So many film and tv characters have jobs that seem to be almost no work and all pay, pretty much the exact opposite of how things are in their careers in real life. From freelance writers somehow managing to live the high life, to public school teachers who seem to be financially secure and have so much free time, to lawyers who spend more time enjoying their lavish lifestyle than putting in the billable hours to afford it, salaries that don't line up with real world are part of the fun of movies and tv, but can also give people some pretty unrealistic ideas of what those jobs are really like.
So lets dig into some of our favorite shows, like Sex and the City, New Girl, Suits, Friends, and more to unpack some of the more unrealistic salaries on screen, plus we'll take a look at some other shows we love that actually seem to be getting things right like Insecure and Abbott Elementary!

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CHAPTERS
00:00 Unrealistic job salaries are everywhere on screen
00:59 Struggling artists... without the struggle
01:34 Freelance writers
02:46 Actors and comedians
04:46 Doing important work means you don't need money...?
05:16 Teachers
07:20 Lawyers
11:22 Why Hollywood loves to show unrealistic salaries


The Take was created by Debra Minoff & Susannah McCullough
This video was written by Stevie Lazarus, produced/narrated by Jessica Babineaux, and edited by John Todd