Working Girl is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from April 16 to July 30, 1990. Loosely based[1] on the 1988 film of the same name starring Melanie Griffith,[2] the series stars Sandra Bullock[3][4][5] as Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith's character), a role that was initially meant as a starring vehicle for Nancy McKeon.[6][7][8]
| Working Girl | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Kimberly Hill Tom Patchett |
| Written by | Sandy Frank Vicki S. Horwitz Lawrence Konner Lisa Rosenthal Robin Schiff |
| Directed by | Robert Berlinger Matthew Diamond |
| Starring | Sandra Bullock Patrick Brock Nana Visitor Judy Prescott George Newbern Edye Byrde Tom O'Rourke Anthony Tyler Quinn David Schramm B.J. Ward |
| Theme music composer | Carly Simon |
| Opening theme | "Let the River Run" |
| Composer | W. G. Snuffy Walden |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 (4 unaired) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Kenneth Kaufman Tom Patchett |
| Producers | Vicki S. Horwitz Lawrence Konner |
| Editors | Leslie Dennis Bracken Steve Cioffi |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Patchett Kaufman Entertainment 20th Century Fox Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | April 16 – July 30, 1990 |
| Related | |
Synopsis
editTess McGill is a spunky, independent secretary who has suddenly become a junior executive after she charms company owner A.J. Trask. Tess' first challenge is to survive working with her antagonistic, uptight immediate boss, Mrs. Bryn Newhouse, otherwise known as the "company witch." Tess's best friend, Lana Peters, is a secretary who is more interested in doing her nails and rooting for Tess than in getting ahead herself. Meanwhile, Everett Rutledge is a fellow junior executive who is charming but eager to please. Libby Wentworth is Tess's world-wise "permanent temporary" secretary who is also a moonlighting musician. Back home each night on Staten Island, Tess has to contend with her doting parents, Joe and Fran. Tess also has to contend with Sal Pascarella, the blue-collar neighborhood Romeo who constantly pursues her.
Reception and cancelation
editDebuting as a midseason replacement,[9][10] Working Girl drew low ratings and was canceled after eight of the twelve episodes produced aired.[11]
Cast
edit- Sandra Bullock as Tess McGill
- Patrick Brock as Office Regular
- Nana Visitor as Bryn Newhouse
- Judy Prescott as Lana Peters
- George Newbern as Everett Rutledge
- Eyde Byrde as Libby Wentworth
- Tom O'Rourke as A.J. Trask
- Anthony Tyler Quinn as Sal Pascarella
- David Schramm as Joe McGill
- B.J. Ward as Fran McGill
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Dream On" | Matthew Diamond | Lawrence Konner, Robin Schiff | April 16, 1990 |
| 2 | "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" | Matthew Diamond | Vicki S. Horwitz | April 23, 1990 |
| 3 | "A Friend in Need" | Matthew Diamond | Lisa Rosenthal | April 30, 1990 |
| 4 | "McJoe's" | Matthew Diamond | Sandy Frank | May 7, 1990 |
| 5 | "It's Only Love" | Matthew Diamond | Robin Schiff | May 14, 1990 |
| 6 | "Hungry Heart" | Unknown | Vicki S. Horwitz | July 16, 1990 |
| 7 | "Just One of Those Things" | Matthew Diamond | Robin Schiff | July 23, 1990 |
| 8 | "We Can Work It Out" | Unknown | Rachel Gamss | July 30, 1990 |
| 9 | "Get Back (a.k.a. Back in the Saddle Again)" | TBD | Story edited by Sandy Frank | UNAIRED |
| 10 | "Two's a Crowd" | TBD | Sandy Frank, Lawrence Konner, Lisa Rosenthal, Robin Schiff | UNAIRED |
| 11 | "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" | TBD | Vicki S. Horwitz | UNAIRED |
| 12 | "Oh, Brother" | TBD | Story by : Lawrence Konner Teleplay by : Beverly Archer | UNAIRED |
Production notes
editThe series was created by Kimberly Hill and Tom Patchett. Kenneth Kaufman and Tom Patchett served as executive producers.
"Let the River Run" (which was also featured in the motion picture) was the series' theme song.[12]
Syndication
editThe series briefly reran on TV Land in the 1990s after Bullock became a major motion-picture star.
References
edit- ^ Harnick, Chris (June 23, 2014). "Yes, These Movies Became TV Shows...and it Didn't Work Out". E! Online. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023.
- ^ Rosenberg, Howard (April 16, 1990). "TV Reviews : 'Working Girl' Title Is Employed, Plot Is Not". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2021-05-13.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (April 27, 1990). "Working Girl". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023.
- ^ Rowe, Brian (May 23, 2018). "The Sandra Bullock Files #6: Working Girl (1990)". Medium. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023.
- ^ Radcliffe, Gena (February 6, 2019). "Tune in Tonight: "Working Girl"". Archived from the original on April 8, 2023.
- ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007-10-17). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 1538. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- ^ "YOU WON'T FIND NUPTIALS ANY BIGGER THAN DELTA BURKE'S". Orlando Sentinel. April 23, 1989. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023.
- ^ Shales, Tom (April 16, 1990). "BAD DAY AT THE OFFICE". Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017.
- ^ "DEBUT: 'Working Girl' starring Sandra Bullock premiered 30 years ago tonight, April 16, 1990, on NBC". Twitter. April 16, 2020. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023.
- ^ MacMinn, Aleene (October 4, 1989). "TV & VIDEO". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22.
- ^ Konda, Kelly (April 21, 2014). "One-and-Done: 12 Famous Films Which Yielded Short-Lived TV Shows". We Minored in Film. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023.
- ^ Working Girl TV Show Intro (HQ) on YouTube
External links
edit- Working Girl at IMDb