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Working (TV series)

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Working
GenreSitcom
Created by
  • Michael Davidoff
  • Bill Rosenthal
Starring
Opening theme"Working in the Coal Mine" performed by Devo
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes39 (4 unaired)
Production
Executive producers
  • Michael Davidoff
  • Bill Rosenthal
Producers
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseOctober 8, 1997 (1997-10-08) –
January 25, 1999 (1999-01-25)

Working is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for two seasons from October 8, 1997 to January 25, 1999. The series was created and executive produced by Michael Davidoff and Bill Rosenthal. The series stars Fred Savage and an ensemble cast including Maurice Godin, Arden Myrin, Yvette Freeman, and Steve Hytner.

Synopsis

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Working took a satirical (and sometimes over-the-top) look at office life within a big corporate company. The show starred Fred Savage as the naive Matt Peyser who had just graduated from college and was ready to climb the corporate ladder. His ideals are constantly challenged by his boss, Tim Deale, played by Maurice Godin. Other characters included dim-witted Jimmy (Dana Gould), under-appreciated secretary Hal (Sarah Knowlton), overly perky Abby Cosgrove (Arden Myrin), acerbic Delaney (Steve Hytner), and no-nonsense manager Evelyn (Yvette Freeman), that Matt makes friends and work with.

Due to faltering ratings, the network attempted to breathe new life into the show during the second season with some cast changes. This included writing out the characters of Jimmy and Hal. They were replaced by Debi Mazar as the ruthless Liz and Rebecca McFarland as Val (As an in-joke, when Matt first sees Liz and Val he mistakenly calls them Jimmy and Hal). During the series run, Danica McKellar, formerly Savage's costar in The Wonder Years, made two guest-appearances playing a woman Savage's character meets in a bar, and of whom he says "she reminds me of a girl I grew up with!"

Ratings for the series didn't improve, however, and NBC canceled Working in January 1999. 35 of the 39 episodes produced were aired.

Theme song

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The show used a sound-alike version of Devo's cover of the song "Working in the Coal Mine", set over top of scenes of work, including marching workers from the film Metropolis, frantic work scenes from Terry Gilliam's Brazil and office scenes from Billy Wilder's The Apartment. The vocals of the theme song were removed for the USA Network broadcasts.

Cast and characters

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Episodes

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Series overview

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
122October 8, 1997 (1997-10-08)May 18, 1998 (1998-05-18)
217September 22, 1998 (1998-09-22)January 25, 1999 (1999-01-25)

Season 1 (1997–98)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot"Andrew TsaoMichael Davidoff & Bill RosenthalOctober 8, 1997 (1997-10-08)14.57[1]
22"Close Quarters"James WiddoesSy RosenOctober 15, 1997 (1997-10-15)9.39[2]
33"Rumoring"James WiddoesWill GluckOctober 29, 1997 (1997-10-29)11.75[3]
44"Quick Out of the Gate"Fred SavageBen WexlerNovember 5, 1997 (1997-11-05)11.42[4]
55"Sexual Harassment"James WiddoesPhill LewisNovember 12, 1997 (1997-11-12)13.07[5]
66"Lost Weekend"James WiddoesMike LangworthyNovember 19, 1997 (1997-11-19)11.38[6]
77"Creative Matt"James WiddoesSteve TompkinsDecember 3, 1997 (1997-12-03)10.86[7]
88"Top o' the World, Ma"Andrew TsaoVicki S. Horwitz & Sy RosenDecember 10, 1997 (1997-12-10)10.61[8]
99"Medieval Christmas"Andrew TsaoRob Cornick & Cory JachnukDecember 17, 1997 (1997-12-17)11.73[9]
1010"The Breakfast"Andrew TsaoMichael Davidoff & Bill RosenthalJanuary 7, 1998 (1998-01-07)13.13[10]
1111"Enemies: A Love Story"Andrew TsaoWill GluckJanuary 14, 1998 (1998-01-14)11.80[11]
1212"Sam I Am"James WiddoesMarsha MyersJanuary 21, 1998 (1998-01-21)12.93[12]
1313"Boys Club"Andrew TsaoMichael Davidoff & Bill RosenthalJanuary 28, 1998 (1998-01-28)13.48[13]
1414"Hatchet Man"James WiddoesVicki S. HorwitzFebruary 4, 1998 (1998-02-04)12.76[14]
1515"Mum's the Word"David Owen TrainorMichael Davidoff & Bill RosenthalFebruary 25, 1998 (1998-02-25)9.31[15]
1616"As Bad As It Gets"Andrew TsaoMatt Goldman & Will GluckMarch 18, 1998 (1998-03-18)13.79[16]
1717"Labor Pains"Andrew TsaoNoah TaftMarch 25, 1998 (1998-03-25)11.40[17]
1818"The Gold Digger"Andrew TsaoBen WexlerApril 1, 1998 (1998-04-01)10.05[18]
1919"Equality"Robert BerlingerMarsha MyersApril 15, 1998 (1998-04-15)10.15[19]
2020"The Lying Game"Linda DayRob Cornick & Cory JachnukApril 29, 1998 (1998-04-29)11.03[20]
2121"Due Process"Steve ZuckermanWill Gluck & Matt GoldmanMay 6, 1998 (1998-05-06)8.13[21]
2222"The Brown Noser"Andrew TsaoMark Wilding & Marsha MyersMay 13, 1998 (1998-05-13)10.68[22]

