OK, I’ll switch to “Gibbs”. Mostly because of the episode where the dorky-looking guy finds the terrorist-looking girl (hey, i don’t remember characters’ names) in the enemy camp, and they both end up beaten and tied to chairs, about to be executed.
Dorky tells the bad guy about the rest of their workmates, perhaps just to buy some time. But then says something like “Oh, remember when I told you about the boss and his skills? Well… the boss is a sniper.”
And on that note, a bullet smacks into the side of bad guy’s skull, and the camera seems to fly through the hole in the window, across the city, across a valley to a lone figure under a camo net on a distant hilltop. Gibbs.
Geez, my boss wouldn’t even tell off a client for me…
Agreed. He’s a hardass, but he’s a hardass who’s competent and fair.
Other good bosses…
Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox, as well as Commissioner Gordon in the various Batman cartoons. Competent, active in the running of the organizations they’re in charge of (even Bruce), devoted to the well-being of their employees. Gordon utilizes the asset that is the Bat-family, but not to the detriment of the cops who actually work for him.
On the note of DCU cartoons… Perry White from Superman - like Lou, a hardass, but a hardass who knows what his employees are capable of, and, since he’s not saddled with someone like Ted Baxter, he knows he can give them a long leash and get the work done, on deadline, and in good quality.
Worst… Oh, heck, let’s stick with cartoon characters…
Mr Krabbs from Spongebob Squarepants…my opinion isn’t helped by the fact that he reminds me of the boss I had when I worked in fast food. Greedy, cheats his employees and customers, has an occasionally cruel sense of humour…exploits random people and animals who aren’t even in his employ…
Jorgen von Strangle from Fairly Odd Parents - his name says it all, really. He really enjoys torturing the other fairies, and god-children he has purview over. Even the villainous Head Pixie wouldn’t be as bad to work for (he’s evil, manipulative, vindictive, and rather boring, but those who work for him would only suffer the last one…if they weren’t, themselves, boring as hell).
Oh, hell, let’s throw in Timmy for good measure…the kid’s a jerk half the time, and an idiot the other half. But he’s a kid, so it’d be forgiveable…viewed from the outside…Wanda must really love him, since she hasn’t zapped him to Yugopotamia permanently.
Actually Drysdale wasn’t bad in the B&W episodes. He wasn’t cheap and would often say, you have to spend money to make money. When the show went color he started to turn into a miser, leading Miss Jane to say the only reason she stays with him, is that she wants to see him get his comeuppance
Basil was a jerk to the guests and Manuel but it seemed Polly and Terry just ignored him and he was fine. In fact Polly says she and Terry ran the place singlehanded.
As a person who has worked in the hotel business most of his life, I’d like to work for him just to watch him say to his guests, what I’ve so long wanted to say
He may be evil, but think of all the crap Homer Simpson has pulled over the years (up to and including meltdown), with nary more than a slap on the wrist as punishment. Burns strikes me as the type of boss that, so long as you’re willing to grovel and kiss his ass, will let you slide on just about anything.
Worst? Any of the schlubs running CTU in the 24’verse. Either they were outright moles, were utterly unable to control their own staff (made up mostly of moles), or were head-shot by Jack Bauer when the terrorist asked him to execute his boss.
Worst: Arthur Carlson of WKRP. Never let your children run your business.
Runner up: House. IRL he wouldn’t keep a staff member for longer than a week. No person, no matter how talented, is going to find people willing to work for him if he is an asshole.
I don’t know, I’d love to work for Michael Scott. He makes everyone pretty much “fire proof” as you’d have to fuck up pretty bad for them to have a good reason to fire you when he’s gotten away with everything for as long as he did. I’d be a lot like Stanley, ignore all of the craziness as best I could and just collect my paycheck.
Worst boss… How about Murphy Brown? The turnover at that desk…
I wouldn’t want to work for Malcolm Reynolds. He’d just keep getting you in places where you can get shot at. Sure he cares when you’re hurt, but that doesn’t make the bullet go away.
I have no nominations for best. Although Liz Lemon wouldn’t be too bad. She’s got issues, but she’s easy to manipulate.
I worked as a deputy in Mayberry for six months, and though Sheriff Taylor was fair, and full of homespun wisdom, he only let me have ONE bullet! I asked him about it, and all he’d say is “Sorry–precedent”.
But don’t forget you’d have to put up with Barney, at least until color came in. But you’d still have that fat ass freeloader and her pickles to bother you for the whole time
