Workin' Moms

For the Korean television series, see Working Mom (TV series).

Workin' Moms
Genre	Comedy-drama
Created by	Catherine Reitman
Written by	Catherine Reitman Rebecca Kohler Karen Moore Diane Flacks Ingrid Haas
Directed by	Catherine Reitman Paul Fox Aleysa Young
Starring	Catherine Reitman Jessalyn Wanlim Dani Kind Juno Rinaldi
Country of origin	Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	57
Production
Production company	Wolf & Rabbit Entertainment
Original release
Network	CBC Television
Release	January 10, 2017 (2017-01-10) – present

Workin' Moms is a Canadian television sitcom that premiered on CBC Television on January 10, 2017. The show stars Catherine Reitman, Jessalyn Wanlim, Dani Kind and Juno Rinaldi as a group of friends dealing with the challenges of being working mothers. The series is produced by Wolf + Rabbit Entertainment, the production company of Reitman and her husband, Philip Sternberg. In February 2019, in the middle of season 3, the series premiered globally on Netflix. On May 29, 2019, Workin' Moms was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on February 18, 2020. In April 2020, the series was renewed for a fifth season, which premiered on February 16, 2021.

Cast

Main

• Catherine Reitman as Kate Foster
• Dani Kind as Anne Carlson
• Juno Rinaldi as Frankie Coyne
• Jessalyn Wanlim as Jenny Matthews (season 1, 3-5; recurring season 2)

Recurring

• Katherine Barrell as Alicia Rutherford
• Philip Sternberg as Nathan Foster
• Sarah McVie as Valerie "Val" Szalinsky
• Ryan Belleville as Lionel Carlson
• Peter Keleghan as Richard
• Nikki Duval as Rosie Phillips
• Dennis Andres as Ian Matthews (seasons 1-4)
• Sadie Munroe as Alice Carlson
• Kevin Vidal as Mo Daniel
• Nelu Handa as Jade
• Oluniké Adeliyi as Giselle Bois
• Jess Salgueiro as Mean Nanny/Renya (seasons 1-3)
• Novie Edwards as Sheila (season 1)
• Mimi Kuzyk as Eleanor Galperin
• Jennifer Pudavick as Gena Morris
• Aviva Mongillo as Juniper
• Tennille Read as Bianca
• Christopher Redman as Brad
• LaRonn Marzett as Tom (season 3)
• Ann Pirvu as Trish (season 4)
• Dan Aykroyd as Kate's dad
• Wendy Crewson as Victoria Stromanger

Supporting

• Varun Saranga as Chad (seasons 1–2)
• Alden Adair as Marvin Grimes (seasons 1–2)
• Mary Ashton as Sarah Hoffman (seasons 1–2)
• Amanda Brugel as Sonia (season 2)
• Angela Asher as Dorothy (season 2)
• Zachary Bennett as Carl (seasons 1–2)
• Donald MacLean Jr. as Forrest
• Nadine Djoury as Iris
• Lisa Berry as Natashia
• Erika Swayze as Brenna
• Jann Arden as Jane Carlson

Episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally released
			First released	Last released
1	13		January 10, 2017 (2017-01-10)	April 4, 2017 (2017-04-04)
2	13		December 19, 2017 (2017-12-19)	April 10, 2018 (2018-04-10)
3	13		January 10, 2019 (2019-01-10)	March 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)
4	8		February 18, 2020 (2020-02-18)	April 7, 2020 (2020-04-07)
5	10		February 16, 2021 (2021-02-16)	April 13, 2021 (2021-04-13)

