ABC’s Work It Cancelled—After Two Episodes
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Earlier this month, ABC premiered its new show Work It to an onslaught of criticism and protest. The show, which is about two men who pretend to be women so they can get jobs, has been panned as outrageously offensive to both women and the transgender community—and now it’s been cancelled.
According to Nielson media research, the first episode brought in 6.1 million viewers who rated it a 2.0 on a 5-point scale—the second earned a 1.6 out of 5 with only 4.8 million viewers. During the second episode, 30 percent of people watching ABC before Work It began actually changed the channel as the show came on.
Paul Lee, president of ABC Entertainment Group, doesn't understand why people didn’t like Work It, saying,“I didn’t really get it. I loved Tootsie. I still love Tootsie. I didn’t get it. But that’s probably me. … We thought there was room for a very, very, very silly show.”
GLAAD, which had previously boycotted the show and taken out a full-page ad in Variety condemning it as offensive and with “the potential to jeopardize the safety of many transgender Americans in the process,” said they’re pleased to see the show cancelled—and for its role in opening a dialogue about the transgender community.
GLAAD senior program and communications director Herndon Graddick said:
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portrayals of LGBT people have been critical and popular successes, the public had little interest in this outdated show. 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.
ABC’s comedy Cougar Town—a show about a recently divorced woman in her forties trying to find some excitement in her dating life—will replace Work It in ABC’s lineup.
Dahlia Grossman-Heinze is a reporter-blogger for Campus Progress. Follow her on Twitter @salvadordahlia.
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