TV and Film have long been mediums that both reflect and exaggerate real life on screen. Most notably, their portrayal of various occupations and lifestyles that often don’t add up to a character’s salary or a realistic work schedule. We’ve covered inaccuracies like these before from lofty TV-size apartments to workplace comedies where people hardly work. Though it’s understandable why Hollywood takes creative liberties about work culture to allocate more time for plot and fun side stories, is it interesting that most fictional characters on screen seem to live beyond their means. Let’s take a look at some common jobs on screen that seriously toy with reality, what they actually make in the real world, and the few portrayals that get it right.
STRUGGLING ARTISTS… THAT NEVER REALLY STRUGGLE
Film and TV can’t seem to get enough of the struggling artist archetype, but ironically, their actual struggles are rarely depicted accurately onscreen. Hollywood loves protagonists who are idealists with big dreams that become disillusioned when life doesn’t go as planned, forcing them to take the unconventional path where they encounter a love interest or zany sidekick. And somehow, many of these characters manage to afford to live in sizeable apartments, or even a renovated fire station and order takeout nightly in some of the most expensive cities in the world like Paris or San Francisco.
The average freelance writer in the United States makes around $23 per hour, which can vary depending whether you live in a big metropolitan area like New York City. Still, a writer’s salary even in a metropolis like New York or Los Angeles often can’t cover rent, living expenses, and health insurance, let alone a designer shopping habit.
“I like my money where I can see it, hanging in my closet.” Sex and the City
One glaring falsehood in film and TV’s portrayals of writers is that so many of these characters are solely supported by their writing careers. In reality, most writers, even those who have written for prominent publications and have won awards, work multiple jobs to pay the bills. As Kate Dwyer puts it, “Without any other revenue streams, it’s highly unlikely that someone could make ends meet or support a family by writing novels. Most novelists have day jobs, and the majority of those who don’t are either independently wealthy or juggling a handful of projects at once, often in different mediums like film, journalism, and audio.”
Over the years, Hollywood has even gone somewhat meta by centering characters who are aspiring actors or seasoned entertainers, showing how cutthroat and dehumanizing the industry can be. Most actors, unless you’re Meryl Streep, are constantly auditioning in-between shifts, putting together last minute tapes for agents who barely make time for their clients who aren’t making them commission.
Realistically, Joey on Friends probably couldn’t afford to live in New York City as a part-time actor, which makes you wonder how much rent money he owed his buddy Chandler.
“Of course, we’d have an apartment over the garage where Joey could grow old” Friends
And though Jerry on Seinfeld is an established comedian, making regular appearances at the Comedy Cellar or late night TV, in real life, his income as a B-list celebrity probably wouldn’t afford him that massive apartment or allow him to dine out everyday.
“I have a sixth sense.” “Cheapness is not a sense.” Seinfeld
And things are even worse nowadays – only comedians who sell out big venues or get Netflix specials can even hope to sustain themselves on their comedy career alone.
When movies and shows do show any of the struggle that comes with being a freelance creative of any kind, it’s usually framed comedically. On the one hand, this makes sense – it is supposed to be entertainment, after all – but it can also help create very real misunderstandings about what the lifestyle is really like. Which can then, in turn, make creatives who are really struggling feel like they’re just doing something wrong – when the truth is that most freelance creatives aren’t pulling in enough to pay their bills consistently, much less spend every day at endless brunch.
DOING IMPORTANT WORK MEANS YOU DON’T NEED MONEY
Work procedurals provide a comforting, problem-solving story formula that often serves to romanticize the work while also framing it as the thing that singularly defines a person’s identity. They serve the idea that our work is our worth, and often completely ignore the reality that most people are overworked and underpaid, and that our jobs shouldn’t be the only focus of our lives.
On screen, teachers are often depicted doing a-okay financially – their biggest problems usually just revolve around inspiring their students. Even if we do see that they’re not pulling in much money, it’s often shown as being worth it because their work is so important. But the reality is very different – teachers often have to struggle to make ends meet, and on top of barely being able to afford to cover their own needs with their low salaries, are also expected to pay for everything in their classrooms (which can add up very quickly.) Teachers’ pay hasn’t kept up with inflation at all – according to a report by the National Education Association, “teachers make on average $3,644 less than they did 10 years ago, adjusted for inflation.” On Boy Meets World, Cory and the gang’s teacher Mr. Feeny can afford a very nice house and seemingly has plenty of free time to always just be… around. New Girl’s Jessica Day is a very passionate teacher who loves her students, but having so much free time for shenanigans and being able to afford to live in a huge loft in downtown Los Angeles (even with roommates) is pretty unrealistic. Mean Girls showed a bit more of the real struggle of being a teacher – both with the difficulty of dealing with young people and Ms. Norbury having to get a second job at the mall just to make ends meet.
