ABC has a new "sitcom" coming in January called "work it".
Well, from what I've seen, it's awful. It's a tired retread of Bosom Buddies and just dumb. But more, it's offensive. Not only for the thinly veiled transphobia, but also for the subtle passive LGBT hate that i think it represents and reinforces. Take a look at how ABC is tripping over themselves to make sure the characters are not perceived as gay.
"Alpha males?". Whew. Thanks for clearing that up ABC. I know a lot of alpha bottoms. Some even work at ABC.
Here's my re-work of the abc press release
(emphasis added. red is my attempt to out ABC's subtext)
about work it
From "Friends" producers Andrew Reich & Ted Cohen comes "Work It," a high-concept comedy about two unrepentant guy's guys (they're not gay, no way!)who, unable to find work, dress as women to get jobs. Not only do they pull it off, but they just might learn to be better men in the process.
Lee Standish is a quick-witted and likable family man (like we said NOT GAY!) His best friend, Angel Ortiz, is a hotheaded ladies' man (these guys fuck women, not men (yuck)) with no filter. The two of them worked at Pontiac -- Lee as a top salesman and Angel as head mechanic -- until the company went out of business. Out of work for a year, their job prospects don't look too bright. They've learned the hard way that the current recession is more of a "man-cession" (seriously? as if)and their skills aren't in high demand. Then the almost-broke Lee finds out that Coreco Pharmaceuticals is looking to hire sales reps -- female sales reps. He takes a chance and goes into the interview dressed in heels, a skirt and make-up. The transformed Lee gets hired -- as a woman.
Lee wants to stay true to his agreement with Angel that, if one of them is working, then the other will be too, so he tells Angel what he has to do if he wants a job at Coreco. Angel, who is miserable working at a fast-food dump, is desperate to make a change; he decides to swallow his pride and go for it. Unfortunately he tanks his interview, but when he fixes the boss's car, he too is hired – also as a woman.
To stay employed, Lee and Angel must put aside their alpha male selves (alpha = straight. have we told you they don't want dick?)and learn to navigate their all-female workplace. Their presence at Coreco with their new female coworkers initially raises a few eyebrows, but the company's two newest sales reps find ways to put almost everyone at ease: Enthusiastic and sometimes naïve Kristin is excited when the female Lee tells her that she, too, is a single mom. Kelly, the office party girl, is thrilled to have two more friends to hit the town with. Only Grace, the somewhat icy regional sales leader, keeps a suspicious eye on Lee and Angel, convinced that there's something seriously wrong with them. To complicate matters, when Angel meets their new boss, Vanessa, he is immediately smitten with her. (by the way viewer, these guys are apple pie american vagina fuckers. even when they're dressed like women!) But there are some serious obstacles in the way of their romance: She's his boss, and -- no small detail -- she thinks he's a woman. (BC a woman liking a woman would be impossible!)
For his part, Lee can't disclose his feminine secret to his wife (this is a good time to remind you, scared american, that this guy, wait for it, is straight. YUP!), Connie, or to their 14-year-old daughter (oh no, he's not pretending to be straight, he gets it up for poon-tang and makes non gay babies. with woman. bc he's straight!), Kat, so he tells them he got a job at a drug company – as himself. Connie notices that, since Lee has begun working at Coreco, he seems to be more understanding and sensitive to her needs. The opposite is true of Connie's unemployed brother, Brian, who is also Lee and Angel's drinking buddy (not only is he straight he does stuff straight guys do with other straight guys, i.e. not sucking their dicks, drinking American beer!). Sensitive and understanding he is not, so they definitely can't reveal their secret to him.
Lee and Angel quickly realize how much they have to learn to get by in their new environment. It's not just how to walk in heels and tighten up with Spanx. For the first time, they're really listening to the women in their lives (one last thing, viewer: these guys have women in their lives.) and opening themselves up to a whole new realm of experiences(and we DONT mean sex without one dick and one or more vaginas). In the process, they're learning that to be a better man may mean having to be a better woman.
