When ABC entertainment chief Paul Lee greeted critics at the winter press tour this week, his greeting was more of a tweak: “How did you guys like ‘Work It’?”
Critical response to the cross-dressing comedy had been near-universally negative, making some long for the days for a show like “Bosom Buddies” that tackled the same area.
Audiences seemed to agree, with just 6.1 million watching the Jan. 3 debut starring Ben Koldyke and Amaury Nolasco and ratings down 27 percent to 4.9 million for the second episode Tuesday.
So Saturday, the network pulled from its schedule after just two airings the show that had also brought the wrath of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the Human Rights Campaign for its depiction of transvestite characters.
In the short term, a second, repeat of its more successful lead-in, “Last Man Standing” will fill the slot. The time slot was thought to be one where the yet to premiere “Cougar Town” would return.