Season 1 (2017)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	1	"Pilot"	Catherine Reitman	Catherine Reitman	January 10, 2017 (2017-01-10)
Workin' Moms follows a group of working mothers from a mommy-and-me parenting group; PR executive Kate Foster; Kate's longtime best friend and psychiatrist Anne Carlson; real estate agent Frankie Coyne; and IT specialist Jenny Matthews. Kate is enthusiastic about returning to her job at Gaze following a nine-month maternity leave; however, she is upset when she misses her son Charlie's first words. Anne—a mother of two—discovers she is pregnant despite having recently had a baby, and she reveals the news to her supportive husband Lionel. Frankie experiences postpartum depression. During an open house, Frankie's behavior disturbs numerous visitors and she is asked to leave the premises.
2	2	"Rules"	Paul Fox	Catherine Reitman	January 17, 2017 (2017-01-17)
Kate is told by her boss, Richard, that she is eligible for a three-month work gig in Montreal. At home, Kate plans a romantic evening with her husband Nathan, though she misses the date after staying late in the office. Anne is horrified to discover that her nine-year-old daughter, Alice, is expressing inappropriate behavior at school. Following her maternity leave, Jenny expresses reluctance on returning to work. Her stay-at-home husband Ian objects, as he wants more time at home to work on his screenplay. Returning to work, Jenny masturbates in the break room and gets caught by a colleague.
3	3	"Fem Card"	Aleysa Young	Catherine Reitman	January 24, 2017 (2017-01-24)
Alicia invites the mom group to her daughter's gender neutral birthday party. Kate "hires" her uptight mother, Eleanor, to be Charlie's daytime nanny. Though Eleanor is happy to babysit Charlie, she is not fond of Kate and Nathan's aggressive house dog. Jenny flirts with her new boss, Marvin. Under the advice of her wife Giselle, Frankie turns to Anne for a therapy session to deal with her postpartum. Anne prescribes Frankie medication. At Alicia's birthday party, Frankie—reeling from the medication—experiences a brief breakdown in front of the partygoers. Following the incident, Frankie apologizes to the mothers and they all share dinner together.
4	4	"Bad Help"	Paul Fox	Catherine Reitman	January 31, 2017 (2017-01-31)
Unable to handle her daughter's out-of-control behavior, Anne hires an expert "mean nanny" to deal with Alice. Kate starts to rethink her decision to hire her mother as Charlie's babysitter; Eleanor does not keep the house tidy, does not take Charlie outside, and neglects to feed the dog. Eleanor again voices her disapproval of Kate's dog after she is badly bitten. Jenny reveals to the mom group that she feels Ian is doing nothing as a stay-at-home dad, while Ian feels that Jenny does not trust him to be around their daughter. After continuing to flirt with Marvin at work, Jenny follows Marvin on social media and stalks his profile.
5	5	"Sophie's Choice-ish"	Paul Fox	Diane Flacks	February 7, 2017 (2017-02-07)
Charlie bites another child at the playground. Eleanor believes Charlie is mimicking the house dog and strongly suggests Kate and Nathan euthanize the dog, upsetting Kate. When Nathan agrees that the dog is providing a hostile environment to Charlie, Kate decides to give the dog to her friendly dog-loving assistant Rosie. Under Anne's advice, Frankie takes up pottery as a new hobby, but she still feels disconnected from Giselle. Alice forms a friendly bond with the new nanny. Anne fears that she does not have that same friendly bond with her daughter; Lionel reassures her that she has a great connection with Alice.
6	6	"The Wolf & the Rabbit"	Aleysa Young	Rebecca Kohler	February 14, 2017 (2017-02-14)
Kate is shamed by the mom group and her work colleagues after revealing she likes watching Hentai, a form of anime pornography. Richard informs Kate that her male co-worker, Mo, is competing with her for the Montreal promotion. Frankie visits an adult toy store and gets advice from a professional sex advisor. Later that night, Frankie makes another attempt to strengthen her relationship with Giselle. Jenny wants to strike an affair with Marvin, and she sends an inappropriate text message to him through her social media account. After Marvin receives the message, he initiates a brief romantic encounter with Jenny that she quickly breaks off.
7	7	"Phoenix Rising"	Aleysa Young	Ingrid Haas	February 21, 2017 (2017-02-21)
Frankie succeeds as a real estate agent and is praised by her boss; however, she is unable to share the news with Giselle. While Lionel is away, Anne tries (and struggles) to bond with Alice. Jenny reluctantly helps Ian create a Kickstarter campaign about stay-at-home dads to help promote his screenplay. While filming an interview, Jenny reveals her feelings of being disconnected from her child, while Ian gets to stay home and bond with their daughter more. At Gaze, Mo makes hurtful comments towards a sensitive colleague, Chad. Kate attempts to comfort Chad, who accidentally reveals that Mo had been offered the Montreal promotion.
8	8	"Hoop Earring"	Aleysa Young	Karen Moore	February 28, 2017 (2017-02-28)
Kate awkwardly asks Eleanor to find a replacement nanny for Charlie. Eleanor ends up hiring Kate’s free-spirited sister, Sarah, who is a voice actor for a famous children’s cartoon show. Despite Chad’s revelation in the previous episode, Richard personally offers Kate the Montreal gig; Kate happily accepts the offer, but she neglects to inform Nathan. Frankie and Giselle turn to Anne to discuss the disconnect in their relationship. Jenny hosts an impromptu bachelorette party for a co-worker, and she invites the mom group. Frankie and Giselle attend the party and have a good time; Anne and Kate vent their frustrations to party guests; Jenny drunkenly decides to pierce her nipple with a lost hoop earring. Jenny realizes she wants to divorce Ian.
9	9	"Tricky Nipple"	Paul Fox	Rebecca Kohler	March 7, 2017 (2017-03-07)
Kate tells Nathan that she has accepted the Montreal promotion; Nathan is angry that Kate has lied to her, and he is concerned about Charlie being away from his mother for three months. Sarah shows support for Kate’s decision and offers to help babysit Charlie while her sister is absent. Following her improvised nipple piercing, Jenny’s nipple gets infected; Jenny confides to Val, the leader of the mom group, about stopping breastfeeding. Frankie begins showing signs of depression. Lionel and Anne are facing money problems. During a therapy session, Anne faints on her stomach due to a subchorionic bleed. Anne is advised by her doctor to stay on bed rest, as the bleeding could increase the risk of a miscarriage.
10	10	"The Coxswain"	Paul Fox	Karen Moore	March 14, 2017 (2017-03-14)
Alice’s relationship with the nanny continues to flourish. In another attempt to bond with Alice, Anne decides to take Alice for horseback riding—against Lionel and the doctor’s orders. When Anne suddenly begins bleeding after riding a horse, she is rushed back to the hospital and is placed on mandatory bed rest from home. Frankie continues to deal with her postpartum depression, and a breakdown in front of a client forces her to take time off work. Kate takes time off work to plan for Montreal, and she ends up spending the day with a group of Sarah’s friends. Though Nathan is still not thrilled about the Montreal promotion, he accepts Kate’s decision and the two make up.
11	11	"Bye Bye Kate"	Paul Fox	Rebecca Kohler	March 21, 2017 (2017-03-21)
Giselle returns to her teaching job, leaving the temporarily unemployed Frankie to stay at home with Rhoda. Encouraged by a Marie Kondo book, Frankie attempts to achieve “domestic purity” by selling items online. Anne reveals to the mom group that she’s considering abortion, shocking the mothers. Skipping her bed rest, Anne asks Kate to drive her to an abortion clinic. However, Anne feels uncomfortable being present in the clinic without Lionel and quickly leaves. Lionel is furious with Anne, as she had not consulted him. Jenny goes out for wild partying with her friend, Gena, but the night ends disastrously. Finally coming to her senses, Jenny tearfully reveals her nipple ring to a shocked Ian, who helps her remove the piercing.
12	12	"Merde"	Paul Fox	Catherine Reitman	March 28, 2017 (2017-03-28)
Kate enjoys her first few days in Montreal, though she struggles to adjust to life without Nathan and Charlie. Kate does her first work presentation for Victoria Stromanger, the intimidating female client whom Kate idolizes. Jenny tries to make up with Gena. Ian, feeling betrayed by Jenny’s actions, begins acting coldly towards her. Frankie quickly becomes addicted to making sales online, and she winds up selling the family home. Giselle states that she feels she’s “drowning” in their marriage, and threatens to leave if Frankie does not get their house back. Anne and Lionel have an honest discussion about raising a third child, which results in Anne deciding to go through with the abortion.
13	13	"Having It All"	Paul Fox	Catherine Reitman	April 4, 2017 (2017-04-04)
During her first sales meeting, Kate discovers that Charlie has been taken to the hospital for a rash and serious fever. Shocked, Kate inadvertently tells the clients about Charlie’s state; Victoria chastises Kate for “revealing negative truths” in front of the clients. Against Victoria’s order to finish the meeting, Kate leaves and takes an immediate flight to Toronto to visit Charlie in the hospital. Alice’s school project brings her and Anne closer together. Ian is furious with Jenny for being untruthful, and asks if she is committed to their relationship; Jenny states that she does not know. Frankie is able to reclaim her house from the original buyers, and she shares an intimate moment with Giselle, revealing that she wants to attend therapy to deal with her depression.

