Watch Catherine Reitman’s Emotional Speech At The Series Wrap Of 'Workin’ Moms'
The creator, producer, and star of the hit show talked about work-life balance and why she made the show.
On Friday, the cast and crew of everyone’s favorite Canadian television show about what it’s really, actually, like to have a career and kids, Workin’ Moms, announced its series wrap.
And to mark the occasion, after being drenched in Gatorade by partner Philip Sternberg, the creator, writer, and star of the show, Catherine Reitman, shared her thoughts with everyone on set about how the show was born and why it’s so important to so many working parents.
“I’m shaking, guys,” she started, visibly drenched in sports drink and covered with a towel. “To say that I’m overwhelmed is such an understatement. Nine years ago I had a little boy who was in today’s episode, Jackson (you were all so patient and generous with him). And I didn’t feel like myself anymore. Phil and I were really struggling to find any content out there that represented that. That showed how f-cked up having kids can be.”
She went on to say how her partner encouraged her to make art from what she was feeling, and the show was suddenly born.
“Philip, it was you that encouraged me to write and shoot something and because of that, I know she’s not here, but if this ever gets to Sally Catto at CBC, thank you, thank you, thank you, for taking an 8 minute sizzle and green lighting it for 13 episodes, it doesn’t even makes sense. But then of course it does, because we are here together celebrating the fact that that these stories are so much bigger than me. They’re so much bigger than Philip and Jackson or any hilarious or stupid experience I ever had as a mother. I really believe that this show was meant to happen. I feel really, really lucky that I got to do it. And I feel even more lucky that I got to do it with you.”
She also talked about the difficulty of losing her dad, Ivan Reitman, ahead of the last season as well as how magical it was to work on set with the entire Workin’ Moms crew.
“I spoke to my brother today. I used to talk to my dad the day we’d wrap the season, and I was really afraid of the drive home that I wouldn’t be able to talk to him tonight,” she said. “My brother called me and he said there’s something magical that people don’t understand which is when you write these scripts and when you go to set and when you capture them with a crew, we’re all part of a pact. We all get to witness the magic of something before millions and millions of people connect with it and laugh, or are horrified, or however they’re going to react to it. And the show, way beyond me and its extraordinary writers and extraordinary crew the show has worked. And millions of people are watching.”
Reitman’s full speech can be heard on Instagram.
“That is a SERIES WRAP on @workinmoms,” she captioned the video. “My ridiculous husband and @boostrocket dumped two coolers worth of Gatorade over me! Here is a clip of me — clearly having an out of body experience — the moment of my series wrap. Thank you so much to the cast, crew and fans who have made this show possible. Season 7 is pretty fucking great. Drop date coming soon…”
Reitman’s on-screen husband also posted his feelings about the series wrap — and his “wife.”
“And that is a WRAP on 7 amazing seasons of @workinMoms. The ride is now over and what a wonderful ride it’s been. Thank you @reitcatou for letting me be part of your vision and letting me be Lionel. Thank you @danikindofficial and @sadieamunroe for being a second family to me and making the many many hours fly by with laughter. Thank you to our awesome writers for always making time to find something fun for Lionel to do:). Thank you to the the most patient and professional crew in the world who worked their asses off day in and day out. Been an honor to get to know each of you. And a huge thank you to the millions of fans world wide who embraced the show.”
The series, which focuses on four moms who met during a Mommy and Me group, launched in Canada in 2017 and quickly gathered a following of parents and non-parents alike.
Reitman opened up to The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month about how and why the show got started.
“The origin story is: I gave birth to my first son, Jackson, and went back to work, shooting an indie movie in Philadelphia, and I was surrounded by men,” she recalled. “It was my first Mother’s Day working, as we were shooting weekends, I had a 6-week-old baby at home and I’m doing a comedy scene. I’m surrounded by these brilliant comedic improvisers, and I start crying. It’s now a scene — captured at the end of the season one pilot for Workin’ Moms — where I’m with a boys club I can no longer hang with. And I call my husband [who plays onscreen husband Philip Sternberg in Workin’ Moms] when I get back to my hotel room while shooting this indie movie, and I say: Something is wrong. I’m broken. I no longer work the way I used to work. And I’ve lost it. He tells me: You can’t be the only new mother who has felt this.”
Soon, she was creating the pilot that would become her the show, that would in turn make millions of working mom feel a lot less alone — and have a good laugh, too.
Season 6 of Workin’ Moms, along with the earlier seasons, are all available the stream on Netflix.
