TV shows that are helping my through unemployment
At the end of June my company made the decision to eliminate my position. It came as quite a shock. I had a mix of summertime feels as well as relief (I was pretty unhappy there). I decided I would apply to new jobs and network daily.
I also decided it was time to catch up on a bunch of things including my favorite shows. After years of leaving the house at 7:15am, sometimes an hour earlier, returning nine hours later to then grab dinner and work out at the gym, I finally had some down time. Now that I’m unemployed I can go to the gym unscheduled and have more time to catch up and binge watch some of my favorites. I keep on applying daily but every once in a while I give myself down time with quality television.
And I’ve found not only is it helping me complete my pop culture knowledge, it’s also getting me through the ups and downs of unemployment. Here are the shows that have gotten me through.
The Office
Steve Carrell was actually one of the world’s WORST bosses ever. He’s so inappropriate, even all the times he meant well. Sure it’s funny on TV but it was giving me relief to be able to chuckle at the screen without having to go in and face the real thing. Plus the co-workers of The Office gave me a fill-in for the ones I didn’t have: Andy the enthusiast, Phyllis the tame tiger ready to show her stripes, Tobey the awkward one, Dwight the over-achiever, Kelly the gossip, Kevin the lovable but immature, Stanley the is-it-5pm-yet? guy, and Oscar the one who was the most sane. After you’ve slightly missed the office atmosphere you relied on every day, whether good or bad, you can always tune in to this awesome, funny cast.
Parks and Recreation
This is another fake office that was nothing like my real working experience, but helped fill in for it. I only wish I had Leslie Knope to work for. Honestly, Amy Poehler’s character is what everyone needs to strive to be for their work life. She’s energetic, she cares, she’s a go-getter, and she always gets the job done and goes above and beyond what’s asked of her.
Bob’s Burgers
This show is a godsend for those of us who are now unemployed and still living at home because they don’t have enough to move out. (Who, me?) Bob just wants to make an honest living flipping burgers and running his burger restaurant. For the introverts out there, Tina speaks to us all, G Bob is humble, but reminds us we all have a little crazy in us. The good kind, as well as the awkward kind. I also love the hidden puns all over the show.
The Mindy Project
Mindy Kaling’s character is a paradox. She’s strong and successful, but still kind of a mess. Like so many of us, no? She contains multitudes. I envy her amazing wardrobe (if only my work clothes were put together by a costume designer!) as well as her co-workers. When I watch the show, I hope my next job can be somewhere that I can play Mindy Lahiri.
Empire
No one’s office is as dramatic as Empire every day. (Well, at least not most offices.) But the amazing, tangled web of the Lyons family is so fun and compelling to watch: the cutthroat deals, the secrets, the business politics. Lucious Lyon is like a modern day J.R. Ewing of the hip hop world. He’s always undermining someone and turning the tables. Also, can I get like, all of Cookie’s dresses? That’s definitely going to help with my next interview.
Lindsey Wagner is an avid reader and fangirl extraordinaire with a marketing background living in the ‘burbs of Philly. Besides being a social media connoisseur and human IMDb, she loves running, Henry Cavill, and wants a puppy really badly. Check out her blog at abookishsinisterkid.wordpress.com or tweet her @idek_linz.
[Image via NBC]
