This article was originally published on WHerMoments
Some TV characters have lifestyles that many of us could only ever dream of. But as it happens, their own lifestyles would only be possible in their dreams, too! We’ve noticed a few things about the lives of our most-loved TV and movie characters that just don’t add up. So, we donned our Columbo raincoats, examined the characters’ spending habits and their jobs, and calculated just how far beyond their means they’re actually living.
1. Carrie Bradshaw
TV show: Sex And The City
Profession: Writer
Average salary in 1998: $35,500
New York Star columnist Carrie Bradshaw famously had an appetite for expensive shoes. In one episode, a thief helped themselves to a $485 pair of her prized Manolo Blahniks. In another, the writer priced her shoe collection at around $40,000.
Profession: Writer
Average salary in 1998: $35,500
New York Star columnist Carrie Bradshaw famously had an appetite for expensive shoes. In one episode, a thief helped themselves to a $485 pair of her prized Manolo Blahniks. In another, the writer priced her shoe collection at around $40,000.
And that doesn’t even take into account her love of parties, fine dining, and Manhattan cocktails — not forgetting the cabs home. Even though Bradshaw’s rent is a seemingly unrealistic $700 a month due to rent control, her salary could never have supported this lavish lifestyle.
2. Rachel Green
TV show: Friends
Profession: Waitress
Average salary in 1994: $24,000
A very astute writerhannah31 noted to Buzzfeed, “Nothing against Rachel Green being a waitress, but after cutting up her dad’s credit card, would she really be able to pay rent, get that flawless hairstyle maintained, and still afford the latest fashions constantly? Not so sure.”
Profession: Waitress
Average salary in 1994: $24,000
A very astute writerhannah31 noted to Buzzfeed, “Nothing against Rachel Green being a waitress, but after cutting up her dad’s credit card, would she really be able to pay rent, get that flawless hairstyle maintained, and still afford the latest fashions constantly? Not so sure.”
Rachel’s reaction when she receives her first paycheck says it all: “Who is FICA, and why is he taking all my money?” We feel you, girl...
3. Frasier Crane
TV show: Frasier
Profession: Radio psychiatrist
Average salary in 1993: $56,800
Dr. Crane’s salary would have been the envy of many city-dwellers around 30 years ago; it was more than double that of the average wage in metropolitan areas in those days. But could it really have supported his lavish lifestyle?
Profession: Radio psychiatrist
Average salary in 1993: $56,800
Dr. Crane’s salary would have been the envy of many city-dwellers around 30 years ago; it was more than double that of the average wage in metropolitan areas in those days. But could it really have supported his lavish lifestyle?
With his fancy car, fine dining, and expensive recreational habits, not to mention a luxury apartment overlooking Seattle estimated to be worth $1.6 million, that paycheck suddenly looks kind of inadequate.
4. Diane Chambers
TV show: Cheers
Profession: Waitress
Average salary in 1982: $7,850
When Cheers debuted in 1982, Chambers was ditched by her fiancé, Professor Sumner Sloane, so she took a job at the bar. Since they weren’t married, she wouldn’t have been entitled to alimony. So it’s hard to fathom how her $650 pre-tax salary would have allowed for many luxuries after paying the rent on her $360 a month studio apartment.
Profession: Waitress
Average salary in 1982: $7,850
When Cheers debuted in 1982, Chambers was ditched by her fiancé, Professor Sumner Sloane, so she took a job at the bar. Since they weren’t married, she wouldn’t have been entitled to alimony. So it’s hard to fathom how her $650 pre-tax salary would have allowed for many luxuries after paying the rent on her $360 a month studio apartment.
It’s possible that her next financé, Dr. Frasier Crane — who frequented the bar before scoring his own spinoff series — might have supported her discerning tastes, but season four started with the psychiatrist left standing at the altar.
5. Cosmo Kramer
TV show: Seinfeld
Profession: Unemployed
Average salary in 1989: $0
Wages have increased over the decades in line with inflation. One income that hasn’t increased, though, is that of someone out of work. In the ten years that Seinfeld graced our TV screens, Cosmo Kramer was fired from his job at H&H Bagels almost immediately after he returned from a decade-long strike.
