Catherine Reitman wanted to share stories of women who tried, and often failed, to have it all. Fast forward seven seasons, 83 episodes, and dozens of award nominations, and she's ready to put that baby to bed.
"Workin' Moms" was born after the creator, showrunner, star and sometimes director's first Mother's Day, who got lost while shooting an independent film. Together with her husband Philip Sternberg, she created the production company Wolf + Rabbit and sold what was initially going to be a premium cable project to FX.
Creator: Catherine Reitman
Stars: Catherine Reitman, Dani Kind, Philip Sternberg
Reitman had spent a lot of time growing up in Canada with her family, so when she moved on from FX, she looked north and sold the series to CBC.
“Honestly, she had such high hopes that she would make it to season 2,” Reitman. "Season one drew so much from my real-life experiences that I was terrified that people would think I was an indulgent actress who wanted to drag my audience down with what it was like to be a working mom from my point of view."
As the seventh and final season begins on the CBC on January 3, "Workin' Moms" looks slightly different than the first season. For one, there are more characters audiences can invest in than in Season 1, which followed the new moms played by Reitman, Dani Kind, Juno Rinaldo, and Jessalyn Wanlim.
Rinaldo exited the series prior to season 6, Enuka Okuma joined the cast, and original stars Sarah McVie, Ryan Belleville, and Nikki Duval were given more screen time as audiences got to know their characters and stories a bit better. It was a necessary and natural evolution as the children on screen aged, the issues changed, and more people discovered and engaged with the series.
“Hearing that people not only saw it, but actually felt seen or identified with it, [I began to feel] a responsibility in making the show,” says Reitman. "It's not that it's that important, but I felt a responsibility to the people who identify with it."
Behind the scenes, Reitman wanted to fill the writers' room with that same authenticity, which is why he insisted on an all-female writing staff for that first season. Reitman also hired the first all-female camera A crew in Canadian primetime history and put female staff in key positions. It was, in a sense, an ensemble made up of real working moms who helped originate the show's unique tone and feel.
“We have a very specific tone of heart and comedy that's not too broad or dramatic or after-school,” says Reitman. “Finding people who can drive in that very specific lane is difficult. It's hard. So when he found a script that did it, he would beg them to come work with me.”
In the final season, “Workin’ Moms” continues to explore themes of friendship, ambition, family, and growth. And while there may be more stories to tell about the next phase of motherhood, when Reitman began writing season six, he felt like he was overstaying himself.
“We've all seen a show that loses its juice and keeps going around and stirring up the stories,” she says. "I didn't want that to be the case with 'Workin' Moms.' Our fans have been incredibly loyal to us. I take it seriously."
It was during that sixth season that the team began to talk about what the ending would be like. And while there were plenty of stories to tell and details to tweak, Reitman had a picture of how he wanted the final moments of the series to play out. They built backwards from that, knowing that they had to consider certain reference points for audiences, like a potential flashback final episode or reappearances of past characters.
“There are flashbacks this season, and they nod to the hero's journey of each of our characters,” Reitman quips.
One thing Reitman is adamant about is that when audiences say goodbye to these characters, that's it. The creative is happy to leave the series as it is, with no plans for any follow-up projects or movies.
“The shows that I watch that have been made into movies are often an insult to the show,” he explains. “I don't think the public enjoys it. A show exists in the moment and in its iteration for a reason. If I came up with an extraordinary concept and the cast wanted to do it, if the perfect storm happened, I would never say never. But right now I feel like we did a good job of closing these stories down."
Looking back, Reitman is proud of many of the show's storylines and stakes, like the abortion storyline or the moment her character, Kate, realized her female idol was more misogynistic than any other man in the room.
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