Working the Engels (2014) User Reviews

needs more jokes and funnier jokes

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 21 August 2014]

After the death of her father, Jenna Engel (Kacey Rohl) has to pick up the pieces of her father's bankrupt law practice. Much to her dismay, she has to deal with her crazy mother Ceil (Andrea Martin), her semi-recovering sister Sandy (Azura Skye) and her petty criminal brother Jimmy (Benjamin Arthur).

Andrea Martin is the big name in this one. It's very hit-and-miss with her brand of manic comedy. Kacey Rohl is the one to drive the show and hold it together. At least she's game for the challenge. She has good charm and is willing to do wacky. Azura Skye is a bit disappointing and Benjamin Arthur needs to have more dumb jokes. In general, there needs to be more jokes and funnier jokes if they want this to be wacky fun.

Typically dysfunctional sitcom family who hit all the right notes - REVISED

[KenyaOne · 5/10 · 10 July 2014]

SEE REVISION NOTES BELOW...

I've seen only the first episode. But I was looking forward to seeing Andrea Martin again, from "SCTV," where she was hilarious. I wasn't disappointed. She has pitch perfect timing as a very physical comedienne. One must "watch" her or lose some of the humor.

Andrea portrays Ceil Engel, the alcoholic matriarch of the clan, including her recently deceased lawyer husband who left his family $200k in debt. There are her three children: the cutie Kacey Rohl as Jenna, an under appreciate attorney and the glue that holds the family together; the quirky sexy Azura Skye as her over-the-top "reformed" sister; and hunky Benjamin Arthur as the brother, a full-time petty con artist and 2-bricks-short-of-a-full-load strong-arm brother.

Don't be dissuaded by the few meager reviews so far. See it yourself. Set your DVR. I'm a huge comedy fan: "2 Broke Girls, Hot In Cleveland, etc. And as is said, "Drama is easy, comedy is a bitch." It's not easy to be clever and funny. This initial show hits all the notes. I hope it maintains it's momentum. Give it a watch; it's a hoot.

**REVISION: After now having watched several of the episodes, the show actually lacks "momentum," i.e., it has not moved forward but rather sits spinning its wheels. It appears Andrea Martin plays only one character. Yes, she's zany but you'd better like that one or you won't enjoy the show. Benjamin Arthur is simply not believable as the brainless but ultra-sexy guy. The writers need to give their characters more dimension, quickly. Azura Skye does have some misbegotten sex appeal, even as someone who seems to have a bit of brain damage. Not unlike too many other misdirected shows, each episode is a bit of a repeat of the skit from the week before.-- So, I've lowered my rating down to a "4 or 5" - until the writers and director can figure out whether they can clean up this mess.

flat, predictable humor

[dellalamor1 · 1/10 · 11 July 2014]

I was very disappointed with this polite...The B word is thrown around too, too much on sitcoms, Unnecessary-I was hoping for a Seinfeld show, clean, funny, and unpredictable humor...with out the constant bi+&*ch humor what a waste of 30 min. I rate this show -1 I didn't laugh once. I was hoping-with the lineup that this would be a show to take a serious spot in the missing belly laughter, that Seinfeld use to bring every week. Its time to bring some funny situations to TV without the milking of the over worked B word on TV... We have some great comedic writers out there,Please somebody find some fresh humor that the whole family can enjoy without the offensive comedy

????????

[wahoo8888 · 1/10 · 25 July 2014]

What an embarrassment. For the writers, actors, producers and especially those of us in the audience who were expecting an adult show. I see the typical production staff reviews are here (who in their right mind would think this is a quality show). This is childish, immature drivel that should never have made it to network TV. NBC has sunk to a new low and that was a challenge given how low they have previously set the bar. I liken the quality to that of a cheap cable Saturday morning children's show. This truly would have been better if they had used puppets instead of live actors. On the plus side, it is the perfect companion to Welcome to Sweden.

A bland unfunny mess

[robodrolet · 1/10 · 9 April 2018]

Working the Engels was a bland unfunny mess. All the jokes were stupid. The actors were just plain terrible. The writing was the worst. I can't believe this was on TV. I love Andrea Martin but she had nothing good to do in this, it was just a really bad show with characters that had zero depth and some really bad actors (particularly the one handsome guy in the family). Terrible show.

Terrible

[gabrielkoot · 1/10 · 21 July 2018]

This was a terrible show and I was very happy when I found out it was not coming back. This was a real waste of Andrea Martin's time and obvious talent. She is a Canadian TV legend and she deserves much much better than this show with it's lack of comedy and awful direction and writing.

Brilliant hidden gem!

[julierockett-218-87099 · 10/10 · 24 January 2020]

Andrea Martin shines in this whipsmart comedy. It's a wonderful mix of love and exasperation and reminds me of another favorite, Schitt's Creek.