Profession: Unemployed
Average salary in 1989: $0
Wages have increased over the decades in line with inflation. One income that hasn’t increased, though, is that of someone out of work. In the ten years that Seinfeld graced our TV screens, Cosmo Kramer was fired from his job at H&H Bagels almost immediately after he returned from a decade-long strike.
He once worked at a department store as Santa, but other than that, he was rarely seen in gainful employment. How, then, was he able to afford a $295K New York City apartment?
6. Danny Tanner
TV show: Full House
Profession: Morning show host
Average salary in 1987: Unknown
The Tanner family in Full House lived in an enormous dwelling in San Francisco. It’s a city with notoriously high real estate prices, even for someone with the salary of a regional morning TV show as dad Danny was.
Profession: Morning show host
Average salary in 1987: Unknown
The Tanner family in Full House lived in an enormous dwelling in San Francisco. It’s a city with notoriously high real estate prices, even for someone with the salary of a regional morning TV show as dad Danny was.
What’s more, he had three daughters and the expense of raising them. According to real estate agents Movoto, Tanner’s income would have needed to increase by more than 30 percent just to pay off the house.
7. Penny Teller
TV show: The Big Bang Theory
Profession: Waitress
Average salary in 2007: $21,600
Penny lived in a one-bedroomed apartment opposite two male physicists in Pasadena, California. Single and living alone, she would often swing by the boys’ apartment and indulge in some of their culinary offerings.
Profession: Waitress
Average salary in 2007: $21,600
Penny lived in a one-bedroomed apartment opposite two male physicists in Pasadena, California. Single and living alone, she would often swing by the boys’ apartment and indulge in some of their culinary offerings.
Which was just as well, because her wage as a server at the Cheesecake Factory would have been a big stretch to cover her rent. And then there’s the cute wardrobe and endless bottles of wine. We can’t imagine her customers tipping that well!
8. Tim Taylor
TV show: Home Improvement
Profession: Cable TV host
Average salary in 1991: Unknown
Some TV stars get paid a lot of money. Hardly any of those TV stars, if any at all, got rich from appearing on programs featured on their local cable station.
Profession: Cable TV host
Average salary in 1991: Unknown
Some TV stars get paid a lot of money. Hardly any of those TV stars, if any at all, got rich from appearing on programs featured on their local cable station.
And yet Home Improvement’s Tim Taylor lived in a decent house and enjoyed tinkering with expensive cars in his spare time. All while supporting three kids as their stay-at-home mom struggled to find work after raising the family.
9. Peter McAllister
Movie: Home Alone
Profession: Unknown
Average salary in 1990: Unknown
It’s true, we know very little about the father who left his son in Home Alone in 1990. What we do know is that the seven McAllisters lived in a nice house, roughly 16 miles from Chicago’s Downtown area.
Profession: Unknown
Average salary in 1990: Unknown
It’s true, we know very little about the father who left his son in Home Alone in 1990. What we do know is that the seven McAllisters lived in a nice house, roughly 16 miles from Chicago’s Downtown area.
It’s located in Winnetka, Illinois, and would have been worth around $900K, a huge amount in those days. The average income at the time was $39K for anyone educated to bachelor degree level. It doesn’t add up.
10. Jess Day
TV show: New Girl
Profession: Teacher
Average salary in 2011: $55,500
In trying to move on from a difficult breakup with her boyfriend, teacher Jess Day moves in with a bunch of dudes in L.A. Their plush loft apartment could easily carry a $8,000 price tag, which is a lot even when split four ways. As cenglish23 noted on Buzzfeed, “Jess from New Girl.
Profession: Teacher
Average salary in 2011: $55,500
In trying to move on from a difficult breakup with her boyfriend, teacher Jess Day moves in with a bunch of dudes in L.A. Their plush loft apartment could easily carry a $8,000 price tag, which is a lot even when split four ways. As cenglish23 noted on Buzzfeed, “Jess from New Girl.
