Bosses amiright? We all got them. Some are good, some are bad, some are human babies that also are secret agents in the war for adult’s affection (that’s a Boss Baby joke folks.)
Anyways, yesterday I ran a question on my story about the worst boss people have ever had. Some of the responses were truly insane and felt borderline fictional. It got me thinking…which Fictional TV Boss would I want to work for?
Why TV and not movies, you ask? Because there’s just way too many movies and I’m not really down to do that much research today. It’s a Friday for god’s sake.
Without further ado, please enjoy the Fictional TV Boss tiers. As always, all decisions are correct and final.
God Tier:
These are bosses who are honestly just cool as fuck. Bonus points if they don’t give a shit about their job so you don’t have to either.
- Ron Swanson, Parks and Rec
- The entire point of his character is that he does not think his job should exist. You think he’s going to make you stay late? Fuck no. Truly one of the heroes of the WRD universe.
- Doug Dimmadal, Fairly Oddparents
- This is kinda just based off vibes and hat size, but Doug is truly the GOAT.
- Principal Ava Coleman, Abbot Elementary
- Another boss that does not really care about their job at all. She’s also pretty unhinged and reckless, so you know you’ll never get in trouble with HR / whatever the school equivalent of HR is.
- Coach Taylor, Friday Night Lights
- Normally, I hate working hard, but I’ll do it for this man. Especially is there’s a state title on the line? Yea, I’ll give at least 70%, no questions asked.
Harmless Morons:
The best kind of boss is one that you can control and manipulate. It’s a lot easier to do that if your boss is a complete moron.
- Michael Scott, The Office
- While he would probably be extremely frustrating to work with, he’s lovable guy who you could get under your thumb very quick. If Ryan could do it, so can you.
- George Bluth, Arrested Development
- A little dangerous because he’s an exceptionally rich and powerful moron, but given his history of philandering and horrible investments, he’s very easy to blackmail.
- Selina Meyers, Veep
- Simultaneously both incredibly power hungry and remarkably incompetent, you could pretty much get her to do anything you want if you promise it will advance her career.
- Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock
- The kind of boss that was super successful in one specific area and his skills don’t translate to a new field, he ends up insecure about his own instincts and will lean heavily on you to guide him (a good or bad thing depending on how ambitious you are.)
Makes You Work Too Hard
Do I really need to explain this category? We’re here to do the bare minimum and go home, I’m sorry boss.
- Eugene Krabs, SpongeBob SquarePants
- The hours he demands and the dangerous situations he puts his minimum wage employees in are simply unconscionable. And you KNOW you’re not getting a raise any time soon.
- Leslie Knope, Parks and Rec
- I know, I know, she’s a really nice lady who cares about her work and wants her people to do well blah blah blah. She would get on my last nerve.
- Captain Holt, Brooklyn 99
- Wayyyyy too stiff and rules focused for me. I’m sure it’s “for my own good” but I would really chafe under this hands on management style.
- Alice Murphy, Workaholics
- I feel for her. She is saddled with absolutely horrible employees who openly do not care about the job. That doesn’t make her less annoying to work for. Adjust your management style to your employees ok Alice?
Sociopath But a Fun Hang
I can excuse a lot if you’re a fun hang and generous with the corporate card.
- Ari Gold, Entourage
- You need thick skin and a tolerance for working long hours, but I feel like the lavish dinners, office parties, and other perks would be ultimately worth it.
- Don Draper, Mad Men
- Not a massive party guy but as long as drinking throughout the day is acceptable, I am down for any level of mistreatment at my job.
- Malory Archer, Archer
- She is very mean. But she drinks a lot. Do those 2 go hand in hand? Probably. It still makes her fun as fuck though.
- Saul Goodman, Better Call Saul
- Sure, he lives a little bit outside the law, but imagine how fun it’d be to run a little hustle at an office happy hour with him? I’d risk going to jail just for the sick thrill.
Sociopath That Could Have You Killed
Maybe not with their bare hands, but they would absolutely order a hit on you if you cross them. I’m here for a paycheck, not to risk my life.
- Patricia Arquette, Severance
- No spoilers but yea, this is sort of a nightmare boss.
- Logan Roy, Succession
- I don’t think he has killed but I think he would kill.
- Frank Underwood, House of Cards
- I just wanna shake him sometimes and be like broooo it’s not that serious. You can relax.
- Gavin Belson, Silicon Valley
- Easily the biggest coward of this group, I feel like he’d have someone killed just to prove that he’s a tough guy. He’s richer than God too, which makes him dangerous.
