Parents' Guide to

Work It

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Cross-dressing comedy has tons of stereotypes.

TV ABC Comedy 2012
Work It Poster Image

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What's the Story?

WORK IT is a sitcom about two guys who must learn to survive the recession in a woman's world. Former Pontiac head salesman Lee Standish (Benjamin Koldyke) and head mechanic Angel Ortiz (Amaury Nolasco) spent a year unsuccessfully looking for work after the car company went under. When they learn that a pharmaceutical company has available jobs for female sales representatives, the two dress as women to land the positions. Working alongside gals like the naive Kristen (Kirsten Eggers), flirtatious Kelly (Kate Reinders), and suspicious Grace (Rebecca Mader) teaches them a lot about women, as well as how to be better men. But keeping their secret isn't easy, especially when Lee goes home every night to his wife (Hannah Sullivan) and daughter (Kacie Lynch) and Angel becomes smitten with his no-nonsense boss, Vanessa Warner (Rochelle Aytes).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (2):

The cross-dressing concept isn't new, but Work It puts an interesting spin on it by featuring today's women as more employable and economically stable than men. Ironically, it also attempts to generate laughs by featuring male characters behaving according to female stereotypes while they're in drag.

The show's one-liners (and their quick delivery) creates some funny moments. But for some viewers, it may feel like the story has been told before thanks to the popularity of TV classics like Bosom Buddies and films like Tootsie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way women are portrayed on TV. What kind of messages does the media express about gender equality? Why do so many TV shows and films fall back on stereotypes when dealing with this issue?

  • Do you think stereotypes are appropriate if they're used to get laughs?

TV Details

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