6 TV Bosses We'd Love to Work For (And 5 We'd Hate)
How will you show your appreciation for your supervisor on National Bosses' Day on October 16? By watching TV, of course. Here are 6 TV bosses we would love to work, and 5 we wouldn't be able to stand.
Best: Cookie Lyon ('Empire')
There's no questioning Cookie's street-honed business smarts, her music-industry expertise, or her ability to hone diamonds-in-the-rough into hip-hop stars. Yes, Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) is awfully into nepotism. But you can't help admire her brazen fashion sense or her way with a quippy put-down. And you don't dare cross her.
Worst: David Brent/Michael Scott ('The Office')
It's hard to decide who's worse: David (Ricky Gervais), the manager on the original British "Office" or Michael (Steve Carell), from the stateside version. Both are ridiculously insensitive louts with no boundaries who think they're actually talented and funny entertainers and competent businessmen. We'll give the edge, though, to Gervais because, for all his faults, Carell's clod really does think of his employees as a family and tries to support and encourage them. Gervais, bless him, gives David not even that glimmer of a redeeming quality.
Best: Roger Sterling ('Mad Men')
At the Sterling Cooper ad agency, creative director Don Draper might be the most brilliant guy to work for, but he'd also belittle your ideas, steal the credit for the good ones, come to work late or drunk, and maybe try to hit on you. Better to work for his boss, Roger (John Slattery), who's equally blitzed but always witty, who'll do nice things for you when he's drunk (that's how Don got hired in the first place), and who'll even play the organ for you while you roller skate around the office.
Worst: Montgomery Burns ('The Simpsons')
Bosses don't come much more evil than the nuclear-plant tycoon whose attitude toward employees or anyone else he finds troublesome is "Release the hounds!" Mr. Burns (voiced by Harry Shearer) treats his workers no better than he treats the people of Springfield -- as pawns in his megalomaniacal schemes for self-enrichment. His only saving grace is that he continues to allow Homer Simpson to work at the plant despite Homer's decades-long display of gross incompetence.
Best: Sam Malone ('Cheers')
The Red Sox relief pitcher-turned-barkeep is an awfully easygoing boss. As played by a grinning Ted Danson, Sam seems happy to let employees come and go as they please. Plus, there's all the beer you can drink (though, curiously, no one is ever shown actually taking even a sip). Yeah, you might have to endure a what could be called sexual harassment -- so much that we're wondering why we used to find Sam's stalkerish horndoggery funny -- and yet Cheers always seemed less like a hostile work environment than a really fun place to hang out.
Worst: Tony Soprano ('The Sopranos')
Not just a boss but a Boss, Tony (James Gandolfini) offered his footsoldiers a relaxed work environment -- playing cards all day, hanging out with strippers, and all the cold cuts you could eat. But you were liable to be terminated (literally) for the slightest pretext, like "disrespecting the Bing" or making fun of Tony's horse. By the end of the series, most of Tony's mob crew were dead (or comatose); only Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico) remained unscathed, and he was arguably no better off than at the beginning of the series. Not a whole lot of prospects for wealth, career advancement, or a comfortable retirement when you work for Tony Soprano.
Best: Phil Coulson ('Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.')
There are lots of bosses on TV who inspire loyalty even though working for them will probably get you killed -- James T. Kirk, Carrie Mathison, Daenerys Targaryen. The 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' honcho (played by Clark Gregg) is certainly one of those. Still, he's a brilliant recruiter of talent and an expert in spycraft, weaponry, and tactics. And so loyal that he'd literally give his left arm to protect his employees. Plus, he's helped save the world a bunch of times, so there's that.
Worst: Frank Underwood ('House of Cards')
Over at HBO's "Veep," President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) belittles her staff and relies on them to cover for her incompetence and PR gaffes, yet they remain fiercely loyal to her. Maybe that's because she doesn't have any of them killed. On Netflix's "House of Cards," President Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) has no such qualms; he'll literally throw inconvenient people under a bus (or a train). And his wife, Claire (Robin Wright) is equally manipulative and equally likely to use Frank's people as pawns. Why anyone wants to work in the Underwood White House is a mystery.
Best: Ray Holt ('Brooklyn Nine-Nine')
Sure, he's kind of stiff and by-the-book, but Capt. Holt is also incredibly competent, which inspires the detectives who work for him to do their best work as well. All things considered, he's incredibly tolerant of the quirks of the goofballs and misfits who work for him. Also, he's played by Andre Braugher, whose fierce intelligence is always a pleasure to witness.
Worst: Amanda Woodward ('Melrose Place')
Heather Locklear's imperious Amanda was a classic boss-from-hell. She ran her agency with an iron fist, was faint with praise, and routinely chewed out underlings in front of the whole staff. Also, she was the kind of boss who'd make your life hell during your off hours by moving into your apartment complex and stealing your boyfriend. On the plus side, she had a fairly relaxed office dress code, at least when it came to skirt length.
Best: Ron Swanson ('Parks and Recreation')
Yes, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) is the "Parks and Rec" manager who's actually competent, efficient, and inspirational, but she's so chipper and gung-ho that she could potentially be a nightmare to work for in real life, as you'd inevitably fail to meet her high expectations. Better to work for her boss, the nearly immobile Ron (Nick Offerman), who expects nothing and tries to accomplish as little as possible. Plus, even if he doesn't share his own department's mission of public service, he's fiercely loyal to his staffers.