Season 2 (2017–18)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
14	1	"2005"	Catherine Reitman	Catherine Reitman	December 19, 2017 (2017-12-19)
In 2005, Anne plans to get married to Brad Hesherman, a psychiatrist and professor. Flashbacks depict Anne’s reluctance to marry Brad, her complicated relationship with her mother, and Kate meeting Nathan for the first time at the wedding.
15	2	"Good Mom"	Paul Fox	Catherine Reitman	January 9, 2018 (2018-01-09)
Six months after leaving Victoria Stromanger’s meeting in Montreal, Kate has been put on forced hiatus from Gaze and struggles as a stay-at-home mom. Desperate to return to work full-time, Kate confronts Richard over getting her old job back; Richard instead lets her work as a part-time consultant. Anne wants Lionel to get a vasectomy, but she is horrified to discover that Lionel had already gotten a secret vasectomy. Lionel apologizes to Anne, and offers to find her an office to perform therapy sessions. Frankie is offered a job at the ladies’ wellness center she is attending, though she is also reprimanded for having sex with numerous patients. Kate receives an upsetting phone call from Eleanor and Sarah, who informs Kate that her father has died.
16	3	"The Sign"	Paul Fox	Catherine Reitman	January 16, 2018 (2018-01-16)
Ian, now separated from Jenny, joins the mom group under the suggestion of Val, who suggests the mothers could learn about Ian’s experiences as a stay-at-home dad. While working on his screenplay, Ian bonds with Sonia, a friendly coffee shop barista. The Foster family deals with the recent death of Kate’s father. Feeling unfulfilled in her new part-time position, Kate searches for new work at Baseline, a hipster marketing company. After a successful job interview, Kate tells Nathan that she wants to work for both companies. Following Lionel’s vasectomy, Anne and Lionel begin an intense sexual relationship. Frankie quits her new job after a patient’s failed suicide attempt. Later, Frankie discovers that her ex-wife, Giselle, has found a new partner.
17	4	"The Holy Hole"	Paul Fox	Hannah Cheesman & Catherine Reitman	January 23, 2018 (2018-01-23)
Anne moves into her new office building, but she is horrified to discover that her ex-husband, Brad, is performing hypnotherapy sessions in the same building. The two share an awkward reunion, and Brad reflects on their old wedding. Kate finally feels like she’s “having it all”, balancing her part-time job at Gaze and her new job at Baseline. Frankie has begun living with her brother and niece. Newly single, Frankie jumps back into the dating pool, pursuing a relationship with two different women: the wealthy and possessive Dorothy, who gives Frankie a makeover; and the young and naive Juniper, who makes a move on Frankie at the local pool.
18	5	"Consent"	Molly McGlynn	Robby Hoffman & Rebecca Kohler	January 30, 2018 (2018-01-30)
Anne decides to do a hypnotherapy session with Brad. During the session, Brad attempts to hypnotize Anne with sexual thoughts, but unbeknownst to him, Anne has secretly recorded the meeting on her phone. Alice confronts her mother after finding an old wedding photograph of her and Brad; she feels betrayed upon discovering that Anne and Lionel are not married. Ian moves past his relationship with Jenny and begins dating Sonia. At Baseline, Kate gets intoxicated and pitches a social media marketing campaign for a client. Returning to Gaze, Kate pitches the same marketing campaign to another set of clients, who like the idea. The episode ends with both companies launching the same advertising campaign on the same night.
19	6	"Shame Spiral"	Philip Sternberg	Jillian Locke	February 6, 2018 (2018-02-06)
Richard places Gaze on lockdown, believing somebody in the office had leaked Kate’s social media campaign. Kate remains silent during the investigation, and as a result, Rosie is mistakenly fired by Richard. Kate attempts to get Rosie a new job at Baseline. Kate and Anne’s friendship is tested when Kate misses a lunch date and fails to respond to Anne’s subsequent phone calls. Anne encounters Kate on the street; she angrily confronts Kate for ignoring her calls and lying about having a second job. Alice continues to question Anne and Lionel’s relationship. Frankie continues a relationship with both Dorothy and Juniper. Moving out of her brother’s home, Frankie moves in with Dorothy and discovers her older lover’s dominatrix side.
20	7	"Retreat"	Paul Fox	Karen Moore & Kathleen Phillips	February 27, 2018 (2018-02-27)
The members of Val's Toddler Time attend a weekend outdoors retreat. Val makes Ian uncomfortable with her inappropriate behavior. Kate and Anne are still fighting; Kate later tries to make up with Anne at the hotel spa, to no avail. Alicia's daughter experiences an allergic reaction after eating raisins. When Alicia feels that she has failed as a mother, Anne reassures her: "You're an incredibly mother. If I got things right half as often as you do, I wouldn't want to strangle you as much as I do." Ian confides in Anne and Frankie over a sexual issue.
21	8	"Red Handed"	Catherine Reitman	Rebecca Kohler	March 6, 2018 (2018-03-06)
22	9	"Spirit Animal"	Aleysa Young	Karen Moore	March 13, 2018 (2018-03-13)
23	10	"Cuck"	Aleysa Young	Rebecca Kohler	March 20, 2018 (2018-03-20)
24	11	"Trash Panda"	Aleysa Young	Karen Moore	March 27, 2018 (2018-03-27)
25	12	"If Women Had to Give Birth"	Aleysa Young	Catherine Reitman	April 3, 2018 (2018-04-03)
26	13	"Look Back"	Catherine Reitman	Catherine Reitman	April 10, 2018 (2018-04-10)

