March 12 (2014-03-12) – August 7, 2014 (2014-08-07)
Working the Engels is a Canadian-American sitcom that premiered on Global on March 12, 2014, and was also a part of NBC's summer schedule, having premiered on July 10, 2014.[1] Produced by Halfire-CORE Entertainment, it marked the first time that U.S. and Canadian broadcasters had collaborated in producing a half-hour network sitcom.[2]
The series was created and written by Katie Ford and Jane Ford.[3]
While all 12 episodes aired in Canada, only the first five episodes aired in the U.S. On August 20, 2014, NBC announced that the show had been canceled, and that it had pulled the remaining episodes from the schedule.[4]
Upon hearing from family lawyer Miles that her recently deceased husband has left her with a $200,000 debt, Ceil Engel considers jumping off a roof to her death. After changing her mind, she falls off the roof anyway, injuring herself. She is visited at the hospital by her children: recovering addict Sandy, ne'er-do-well son Jimmy, and frustrated associate attorney Jenna. When she learns of the family's money problems, Jenna makes the decision to quit her job and restart her father's legal practice, reluctantly employing the assistance of her mom and siblings.
Jenna takes the case of a maid who says she was fired by her female employer under false pretenses. Jimmy complicates the case by sleeping with the opposition, but in doing so, he uncovers something that actually helps Jenna and her client. Elsewhere, Ceil agrees to hold a ceremonial funeral for the "old Ceil", but Sandy, now an ordained minister, wants to make it look like a real funeral in order to attract clients.