She is a fairly new teacher, so she doesn’t make a ton of money. So when I saw that she was living in a huge apartment in Los Angeles, I was a little confused.” As are we all.
11. A
TV show: Pretty Little Liars
Profession: Stalker
Average salary in 2010: $0
“A” is an anonymous presence throughout the Pretty Little Liars franchise, but is eventually revealed as being Mona Vanderwaal. She has many skills, including singing, computer hacking, and foreign languages. But her main vocation, if it can be called that, is tormentor.
Profession: Stalker
Average salary in 2010: $0
“A” is an anonymous presence throughout the Pretty Little Liars franchise, but is eventually revealed as being Mona Vanderwaal. She has many skills, including singing, computer hacking, and foreign languages. But her main vocation, if it can be called that, is tormentor.
And, as toastedbagels commented on Buzzfeed, “Where did she find the money to construct a dollhouse that had bedrooms that were exact replicas of the liars? Not to mention the intense and complicated equipment that she used to torture them.” It’s a mystery, indeed.
12. Don Draper
TV show: Mad Men
Profession: Creative director (advertising)
Average salary in 1964: $12,000
It looks like nothing now, but today Don Draper would rake in upward of $300K. For all appearances, the advertising creative did very little to earn it either. But we do know how he spent it.
Profession: Creative director (advertising)
Average salary in 1964: $12,000
It looks like nothing now, but today Don Draper would rake in upward of $300K. For all appearances, the advertising creative did very little to earn it either. But we do know how he spent it.
Sharp suits, a suburban family home, two kids, an excessive drinking habit… And then there were all the mistresses to keep sweet. Suddenly that pay check starts to look increasingly small.
13. Mike Brady
TV show: The Brady Bunch
Profession: Architect
Average salary in 1969: $14,000
The Brady Bunch was a big hit with U.S. audiences in the ’70s due to its realistic depiction of a blended family. What wasn’t so realistic was the family’s fiscal situation. When Mike Brady and Carol Martin marry after both becoming widowed, they merge into a family of eight with Martin’s three daughters and the three Brady sons.
Profession: Architect
Average salary in 1969: $14,000
The Brady Bunch was a big hit with U.S. audiences in the ’70s due to its realistic depiction of a blended family. What wasn’t so realistic was the family’s fiscal situation. When Mike Brady and Carol Martin marry after both becoming widowed, they merge into a family of eight with Martin’s three daughters and the three Brady sons.
And that’s before factoring in the live-in housekeeper and dog, Tiger. While Brady’s wage could have comfortably covered the mortgage repayments on their $61,000 home, there would have been nothing left to raise six kids.
14. Jim Walsh
TV show: Beverly Hills 90210
Profession: Accountant
Average salary in 1990: $36,100
Jim Walsh moved his family, wife Cindy, and kids Brandon and Brenda, from Minneapolis to Beverly Hills in the original run of 90210. It’s likely, then, that his salary was above average for an accountant at the time.
Profession: Accountant
Average salary in 1990: $36,100
Jim Walsh moved his family, wife Cindy, and kids Brandon and Brenda, from Minneapolis to Beverly Hills in the original run of 90210. It’s likely, then, that his salary was above average for an accountant at the time.
But still, $36K doesn’t seem like enough to cover a $1.2 million three-bedroom Beverly Hills abode. The family were noticeably less well off than most of their friends, but the fancy parties they sometimes threw don’t come cheap.
15. Tom Haverford
TV show: Parks & Recreation
Profession: Department administrator
Average salary in 2009: $43,000
There was a time that Tom Haverford was deep in debt. We’re led to believe that he got on top of his money issues and was fiscally responsible.
Profession: Department administrator
Average salary in 2009: $43,000
There was a time that Tom Haverford was deep in debt. We’re led to believe that he got on top of his money issues and was fiscally responsible.
