The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, December 30, 2011 2 coverstory Bosom buddies Two guys get in touch with their feminine sides By Kyla Brewer TV Media T ough-guy cops, debonair detectives and cutthroat lawyers abound on televi- sion these days. These so-called "manly" men have been tak- ing over prime time, but a new show is about to turn the ta- bles on the current masculine trend as two men get in touch with their feminine sides. Unemployed and desperate for work, the men disguise themselves as women in order to land jobs in "Work It," pre- miering Tuesday, Jan. 3, on ABC. The new comedy is the brainchild of "Friends" produc- ers Andrew Reich and Ted Co- hen, who serve as executive producers on the series. ABC has been exploring gender stereotypes with two other new series this season -- Tim Allen's "Last Man Stand- ing" and the ensemble comedy "Man Up!" Both shows take a look at the world modern-day men, and how it's changing as the characters struggle to maintain their masculine ways. Now, the network switches things up with a look at what happens when men walk in women's shoes, literally, in "Work It." Ben Koldyke stars as Lee Standish, a family man who's been out of work since Pontiac went under. Although he was once a top salesman for the brand, he finds himself a victim of the current recession, which he feels is more of a "man-ces- sion" because his skills are no longer valued. Amaury Nolasco stars as Lee's best friend, la- dies' man Angel Ortiz, who was once a head mechanic at Pontiac. Trapped in a dead-end job at a fast-food dive, Angel is just as distraught as Lee. When Lee discovers that that Coreco Pharmaceuticals is hiring female sales reps, he re- sorts to desperate measures to land the job. He puts on high heels, a skirt and makeup and heads out for an interview. After he's hired, he confess- es to Angel because of a deal that they have to find work to- gether. Even though it sounds outrageous, Angel is as misera- ble as Lee was desperate, so he swallows his pride and slips into high heels. Things don't go so well and he flubs the inter- view, but fate is on his side when the boss's car breaks down. After he fixes it, he also gets a job as a sales rep. What follows is a comedic look at what the men go through as they try to keep their true gender a secret from their co-workers, all the while deflecting any suspicion from their loved ones. They learn to ingratiate themselves with their female colleagues, includ- ing single mom Kristin (Kirstin Eggers) and party girl Kelly (Kate Reinders). Regional sales manager Grace (Rebecca Mad- Another freshman series Amaury Nolasco stars in "Work It" er) isn't so sure about the two new hires, and things get really complicated when Angel be- gins to fall for their new boss, Vanessa (Rochelle Aytes). Meanwhile, Lee simply tells his wife, Connie (Beth Lacke), and daughter, Kat (Hannah Sullivan), that he landed a job at a drug company. Both men guard their secret from Con- nie's brother, Brian (John Ca- parulo). Connie does notice, howev- er, that Lee has changed since starting his new job. The more he and Angel experience life as women, the more sensitive they become to the plight of women around them. The twist on gender stereo- types in "Work It" stands out from the crowd for the most part. In fact, the show has a lead in from one of the most "male-centric" comedies in network prime time, "Last Man Standing." Allen, known for years as Tim the Tool Man Tay- lor on ABC's '90s comedy "Home Improvement," em- bodies the typical "manly" outdoorsman, complete with old-fashioned values and ma- cho behavior. A/Auto Boutique B/The Green Giraffe 2 x 2 also takes a look at what it means to be a man. "Man Up" follows a group of male friends who decide it's time to start acting like "real men" -- the kind of men that would make their forefathers proud. While "Work It" might seem to stand out against shows such as these right now, it isn't a completely new idea. The premise may sound more than a little familiar to anyone who lived through the '80s. From 1980 - 1982, a then little known Tom Hanks starred op- posite Peter Scolari in "Bosom Buddies," a sitcom about two friends who dress up as wom- en to snag a coveted apart- ment in an all-female building. Like Lee and Angel, Kip Wilson (Hanks) and Henry Desmond (Scolari) had to hide their true genders from just about every- one around them in order for the ruse to work. "Bosom Buddies" started out well in the ratings, but within two seasons the show was canceled. It returned brief- ly in reruns on NBC in the sum- mer of 1984, but that was that until it was picked up by Me-TV in syndication just this fall. Whether or not "Work It" will follow the same suit re- mains to be seen. The premise of two men in drag navigating their way through a fish-out- of-water setting is likely enough to pull viewers in ini- tially. And it may be that view- ers are indeed ready to view men in more than just the usu- al masculine roles. hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: I really liked "Dirty Sexy Money," but I don't see it on anymore. Is it out on DVD? A: In a rare move for a show that struggled in the rat- ings, both of the show's seasons are available on DVD. The show forever seemed on the cusp of catching on but never quite made it, though ABC gave it a fair chance. That could have a lot to do with the amount of star power in- volved. Created by "Six Feet Under" writer Craig Wright and produced by TV whiz kid Greg Berlanti, it starred Wright's former "Six Feet Under" co-worker Peter Krause as a law- yer forced to deal with the various problems caused by members of the wealthy Darling family, led by patriarch Tripp Darling, played by film great Donald Sutherland. Oth- er stars included Jill Clayburgh, Blair Underwood, Lucy Liu and William Baldwin. Though ABC did give two seasons to the show, neither was very long -- the show only made 23 episodes in total. The series premiered on Sept. 26, 2007, and was pulled from the schedule in December 2008, with the network holding back four episodes to "burn off" over the follow- ing summer, much to the confusion of fans. Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 A/Crazy Tom's B/Allstar Auto Wash 2 x 3 Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. P not be provided. ersonal replies will