A modern example is Psych. They had a recent episode referencing waiting for their pay from the Police to pay the cable bill, but I think the office they have is way above their means (standalone building, Santa Barbara, waterfront(?)), and they got it on week 1 of their detective agency.
I think Sean’s father’s house is also waterfront, so even though it’s small I think it would be beyond the means of the police officer he was back in the 80’s when they bought it.
In suburban Los Angeles, to boot. Although I’m willing to bet that the price of housing in California was more in line with the national average in the 1970s.
Let’s turn all these clowns into the IRS for unreported income. I understand there is a bounty.
I assumed Ignacio and his wife bought that place decades ago. It would have been much cheaper back then, so the payments are low if not already paid off. My parents half million dollar house cost $40K in the 70’s. I think their mortgage payment wasn’t more than a few hundred bucks.
Magnum of Magnum PI upgraded from a fake Ferrari to a real one through the series (IIRC, it was a prop upgrade, but I digress) which would be explainable if he was a guest of such a rich benefactor.
ETA: My bad (should have googled first), the fakes were for stunts. Still, it would explain how a mere PI can have a top of the line European super car.
Since a couple of movies have already been mentioned…
The first Batman movie with Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger, Vickie Vale’s apartment is pretty swanky for a journalist. Even one published by Time magazine. :rolleyes:
I think the last time anyone asked the question in the OP, it was pointed out that Homer Simpson was able to get by with the vast sums of money he made in outlandish schemes being almost, but not quite wiped out by the court cases he lost.
He only had 3 kids, all boys under the age of 13, when he built the house. I assume that Greg had a room to himself and Bobby & Peter shared whichever room was closer to the master bedroom.
True, but he’s also been to jail twice. He’s trying to deliberately keep a low profile by living off the grid. Ditto the rest of the Fam. I always wondered where Clarence stayed.
Heck, she’s just following in the footsteps of Margot Kidder’s Lois Lane from the first Superman movie and her (to quote Mad Magazine) Taj Mahal apartment.
Even though Sunnydale’s housing was fairly cheap, I find it hard to believe that her mother could afford a house that nice. Of course, the issue of money is discussed in Season Six, but as far as I know (don’t spoil, we’re only on the first two discs!) it’s not explained how Joyce could afford to fix the house each time Buffy wrecked it.
Batman, how does he maintain a business empire when he stays awake 24/7? (Always bugged me).
What about the family on Good Times? I don’t know the demographics for families in poverty in 1970’s Chicago, but shouldn’t a family with two working parents have been able to afford something a little better than a two-bedroom apartment in the projects?
Two words: Lucius. Fox.
One more word: Prepared
If you’re up to season six, you should already know that Xander fixes the house for free after he becomes a construction foreman.
Secondly, while it’s never stated outright, I assume Joyce gets a pretty hefty child support/alimony payment from Buffy’s father (he did run off with his secretary) during the early years of the show.
I can’t believe you’re making me do this, but Danny Tanner was only a sportscaster for a little while. Then he started doing “Wake Up, San Francisco” with Becky, and that, presumably, went with a pay raise. Plus, Jesse and Joey were always employed, including a stint as radio DJs, Joey on a children’s show, Jesse getting gigs with his band, and Jesse owning a club. Plus, after Becky married Jesse, they were getting that income.
Not only that, but Joyce owned a gallery. Presumably, she got a decent income from that.
Magnums main job was working for Robin Masters. His pay was living in the guest house for free and access to the Ferrari whenever he wanted. I think the only thing he had to pay for was food, clothes and any items he wanted that weren’t needed for the job. That was why he did the PI gig.
You didn’t see The Dark Knight?
They show him sleeping during the meeting that was held to discuss the merger between Wayne Enterprises and the Chinese company. I understand that Batman has been around for a very long time, and it may never have been addressed before now, but at least they made the attempt to explain that recently.
This may be waaayy off track, but isn’t Frasier somehow supposed to have happened after Cheers - where Frasier did have a successful practise prior to his divorce to the harridan from hell? (sorry if this is off base, I don’t watch Frasier that often)
Didn’t that car belong to Robin Masters and Magnum just had the use of it?