TV's Worst Workplaces

After a long day's work, sometimes it's nice to curl up on the couch and watch your favorite comedies, dramadies and soap operas, while daydreaming about the characters you love within them.

You wonder what life would be like as the editor-in-chief of your favorite gossip magazine, like Lucy Spiller on Dirt. You picture the gourmet dishes you'd concoct as an amateur chef on Hell's Kitchen. And imagine the possibilities with a lifetime supply of free plastic surgery, a perk of being a plastic surgeon in the offices of Nip/Tuck.

Well snap out of it.

While these network workplaces appear to be the envy of all offices, if you look a little deeper, you'll see exactly how dysfunctional, disgusting and downright deplorable some of these places actually are.

Read on to gain some perspective on seven of TV's worst workplaces -- they're sure to make you feel a little better about your own work scenario.

Nip/Tuck
Why it's the worst workplace: It seems as though everyone who walks through the doors of McNamara/Troy, a Miami plastic surgery practice, is subject to some type of scandal. Drug lords changing their appearances; organ harvesting and salacious acts including euthanasia, pedophilia, infidelity, incest, rape, murder, malpractice, necrophilia, masochism, drug smuggling and extortion (to name a few) have all plagued this doomed office -- and all in just three seasons.

Dirt
Why it's the worst workplace: In the offices of gossip magazine, DirtNow, Lucy Spiller, the editor-in-chief, will stop at nothing to get a story. Don Konkey, a functioning schizophrenic/photographer for the magazine, is so devoted to Lucy, he cut off one of his own fingers to get a shot he wanted -- or rather, a shot Lucy needed and insisted he get. Not to mention Willa McPherson, a reporter who works her tail off to get breaking stories for Lucy. She's been known to do such things as surrendering to sexual acts and taking drugs to advance the goals of the magazine.

The Simpsons
Why it's the worst workplace: Work life at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant (SNPP), the inadequately cared for plant where Homer works as safety inspector, is appalling. Besides having your career frozen in time (Homer's job has changed little in 18 years) your life may also be at risk. Rats, cracked cooling towers and pipes leaking radioactive waste are a normal occurrence at SNPP. Montgomery Burns, the owner, has racked up over 342 violations at the plant, resulting in a $56 million potential bill to bring the place up to code.

And don't think heading home after a long day's work allows you to escape the plant -- a little ancillary benefit of Mr. Burns owning the plant is his monopoly on Springfield's power -- i.e., frequently turning off your electricity on a whim.

Hell's Kitchen
Why it's the worst workplace: Talk about the boss from hell. This series features individual and team cooking challenges, where contestants are kept or eliminated based on specific cooking criteria. Each challenge requires a stamp of approval from Gordon Ramsay, host/head chef. Sounds easy enough. But factor in Ramsay throwing away entire food dishes if he doesn't like them; swearing, yelling and putting others down and just being downright intimidating -- sounds like hell to me.

The Simple Life 5
Why it's the worst: Given the recent track records of Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, one can only imagine what it was like for Ed Bellante to have the duo employed as camp counselors at Camp Shawnee. From cursing over the camp loudspeaker every morning to teaching 5-year-olds to flip the bird, these two had no regard for anything (or anyone) but themselves.

Lost
Why it's the worst: Imagine Juliet's surprise when, after accepting a job she thought was in Portland, Ore., she arrived on an island she couldn't leave, let alone know where it was. Working in outdated facilities, with a limited amount of equipment is bad enough, not to mention that her job duties entailed keeping pregnant co-workers and friends safe from unknown afflictions. 

To top it off, there's no separation of work and personal life -- in fact, there's no personal life at all -- unless you count the book club that your mass-murdering, manipulative boss sits in on (the same boss who already exterminated an earlier group of workers). 

Ugly Betty
Why it's the worst: "Catty" is the name of the game in this office. Sure, Betty may have her dream job working for a top-notch magazine -- but you gotta wonder if it's worth it. Co-workers going behind her back to sabotage her position? Getting caught in the middle of your bosses' personal and family issues? No thanks.