“Work It” just didn’t work.
ABC has cancelled the series “Work It” after only two episodes. The series debuted on January 3, 2012 to low ratings, and, according to Entertainment Weekly, dropped another 20 percent this week.
“While many of ABC’s positive and groundbreaking portrayals of LGBT people have been critical and popular successes, the public had little interest in this outdated show,” said Herndon Graddick, Senior Director of Programs and Communications at GLAAD.
GLAAD, together with many advocates including Autumn Sandeen, and other LGBT organizations including HRC, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, the Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative and the Transgender Law Center spoke out against the series for its potential to cause harm to the transgender community. Women’s advocacy groups and members of the Puerto Rican community have also criticized the show’s premise and jokes.
While the show did not explicitly address transgender people, many viewers unfamiliar with the realities of being transgender will still make the connection.
According to ABC, ‘Work It’ centered on two unemployed men who have “learned the hard way that the current recession is more of a ‘man-cession’ and their skills aren’t in high demand.” One finds out that a pharmaceuticals company is hiring sales reps, but only female sales reps. He goes to the interview dressed in heels, a skirt, and makeup and gets hired as a woman.
Last month, after viewing the pilot, GLAAD placed a full page ad in media industry publication Variety with HRC. The organizations also published a joint opinion piece on the Huffington Post. View the ad here.
The Variety ad noted that “by encouraging the audience to laugh at the characters’ attempts at womanhood, the show gives license to similar treatment of transgender women.”
GLAAD and HRC included photos of transgender Americans, legal facts and statistics from a recent report from the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force on the discrimination that transgender Americans face:
- Transgender Americans can be legally fired in 34 states today simply for being who they are.
• 97% of self-identified transgender people reported being harassed or abused at work. - 26 percent reported losing their jobs because they are transgender.
“As a result of this campaign, an important dialogue has been started in Hollywood and mainstream media about the real discrimination faced by transgender people today,” GLAAD’s Herndon Graddick said.
Filed under: Arts & Entertainment
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It only works if you have Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari.
Good, I felt like they were making fun of transgendered people.
Victory! This is a wonderful step in the fight for equality.
see, people got all up in your face for no reason. you could tell from the promos it was going to suck.
The premise was funny 30 years ago with “Bosom Buddies” but not now. Talk about cutting edge ideas…fail.
I want a GAY Life Time for Gay People, our suppliers deal with budgets of thousands. When will the world get it, We want the same types of series and programs, with Gay REAL LIFE type Characters and relationships, singles, open, etc.
Yay, we won.
And they said it wouldn’t last…….and it didn’t. lol
But according to several LGBTQA Activist groups, the show was discriminating against the Transgender Community. So, ABC did the right thing in scrapping the show.
Good. That show sent way too many wrong messages.
aww, but i liked that show :(
Besides the fact that it was offensive, it was terribly unfunny anyway.
Good. I found that show stupid, inaccurate and offensive. And I am not easily offended.
i was bored with in first 5 min, bad remake of the one with tom hanks, bosom buddies
it was not funny period….no wonder it flopped!!!
Too many people got all flustered for no reason before the show even hit the airwaves. It wasn’t discriminating against anyone. Just bad writing, casting, acting and NOT FUNNY!!!!
glad to see it go … too many mixed messages
Inaccurate is the best word for it
The previews Alone for this show, just didn’t do nothing for me…! :-P
Why Cancel? I want watch it as on long as it will be…
Activist groups are so easily activated.
I’ve never even heard of it.
never even heard of it….
I thought it was good show and very funny. It’s just a TV show and I don’t take it seriously. I don’t see any violence or anything close to that on the show so I don’t get it…. it’s just me.
I don’t care how offensive it was. It was just stupid and unfunny
It was insinuating that women can find jobs easier that men can and that’s so inaccurate.
I for one DO NOT think they were making fun anyone. Everyone needs to stop being so damn sensitve. It was just a sitcom and really who cares. I am gay man and I found nothing wrong with. If you want to watch it watch it and if you dont then turn the channel. As long as you are secure with your sexuailty then you what is the big deal. And how can it be making fun of them when the men have to dress as women to get a job? Who cares
I watched some of the first show and it was just bad – I thought the lead guys were cute but the writing…the premise…just didn’t work – as a gay man I wasn’t offended but even without all the negaitve pre-hype I think the show would’ve got cancelled on its own…
It was more offensive towards women in general and transsexuals.
From the first I was sure it would die on its own…it did.
Everyone seems to forget the “T” in LGBTQ
I agree… it’s just a TV show… it wasn’t meant to take seriously. Most TV sitcoms aren’t realistic anyway, no big deal.
Thank you!
it looked terrible, I wouldn’t even give it a chance, not no mention how offensive it seemed
It just looked stupid!
Remember Bosom Buddies?
I think even though it wasn’t their intention, it mocked transgendered people, so yey! :)
Wasn’t this just a tired re-work of “Bosum Buddies?” That was sad, too!
but I loved tom hanks in a dress!
Bosom Buddies was funny. I even got my old school British Merchant Marine father to watch it. And he said all we gays and lesbians should be nuked Until he learned the truth about me.
Those guys are bastards, right? Either that, or lack of pubilcity, right?
lol
Thank you for seeing the folly of your programing. This is religious violence not a show. I have head shots and an out standing resume i am a local and i am intersex and transgender. Lets make a real show bout how hard it is to work even in entertainment in this country. thank you Abc thank you for finaly concidering REAL family values. i am Transgender and I am adopting my partners child here in Denver want a new perspective on real family. i started one with my partner because my family is ashamed of my existence.
thank you AB.c
Thank you friends for the supportive posts!
Finally, someone with some sense!
it was terrible. good riddance.
This show was SO great I can;t believed they canceled it. I’m kind of hoping you are wrong and it is not canceled =D
Anyone who thought this show had longevity was out of their mind.
Personally being MtF as it is the show was a bit offensive but not over the top offensive. As for funny, OMG it was laugh tracked horribly, it was getting hard to distinguish between what was actually funny. Would of liked to seen how much further it could of gone, but o well. On the upside it does show how different men and women are. It’s really hard to talk automotive macanics and not get questioned about it like in the pilot ep.
I was leery at first cause I thought it might of been like a lot of other shows – raunchy. But I gave it a shot & found it hilarious and worth fighting for! It is always humorous to watch men dressing as women to hide their identity. It a SHOW people. Look at 90% of television today. It’s either drug’s, sex, violence or vampires. Yawn…… For once we found something that actually made us laugh from our gut & you pull it ABC. I hope another network will have the smarts to pick it up. BTW ~ Those GUYS need a job!!!!! Get a sense of humor back people.
I am gay, I did enjoy the show. However; Transgenders gross me out.
ABC listened and cancelled, wonder why Bravo Tv which
Stereotypes Gay Man as Queens and Femes also got cancel.
Not all Gay man are required to act like woman, otherwise I marry one.