On National Boss Day, We Salute Our Favorite Workplace Chiefs

Happy National Boss Day! On October 17th, we all take a moment to give thanks that we’re gainfully employed. Here are SuperFan TV’s Favorite Sitcom Bosses…

Lou Grant, The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Sure, Mr. Grant — or Lou to everyone but Mary — kept up that tough demeanor as best he could, but down deep the grumpy, old coot in charge of Minneapolis’ WJM-TV was a real softie.

Principal Blackman, Strangers With Candy

Turn-of-the-century Comedy Central was a weird, wild west of sitcoms, and this Stephen Colbert-Amy Sedaris vehicle may take the cake for oddest of the lot. And the omnipresence of debonair Principal Onyx Blackman perfectly epitomized their downright bizarre world.

Kruger, Seinfeld

Many bosses came and went on Seinfeld, but Kruger makes the list, because he was so awful, inept and apathetic that he made George Costanza look like a model employee. Plus, he gave us a favorite response to any problem, “Works for me!”

Buck Strickland, King of the Hill

A smooth Texas tycoon — at least until the going got tough — Buck was the face of Strickland Propane, while Hank Hill was pretty much everything else. Buck was always two drinks away from a good time, and three away from a complete meltdown.

Isaac Jaffe, Sports Night

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Isaac Jaffe was a great boss who actually cared about his employees. He defused a bad situation after Associate Producer Jeremy was put on an uncomfortable assignment by telling him,”If it’s hard trusting us at the beginning, maybe it’ll help to know that… we trust you.”

Liz Lemon, 30 Rock

Another boss we’d actually like to work for! Liz did everything she could to make sure her workplace was a great environment… even if sometimes she had no idea what she was doing. Just don’t get between her and her lunch.

Ron Swanson, Parks & Rec

Best Boss Mustache goes to Ron Swanson, who also falls into the category of jerk on the outside, big lovable teddy bear on the inside. He even revolutionized our approach to BBQs.

Mr. Burns, The Simpsons

Old Man Burns runs the Springfield power plant with an iron fist and a befuddling vocabulary of outdated gobbledygook that introduced us all to gems like, “Now, if you can get it through your bug-addled brain, jam that second mephitic clodhopper of yours on the right doodad! Now pump those scrawny chicken legs, you stuporous funker!”

Selina Meyer, VEEP

Another impressive linguist, but President Meyer’s silver tongue is downright obscene. Her bile is often targeted at the so-awful-he-almost-deserves-it Jonah Ryan, “You like to have sex and you like to travel? Then you can f**k off!”

Michael Scott, The Office

But there is no better boss than Dunder-Mifflin’s regional manager. This flawed and hilarious workplace leader often mused about what it truly meant to be a boss, “Like, ‘Those shoulder pads are really boss man.’ ‘Look at that perm, that perm is so boss!’ It’s what made me want to become a boss. And I looked so good in a perm and shoulder pads.”

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Tell us what you think! Who is your favorite sitcom boss? Are there any that we forgot? Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Khail Anonymous, on Twitter.