TV Characters Who Live Above Their Means (movie, theme song, cost)
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I don't remember the name, but it was a comedy about a single woman who worked as a secretary. It may have been one of the first to feature a single woman as the lead. But in a time when secretaries, even top notch ones, did not make big paychecks (it was 'woman's work') she had a large spiffy condo and expensive clothes and looked like a designer outfitted her house. No way. It was notable in featuring a single woman but then she must have moonlighted on the side to pay for all that.
I don't remember the name, but it was a comedy about a single woman who worked as a secretary. It may have been one of the first to feature a single woman as the lead. But in a time when secretaries, even top notch ones, did not make big paychecks (it was 'woman's work') she had a large spiffy condo and expensive clothes and looked like a designer outfitted her house. No way. It was notable in featuring a single woman but then she must have moonlighted on the side to pay for all that.
I do not know if it is the show which you have in mind, but the first series to depict a single career woman as the lead was "Our Miss Brooks" which debuted in 1956. It starred Eve Arden as a high school English teacher, albeit one who joked about being underpaid.
It had been a radio program before making the transition to television.
It would be a much shorter list to ask: What TV characters' lifestyles are fairly realistic?
Realistic:
1. Dr. Mindy Lahiri and the other doctors on The Mindy Project. She's always wearing designer this and that with J.Crew thrown in, but she's an OB/GYN. However, she never seems concerned about malpractice insurance like every other OB I've known! The other doctors seem to be living very well also.
2. I don't know if anyone remembers that show "Girlfriends", but Joan Clayton and Maya Wilkes when they had steady jobs.
3. Probably the entire cast of any television drama, e.g., "The Wire," where they're working hard to be realistic.
Above Their Means:
1. All of the "housewives" on Real Housewives of Atlanta except Kandi Burrus and Phaedra Parks. And Phaedra is a stretch.
2. Most of the people who go audition for American Idol and The Voice with all the sad stories about how hard they are up for money. You know, the people who have quit their jobs after one audition or advancement in the competition. I'm thinking "so you thought it was a good idea to travel to x even though you know you're down to your last dollar?"
3. All of the people on Parks and Recreation.....I don't know of many small town governments that are paying well enough that their version of Tom Haverford can actually open a business every time you turn around and wear nice suits. As funny as his shenanigans are
4. The entire cast of Girlfriends when they did not have steady jobs, especially Lynn Searcy.
The house in Grimm is so gorgeous and Portland is so expensive. Typically cops do not make that much and actually neither do vets who are also paying off the same amount of debt as medical school.
Apparently everyone has inherited a lot of property or money but me)
I wanna say they did explain this, like she was there on some full scholarship or something.
I thought she had gotten in trouble with the cops or something and the court made going to Eastland a part of her probation or something? Wasn't her father a widower or a single father or something?
It's hard to believe the characters on Modern Family can afford their lavish lifestyles and deluxe homes. Gloria takes everyone in all three families on a trip to Hawaii as a fun surprise for her husband. I can see taking everyone out to dinner as a nice surprise (although with that many people even that could be living above your means for a lot of people) pricey). Taking everyone to Hawaii and staying in pricey hotels is ridiculous. And the husband's reaction to this is"Does this mean she doesn't want to be alone with me" not "How could he spend this much of our money without asking me?"
Penny on Big Bang Theory quit her waitress job at the Cheesecake Factory yet can afford to live on her own in a nice apartment building in Pasadena. Yah right.
Seventh Heaven is another one that used to make me roll my eyes. A minister supports 7 kids and his wife, yet the refrigerator is stocked with gourmet items, expensive designer water bottles, and tiny little yogurt containers. They kids wear designer clothes. Their bedrooms have pricey furnishings, and they all seem to collect plenty of expensive things (especially the little girl who was into "Hello Kitty" and had the Hello Kitty themed bedroom). Why couldn't they show them shopping at bulk stores and living with hand me downs?
I don't remember the name, but it was a comedy about a single woman who worked as a secretary. It may have been one of the first to feature a single woman as the lead. But in a time when secretaries, even top notch ones, did not make big paychecks (it was 'woman's work') she had a large spiffy condo and expensive clothes and looked like a designer outfitted her house. No way. It was notable in featuring a single woman but then she must have moonlighted on the side to pay for all that.
You are probably thing of Susie/Private Secretary. It starred Ann Sothern as a secretary who was living well beyond her means, although that wasn't the narrative of the series.
Penny on Big Bang Theory quit her waitress job at the Cheesecake Factory yet can afford to live on her own in a nice apartment building in Pasadena. Yah right.
I know! Penny struggled to pay bills when she HAD a job… maybe her father's subsidizing her?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caladium
Seventh Heaven is another one that used to make me roll my eyes. A minister supports 7 kids and his wife, yet the refrigerator is stocked with gourmet items, expensive designer water bottles, and tiny little yogurt containers. They kids wear designer clothes. Their bedrooms have pricey furnishings, and they all seem to collect plenty of expensive things (especially the little girl who was into "Hello Kitty" and had the Hello Kitty themed bedroom). Why couldn't they show them shopping at bulk stores and living with hand me downs?
Depending on the congregation, some pastors make over $100K. I'm not talking about mega-churches, just average-sized churches in upscale towns.
Most characters in most movies seem to be able to afford large homes or apartments in major cities. This is mainly because the "train" tracks they use to move the characters can't fit in small places.
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The other doctors seem to be living very well also.
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