Our 7 Favorite TV Workplaces, Ranked
The second season of the Apple TV+ smash-hit Severance booted back up again earlier this year, continuing the story of Mark Scout (Adam Scott), a widower who undergoes a drastic procedure to make the grieving process a little easier. When he clocks in at the beginning of his shift at Lumon Industries, he has no recollection of his personal life. All he knows is his workplace, a sentence that becomes deeply frustrating for him, but would potentially be a blessing for other TV characters.
The position itself, along with his supervisors — controlling manager, Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette), and her lackey-turned-successor, Seth Milchick (Tramell Tillman) — are certainly intimidating, to say the least. But working in the Macrodata Refinement Division isn’t all bad (when you’re not paying attention to the horrors underneath the surface…).
Mark is joined by a team of loyal coworkers, including recent hire Helly Riggs (Britt Lower), the ambitious Dylan George (Zach Cherry), and the most senior employee, Irving Bailiff (John Turturro). It’s the core four’s chemistry and camaraderie that makes working in an Orwellian nightmare just a little bit more bearable.
While Severance has been redefining the concept of the workplace, it is by no means the first TV series to explore the ins and outs of office culture. Here are some other workforces we wouldn’t mind sharing some water-cooler talk with, ranked by how badly we want to work there. As you can imagine, Lumon Industries will not be featured on this list. We prefer to keep our minds in one piece and out of the control of cultish corporate interests. Don’t you?
Severance, Fridays, Apple TV+
7. Abbott Elementary - Abbott Elementary
It can be difficult to find a job that emotionally fulfills you and gives you the sense that you’re truly making a difference in the world. But go-getter Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson) found it when she landed a job as a second-grade teacher at the titular school in Abbott Elementary.
It would be an understatement to say that things don’t always run smoothly at the underfunded Philadelphia school. In the pilot episode, viewers are given a taste of what a typical day looks like for Janine, who deals with pushback from her peers and her uncompromising principal, Ava Coleman (Janelle James), just to get a new rug for her students.
While the series holds no punches when it comes to criticizing the current state of the American education system, at its core is a group of likable, passionate educators prioritizing the kids above all else. From the traditional kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph) to the unorthodox second-grade instructor Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter), there’s a diverse range of approaches to the classroom that always keeps things interesting.
6. Party Down Catering, Party Down
Considering the unique format of Party Down, which takes our favorite Los Angeles caterers to a new setting every episode, this one might technically be cheating. However, if you think of a workplace as less of a physical space and more as a collection of people, then this entry will always rank highly — for those who’ve seen it anyways.
This underrated Adam Scott workplace comedy differentiates itself by shifting the focus from being a satire of the buttoned-up business world to the cesspool of dead-end jobs, and this is perhaps the lowest you can get. No one is here of their own accord, with a role on the Party Down team serving as a side gig or an absolute last resort.
But if Party Down succeeds at anything, it’s in capturing the beauty of finding meaning in “meaningless” work. There’s something to be gained from every experience, and it’s fascinating to see the ensemble piece together what exactly that is.
If that isn’t enough, watching characters like Ron Donald (Ken Marino) and Constance Carmell (Jane Lynch), who would never be let within 20 feet with an office building, interact is a joy in and of itself. Never has a dead-end job seemed so full of life.
5. "TGS With Tracy Jordan" - 30 Rock
When Tina Fey conceptualized 30 Rock, she made an astute decision to pull from her time as a head writer on Saturday Night Live. While audiences will never be able to get a glimpse of what went on behind-the-scenes with comedy legends like Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, and Maya Rudolph all under the roof of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, this multi-camera sitcom brings us as close as we’re ever going to get.
Replacing the real-life stars of 30 Rock’s in-universe show, TGS with Tracy Jordan, are the volatile Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) and the self-absorbed Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski). What result is a stressful workplace that takes a special kind of person to endure.