Yet he lives in a swanky apartment with all the accessories usually associated with luxury: freshly cut flowers, cheese platters, chocolate fountains, and the latest celebrity magazines strewn around. All paid for on a government wage. Taking all that into account, there was very little room left to “treat yo’ self!”
16. Lily Aldrin
TV show: How I Met Your Mother
Profession: Kindergarten teacher
Average salary in 2005: $45,000
It’s rare that money was talked about in How I Met Your Mother. But it became a hot topic when Lily Aldrin and Marshall Eriksen tried to buy a home together. It was no secret that the latter incurred huge debts from studying law at Wesleyan University.
Profession: Kindergarten teacher
Average salary in 2005: $45,000
It’s rare that money was talked about in How I Met Your Mother. But it became a hot topic when Lily Aldrin and Marshall Eriksen tried to buy a home together. It was no secret that the latter incurred huge debts from studying law at Wesleyan University.
But what we started to learn about Lily was that she’d racked up outstanding payments on an unhealthy obsession with shoes. Far greater than her wage as a Kindergarten teacher could cover.
17. Kitty Forman
TV show: That ’70s Show
Profession: Nurse
Average salary in 1976: $8,900
The Formans may seem like a relatively unassuming Wisconsin, middle-class family, but have you ever thought there was something a little off about them? Dad Red is retired as a former factory worker and onetime vet. Which leaves mom, Kittie, as the sole breadwinner in the family.
Profession: Nurse
Average salary in 1976: $8,900
The Formans may seem like a relatively unassuming Wisconsin, middle-class family, but have you ever thought there was something a little off about them? Dad Red is retired as a former factory worker and onetime vet. Which leaves mom, Kittie, as the sole breadwinner in the family.
As a nurse — who, incidentally, seems to spend most of her time at home — it’s hard to imagine how her salary can indulge teenage daughter Laurie’s shopping compulsion or feed teenage son Eric and his ever-present friends.
18. Matt Fielding
TV show: Melrose Place
Profession: Social worker
Average salary in 1992: $27,000
By his very nature, Fielding was considered to be a caring guy. He took in his niece when his brother died. He even cared for his Russian wife’s daughter while she was away.
Profession: Social worker
Average salary in 1992: $27,000
By his very nature, Fielding was considered to be a caring guy. He took in his niece when his brother died. He even cared for his Russian wife’s daughter while she was away.
In fact, his marriage to Katya was purely so she could stay in the country; he was, after all, openly gay. Though he lived modestly in a $1,600 a month West Hollywood apartment, it still seems too much for his social worker wage.
19. Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry
TV show: Glee
Profession: Waiter, drama student
Average salary in 2009: $2,800 plus tips
The Glee pair lived in a Bushwick, New York, apartment that is believed to have cost $1,800 a month. When they first moved in, Rachel was studying and Kurt earned nothing as an intern. They sometimes got acting gigs, and worked shifts waiting tables.
Profession: Waiter, drama student
Average salary in 2009: $2,800 plus tips
The Glee pair lived in a Bushwick, New York, apartment that is believed to have cost $1,800 a month. When they first moved in, Rachel was studying and Kurt earned nothing as an intern. They sometimes got acting gigs, and worked shifts waiting tables.
But, as Buzzfeed user carolinecf noted, “Kurt and Rachel also went to NYADA, so they couldn’t even work at the Spotlight Diner full-time.” Help from parents, perhaps? It still would have been a stretch, especially when you factor in all those trips to Lima.
20. Ray Barone
TV show: Everybody Loves Raymond
Profession: Sports columnist
Average salary in 1996: $35,200
How far does a sports writer’s pay check stretch? We know that Ray’s mom lived opposite the Barone family in Lynbrook, Long Island. That would have saved a bunch on childcare costs when it came to his three kids.
Profession: Sports columnist
Average salary in 1996: $35,200
How far does a sports writer’s pay check stretch? We know that Ray’s mom lived opposite the Barone family in Lynbrook, Long Island. That would have saved a bunch on childcare costs when it came to his three kids.
