Going to work is paying off on TV.
First, BBC America’s snarky sitcom “The Office” startled everyone but its cultlike viewership by beating out “Sex and the City” and “Will & Grace” for this year’s Golden Globe award for best comedy series.
“The Apprentice,” which premiered in January with “Survivor” creator Mark Burnett executive producing and Donald Trump as its undisputed star, has breathed new life into a reality genre previously stuck in a romance and bickering roommates rut.
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Now there’s “Now Who’s Boss?” which premiered last week on TLC. Instead of swapping rooms to redecorate–a la the channel’s wildly popular “Trading Spaces”–“Boss’ ” CEO-type “stars” trade down to the more hands-on jobs in their own organizations.
What’s undoubtedly great PR for the companies involved also makes for deeply engrossing viewing as the mighty are laid low and vice versa.
After a week of making beds and getting stiffed on room-service delivery tips at his swank South Beach property, Loews Hotels CEO Jonathan Tisch ruefully concluded in the premiere, “I thought I had all the answers … but clearly, I have more knowledge ahead of me.”
Song Air carrier President John Selvaggio sings a similar tune in the March 22 episode.
“I probably underappreciated what has to be done every day,” the Atlanta-based airline’s exec sighs after a long stint of checking in passengers, emptying out airplane lavatory waste and hawking Snickers bars on flights.
Despite its title and execs-gone-slumming premise, “Now Who’s Boss?” is really more about the lower-ranking employees. Watching a fellow bellman drill Tisch on the lengthy list of must-do’s besides toting luggage (“point out the beautiful view, inquire about the temperature of the room …”) or seeing Song’s numerous gate agent requirements spelled out on-screen (“thoroughly inspect photo IDs, check bags …”) only underscores the vitalness of even the smallest, seemingly most anonymous job to big business.
Tune in
Check out “Now Who’s Boss” at 9 p.m. Monday on TLC, when Dan Brestle, group president of the Estee Lauder Companies, mixes cosmetics and mans the assembly line at the factory, drives the forklift at the warehouse and gamely attempts to apply makeup to a model.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale ([email protected]) and Kris Karnopp ([email protected])