| Work in Progress | |
|---|---|
 Official release poster | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by |
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| Starring |
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| Composer | Ethan Stoller |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 18 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Production location | Chicago |
| Cinematography | Michael Ognisanti |
| Editors |
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| Camera setup | Single-camera[1] |
| Running time | 23–30 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Showtime |
| Release | December 8, 2019 – October 10, 2021 |
Work in Progress is an American comedy-drama television series produced by Showtime that premiered on December 8, 2019.[2][3] The series was created by Abby McEnany and Tim Mason, written and executive produced by McEnany, Mason, and Lilly Wachowski, and directed by Mason. Work in Progress stars McEnany in a semi-autobiographical role alongside Karin Anglin, Celeste Pechous, Julia Sweeney (as a fictionalized version of herself), and Theo Germaine. The entire series was written, filmed, and post-produced in Chicago.
The pilot episode was shown at the Sundance Film Festival.[4] The first season of Work in Progress, consisting of eight episodes, premiered on Showtime on December 8, 2019.[4] It received positive critical reception.
On January 13, 2020, Showtime renewed the series for a 10-episode second season, to be filmed in Chicago later in the year.[5] The second season premiered on August 22, 2021.[6]
On January 27, 2022, Showtime canceled the series after two seasons.[7]
Synopsis
[edit]A self-identified "fat, queer dyke" enters into a transformative relationship during a time of crisis.
Cast
[edit]Main
[edit]- Abby McEnany as Abby, a 45-year-old self-identifying "fat, queer dyke" who lives with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- Karin Anglin as Alison, Abby's sister.
- Celeste Pechous as Campbell, Abby's friend.
- Julia Sweeney as a fictionalized version of herself. A recurring plot point is the discomfort Julia's Saturday Night Live character Pat has caused to Abby, for which Julia attempts to make amends.
- Theo Germaine as Chris, a 22-year-old barista who enters a relationship with Abby. Chris is a trans man. Germaine appears in all episodes of the first season but is credited as a special guest star.[5]
Recurring
[edit]- Gerard Neugent as Mike, Alison's husband.
- Echaka Agba as Melanie, Abby's ex.
- Armand Fields as King, Chris's friend and co-worker.
- Mary Sohn as Susan, Abby's boss
Special guests
[edit]- "Weird Al" Yankovic as a fictionalized version of himself, playing Julia's husband.[8][9]
Episodes
[edit]Series overview
[edit]| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 8 | December 8, 2019 | January 26, 2020 | |
| 2 | 10 | August 22, 2021 | October 10, 2021 | |
Season 1 (2019–20)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title [10] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [10] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "180 Almonds" | Tim Mason | Abby McEnany & Tim Mason | December 8, 2019 | 0.134[11] |
| 2 | 2 | "176, 172, 171" | Tim Mason | Abby McEnany & Tim Mason & Lilly Wachowski | December 15, 2019 | 0.131[12] |
| 3 | 3 | "162" | Tim Mason | Abby McEnany & Tim Mason & Lilly Wachowski | December 22, 2019 | 0.067[13] |
| 4 | 4 | "161, 153, 137, 122, 106, 104, 102 (We're Still Counting Almonds.)" | Tim Mason | Abby McEnany & Tim Mason & Lilly Wachowski | December 29, 2019 | 0.094[14] |
| 5 | 5 | "66, 65, 64, 62" | Tim Mason | Abby McEnany & Tim Mason & Lilly Wachowski | January 5, 2020 | 0.110[15] |
| 6 | 6 | "15, 14 (pt. 1)" | Tim Mason | Abby McEnany & Tim Mason & Lilly Wachowski | January 12, 2020 | 0.085[16] |
| 7 | 7 | "14 (pt. 2), 12, 11, 10" | Tim Mason | Abby McEnany & Tim Mason & Lilly Wachowski | January 19, 2020 | 0.100[17] |
| 8 | 8 | "3, 2, 1" | Tim Mason | Abby McEnany & Tim Mason & Lilly Wachowski | January 26, 2020 | 0.083[18] |
Season 2 (2021)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title [10] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [10] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Life Got In The Way" | Blythe Haaga | Lilly Wachowski & Abby McEnany | August 22, 2021 | 0.067[19] |
| 10 | 2 | "Everything’s Fine, Everything’s Okay" | Thembi Banks | Amanda Blake Davis | August 22, 2021 | 0.057[19] |
| 11 | 3 | "Two Queens On Two Queens" | Thembi Banks | Brendan Dowling | August 29, 2021 | 0.067[20] |
| 12 | 4 | "Apologies And Their Fluctuating Nature" | Kris Rey | Samantha Irby | August 29, 2021 | 0.072[20] |
| 13 | 5 | "Take Your Child To Work Day" | Kris Rey | Kate James & Sarah Halle Corey | September 5, 2021 | 0.033[21] |
| 14 | 6 | "Eleanor Roosevelt" | Mickey R. Mahoney | Abby McEnany & Tien Tran | September 12, 2021 | 0.045[22] |
| 15 | 7 | "Oh Say Can You See" | Lilly Wachowski | Kate James | September 19, 2021 | 0.064[23] |
| 16 | 8 | "FTP" | Yance Ford | Samantha Irby & Lilly Wachowski | September 26, 2021 | 0.057[24] |
| 17 | 9 | "Hey, Dad" | Yance Ford | Lilly Wachowski & Abby McEnany | October 3, 2021 | 0.062[25] |
| 18 | 10 | "I Release You" | Lilly Wachowski | Lilly Wachowski & Abby McEnany | October 10, 2021 | 0.066[26] |
Production
[edit]According to Germaine, Lilly Wachowski was frequently on the set as an advisor and helped direct the sex scene of the third episode among others.[27]
Michael Ognisanti served as the series cinematographer. Because the series is inspired by McEnany's life, the challenge for Ognisanti was to capture the authenticity of the story in the look of the show. For this reason, filming took place in real locations, mostly night interiors, and for lighting they used practical light sources augmented with small LEDs, to avoid making it look artificial. Because of the improvisational style of acting, Ognisanti used two Arri Alexa Mini cameras, for a higher chance to capture unscripted moments that could not be recreated after the fact. The cameras were fitted with Zeiss Super Speed lenses. Ognisanti storyboarded the whole series based on input by Mason in Cinema 4D before they went to shoot on location.[28]