Season 2 (1998–99)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
231"Home-o-Apathy"Andrew TsaoWill GluckSeptember 22, 1998 (1998-09-22)12.40[23]
242"The Closer"Andrew TsaoRob Cornick & Cory JachnukSeptember 29, 1998 (1998-09-29)12.35[24]
253"Armageddon Outta Here"Andrew TsaoDavid FuryOctober 27, 1998 (1998-10-27)10.88[25]
264"Performance Review"Andrew TsaoSteve Baldikoski & Bryan BeharNovember 3, 1998 (1998-11-03)8.70[26]
275"Good Val Hunting"Andrew TsaoNoah TaftNovember 10, 1998 (1998-11-10)11.53[27]
286"Networking"Andrew TsaoBeth Fieger FalkensteinNovember 17, 1998 (1998-11-17)10.37[28]
297"A Boy, a Girl, and His Bird"Andrew TsaoSy Rosen & Vicki S. HorwitzDecember 1, 1998 (1998-12-01)9.41[29]
308"The Consultant"Andrew TsaoMark WildingDecember 8, 1998 (1998-12-08)9.05[30]
319"Greenery"Andrew TsaoWill GluckDecember 18, 1998 (1998-12-18)N/A
3210"The Christmas Party"Andrew TsaoMark WildingDecember 22, 1998 (1998-12-22)9.25[31]
3311"Romeo and Julie"Andrew TsaoNoah TaftJanuary 11, 1999 (1999-01-11)5.62[32]
3412"The Retreat"Andrew TsaoMichael Davidoff & Bill RosenthalJanuary 18, 1999 (1999-01-18)6.64[33]
3513"The Prodigy"David Owen TrainorBryan Behar & Steve BaldikoskiJanuary 25, 1999 (1999-01-25)6.73[34]
3614"Manifesto Destiny"Andrew TsaoBen WexlerUnaired (Unaired)N/A
3715"The Other Executive"Fred SavageMarty WeissUnaired (Unaired)N/A
3816"She Loves Me, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"Linda DayDavid RosenbergUnaired (Unaired)N/A
3917"Sliding Doors"Andrew TsaoSy Rosen & Mark WildingUnaired (Unaired)N/A

Awards

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Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
2000 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series – Young Performer Age Ten or Under Sara Paxton Won [35]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Listed after Dana Gould and Steve Hytner in the opening credits from episode 2 on.

References

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  1. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 6–12)". The Los Angeles Times. October 15, 1997. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  2. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 13–19)". The Los Angeles Times. October 22, 1997. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  3. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 27–Nov. 2)". The Los Angeles Times. November 5, 1997. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  4. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 3-9)". The Los Angeles Times. November 12, 1997. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  5. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 10-16)". The Los Angeles Times. November 19, 1997. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  6. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 17-23)". The Los Angeles Times. November 26, 1997. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  7. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 1-7)". The Los Angeles Times. December 10, 1997. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  8. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 8-14)". The Los Angeles Times. December 17, 1997. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  9. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 15-21)". The Los Angeles Times. December 24, 1997. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  10. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 5-11)". The Los Angeles Times. January 14, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  11. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 12-18)". The Los Angeles Times. January 21, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  12. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 19-25)". The Los Angeles Times. January 28, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  13. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 26-Feb. 1)". The Los Angeles Times. February 4, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  14. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 2-8)". The Los Angeles Times. February 11, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  15. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 23-March 1)". The Los Angeles Times. March 4, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  16. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 16–22)". The Los Angeles Times. March 25, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  17. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 23–29)". The Los Angeles Times. April 1, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  18. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 30-April 5)". The Los Angeles Times. April 8, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  19. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 13–19)". The Los Angeles Times. April 22, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  20. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 27-May 3)". The Los Angeles Times. May 6, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  21. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 4–10)". The Los Angeles Times. May 13, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  22. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 11–17)". The Los Angeles Times. May 20, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  23. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 21–27)". The Los Angeles Times. September 30, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  24. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 28–Oct. 4)". The Los Angeles Times. October 7, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  25. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 26-Nov. 1)". The Los Angeles Times. November 4, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  26. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 2-8)". The Los Angeles Times. November 11, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  27. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 9-15)". The Los Angeles Times. November 18, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  28. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 16-22)". The Los Angeles Times. November 25, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  29. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 30-Dec. 6)". The Los Angeles Times. December 9, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  30. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 7-13)". The Los Angeles Times. December 16, 1998. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  31. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 21-27)". The Los Angeles Times. January 1, 1999. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  32. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 11-17)". The Los Angeles Times. January 20, 1999. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  33. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 18-24)". The Los Angeles Times. January 27, 1999. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  34. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 25-31)". The Los Angeles Times. February 3, 1999. Retrieved June 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  35. ^ "21st Annual Young Artist Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
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