Working Girl (TV series)

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 (1990-04-16) – July 30, 1990 (1990-07-30)
Related
Working Girl

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]

Synopsis

Tess 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

Debuting as a midseason replacement,[9][10] Working Girl drew low ratings and was canceled after eight of the twelve episodes produced aired.[11]

Cast

• 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

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Dream On"	Matthew Diamond	Lawrence Konner, Robin Schiff	April 16, 1990 (1990-04-16)
2	"I Heard It Through the Grapevine"	Matthew Diamond	Vicki S. Horwitz	April 23, 1990 (1990-04-23)
3	"A Friend in Need"	Matthew Diamond	Lisa Rosenthal	April 30, 1990 (1990-04-30)
4	"McJoe's"	Matthew Diamond	Sandy Frank	May 7, 1990 (1990-05-07)
5	"It's Only Love"	Matthew Diamond	Robin Schiff	May 14, 1990 (1990-05-14)
6	"Hungry Heart"	Unknown	Vicki S. Horwitz	July 16, 1990 (1990-07-16)
7	"Just One of Those Things"	Matthew Diamond	Robin Schiff	July 23, 1990 (1990-07-23)
8	"We Can Work It Out"	Unknown	Rachel Gamss	July 30, 1990 (1990-07-30)
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

The 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

The series briefly reran on TV Land in the 1990s after Bullock became a major motion-picture star.

References

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Tucker, Ken (April 27, 1990). "Working Girl". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023.
4. Rowe, Brian (May 23, 2018). "The Sandra Bullock Files #6: Working Girl (1990)". Medium. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023.
5. Radcliffe, Gena (February 6, 2019). "Tune in Tonight: "Working Girl"". Archived from the original on April 8, 2023.
6. 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.
7. "YOU WON'T FIND NUPTIALS ANY BIGGER THAN DELTA BURKE'S". Orlando Sentinel. April 23, 1989. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023.
8. Shales, Tom (April 16, 1990). "BAD DAY AT THE OFFICE". Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017.
9. "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.
10. MacMinn, Aleene (October 4, 1989). "TV & VIDEO". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22.
11. 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.
12. Working Girl TV Show Intro (HQ) on YouTube

External links

• Working Girl at IMDb