Inspired by her participation in Netflix's Disclosure, Executive Producer Lilly Wachowski made an emphatic push for trans representation throughout the cast and crew including the soundtrack.[29] Transgender musicians in the show's soundtrack include Backxwash,[30] Quay Dash,[30] Sateen,[31] SuperKnova,[30][32] and Mel Stone.[33]
Reception
[edit]Critical reception of Work in Progress has been mostly positive. Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator website, reported a 100% critical approval rating with an average rating of 8.00/10 based on 30 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "As radically hilarious as it is relatably uncomfortable, Work in Progress is a stunning debut from co-creator and star Abby McEnany."[34] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the season is assigned a score of 78 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[35]
Accolades
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Comedy Series | Work in Progress | Nominated | [36] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Shows A-Z - work in progress on showtime | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ Pedersen, Erik (May 30, 2019). "'Work In Progress': Showtime Orders Comedy Series Starring Abby McEnany; EP Lilly Wachowski Co-Writing". Deadline. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ Petski, Denise (August 2, 2019). "Showtime Sets Premiere Dates For 'Work In Progress' & 'Couples Therapy' – TCA". Deadline. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Rose, Michelle (December 8, 2019). "Abby McEnany is a Witty 'Work In Progress' on Showtime". Standard-Speaker (Hazleton, Pennsylvania). p. T7.
- ^ a b Petski, Denise (January 13, 2020). "'Work In Progress' Renewed For Season 2 By Showtime – TCA".
- ^ Alexandra Del Rosario (June 29, 2021). "'Work in Progress': Showtime Sets Season 2 Premiere Date & Trailer For Abby McEnany Comedy". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (January 27, 2022). "'Black Monday' & 'Work In Progress' Canceled At Showtime". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ "'Work In Progress' Season 1 Episode 3 addresses offensive representations in 80s and 90s pop culture". meaww.com. December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ Yankovic, Al (December 23, 2019). "Huge thanks to Abby McEnany and all the wonderful folks at @WiP_SHO for letting me explore an alternate universe where I'm short-haired, extremely boring, obsessed with sangria, and married to Julia Sweeney.pic.twitter.com/cd3UC5nAaf". Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Work in Progress – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 10, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.8.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 17, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.15.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 24, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.22.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 31, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.29.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 7, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.5.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 14, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.12.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 22, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.19.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 28, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.26.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (August 24, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.22.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (August 31, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.29.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 8, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.5.2021 Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ "Work In Progress: Season Two Ratings". TV Series Finale. September 12, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 21, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 9.19.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 28, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 9.26.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 5, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 10.3.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 10, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 10.10.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Reddish, David (December 8, 2019). "Theo Germaine went from barista to 'The Politician' & 'Work in Progress'". Queerty.
- ^ "Race to the Finish". International Cinematographers Guild Magazine. January 14, 2019.
- ^ Kumar, Naveen (August 23, 2021). ""Work in Progress" Showed Lilly Wachowski the Joy of Queer Storytelling". them. Condé Nast. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Music from Work in Progress S1E02". Tunefind. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ "Music from Work in Progress S1E03". Tunefind. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ "Music from Work in Progress S1E04". Tunefind. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ "Music from Work in Progress S1E05". Tunefind. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ "Work in Progress: Season 1". Retrieved October 14, 2021 – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
- ^ "Work in Progress". Retrieved August 23, 2021 – via www.metacritic.com.
- ^ "The Nominees for the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards". GLAAD. January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Work in Progress on sho.com
- Work in Progress at IMDb
- Work in Progress at Rotten Tomatoes