It also saved some on food when Marie popped in from across the street, as she often brought culinary delights with her. But did he really earn enough to support a family of five in a $420K, three-bedroom home? It seems unlikely.
21. Will Truman
TV show: Will & Grace
Profession: Lawyer
Average salary in 1998: $79,500
There’s no question that Will Truman was a successful lawyer in the original run of sitcom Will & Grace. Even so, a fancy two-bed, two-bath Upper West Side apartment — with patio! — would have comfortably eaten up almost half his $79K salary.
Profession: Lawyer
Average salary in 1998: $79,500
There’s no question that Will Truman was a successful lawyer in the original run of sitcom Will & Grace. Even so, a fancy two-bed, two-bath Upper West Side apartment — with patio! — would have comfortably eaten up almost half his $79K salary.
Though his friends Jack and Grace took turns as lodgers, the script suggests they weren’t always forthcoming when it came to paying the bills. Truman also provided considerable support to the high-maintenance Jack.
22. Al Bundy
TV show: Married With Children
Profession: Shoe salesman
Average salary in 1986: $10,450
The fact that Bundy drove a beat up old Dodge is about the only thing that makes sense when it came to his finances. Of course, they were never characterized as being a particularly wealthy family.
Profession: Shoe salesman
Average salary in 1986: $10,450
The fact that Bundy drove a beat up old Dodge is about the only thing that makes sense when it came to his finances. Of course, they were never characterized as being a particularly wealthy family.
But with the shoe seller being the sole provider for wife Peggy and kids Kelly and Bud, there was little room for the handouts often depicted in the opening credits. It’s even questionable as to whether he could afford their three-bedroomed Chicago home, worth around $134K.
23. Rachel Zane
TV show: Suits
Profession: Paralegal
Average salary in 2011: $49,960
A decade ago, $50K might have been enough for someone to live in New York, but without any of the perks of living in the city. That’s around the mark paralegal Rachel Zane would have earned in Suits.
Profession: Paralegal
Average salary in 2011: $49,960
A decade ago, $50K might have been enough for someone to live in New York, but without any of the perks of living in the city. That’s around the mark paralegal Rachel Zane would have earned in Suits.
So, while a life was sustainable on her wage, there’s no way she could afford a wardrobe full of designer clothes. We can’t consider handouts from her powerful attorney father either, since she insisted on living independently of her family.
24. Mindy Lahiri
TV show: The Mindy Project
Profession: OB/GYN
Average salary in 2012: $221,000
Stick with us on this one. Yes, that’s a lot of digits for anyone’s salary. But when she couldn’t afford to enroll her son into an exclusive preschool at $70K a year, you wonder where all of Lahiri’s money disappeared to.
Profession: OB/GYN
Average salary in 2012: $221,000
Stick with us on this one. Yes, that’s a lot of digits for anyone’s salary. But when she couldn’t afford to enroll her son into an exclusive preschool at $70K a year, you wonder where all of Lahiri’s money disappeared to.
Well, she lived in New York City for starters, where her one-bedroomed, brownstone apartment would have cost a cool $1.7 million. Her decor, fashion, and food habits likely weren’t cheap either.
25. Prue, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell
TV show: Charmed
Profession: Appraiser, restaurateur, student
Average salary in 1998: $115,000 (combined)
According to patrickoneil77 over on Buzzfeed, “The original cast of Charmed always complained about being broke while driving BMWs to their multimillion-dollar San Francisco mansion.” It’s no wonder.
Profession: Appraiser, restaurateur, student
Average salary in 1998: $115,000 (combined)
According to patrickoneil77 over on Buzzfeed, “The original cast of Charmed always complained about being broke while driving BMWs to their multimillion-dollar San Francisco mansion.” It’s no wonder.
The youngest of The Charmed Ones was a student, while her older sisters each worked at an auction house as an appraiser (Prue) and as Quake restaurant’s chef and manager (Piper) when they weren’t weaving their witchy magic. Those salaries could never have supported their lifestyles, even with Prue’s ability to double up her presence.
