A Work Com about Maya Gallo, a highly qualified but difficult-to-work-with journalist, who, after alienating one news anchor too many, is forced to take a job with the trashy Cosmopolitan-esque fashion magazine run by her estranged father. Originally focusing on the father-daughter bonds, it quickly became a workplace ensemble piece with supporting characters Finch (the dad's personal assistant) and Nina (an ex-model turned writer for the magazine) taking over as the main characters of the series.Notably predated Ugly Betty (as well as Yo soy Betty, la fea) and The Devil Wears Prada with the premise of a non-materialistic woman working for a shallow magazine. Was ultimately canceled due to Executive Meddling and being bounced around the schedule.
Mark Hamill shows up as...Mark Hamill. Fanboy Finch drives him nuts with endless questions about the Star Wars movies.
Aesop Amnesia: Maya repeatedly learned that she was subject to the same foibles as everyone else. Then completely forgot this lesson by the next episode.
All Asians are Alike: Eliot drives away an advertiser by mistaking him for a Chinese food delivery guy.
"I AM JAPANESE!!"
Ambiguously Jewish: Jack exhibits a lot of New York Jewish mannerisms. This leads to Unfortunate Implications, what with the whole "Jews control the media" thing. Finch even lampshades this (paraphrased):
Finch: Look, we were WASPs. I didn't have that whole Jewish, Italian, or whatever you guys have going on.
Jack Gallo is in fact half Jewish, as told in one episode. There are many Jewish managers in the fashion media world.
Benevolent Boss / Pointy-Haired Boss: Jack vacillates between the two. A flashback episode reveals that each of the main characters were hitting Rock Bottom before Jack discovered their talents.
Berserk Button: Eliot doesn't react well when you criticize his work
Big Breasts, Big Deal: Laura San Giacomo is at least a natural Double-D in Real Life. Maya often wore baggy clothes, and was often teased by Finch for this.
Bigger Is Better in Bed: Subverted with Finch, who happens to be unusually well-endowed, but is such a sicko that no woman will give him the time of day (to the immense relief of his male co-workers).
Jack: It's a story as old as time. Great product, bad sales department.
Butt Monkey: Originally defined by his womanizing, Eliot gradually morphs into the show's punching bag.
Nina is often the victim of a conspiracy by Eliot and Finch to make a fool of her. Often these attempts backfire and Nina (usually unwittingly) comes out on top.
The Casanova: Eliot, but Finch later becomes one, often at inopportune times.
Chekhov's Ashes: In "Bye Bye, Binnie". Nina carries around the urn of her best friend's ashes, acting as if she were still alive. One morning she finds the urn empty and realizes that putting it in the mechanical bull at a bar was maybe not the best idea.
Chubby Chaser: Maya inadvertently dates a guy who is stealthily trying to make her gain weight. Once the jig is up, the boyfriend tries to entice Maya with promises of never having to diet again (which humorously causes Maya to rethink it for a second). "OK, fifty pounds and I'll buy the stretch pants!"
Cool Big Sis: Nina would sometimes play this role to Maya and/or Finch.
Creator Breakdown: In one episode, Maya dates the puppeteer behind a popular children's show. A panda Expy of Maya soon appears and each real-life date is somehow reflected on the show (such as the panda hogging all of the pizza). It gets so out of hand that Maya assaults him on live television.
Crossdresser: Nina spends en entire episode fretting about the auction of her famous bikini, which a Japanese businessman wants to turn into a museum piece. At the end, we see the businessman dressed in her bikini while dancing to disco music.
Dude, Not Ironic: In "When Nina Met Elliot", after Nina realizes that she was the one who ran Elliot over that day he was going to propose to her girlfriend, the following exchange occurs:
Nina: You know what's ironic? The same day I ran Elliot down, is the same day I ruined his life forever. Maya: That's not ironic, that's what happened! Nina: So true.
Embarrassing Middle Name: Dennis Quimby Finch. He lied that it was Eastwood to his wife, and after she knew the truth he still lies about it being "Irish for brave warrior."
Hypocritical Humor: Jack waxes poetic about how people are like snow cones - we're all made of the same stuff, but underneath the syrup, "we're all equally delicious!"
Eliot: —But blue's the best.
Jack:[shrug] Well, blue is the best.
I Was Quite a Looker: Nina's legendary bikini billboard is reported to have caused many a car pileup.
Inflation Negation: An episode had a landlady who was apparently so far behind the times that she charged ridiculously low prices for her apartments, resulting in her tenants doing all her shopping for her to prevent her from catching on. At the end, it turned out that she was secretly in on it.
May-December Romance: Jack has a habit of this. Fortunately, he goes after legal aged girls.
Mistaken for Gay: Finch's old-fashioned firefighting father concludes that Dennis is gay and makes an embarassing show of acceptance. It's with some discomfort that he realizes that while Dennis is straight, one of his more traditionally masculine brothers isn't.
He was even mistaken for lesbian by a gay woman.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: The original pitch for the series was Janeane Garofalo getting stuck in a waiting room with a model with whom she has nothing in common. Garofalo later became the template for Maya's character.
Nobody Loves the Bassist: In one episode, Nina keeps reminiscing about the "magical weekend" she once spent with the lead singer of a famous rock band. When she discovers that she actually slept with the bassist, she is horrified.
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Jack uses his vast influence to blacklist Eliot, rendering him unable to order a drink at the bar or even hail a cab - all because Eliot wouldn't give up his last éclair. Eliot at last agrees to fork over the dessert, but not before scrubbing it with his tongue.
Eliot and Maya for a few seasons. Before the writers realized no one cared, and a romance didn't gel with the Comedic Sociopathy of the show. As such, Eliot promptly has a panic attack as soon as he proposes to Maya, and that's the end of that.
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