On my list of the 400 Most Notable TV Shows Set in New York City, I posted "Amos 'n' Andy," (at #399), as a show that we, in the 21st Century, would find problematic for more than one reason.
Likewise, there are some performers that we, as viewers, would have a problem with because of things they have done. This is the first example of that, and we can't not talk about those elements, even though they don't relate to the program itself.
Let's begin with the show and the first question that must be asked: is this a kind of continuation of the sitcom "Kate & Allie?" "Working It Out" was created and directed by Bill Persky, who directed most, if not every episode of "K&A." And it stars Jane Curtin, the Allie of that previous series. Heck, even the show's theme song was written and performed by John Loeffler, the same musician that did the theme for "Kate & Allie."
This was 1990, and at the time, there was something called "The Learning Annex." That was a service that began in NYC and branched out to a lot of major American cities through this era: it was a free catalog that listed a wide array of classes that, for a reasonable fee, you could take to become proficient in, as a way of enhancing your life. It was those "Handbooks For Dummies" before they existed. The idea was for people to take classes in activities to develop a new hobby, get a new skill, maybe even start a new vocation. But the subtext of all of this was here's a chance to meet someone who shared at least one of your interests, whom you might find attractive and begin a relationship with them as part of the deal.
The concept was sound: You were in a class, purportedly to learn this activity, so the focus was on that, and if you happen to hit it off with a classmate, there was far less pressure than being on a "date." (For the record, The Learning Annex seems to have shuttered around 2017, though their website is somehow still partially available to examine in the Spring of 2024).
The 2020s version of this are those "Master Class" online seminars, where you can learn how to act from Natalie Portman, or how to play tennis from Serena Williams... but there's precious little interaction with anyone else, not even the instructors, aside from a message board where you can post and read comments about the course from your fellow students viewing it... No realistic dating opportunities, there!
But, back in the Nineties, our former Allie Lowell, Ms. Curtin, is Sarah who meets David, played by Stephen Collins, in a cooking class. Sure, we all can cook, but we can all cook a little better.
Sarah and David are both single parents and are both a whole lot reluctant about getting back into the relationship scene, based on their previous marriages. They get some advice (or kibbitzing) from their friends along the way and the kids have to have their say, too.
New York played a part because of all the things The City has to offer and all the ways you can avoid dealing with your feelings because there are so many other things you can do instead of figuring out what you really want when it comes to love.
I think the reason why this show didn't have the same level of success as its immediate predecessor is that it just didn't have an agenda that engaged as many viewers. Sure there are people who are reluctant to start dating after a messy split with a previous partner, but not everyone relates to that. Also, just a couple of years before, there was a similar series on Fox called "Duet," where they promised a "romance in real time" between the lead characters. But that's a slow go, and nobody really cared to watch that. This had a lot of those same elements.
And, let's be very clear: it's difficult to deal with the issue of Stephen Collins. He was recorded on an audio tape in 2013, talking about sexually abusing a minor. Then, in a People Magazine article in 2014, he admitted to molesting three different girls. Collins was never even charged, let alone faced a trial, because the Statute of Limitations had run out. However he has never worked in any form of show business, since.
A problematic actor's off screen behavior is a difficult one to deal with and I am the first to say that it absolutely does change how you view their work. The most popular series that Collins appeared in, "Seventh Heaven," is another show that simply isn't seen anymore because of those admissions.
But here's the thing. It is not fair to the series, to the other actors who appeared and to all of the creative effort by the professionals that made those shows to attempt to ignore or excise that program because of those circumstances. But it certainly pushes these titles lower than they might have otherwise been, especially when it means those programs are no longer readily available to view on any platform.