26. Monica Geller
TV show: Friends
Profession: Chef
Average salary in 1994: $26,280
Sure, one of our favorite New York chefs lived in a rent-controlled apartment and she was never without a roommate. But it’s still estimated that the two-bedroomed, terraced dwelling would have a price tag of nearly $5,000 a month.
Profession: Chef
Average salary in 1994: $26,280
Sure, one of our favorite New York chefs lived in a rent-controlled apartment and she was never without a roommate. But it’s still estimated that the two-bedroomed, terraced dwelling would have a price tag of nearly $5,000 a month.
Which, even going halves with, in turn, Phoebe, Rachel, and then Chandler, was too much of a stretch for Monica’s $26K annual income. And that’s before all those fancy Central Perk coffees.
27. Peter Griffin
TV show: Family Guy
Profession: Brewery shipping clerk
Average salary in 1998: $35,100
It’s no secret that Peter Griffin wasn’t the brightest spark. In turn described as an “obnoxious idiot” or “comedy genius,” the brewery clerk learned in one episode that he had a below average I.Q. of 70. But somehow he’s the only breadwinner in the family, despite having a much smarter wife, baby, and dog.
Profession: Brewery shipping clerk
Average salary in 1998: $35,100
It’s no secret that Peter Griffin wasn’t the brightest spark. In turn described as an “obnoxious idiot” or “comedy genius,” the brewery clerk learned in one episode that he had a below average I.Q. of 70. But somehow he’s the only breadwinner in the family, despite having a much smarter wife, baby, and dog.
His salary probably isn’t the greatest, but still he can afford a decent family home, raise three kids, take annual vacations, and sink a few beers at The Clam every day. Sure, cartoons are far from realistic, but this one doesn’t come close to adding up.
28. Hannah Horvath
TV show: Girls
Profession: Writer
Average salary in 2012: $24,000
The whole premise behind Girls is that its main characters relocated to New York to live out their dreams. Whether or not kids factored into Horvath’s plans, she was forced to face up to the idea when she got pregnant in season six.
Profession: Writer
Average salary in 2012: $24,000
The whole premise behind Girls is that its main characters relocated to New York to live out their dreams. Whether or not kids factored into Horvath’s plans, she was forced to face up to the idea when she got pregnant in season six.
After quitting her well-paid job at GQ Magazine, it’s unlikely her salary would have covered her New York apartment, much less with another mouth to feed. And we’re not talking about roommate Elijah’s. Happily, she suddenly got a new teaching job and moved upstate into a fancy house with her new baby. Yep, just like that.
29. Lorelai Gilmore
TV show: Gilmore Girls
Profession: Hotel manager
Average salary in 2000: $53,000
Not only is 32-year-old Lorelai Gilmore the manager of a small boutique hotel, but she’s also mom to teenage daughter Rory. Because their budget is tight, the pair are small spenders and try to make savings where they can.
Profession: Hotel manager
Average salary in 2000: $53,000
Not only is 32-year-old Lorelai Gilmore the manager of a small boutique hotel, but she’s also mom to teenage daughter Rory. Because their budget is tight, the pair are small spenders and try to make savings where they can.
So why, then, are they so often depicted eating out and grabbing coffees to go? It’s estimated that the characters easily racked up a $200 a day habit of movies, coffee, take-out and gas. That’s a whopping $6K a month!
30. Marshall Eriksen
TV show: How I Met Your Mother
Profession: Lawyer
Average salary in 2005: $100,000
What is it with New York being a magnet for TV characters living beyond their means? This time, Marshall is in the spotlight for a fantasy lifestyle.
Profession: Lawyer
Average salary in 2005: $100,000
What is it with New York being a magnet for TV characters living beyond their means? This time, Marshall is in the spotlight for a fantasy lifestyle.
Manhattan is one of the most expensive areas of New York, yet there he lives with his buddy Ted, but doesn’t even appear to have a job at all early on in the show. His wages wouldn’t stretch much further when factored in with girlfriend Lily Aldrin’s kindergarten teacher salary, either.
