The programming executives at ABC have been secretly replaced by alien pod-people from planet MRA. That’s really the only logical explanation for “Work It,” an upcoming ABC sitcom whose premise seems to have been lifted straight from the comments section of The Spearhead. Here’s a description of the show from ABC:
With unemployment an ongoing issue and women now outnumbering men in the workforce, the new comedy series Work It follows two alpha males who realize the only way to beat the current “mancession” and land a job in pharmaceutical sales is to pass themselves off as women.
Yep, it’s a retread of Bosom Buddies, this time sprinkled with MRA buzzwords. Alpha males, mancession – all we need is a few false rape accusations to complete the MRA-cliche soufflé.
Gawker has already hailed the show as an abomination that “Could Be the Worst Television Show in History.” After watching the promo clip below, I’m thinking that may be an understatement.
Of course, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this isn’t an MRA show at all. Maybe it’s just a really inept and misguided attempt to explore the issues faced by trans women in the workplace. But somehow I doubt it.
I must say, I’ve loved how they’ve drawn it out with Booth and Bones on Bones, and I’m so pleased to see my very very favorite Clark Kent from Smallville brought up by more than one commenter! My avatar on here is a picture of me on the bridge up in Vancouver imitating Clark in the pilot episode. (Yes, actual bridge where they shot that classic kiss-of-life scene.) It was an epic fangirl trip, and we went and saw Luthor mansion also (also where they film the exterior for the X-men mansion for the movies.)
My favorite comedy lady right now is Amy Pohler, who is constantly surrounded by all different sorts of men, from your Ron Swanson to your Tom Haverford, plus Ben, Jerry, Andy, Chris (literally) and who has tons of supportive female friends. I aspire to be Leslie Knope! 🙂
This. When I watch a show where the characters fall for each other, and then they finally hook up, they need to stay happy together, imo. Some writers think happy couples aren’t interesting for the story, but they can be. If they need drama, that can come from outside sources that don’t threaten the relationship. A good example of a happy couple was Cliff and Clair Huxtable from The Cosby Show. I liked seeing them happily in love, and the show was good without driving wedges between them.
I almost stopped watching Desperate Housewives the first time they had Mike and Susan break up. Now the show is about to go off the air, but the writers have decided messing them up is not an option or else the viewers will bolt. If the writers set up couples I don’t like, though, then I will accept the flimsiest of plot devices to break them up.
Jeevmon: is that true about lots of women college cheerleaders becoming pharmaceutical salespeople???? if so, make that my “you learn something new every day.” i would have never guessed that. any reason why pharma companies would have a preference for women who were cheerleaders in college???? maybe because, well, they tend to be cheery, and that might be good for sales? but why pharma sales in particular????
oh ok, i re-read your post and yeah, male doctors liking to see pretty young women.
@Kavette, I agree with you completely. Gilmore Girls was brilliantly written. Plus it first aired when I was 12 years old, the perfect time to watch a show like that with my mom, so it will always hold a special place in my heart for that reason. But I really do think some cracks began to show in the 4th season, and it really started falling apart from the 5th on. 🙁
DSC:
In Tootsie he was going for a job only being offered to a woman, but it was that particular job, not any job at all. Not unproblematic (or, rather, I’m not in a good position to see the problems, so I can’t say, though I’ll go with kladle’s analysis) but different in degree if not kind from Work It.
Mrs Doubtfire is tha real MRA crossdressing comedy. He was arbitrarily denied access to his kids! It was probably the man-hating feminist judges’ fault!
I quite like Tootsie, but what always bothered me (as a cis woman, who obviously doesn’t have the struggles of a trans woman) was that he came in, saw the problems that exist for women, and fixed them. It’s kind of like all those “man, look how much this culture is in trouble! If only a white guy could come and save us!” movies – though I wouldn’t call it as bad, by any means. It shows a lot of the discrimination women faced at the time I the workplace and in Hollywood, but then implied only a man could identify it and work to change it.
I still like that movie a lot, though.
On the ‘will they/won’t they’ plotlines….
Part of the problem is that Status Quo Is God with most sit-coms, and even many dramas, particularly whatever your starting status quo is.
So if a couple is together at the start of the show, they can (and indeed, must) stay together. If, however, they start in a state of sexual tension, that state must remain, and even be re-introduced if the writers have a weak moment of sanity (See: Moonlighting Effect).
Part of it is that most TV shows have a single premise, no matter what that window dressing is put around that premise, so the audience expects that when they tune in. What’s needed is more complex shows that have not only multiple plotlines, but multiple premises, such that changing one of those does not completely eliminate the purpose of the show.
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As for this piece of trash, I hope that everyone involved with it never works in Hollywood again.
Some show on National Geographic did a story about a maid cafe in Japan which is staffed mostly (or all, I think) by men.
And theres Youchiro Nagashima, who is a kickboxer who cosplays as female anime characters (i guess he has to pretend to be a woman to enter the female dominated realm of male kickboxing?).
Not sure I have a point, just thought maybe some positive crossdressing stuff would be good?
David Futrelle really getting at the issues that matter on his blog.
It’s not at all weird that you’re complaining about topics from 8 years ago, either!
Somehow not surprised that he’s a necro-troll, too.