This is How Much Your Favourite TV Character Would Earn in Real Life

Series: 9-1-1
Job: Police Sergeant, LAPD
Location: Los Angeles, California
Salary: $123,152 USD/$162,245 CDN

Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Mail bombers. There's nothing glamorous about what Athena has to deal with as a field sergeant in the City of Angels. While we've noted the average salary, she likely earns closer to $140k per year based on her years with the force.

Series: Shrill
Job: Journalist, The Thorn
Location: Portland, Oregon
Salary: $42,182 USD/$55,571 CDN

Annie clearly loves writing although she doesn't always get to work on what she's most passionate about. Journalist salaries right across the US are on the low side. Working for a publication in Portland would likely land Annie in the $42k range, which is 5% below the national average.

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Series: Grey’s Anatomy
Job: Chief of General Surgery, Grey Sloan
Memorial Hospital Location: Seattle, Washington
Salary: $349,526 USD/$460,574 CDN

Meredith Grey has worked her way through the ranks at the hospital formerly known as Seattle Grace. Grey’s Anatomy is now in its 16th season, and Meredith is not only the Chief of General Surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial, she’s also part owner of the teaching hospital, so her annual salary is likely higher than the average for a General Surgeon in the Emerald City.

SEE ALSO: Jobs in Canada that pay more than $300K.

Series: Good Trouble
Job: Software Engineer, Speckulate
Location: Los Angeles, California
Salary: $91,469 USD/$120,512 CDN

An MIT grad, Mariana works as a software engineer at a Los Angeles-based tech startup. Despite her skill, ambition, and accomplishments so far, she is likely paid less than the city average as an entry level staffer. There's also the issue of wage inequality for women in tech, something that the show tackled in its second season.

Having amazing moms on the show probably helped get her on the right track (and if you watched The Fosters — you know it did!)

Series: Succession
Job: Political Consultant Location: New York City, New York
Salary: $85,761 USD/$112,991 CDN

When not contending with family drama, this born leader would rather stay behind the scenes working with future senators and presidents. It's not all campaign strategy, though. A political consultant also has to clean up social media messes and other PR disasters.

Series: 30 Rock
Job: Executive Producer and Writer, TGS with Tracy Jordan
Location: New York City, New York
Salary: $130,971 USD/$172,389 CDN

When we first met Liz, she was the creator and producer of sketch comedy series The Girlie Show which became TGS, a showcase for unpredictable comedic actor Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan). Although the average salary may seem reasonable, it probably wasn't nearly enough for all the babysitting, handholding and ego coddling that Ms Lemon had to contend with.

Series: One Day at a Time
Job: Nurse Practitioner
Location: Los Angeles, California
Salary: $132,000 USD/ $173,909 CDN

Penelope Alvarez was an Army medic in Afghanistan and then a nurse in Los Angeles before she went back to school and became a nurse practitioner. While the average salary is in the $130k range, Penelope would likely earn less since she's just getting started in her new role.

Let's not forget in Canada, a registered nurse is an in-demand job in 2020.

Job: Neurobiologist
Location: Los Angeles, California
Salary: $53,456 USD/$70,426 CDN

Just because you're a respected scientist doesn't mean you're making the big bucks. A neurobiologist, like Amy Farrah Fowler, would likely earn in and around $50k as a research fellow at an LA-based college.

Series: Sex and the City
Job: Freelance Writer and Columnist
Location: New York City, New York
Salary: $68,257 USD/$89,928 CDN

If there's one thing for certain, Carrie's wardrobe was on the ambitious side based on what the average NYC-based newspaper columnist earns in a year. How did she support her lavish lifestyle on a freelancer's income? Help from her friends, of course, in the form of loans that she always paid back.

Series: The Bold Type
Job: Head of Social Media, Scarlet Magazine
Location: New York City, New York
Salary: $73,938 USD/$97,411 CDN

Kat may have dabbled in local politics for a season, but it's her role as social media maven for fictional Scarlet Magazine that put her on the map. If you think gaining a major brand millions of followers on Twitter translates to a six-figure salary, think again. A social media director in NYC earns just over $70k on average.

Series: Gilmore Girls
Job: Manager, Dragonfly Inn Location: Stars Hollow, Connecticut
Salary: $93,099 USD/$122,655 CDN

Stars Hollow was inspired by the town of New Milford, Connecticut where at present, a hotel manager makes $93k on average. Even though it'd be considered a decent salary, it was a drop in the bucket compared to the Gilmore family's considerable wealth.