31. Phil Dunphy
TV show: Modern Family
Profession: Realtor
Average salary in 2009: $86,000
The Dunphy house sold for $2.15 million in 2014. Yet, like the TV show, it’s all an illusion. While a real house is used for external shots, the interior was constructed on a soundstage. Nevertheless, a property with a price tag that high would incur mortgage fees of roughly $10,000 a month.
Profession: Realtor
Average salary in 2009: $86,000
The Dunphy house sold for $2.15 million in 2014. Yet, like the TV show, it’s all an illusion. While a real house is used for external shots, the interior was constructed on a soundstage. Nevertheless, a property with a price tag that high would incur mortgage fees of roughly $10,000 a month.
And although Phil is a successful realtor himself, it’s unlikely that the outlay would be within his reach. Especially with three kids and their stay at home mom to support.
32. Matt Murdock
TV show: Daredevil
Profession: Lawyer
Average salary in 2015: $155,050
We’re led to believe that Matt Murdock and his lawyer partner Foggy are constantly on the verge of closing down their practice. That’s because their clients can’t afford to pay their fees. So how is it that Daredevil gets to live in a spacious loft in Hell’s Kitchen, New York?
Profession: Lawyer
Average salary in 2015: $155,050
We’re led to believe that Matt Murdock and his lawyer partner Foggy are constantly on the verge of closing down their practice. That’s because their clients can’t afford to pay their fees. So how is it that Daredevil gets to live in a spacious loft in Hell’s Kitchen, New York?
He claims the place was cheap due to being floodlit by an opposing neon sign. One of the drawbacks of having such huge windows, we suppose. Nevertheless, that property price was never going to be dirt cheap.
33. Nick Miller
TV show: New Girl
Profession: Bartender
Average salary in 2011: $31,200
In 2011 three L.A. roommates — Nick, Winston, and Schmidt — take in a new lodger, Jess. But even with the rent split four ways they could each easily have incurred a $2K a month bill for the size loft they were living in.
Profession: Bartender
Average salary in 2011: $31,200
In 2011 three L.A. roommates — Nick, Winston, and Schmidt — take in a new lodger, Jess. But even with the rent split four ways they could each easily have incurred a $2K a month bill for the size loft they were living in.
It would have been a realistic target for three of them, but Nick? He’s a law school dropout who works in a bar. He never seems to have any money anyway. But in reality he’d be even worse off.
34. Adam Braverman
TV show: Parenthood
Profession: Corporate manager
Average salary in 2010: $120,000
One of the charms of Parenthood was how true to life it felt. That’s until you look at the finances. Are we really expected to believe that dad Adam Braverman paid for one child’s college fees, while another required specialist care due to Asperger’s and the third was only an infant, a typically expensive time of a child’s life?
Profession: Corporate manager
Average salary in 2010: $120,000
One of the charms of Parenthood was how true to life it felt. That’s until you look at the finances. Are we really expected to believe that dad Adam Braverman paid for one child’s college fees, while another required specialist care due to Asperger’s and the third was only an infant, a typically expensive time of a child’s life?
And that’s before his wife required treatment for cancer. He had a decent job with a salary to reflect it. But this all would have been a stretch too far.
35. Jerry Seinfeld
TV show: Seinfeld
Profession: Stand up comic
Average salary in 1989: Unknown
Focusing on money would most likely spoil the fun in our favorite sitcoms, right? So it’s better to believe that these beloved characters can quite easily settle on their own in New York apartments, despite times without gainful employment.
Profession: Stand up comic
Average salary in 1989: Unknown
Focusing on money would most likely spoil the fun in our favorite sitcoms, right? So it’s better to believe that these beloved characters can quite easily settle on their own in New York apartments, despite times without gainful employment.
Jerry Seinfeld, however, had an ordered and considered personality conducive with those careful with the green. But, even as a stand-up comic with a modicum of success, it’s hard to know enough about his finances to judge whether his lifestyle was sustainable.