“My nana takes her wig off when she’s drunk.” “Your nana and I have that in common… No, actually, I’m just here because I bartend a couple nights a week down at P. J. Calamity’s.” Mean Girls
Abbott Elementary has been praised for its realistic portrayal of the public education system, which is notoriously underfunded. While much of the activity on the show takes place in the teacher’s lounge or in-between classes, the writers make sure we see just how tired and overworked these teachers are, which feels true to real life. Abbott Elementary’s wonderful blend of realism with comedy and characters viewers can relate to is what makes the show such a triumph and has reinvented the work comedy genre
“I still have to stop and remind myself why I’m still here. It’s not my paycheck, certainly not the perks from the people who sign that paycheck. It’s about the people who show up here every blessed day.” Abbott Elementary
BEING A LAWYER = ENDLESS WEALTH & FREE TIME
Hollywood also wants us to know there are benefits to centering your whole life around a career—even if those benefits are exaggerated for visual purposes! One career that’s often glamorized on screen is the legal profession. Usually portrayed as charismatic and brilliant, lawyers on TV and film tend to have a lot of free time to flaunt their wealth, and then just swan into the courtroom occasionally to win over juries through dramatic theatrics while wearing expensive chic tailored suits. In reality, lawyers spend most of their time doing unglamorous work like legal research, drafting contracts, and negotiating settlements without ever going to court, which can take months if not years.
The salary range for lawyers is pretty wide, and depends on multiple factors, such as, what type of law they’re practicing, if they work for a corporation or big city firm versus working in the public sector, and where they’re geographically located. For example, a local attorney in Albuquerque, New Mexico wouldn’t make nearly as much as an attorney in a major city who works on behalf of a corporation’s interests.
“I mean, they’ll smile at you, they’ll pat you on the head, but they are never letting you in.” Better Call Saul
On Suits, Harvey – a senior equity partner at a New York City law firm – spends his seven-figure salary on designer cars, clothes, private club memberships, and fine-dining his uber rich clients. In real life, senior equity partners do make a lot of money, pocketing around $1.39 million per year, but their jobs also carry a lot of risk, making Harvey’s lifestyle choices questionable at best…
While Harvey’s salary might make sense given his high status and work in the corporate sector, on screen it seems like nearly every lawyer is living a lavish senior partner life. On Ally McBeal, the titular character seemed to spend more time worrying about her love life than her cases (it was the 90s), and yet is still apparently putting in enough billable hours to be able to afford a huge apartment and endless cocktails. Sex and the City’s Miranda also has a suspiciously large amount of free time for a corporate lawyer. One under discussed aspect of on screen pay for any profession, including lawyers, is the gender pay gap. Female lawyers reportedly make about 26.5% less than male lawyers, and, of course, the gap is even worse for women of color.
We get a more realistic example of the realities – good and bad – of being a lawyer on Insecure. When we first meet Molly, she is a high-powered lawyer in Los Angeles who lives in a gorgeous studio apartment with her dog and closet full of designer clothes. And while Molly is often shown dining out with her friends or dates, or splurging on a luxury AirBnb, we clearly see that she works hard to afford and sustain her lifestyle. In spite of all the hours she puts into her job, Molly learns that her white male co-workers make more than her for doing less work. The effect this has on Molly, and her painful attempts to be accepted into the all boy’s club, evokes a sobering realism that makes Insecure’s portrayal of corporate life feel much more true to reality, while still retaining its signature comedic prowess.
“I thought I was killing it. I just…I get it, it’s an all-boys club, and whatever I got to do to get in, I’ll just figure it out. And then it should be fine…” Insecure
CONCLUSION
From Josh Baskin’s charmed life as a toy tester to fictional pastry chefs with perfect hair and makeup and beyond, work life onscreen can be a fancy-free dream packaged in sensual visuals and colorful jargon to keep viewers engaged. Most college professors don’t live in a Victorian mansion off campus unless they are independently wealthy – and even your average architect in New York City makes only between $68,000 to $79,000 a year, meaning instead of living the lavish life, they’re probably having to think about getting a side hustle to make ends meet.
“I see a life that I know I can have here.” “I see a lawsuit.” How I Met Your Mother
But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t fun to watch! At the end of the day, movies and shows are meant to be entertaining dreams to lose ourselves in for a few minutes. It can be a problem when they give us super unrealistic expectations about work and life, but when done right they can help give us the drive to chase our dreams (and, hopefully, get paid fairly for it!)