Bad - A Canadian Legend Deserves Much Better

[elliot_gordon1 · 2/10 · 26 July 2018]

This was a really bad show. It's a shame because I've always been a fan of hers and it would have been neat to see her starring in a new series for a few years but the supporting cast around her (her kids and colleagues etc) were just terrible and the writing was about the worst ever. Hopefully she gets another show and it's good next time.

Funny, smart TV

[trixie-49033 · 8/10 · 23 January 2020]

I loved this show. It was clever, quick paced -- and starred Andrea Martin! What more could any TV viewer want? I don't understand the low-ratings on this site. See it for yourself.

Unfunny

[ronnieyearwood · 1/10 · 31 July 2018]

This show was just plain not funny at all... glad to see it got canceled.

Unmissed

[jgoodhand · 3/10 · 3 February 2019]

I'm not going to miss this show at all. Andrea Martin is a wonderful talent and I hope she has another series soon but this show just was not good. The writing was terrible and the other actors around her couldn't make me laugh if I was high on eighty pounds of the jolly green stuff. Truly a terrible show. 3/10 but only because of Andrea Martin.

Boring

[kateziegler-36700 · 2/10 · 15 February 2019]

This was a very boring show with little going for it other than having Andrea Martin in it. Why would she even agree to be in this awful show? Between this and Schitt's Creek I am thinking SCTV legends need to be given much better shows in recent years.

👏🏽

[evekrogman · 10/10 · 23 January 2020]

Funny! Wish there were more episodes. Love Andreas Martin. She's so fun.

A funny, heartwarming show with great Canadian guest stars

[Greeniefilms · 8/10 · 24 January 2020]

Andrea Martin! I don't really have to say much more than that, do I? But I will. I love the premise (the dysfunctional family trying to run a LAW FIRM?!!) and really enjoyed seeing Andrea and Eugene Levy reunited. Funny and heartwarming.

Funny, smart and beautifully cast

[cee-queue · 10/10 · 17 April 2014]

I'm really enjoying Working the Engels. It's really funny and cleverly written, but without being slick and fake like some sitcoms.

The casting is perfect. Andrea Martin is a dynamo; brilliant timing and just the right blend of insanity and understatement. Azura plays flaky in a way that makes her scenes funny yet unexpectedly touching at times. Benjamin plays dumb so letter perfect I would expect him to be the same in person. He has a vulnerability that makes him very endearing, even when he's being a total screwup. And Kacey is the perfect hub; the one sane character, surrounded by craziness. It's reminiscent of Arrested Development with touches of The Munsters, yet also fresh and original.

Some great supporting actors and guests, too. Loved Eugene Levy.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

Just for the record, I do not work for the show or any of its sponsors. Just really a fan!

Hilarious Series - Hope it Lasts

[archaeotypetw · 8/10 · 26 May 2014]

Hilarious show about a young lawyer who sets up her own office in Toronto. Helping her out are her mother, played by the brilliant Andrea Martin, her loopy sister, and her habitual criminal brother.

Working the Engels brings Canadian comedy icon Andrea Martin back to prime time TV. You might remember her from SCTV, the comedy show that made SNL look like crap. Martin portrayed a number of priceless characters on SCTV and after years of absence, it's awesome to see that she's just as funny as ever.

This show is very, very funny. The acting is excellent and the story lines very well written and hilarious. If you haven't seen it, check it out. You might just become a regular viewer.

Craziness Crosses the Border

[bgmadden · 9/10 · 12 July 2014]

I'm glad I made the effort to tune into the US premiere of Working the Engels. Before watching the pilot episode, I made the mistake of sitting through the pilot of Welcome to Sweden. I've been to Sweden, and it was much more entertaining than this homage to the Nordic lifestyle. Sitting through that 30 minutes, I laughed once. I debated whether to skip the pilot of Working the Engels thinking that, "If this is what NBC is offering for new programming, I'm better off reading a book." Within the first 2 or 3 minutes of Working the Engels, I laughed several times. This show reminded me of Arrested Development with an even more dysfunctional family. Similar to Arrested Development, Working the Engels has characters that are similar to people from real life. Perhaps I know too many lawyers and people in recovery, but this show did a great job re-framing a dull profession and recovery from addiction in a humorous light. The writers, director, and cast even managed to see the comicality of possible financial ruin, a subject that is very familiar to many Americans post the great recession that started in 2007. There's an old saying, "Years from now will laugh about this," and Working the Engels manages to fulfill that promise. Andrea Martin is a major talent with excellent comic timing, and I've seen her deliver the same zaniness in live theater. The rest of the cast appear to be relatively unknown in the American market, but the ensemble worked very well together. I am glad that the show is going to provide more than the 4-6 episodes that usually make up a summer television series.