36. Dan Humphrey
TV show: Gossip Girl
Profession: Poet/writer
Average salary in 2007: $36,400
Dan Humphrey is the man who appears to have it all in Gossip Girl. He was always the smartest person in class, and consequently was accepted into Yale. Instead, he ended up attending NYU, where he adopted a lifestyle based around the incredibly wealthy Upper East Side in New York and vacations in the exclusive Hamptons.
Profession: Poet/writer
Average salary in 2007: $36,400
Dan Humphrey is the man who appears to have it all in Gossip Girl. He was always the smartest person in class, and consequently was accepted into Yale. Instead, he ended up attending NYU, where he adopted a lifestyle based around the incredibly wealthy Upper East Side in New York and vacations in the exclusive Hamptons.
Could this have been funded by wealthy parents? Highly unlikely since his father was a struggling musician and his mom an artist who Dan feels deserted the family.
37. Nikki Swango
TV show: Fargo
Profession: Parolee
Average salary in 2010: $0-$500
It’s hard to say how much Nikki Swango earned in season three of Fargo. No one actually saw her working a regular job and, as a parolee, her income most likely came from bridge winnings, petty theft, or casual con artistry.
Profession: Parolee
Average salary in 2010: $0-$500
It’s hard to say how much Nikki Swango earned in season three of Fargo. No one actually saw her working a regular job and, as a parolee, her income most likely came from bridge winnings, petty theft, or casual con artistry.
Nevertheless, was it enough to sustain her love of exceptional coats or maintain her immaculate haircuts? We think it’s highly unlikely unless her light fingers came into play.
38. Ellen
TV show: Ellen
Profession: Bookstore clerk
Average salary in 1994: $29,100
That Ellen DeGeneres broke new ground as the first gay character in her self-titled show in 1994 wasn’t even the most shocking thing about the sitcom. What should have caused more of an uproar was the titular character’s turn as a bookstore clerk.
Profession: Bookstore clerk
Average salary in 1994: $29,100
That Ellen DeGeneres broke new ground as the first gay character in her self-titled show in 1994 wasn’t even the most shocking thing about the sitcom. What should have caused more of an uproar was the titular character’s turn as a bookstore clerk.
Somehow, by only the second season, she was able to buy the bookstore and, when the show’s five-year run came to an end, was the proud owner of her own L.A. apartment. Even with a roommate throughout, it’s unlikely her book store wage would have stretched that far.
39. Doug Heffernan
TV show: King Of Queens
Profession: Delivery driver
Average salary in 1998: $16,600
Despite his good heart, Heffernan has been described as a childish, lazy, greedy slacker. He had the type of attitude that saw the otherwise affable and warm character help out as little as possible around the house. It also meant his career developed no further than being a friendly local delivery driver. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course.
Profession: Delivery driver
Average salary in 1998: $16,600
Despite his good heart, Heffernan has been described as a childish, lazy, greedy slacker. He had the type of attitude that saw the otherwise affable and warm character help out as little as possible around the house. It also meant his career developed no further than being a friendly local delivery driver. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course.
But, even taking into account his wife’s income as a legal secretary, they were unlikely to afford their house in Rego Park, Queens, an affluent neighborhood in the already-pricey New York borough.
40. Randall Pearson
TV show: This Is Us
Profession: City councilman
Average salary in 2016: $100,000
While Pearson’s salary doesn’t seem too shabby, there are factors to consider when weighing up whether it was enough to support his family’s lifestyle. Like in season three when he ran for the city councilor’s seat, the campaigning would have carried a hefty price tag. Then there’s the neighborhood they lived in.
Profession: City councilman
Average salary in 2016: $100,000
While Pearson’s salary doesn’t seem too shabby, there are factors to consider when weighing up whether it was enough to support his family’s lifestyle. Like in season three when he ran for the city councilor’s seat, the campaigning would have carried a hefty price tag. Then there’s the neighborhood they lived in.
While it was never made clear precisely where the family home was, it’s believed to be in a fairly wealthy area in Philadelphia where houses come with a price tag of around $400,000. It starts to make that $100K look quite miniscule.