This week Amber West and I take on two new television programs on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday in our first Boys versus Girls post—ABC Family’s Bunheads and TBS’s Men at Work.
TBS, a channel we don’t usually watch in our house, has launched a new sitcom created by the great Breckin Meyer (Franklin & Bash). Men at Work follows four friends who all work together at the same magazine as writers, photographers, and reporters as they help a buddy get back on the dating horse after a disastrous breakup.
The series stars: Danny Masterson (That ‘70s Show) as Milo, the recently dumped friend; James Lesure (Las Vegas – we are big fans of Mike Cannon here at The Ooo Factor) as Gibbs, the sexual and sensual best friend; Adam Busch (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Neal, the only one of the four in a serious relationship; and Michael Cassidy (The O.C.) as Tyler, the beautiful and stylish one.
Rarely do we see a comedy centered around all men, about men. Plus, Men at Work features four funny television character actors we’ve missed seeing around the TV screen for the past few years. Add the funny-man creator to this, and we couldn’t help but think Men at Work could potentially be summer dynamite.
We weren’t far off—Men at Work is thirty minutes of fun. I’d say it puts the “fun” in “funny,” but that might sound a bit cliché. It’s nice having a comedy my guy and I both enjoy watching. Not only are the relationships between the friends enjoyable, but the foursome introduces hilarious and spot-on new terminology for everyone to throw into their daily conversations with phrases like:
Heterotexual – a modern man who pleases a woman with his thumbs
HotZone – things that pose the risk of infection
TruthBomb – boom goes the conversation dynamite, or saying truths your friends might not otherwise want to hear
CrazyHot Paradox – a woman who is easy on the eyes, but insane in the brain

Honestly, these sayings remind me of “Barneyisms” from How I Met Your Mother, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate them just the same.
Men at Work’s humor is a bit on the raunchy side, but then again almost anything sexual anymore is considered raunchy. Perhaps that’s why the new sitcom is on TBS and not the basic network channels, joining the ranks of FX (Archer), Showtime (Californication and Weeds), and Comedy Central (Workaholics).
And since TV ratings are all about the guest stars here lately, Men at Work has ‘em lined up as well: Amy Smart (Milo’s ex-girlfriend), Stacy Kiebler (a girl who likes threesomes), Kathy Najimy (a sex blogger), J.K. Simmons (the owner of the magazine and Neal’s girlfriend’s father), and fellow That ‘70s Show‘ers Wilmer Valderrama (Milo’s upstairs neighbor) and Laura Prepon (not sure yet about her role, I think she guest stars this week from the previews) to just name a few.
So how does Meyer’s baby rank? All in all, I’d say I must award Men at Work with the JFTV rating—it’s like that bag of potato chips that we know we should put away after a few bites, but can’t help going back for more. The crunch of the chip and the explosion of flavors is just what the doctor ordered to accompany an ice-cold beer after a long day at work—technically a long week at work since Men at Work airs on Thursday nights.
What do you think? Have you watched Men at Work? How would you rate it? Do you have any phrases you’ve coined that you feel we should incorporate into everyday conversations? I’d love to hear from you!
For more Men at Work’isms, follow @MenatWorkTBS or the hashtag, #MenatWork. TBS also has four of the episodes available online. Check them out!
Now click over to Amber’s blog and see what she thinks about ABC Family’s Bunheads.
Come back next week when Amber and I review something... it’s summer time and the heat is taking a toll on our planning ahead.
Remember to stop by the #watchwed hashtag in Twitter to discuss any of today’s reviews, or to mention any television programs that you’d like to see on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday in the future.
A Recap of The WatchWed Review System:
GTV (Gourmet TV): Everything we want and more
MacTV (MacNCheese TV): Guilty pleasure. Not perfect, but is satisfies
GMacTV (Gourmet MacNCheese TV): A combination of fine wine and comfort food
JFTV (Junk food TV): It’s not great for us, but we’ll go back for seconds
TBPTV (Twice Baked Potato TV): Part gourmet and delicious, while absolutely horrible for our cholesterol
SSTV (Still Simmering TV): It has potential, but the jury is still out
NIV (Nyquil Induced Viewing): Perfect for that late night television sleep timer
LOTV (Liver&Onions TV): Do we really have to explain? Blech