Series: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Job: Police Detective, NYPD
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Salary: $68,139 USD/$89,761 CDN

While working at the Nine-Nine looks like it's non-stop fun, the life of an actual NYPD detective likely has fewer hijinks. The average salary may seem on the low side, but police detectives in NYC actually earn 37% higher than the US national average.

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Series: Parks and Recreation
Job: Deputy Director, Pawnee Department of Parks and Recreation
Location: Pawnee, Indiana Salary: $83,166 USD/$109,580 CDN

Before Leslie Knope went on to the National Parks Service and ultimately the White House, she started her political career in fictional Pawnee. Since the town was loosely based on Muncie, Indiana, we went with average deputy director salaries in nearby Indianapolis.

RELATED: 20 best Canadian national parks to explore.

Series: Friday Night Lights
Job: High School Principal
Location: Dillon, Texas
Salary: $88,566 USD/$116,678 CDN

The fictional town of Dillon was based on Odessa, Texas so we've used those numbers to guestimate what Tami Taylor would've earned as a principal. That's more than double what her husband was making in the esteemed role of head football coach.

Series: The Mindy Project
Job: Obstetrician and Gynecologist
Location: New York City, New York
Salary: $167,263/$220,324 CDN

Being a doctor in NYC doesn't necessarily mean that you're sitting pretty. Mindy Lahiri was likely bringing in over $160k a year, but when the clinic she worked at landed in some financial trouble, she started a side hustle to help women freeze their eggs.

Series: Homeland
Job: Intelligence Officer, CIA
Location: Washington, DC
Salary: $101,285 USD/$133,425 CDN

For the level of risk involved in the type of work that Carrie does at the CIA, you'd expect her to be compensated handsomely. The current figures place an intelligence officer in the $100k range, so that benefit package better be amazing.

Series: Friends
Job: Head Chef
Location: New York City, New York
Salary: $40,872 USD/$53,845 CDN

Even in her most senior role, Monica wouldn't have earned very much per year based on actual head chef salaries in NYC. Current numbers indicate that the average is around $40k, but there's potential to earn up to $89k on the higher end of the spectrum.

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Series: Superstore
Job: Store Manager, Cloud 9
Location: St. Louis, Missouri Salary: $42,016 USD/$55,348 CDN

After completing a management training program, Amy becomes the manager of her store at a whopping $109,000 per year. This figure is significantly higher than the $40k+ average for similar roles in Missouri's second largest city.

Series: Younger
Job: Associate Editor, Millennial Press
Location: New York City, New York
Salary: $51,452 USD/$67,788 CDN

Liza Miller loves the publishing industry so much that she pretended to be in her 20s to work as an assistant at Empirical Press, and it wasn't for the money. She's worked her way up to assistant editor at the Millennial Imprint, but it by no means comes with the big bucks.

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Series: The X-Files
Job: Special Agent, FBI
Location: Washington, DC
Salary: $147,832 CDN/$194,684 CDN

If TV has taught us anything, working with the FBI is already a tough gig. Now imagine throwing aliens and other unexplained phenomena into the mix. That, and a partner like Fox Mulder would have her earning every penny and then some. We've included the average salary for a special agent, but it could be on the higher side since Scully is also a medical doctor.

Series: Killing Eve
Job: Intelligence Officer, MI5
Location: London, England
Salary: £32,560 GBP/$55,738 CDN

Eve is stuck in a career rut when she gets entangled in a dangerous game with international assassin, Villanelle. Traveling across Europe on the trail of the infamous killer may sound glamorous, but a job like Eve's offers a rather modest salary.

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Series: Mad Men
Job: Copy Chief, Sterling Cooper & Partners
Location: New York City, New York
Salary: $91,829 USD/$120,995 CDN

Peggy Olson cracked the glass ceiling and smashed the patriarchy on more than one occasion as she worked her way from $20 a week as a secretary to $19,000 annually as copy chief. The same position in 2020 pays nearly five times that rate on average, but then again $1 in the 1960s equals close to $9 at the present time.

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Series: Friends
Job: Buyer and Personal Shopper, Bloomingdale’s
Location: New York City, New York
Salary: $65,471 USD/$86,268 CDN

Fixating on how Rachel afforded NYC rent on a waitress salary often overshadows her other jobs with Ralph Lauren and Bloomingdale's. If she was currently employed as a buyer at the famous department store, the only way she'd be living in a Greenwich Village apartment is with at least a couple of roommates.

Job: Associate Producer, WJM News
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Salary: $46,887 USD/$61,773 CDN

Without a doubt, Mary Richards was a groundbreaking role on a revolutionary small screen series, paving the way for more complex female roles. Being a feminist icon doesn't necessarily come with a big paycheque. Based on current averages in Minneapolis, Mary would be earning around $46k each year.