Though they may not be the easiest to work with, and we’d much rather just sit back and enjoy the chaos from afar than have to report to meddlesome network Vice President Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), the group’s dynamic captures the bedlam and beauty of live television.
4. Pawnee, Indiana Parks and Recreation Department - Parks and Recreation
In retrospect, Scott is the undisputed king of workplace comedies. There’s a reason why after two lackluster seasons of monotonous bureaucracy, NBC made the brilliant decision to bring him and Rob Lowe onto Parks and Recreation, injecting fresh energy into the show. It’s one of the best choices the network ever made.
While this mockumentary didn’t reinvent the wheel, audiences were introduced to some one-of-a-kind characters, especially the overly-optimistic deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler). Her co-workers didn’t always share the same enthusiasm, especially her stoic boss, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), but watching them consistently rally around her was incredibly endearing.
Through dealing with the quibbles of Indiana’s residents, viewers developed some faith that at least some of the people in charge have to know what they’re doing… right?
3. Bob's Burgers - Bob's Burgers
If The Bear offers a gritty, realistic depiction of the high-octane mayhem that comes with running a restaurant alongside your loved ones, then Bob’s Burgers functions as its much-welcomed, idealistic counterpart. For years, the FOX animated comfort show has been serving up smiles and laughter, thanks to its heartwarming portrayal of family. Well, that and mouthwatering food we wouldn’t mind trying.
Sure, his employees are all working pro-bono, and business is never quite booming at this beach town burger joint, but it’s refreshing to see owner Bob Belcher (H. Jon Benjamin) handle it all with care. It may not sound like a high bar, but the fact that he never resorts to throwing forks in frustration or locking his family members in the walk-in freezer is truly commendable.
2. Dunder Mifflin - The Office
The writers of The Office pulled off the impossible by making viewers fantasize about working a 9-to-5 desk job at an office supplies wholesale company. But audiences didn’t fall in love with the industry as much as they did with the literal paper pushers that worked there.
The day-to-day at Dunder Mifflin can be dull, jammed with meetings that could’ve been emails and constant employee turnover and shuffling — over the course of nine seasons, almost every principal character held the title of Regional Manager.
But what almost clinches Dunder Mifflin Scranton the top spot on this list is its staff, led by Michael Scott (Steve Carrell). Sure, he was prone to saying the worst things at the worst times, but what boss hasn’t? The Office simply made Michael take things to the extreme. He might not be the world’s best boss like his coffee mug claims, but Carrell’s performance certainly makes him TV’s best boss.
The series saw a dip after his departure, but that gave one of the greatest TV ensembles ever the chance to shine. There were the continued escapades of Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), the infectiously positive energy of Andy Bernard (Ed Helms), and, of course, the workplace love story to end all workplace love stories between Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer).
1. Paddy's Pub - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
One of the unspoken rules of working in any profession is that drinking on the job is strictly prohibited — for obvious reasons. But after working a shift at Paddy’s Pub with “The Gang,” you’ll likely need something to take the edge off.
Unlike other shows on this list that find humor in the mundane, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia cranks the insanity to full throttle with its incompetent employees. Sociopath Dennis Reynolds (Glenn Howerton), his vain sister Dee (Kaitlin Olson), their eccentric father Frank (Danny DeVito), and their delusional and dim-witted friends Ronald “Mac” McDonald (Rob McElhenney) and Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day) are perhaps the worst owners imaginable.
And yet, despite the numerous health code violations and other crimes that should have shut them down years ago, the bar keeps going. Thanks to the hilarious antics of its staff, which could fluctuate on any given day to staging a play or as nefarious or concocting an elaborate airline miles scam, there’s never a dull day at this Pennsylvania bar.
As much as we love the other shows on this list and their realistic depictions of Corporate and Middle America, there’s never been quite another workplace as absurd or ridiculous as Paddy’s Pub. Call it morbid curiosity, but a job at this now iconic TV landmark doesn’t sound as bad as it seems.
From TV Guide Magazine
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