Season 3 (2019)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
27	1	"Birth Daze"	Catherine Reitman	Catherine Reitman	January 10, 2019 (2019-01-10)
28	2	"Of Rights And Men"	Philip Sternberg	Jillian Locke	January 10, 2019 (2019-01-10)
29	3	"Daddy's Home"	Philip Sternberg	Kathleen Phillips	January 17, 2019 (2019-01-17)
30	4	"Training Day"	Philip Sternberg	Monica Heisey	January 24, 2019 (2019-01-24)
31	5	"Stand for Something"	Philip Sternberg	Rob Baker, Adam Cawley	January 31, 2019 (2019-01-31)
32	6	"Narls In Charge"	Philip Sternberg	Daniel Gold, Catherine Reitman	February 7, 2019 (2019-02-07)
33	7	"Revenge Fantasy"	Yael Staav	Jillian Locke	February 14, 2019 (2019-02-14)
34	8	"Girl's Trip"	Yael Staav	Monica Heisey	February 21, 2019 (2019-02-21)
35	9	"Guns 'n' Deception"	Yael Staav	Kathleen Phillips	February 28, 2019 (2019-02-28)
36	10	"Creamed"	Renuka Jeyapalan	Daniel Gold, Catherine Reitman	March 7, 2019 (2019-03-07)
37	11	"Business Boyz"	Renuka Jeyapalan	Rob Baker, Adam Cawley	March 14, 2019 (2019-03-14)
38	12	"Two Paths"	Renuka Jeyapalan	Catherine Reitman	March 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)
39	13	"What's It Gonna Be?"	Catherine Reitman	Catherine Reitman	March 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)

