Last month, Reel Chicago reported that Abby McEnany and Tim Mason’s new Showtime comedy series Work in Progress has inspired “an impending cultural sensation.” Now it appears that viewing audiences agree, as multiple outlets are reporting that the network has renewed the show for a second season.
Boasting a perfect 100% score on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and a 96% among Google users, the “stunning debut” stars McEnany, Karin Anglin, Julia Sweeney (as herself), Theo Germaine, and Celeste Pechous.
Work in Progress is co-written by Second City alumnus McEnany and Mason along with Chicago film legend Lilly Wachowski.
WORK IN PROGRESS
INTERVIEW WITH ABBY MCENANY
In the show, McEnany stars as lead-character Abby, “a 45-year-old self-identified fat, queer dyke (IMDb).” Rolling through situations based on her own life, she encounters death, doubt, suicide and depression while becoming an altogether likable heroine. And that’s pretty much only the first episode.
Variety’s Caroline Framke describes the series as “nuanced and funny.” The Guardian’s Rebecca Nicholson says that it “marks the arrival of an important new voice.” Sun-Times entertainment columnist Richard Roeper declares that the show “should be one of the breakout new TV series of 2019-2020.”
“We could not be more gratified that both critics and viewers are responding to the spark of creativity and original point of view that blew us away when we first saw the pilot that screened at Sundance last year,” said Showtime President of Entertainment Jana Winograde. “We fell in love with Abby at first sight, and are eager to share the laughter (and tears) that she, Tim and Lilly will undoubtedly evoke in season two.”
WORK IN PROGRESS
ON THE RED CARPET WITH TIM MASON
ALSO READ: Beyond the red carpet of ‘Work in Progress’
Viewers can still catch up on the first season of Work in Progress in real time. New episodes air Sundays at 11PM ET on Showtime. Click here for more information.
Send your TV updates to Reel Chicago Editor Dan Patton, dan@reelchicago.com.
