History Series / WorkingClass

Melissa Peterman (host of ''TheSingingBee'' on the same network; best known as Barbara Jean on ''{{Reba}}'') stars as Carli Mitchell, a twice-divorced mother of three trying to make ends meet between her kids and her idiot leech of a brother. She works at [[strike:Whole]] [[BlandNameProduct Parker Foods]] with her neighbor, Hank (EdAsner), and her boss, Rob (Patrick Fabian), whom she has a crush on.

* ActorAllusion: In episode 3, one of Carli's exes ([[TheDukesOfHazzard John Schneider]], but that's not the allusion) shows up with a new rich girlfriend, played by...you guessed it!...RebaMcEntire. The ep puts the two actresses in the opposite roles as their characters on ''{{Reba}}''.
** Back in the first episode, Carli (played by the rather tall Melissa Peterman) mentions that growing up, she acquired the nickname "Blondzilla," a nickname Barbara Jean also had on ''Reba.''

* DawsonCasting: Lachlan Buchanan, who plays Scott, Carli's oldest, was 20 at the time of filming. Courtney Merritt, who plays Pam, Carli's middle child, [[PlayingGertrude was 21]].
* FakeAmerican: Lachlan Buchanan again...he's an Aussie.
* HeyItsThatGuy: Ryan Stiles plays a dentist; Kathy Kinney plays a lunch lady. I guess they had the producers of ''TheDrewCareyShow'' on speed dial?
** Carli later has to try and stop a fight between [[MySoCalledLife Delia Fisher]] and [[MarriedWithChildren Bud Bundy]]...the latter of which was her date for the evening.
* HighSchoolDance: "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Dance]]". Lifted to embarrassing highs as Carli is chaperoning.

* RetroactiveRecognition: After this show, Nick packed up his guitar, moved back east, jumped on the Broadway run of ''{{Once}}'', and now goes by "Tony winner Steve Kazee."

* DawsonCasting: Lachlan Buchanan, who plays Scott, Carli's oldest, was 20 at the time of filming. Courtney Merritt, who plays Pam, Carli's middle child, was 21.

*** Even when Carli delivers a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to two women who she later realized were his sister and her daughter, he sides with Carli. (The two in question were a RichBitch and a Libby.)

* OneHeadTaller: Inverted with one of Carli's dates, played by David Faustino. [[TinyGuyHugeGirl He's 5'3", she's 5'10"]].

Melissa Peterman (host of ''TheSingingBee'' on the same network; best known as Barbara Jean on ''{{Reba}}'') stars as Carli Mitchell, a twice-divorced mother of three trying to make ends meet between her kids and her idiot lech of a brother. She works at [[strike:Whole]] [[BlandNameProduct Parker Foods]] with her neighbor, Hank (EdAsner), and her boss, Rob (Patrick Fabian), whom she has a crush on.

* AbsenteeActor: Ed Asner's Hank, though billed as a main cast member, has only appeared in about half of the episodes. Justified because it's Ed freakin' Asner.

** Although in the episode "Lunch Lady," it's implied that they moved to a better town so the kids could go to a better school, many of which do incorporate internet use (if nothing else, they might need to do online research.) Besides, internet access has gotten dirt cheap in recent years and a family of five would go through milk pretty fast.

Melissa Peterman (host of ''TheSingingBee'' on the same network; best known as Barbara Jean on ''{{Reba}}'') stars as Carli Mitchell, a twice-divorced mother of three trying to make ends meet between her kids and her idiot lech of a brother. She works at [[strike:Whole]] [[BlandNameProduct Parker Foods]] with her neighbor, Hank (EdAsner), and her boss, Rob, whom she has a crush on.

* AbsenteeActor: Ed Asner's Hank, though billed as a main cast member, has only appeared in about half of the episodes aired so far. Justified because it's Ed freakin' Asner.

*** Even when Carli delivers a TheReasonYouSuck speech to two women who she later realized were his sister and her daughter, he sides with Carli. (The two in question were a RichBitch and a Libby.)

* OneHeadTaller: Inverted with one of Carli's dates, played by David Faustino. He's 5'3", she's 5'10".

* OneHeadTaller: Inverted with one of Carli's dates, played by David Faustino. He's 5'3'', she's 5'10''.

* AbsenteeActor: Ed Asner's Hank, though billed as a main cast member, has only appeared in three of the seven episodes aired so far. Justified because it's Ed freakin' Asner.

** Melissa Peterman's [[http://twitter.com/#!/followtheblonde Twitter]] intimates that they shot the episode featuring Reba last. It was the second aired episode.

** This falls somewhere between this and ActorAllusion. In one memorable episode of ''Reba,'' Barbara Jean develops a crush on her preacher, who she nicknames "Reverend Yummypants." Now, the same actor plays Carli's boss, who Carli has a crush on.

* PerpetualPoverty: Bad enough for Carli to have to water down milk every so often, but not bad enough that they don't have an internet connection.