Season 4 (2020)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
40	1	"Charade"	Catherine Reitman	Catherine Reitman	February 18, 2020 (2020-02-18)
41	2	"Black Sheep"	Philip Sternberg	Jillian Locke	February 25, 2020 (2020-02-25)
Guest star: Colin Mochrie
42	3	"The Man in the Mexican Mask"	Philip Sternberg	Kathleen Phillips	March 3, 2020 (2020-03-03)
43	4	"No One's Coming"	Philip Sternberg	Daniel Gold	March 10, 2020 (2020-03-10)
44	5	"To Lure a Squirrel"	Joyce Wong	Daniel Gold	March 17, 2020 (2020-03-17)
45	6	"Lice"	Joyce Wong	Kathleen Phillips	March 24, 2020 (2020-03-24)
46	7	"Bad Reputation"	Joyce Wong	Jillian Locke	March 31, 2020 (2020-03-31)
47	8	"Charlie and the Weed Factory"	Joyce Wong	Catherine Reitman	April 7, 2020 (2020-04-07)

Season 5 (2021)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
48	1	"The Carlsons Move to Calgary"	Mars Horodyski	Catherine Reitman	February 16, 2021 (2021-02-16)
49	2	"Mama Mia Meatboy"	Mars Horodyski	Daniel Gold	February 23, 2021 (2021-02-23)
50	3	"Pleasure Yourself"	Aleysa Young	Karen Moore	March 2, 2021 (2021-03-02)
51	4	"A Rat, Girl"	Aleysa Young	Daniel Gold	March 9, 2021 (2021-03-09)
52	5	"Mother Knows Breast"	Mars Horodyski	Jessie Gabe	March 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)
53	6	"Finger in the Butt"	Mars Horodyski	Linsey Stewart	March 23, 2021 (2021-03-23)
54	7	"Launch Pad to Trash Hole"	Mars Horodyski	Karen Moore	March 30, 2021 (2021-03-30)
55	8	"Punch Dad"	Aleysa Young	Linsey Stewart	April 6, 2021 (2021-04-06)
56	9	"Blue Angel"	Aleysa Young	Jessie Gabe	April 13, 2021 (2021-04-13)
57	10	"Fack"	Aleysa Young	Daniel Gold	April 13, 2021 (2021-04-13)

Reception

John Doyle of The Globe and Mail, wrote that the show "reeks of entitlement and privilege." Doyle further expressed sympathy for working mothers but not the show saying "The moms represent only a very specific, urban-bourgeois type. Their troubles are tiny, they live in luxury and their only contact with anything approaching the reality of contemporary life is via their nannies.

While Brad Oswald of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote that the show "demonstrates a deft ability to deliver punchlines while at the same time confronting the realities of 21st-century motherhood"

External links

• Official website
• Workin' Moms at IMDb
• Workin' Moms on Netflix