It’s really easy to look at a finished TV show (or film or whatever) and say, “How did this crap get made?” Truth is, the process is pretty complicated and sometimes good ideas get watered down or there are conflicting directions or political pressures that take promising projects and turn them into stinkers. And sometimes that piece of crap was designed to be a piece of crap because someone knew it would be a really profitable piece of crap (I’m talking to you Scary Movie VII).
All that said, I cannot see how, on what universe, in what parallel world people thought that Work It, a comedy that looks like a D-rate Bosom Buddies would be popular. I mean, is there any evidence anywhere that suggests people still think men dressing up as women is funny? Haven’t we had plenty of evidence–recent evidence in fact–suggesting just the opposite? That as a “joke” a man dressed as a woman fall somewhere between a pie-in-the-face and calling someone a fag. Meaning, it’s dated at best, out-of-touch at worst.
It must be terrible to be one of the people associated with a show like this. You want so badly for it to be a success but you must know (and I’m talking about the writers, actors etc.) in your heart of hearts that there is NO WAY it can be successful. Even if you are talented at what you do, this concept cannot work. Woody Allen in his prime couldn’t make it funny.
The good news is, this makes me all the more optimistic that my TV Pilot about a white kid who dresses in black-face to take advantage of a company run by former Black Panthers will find a home. Because even midseason replacements need replacements.