work It’s Ratings Tank But ABC Still Sticks Up For It

You know how sometimes you make such a big deal about something that when you realize you’re wrong you just keep defending it rather than look like you made a mistake?

Well. ABC president Paul Lee does. Lee told reporters at the Television Critics Association this week that he didn’t know why the LGBT community found the network’s men-in-dresses sitcom, Work It, offensive: “”In terms of the lesbian and gay community, we’re incredibly proud of the work that ABC does,” he told TheWrap. “That’s not just Modern Family, it’s Grey’s Anatomy, it’s Private Practice, it’s Dancing With the Stars… I didn’t really get [the complaints about Work It]. I love Tootsie … I still love Tootsie. I don’t find it to be offensive. So in that particular case I didn’t get it. But that’s probably me.”

We know Tootise. We love Tootsie. We stayed up late to watch Tootsie on HBO when we were 7 years old. And Work It, sir, is no Tootsie.

After touting successes like Revenge and Suburgatory, Lee said “I thought there was room personally for a very, very, very, very silly show.”

Meanwhile, viewership for Tuesday’s episode of Work It dropped 20% from last week’s debut. It posted an 1.6 rating/4 share in the key 18-49-year-old demographic.

We hope its bad ratings and not politically correctness that kills this beast. Because it’s bad—very, very, very, very bad.

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated