If we all lived in the box -- you know, the TV box -- life would be a hell of a lot easier. Taxes would be paid with ease. Mortgages would be managed. And even the lowliest job would be more than enough to maintain a respectable lifestyle, one that looks quite comfortable in fact. Despite the grim economic news we hear every day, the characters on television have been able to survive -- indeed, thrive -- in some of the crappiest jobs in the universe.
An editorial assistant at a fashion mag, like Ugly Betty, finds a way to keep a Manhattan studio apartment, and commute home to Papi in Queens. Running a gym is a breeze for Old Christine, because she doesn't really work. And even without an income, Samantha Who? is never without her Jimmy Choos.
If you just want the list, click here.
Low-Paying Jobs That Pay Well on TV
10. Samantha Newly (Christina Applegate), 'Samantha Who?' -- Real Estate
Sam is in a unique position because of her amnesia, but one part of her life seems to be unaffected, her luxury lifestyle. Before her accident she had been a ruthless, well-paid real estate shark. But the new Sam couldn't be that mean, so she walked away from her corporate job as a vice president and now is partnering with her mother in a start up real estate business, complete with hideous red blazers. They haven't made a sale. Still, despite no discernible source of income, Samantha has a fantastic Chicago apartment (which she shares with ex-love Todd, a photographer) and a wardrobe that's equally top-drawer. Maybe there was a settlement from the hit-and-run accident, because if Sam is living on her past income, she should be busted by now.
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ABC
9. Christine Campbell (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), 'The New Adventures of Old Christine' -- Gym Manager
Up until this year, divorcee Christine has managed a ladies' fitness center in Los Angeles. Then her marriage of convenience with best friend/gym partner Barb was cause of the parent company that owned the center. Somehow now, Christine and Barb are still running the center, although the details are murky and the place doesn't seem to make any money. Still, Christine lives in a pretty little house, with a spare guest house for her brother Matthew, and her son Richie is in a private school that costs $30,000 a year. How does Christine do it? Ex-husband Richard is a contractor, but he's working on getting married to new Christine, so he can't be giving her that much in alimony to his ex-wife. This is a case of TV money stretching in ways no real cash can.
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CBS
8. Jim (John Krasinski), 'The Office' -- Salesman
Pennsylvania has been hard hit by the economic downturn, but in Scranton, Jim Halpert has settled bought a house (granted, it was his parents' place) and gotten engaged even though he's failed to get promoted or moved up Dunder-Mifflin, a small, national paper company. Even allowing for generous commissions and Jim's charming sales style, he's not making more than $35,000 a year. While it's true that Jim doesn't live an extravagant lifestyle, he does seem comfortable, and on TV, that looks really comfortable. That's a lot more than many people in the real world can say.
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NBC
7. Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), 'Ugly Betty' -- Editorial Assistant
Sure, Betty has the glam job of all time, working for the editor of Mode, one of America's top fashion magazines, but she's probably making less than $25,000 a year. And with the recent cutbacks at Meade Publications, I wouldn't be shocked to learn that she doesn't have medical or dental anymore. Betty's family has severe financial troubles, and yet La Suarez actually moved into a New York City apartment earlier this year. Even in the worst neighborhood, there was no way that Betty should have been able to even put down the security deposit. The whole idea of Betty living and working in Manhattan is a TV fantasy, not all that different from Ann Marie on That Girl, except with a Latina twist.
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ABC
6. Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi), 'Chuck' -- IT Guy
Poor Chuck. Not only is he a Stanford grad reduced to doing computer installs for the Buy More in Burbank for about $12/hour, but his secret spy work for the government as the Intersect apparently does not include a salary. Still, Chuck lives very, very comfortably with his sister and her fiance, both doctors, in a cozy California townhouse. They even have a pretty little courtyard with a fountain. Granted, Ellie and Awesome are probably doing pretty well, but Chuck doesn't make enough dough to take Sarah out on a date even if he got the nerve to ask her.
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NBC
5. Kenneth Parnell (Jack McBrayer), '30 Rock' -- Page
Kenneth does not live in anything approaching comfort, but he does work in New York City in perhaps the most famous show business building of all time, 30 Rockefeller Plaza. At $10 per hour, he's better off just living out of his desk and going home only to shower. At least at work he has a clean toilet, satellite/cable TV, catered food, air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. Of course, Kenneth is a special case because compared to his country roots, any big city environs seem like a step up. As since NBC provides the page uniform, he doesn't have to worry about a clothing allowance.
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NBC
4. Gary Barnes (Jay Mohr), 'Gary Unmarried' -- House Painter
How does Gary manage to get by? Even if he's the most successful painter in the suburbs, making more than the average $90,000 a year, he still lives like a guy making twice that amount. He has a nice, two-story house, a couple of cars, employees working for him, and he pays child support for two kids as well as alimony (although maybe not if Allison ever marries her fiance). He should be squealing about how broke he is, but life on TV is not real life. Gary shows no signs of struggling to survive and his family hasn't had to sacrifice a thing.
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CBS
3. Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), 'Desperate Housewives' -- Children's Book Author
Wisteria Lane is hardly a low-rent district. In fact, it's a very upscale neighborhood where you have to keep up with the Jones -- or the Schaivos or the Solises, etc. Somehow divorcee Susan Mayer manages quite nicely, even though her occupation of choice is children's book author. Unless she's J.K. Rowley, Little Ms. Author would be lucky to be earning $80,000 a year, and that's assuming that her books are thriving in Barnes & Nobles and on the library book circuit. Still, on TV, a writer sounds like the perfect profession. You work at home on your own schedule, you take an occasional meeting with an editor, you do a book tour if you have a published product, and then you cash checks. In reality, most writers are scratching for contracts as book deals are drying up all around them.
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ABC
2. Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), 'Monk'; Shawn Spencer (James Roday), 'Psych'; Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), 'The Mentalist' -- Police Consultants
Only on TV can part-time Sherlock Holmes-inspired detectives enjoy comfortable lifestyles while never knowing where the next paycheck is coming from. These three guys are the wizards the cops turn to when the crime scene is hot and the local constabulary don't have a clue. They all live in desirable Northern California locales -- Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Santa Rosa -- where they manage to pay the rent somehow, because they're not on the regular police department budget. Jane, at least, we know was a celebrity so that explains his natty clothes; but who financed Monk's Mission furniture? And does Shawn really pay rent on the Psych office or is Gus footing the bill with his pharmaceutical sales?
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USA Network (2) I CBS
1. Penny (Kaley Cuoco), 'The Big Bang Theory'
How is it possible that university-level physicists Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter have to share an apartment to help make ends meet, but a Cheesecake Factory waitress and aspiring actress Penny, who lives across the hall, doesn't have a roommate? Okay, to be fair, Big Bang has dealt more realistically about Penny's money woes. She's kvetched about needing to collect money from her ex-boyfriend, and she has tried to move up the Cheesecake Factory ladder by learning to bartend, but Penny's no Rockefeller. In one episode (The Financial Permeability), Sheldon -- who apparently has saved about every dollar he's ever earned -- doled out some spare funds for Penny, but how was she able to get into gaming in The Barbarian Sublimation on her meager salary? Those games are costly!
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CBS
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-17-2009 @ 11:40AM
Jen said...
I don't know about Chuck. He lives with his sister, and when he considered moving out, he was going to move in with Morgan.
Reply
4-17-2009 @ 7:08PM
GL said...
Exactly. The guy doesn't spend any money at all. What would suggest he lives over the means of his job?
4-18-2009 @ 8:10AM
Maria T C G said...
Jesus people! If you haaaaaated the list so much fine. But did we need twenty freaking people saying how much they hated it? If you hated the list fine, but atleast put in a better suggestion! I LOVED the idea and thought the list wasnt the greatest but come on.
I would go old school and add
Love Boat crew-had massive cabins and nice clothes when they could wear them
Friends-of course for the obvious
Seinfeld-George was out of a job more than he was in one, short, fat, balding, yet he had women and a nice pad
Even if you knew someone that got paid very well in whatever job was portrayed-so what. Lighten up!
4-17-2009 @ 11:42AM
Red said...
Jim on The Office was a single guy living in a modest apartment with a roommate early in the series. It would have been easy to assume he lived pretty cheap like that. When he bought the house last year from his parents (who I'm assuming gave him a good deal) he talked about having to save up for it. I don't really see why he's on the list.
Also, Kenneth lives very modestly in a scary neighborhood without even the luxury of cable or a decent tv until Jack helped him out!
Reply
4-17-2009 @ 7:09PM
GL said...
Additionally, he's been shown to sell well and depending on what his bonus compensation is, he could do ok.
4-17-2009 @ 11:55AM
Dave said...
What a stupid list
Reply
4-17-2009 @ 12:12PM
brian said...
I'm in sales, and I have a complaint about Jim from the office being on this list.
My particular market is fairly niche, and not as generally broad as paper sales, but I have a good friend who's a box salesman. He sells packing boxes to companies and the company he works for is local, very similar to the office. He makes well into 6 figures based on commissions.
Now if a box salesman can make upwards of $100,000 per year, a paper salesman can easily make upwards of $50-60K.
Reply
4-17-2009 @ 12:12PM
Blair Mitchelmore said...
On Monk and Psych, they always talk about needing more money or more cases. So I don't think that one applies. Chuck lives with his sister and her fiance, both of whom are doctors, so I don't think that one applies either. Jim saved up for a year before buying that house, and it wasn't a particularly awesome house, and it's implied early on that it was sort of a huge mistake. So I don't think that one applies. Penny and Kenneth are on this list I assume because they have decently sized apartments, but that's just a TV requirement; cameras take up space.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that this list sort of sucks.
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4-17-2009 @ 12:34PM
Jason said...
Can't...... quite...... reach!!!!
-The List
Reply
4-17-2009 @ 12:39PM
Dave said...
I have to agree: this is a pretty lousy list.
Jim is a probably the weirdest inclusion. Is it really that hard to imagine someone living Jim's relatively modest lifestyle on $35,000?
Here's a house in Scanton comparable to what he and Pam just bought:
http://www.classicproperties.com/listings/prop.cfm?prop_id=3227
With 10% down and a 30 year mortgage at 6.5%, he'd be paying like $800 a month. Which would be a little over a quarter of his take home pay. Is that so unrealistic?
Reply
4-17-2009 @ 1:20PM
Lisa said...
The entire list is stupid and I won't retread prior posts on specifics. I think the point is well taken that there are characters out there apparently living beyond the means of the presumed salary, it's just that this list is not very good.
Reply
4-17-2009 @ 1:42PM
Ceti said...
Monk is on retainer for a couple of seasons now, so he has a minimum income. Plus, its likely he does more jobs than you see in the episodes.
Jane has a lot of money from his previous life and it seems like he's on the staff, so he gets a salary.
Reply
4-17-2009 @ 1:45PM
jd said...
Very poorly thought-out list. Just about the only ones I would agree with are Samantha, Christine, Gary.
Susan Mayer - recently had to get a second job to get by and so that her son could go to private school for free.
Jim - what makes you think he is paid well? Just the fact that he bought a house? He spoke of having to save up to do it, and he bought from his parents anyway.
Chuck - again, where do you see any trappings of wealth in Chuck's life? His computer, which he surely got a discount on at Buy More? If we ever see him driving it's a company car and he lives with his sister and her fiance, both doctors.
Kenneth - he wears the same (NBC-provided) clothes every day and we saw his apartment in an episode recently ... it was hardly the Ritz.
Betty - an assistant to a high level executive like the editor of a major national magazine could easily make $80k/yr in New York City, which would certainly be enough to pay for Betty's cramped, walk-up studio apartment.
Monk/Shawn/Patrick Jane - Natalie on Monk is constantly complaining about money, needing to get paid, etc. Shawn hardly seems well off - he drives a scooter, and I believe Gus's car is a company car. And don't forget, the story with Patrick Jane is that he made millions pretending to be a psychic before he became a police consultant.
Penny - complained about money multiple times on the show, her apartment is small, the character probably spends most of her disposable income on her wardrobe, which is the only thing I can think of that might make you think she has money.
Reply
4-18-2009 @ 10:20AM
eric f. said...
"Betty - an assistant to a high level executive like the editor of a major national magazine could easily make $80k/yr"
Yeah, right. we're talking about a magazine job. she'd be lucky to get $40k. but yes, you can afford a studio apt in manhattan on that, depending on the neighborhood. average downtown tiny studio is about $1500.
4-17-2009 @ 1:50PM
Sour Bob said...
Isn't Samantha on Samantha Who supposed to be only a few months removed from a wildly lucrative gig in real estate? Is it so much to assume her savings haven't run out yet?
Plus, since she got her amnesia in a car accident, she might very well have getter a settlement out of that, too?
Reply
4-17-2009 @ 2:07PM
John Howard said...
Wow, this list sucks. Susan had to take a second job to put her son in school. Kenneth lives in some crappy neighborhood and couldn't afford cable. Chuck shows no signs of making a lot of money, but if he did, it could be explained away by being a government agent in addition to his normal job. And I don't know how you figure salesman is a low paying job, all the salespeople i know do pretty well for themselves. And if you mean specifially paper salesman, Jim doesn't really show any signs of living high on the hog either.
Reply
4-17-2009 @ 3:22PM
AC said...
Susan is a Children's Book Illustrator, not an author. That is why she went and got that job as an assistant art teacher.
Reply
4-17-2009 @ 3:36PM
Josh Emerson said...
Agree with everyone else, this list sucks. Jim and Chuck particularly shouldn't be on it. I think it's been made fairly clear on the show that Chuck doesn't have much to pay for, living with his sister and Awesome.
The ones they should have put on the list are Haley and Nathan on One Tree Hill. Their situation bugged the hell out of me ever since the 5-year jump. Nathan injured himself before making the NBA, so he has brought in no money. He didn't work a normal job either, he just sat around. Haley is just starting out as a high school English teacher. Yet they live in this big beautiful house with a built-in pool, drive a brand new SUV, and hired a freakin' nanny for their young son. All on a HS English teacher's income? Who are they kidding?
Reply
4-17-2009 @ 3:48PM
Raked said...
I get the impression Nathan and Haley are still living off of his parents' old money.
4-17-2009 @ 3:54PM
GrimCat said...
Hey, I'm in sales and my house is better than Jim's piece of crap on The Office. This list sucks.
Reply