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If there was an Emmy Award for awkward sex, Girls on HBO would undoubtedly prove to be the contender to beat. Whether the show's leading ladies are making bumbling attempts at role play or weathering failed cherry poppings, the gritty series about twenty-something NYC transplants has no qualms about keeping it (uncomfortably) real. Props over here.
On the flip side, one of the few perks of a recent episode's would-be sex scene (Zosia Mamet's unforeseen 10 of a bod), we weren't even able to enjoy because we were too busy ogling something else: her apartment. No, it wasn't the pink curtains or the oversized Sex and the City poster, but the space. Remember what your New York City apartment looked like as a student? When your railroad-style crib forced you to make due with shoji screens in lieu of bedroom walls? And your bed served as sleep space, lounge area, and dining quarters all in one?
Even dwellers we've known with relatives picking up the tab (presumably the case here) have been subject to much more closet-like accommodations. What it comes down to: Shoshanna's roomy, sun-drenched Nolita pad is inspiring of envy—and false hopes—in us all. In honor of the character's cavernous digs, and other samples of not-so-real estate, we present to you our list of the 10 Most Unrealistic Apartments in TV Shows & Movies.
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Written by Lauren Otis (@LaurNado)
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10. How to Make It in America
New York City digs have long been depicted as some of the most aspirational spaces on TV—regardless of whether they leave nagging questions of how some of their owners could feasibly afford them. Case in point: the apartment porn that is Jane's (Samaire Armstrong) pad in the How to Make It in America pilot.
You might remember Jane as Ben's (Bryan Greenberg) thirsty, almost-rebound who a friend tries to set him up with. We remember her much better for that gargantuan crib of hers. Just feast your eyes on those massive windows. How she manages to pay the rent each month for those accommodations as "a writer for Nylon" is beyond us, especially when they appear more realistically within the price range of a CEO.
But hey, the writers did ditch Ben's admirer after that first ep. Probably because, judging from the looks of her place, she already made it.
9. Felicity
Back on the topic of student housing, what prospective NYU-er wouldn't fall for city life after catching a glimpse of Ben (Scott Speedman) and Sean's (Greg Grunberg) place on this chick-revered WB drama? Apparently a colossal, exposed-brick loft is within reach for any Dean & Deluca employee or enthusiastic, yet unemployed 20-something with quirky dreams of entrepreneurship.
8. New Girl
Reminding ourselves that Angelenos have to keep cars fueled in addition to shelling out for housing makes us feel slightly better about their ability to score ample space for less. The apartment shared by Jess (Zooey Deschanel), Winston (Lamorne Morris), Nick (Jake Johnson), and Schmidt (Max Greenfield) on New Girl, on the other hand, takes this to cartoonish extremes.
Observe the above photo. No crew of 20-somethings should realistically be able to roller-skate around their apartment (well, we guess it's possible when your loft pretty much occupies an entire floor). Further, of its four residents, only one (Schmidt) has a stable, full-time job that could possibly fund a spot like this. Before you head west with dreams of a gymnasium-size dwelling, we'd recommend checking them at the Golden State door.
7. Ghostbusters
With a parkside location and views like Ghostbusters' Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver)—a professional musician who somehow manages to occupy a building that's housed the likes of Donna Karan and Calvin Klein in real life—we almost wouldn't mind the drawback of evil demons chilling in the mammoth kitchen.
6. 2 Broke Girls
For two broke girls, Williamsburg-based waitresses Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) manage to inhabit one humongous apartment—not an easy thing to do, as rent began getting jacked up dramatically once the area began to gentrify. Unless they nabbed a spot in one of those warehouses flipping commercial space into illegal lofts, we can't wrap our head around how two chicks living on tips are able to make rent in an exposed brick, hardwood floor-having spot like this without squatting.
5. Friends with Benefits
An Art Director spot at GQ is no joke. If only we could say the same of the Vegas penthouse-sized Manhattan apartment owned by JT's character (who lands the role—as well as Mila Kunis). Has the world imploded yet?
4. Sex and the City
With the amount of cash that Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker)—yet another freelance writer in suspect accommodations—regularly dropped on shoes and questionable wardrobe items alone, it's shocking that she was able to pay the bills. But a one-bedroom in a brownstone with a large kitchen, oversized bedroom, and walk-in closet? On NYC's Upper East Side? Maybe if she's peddling weed in addition to relationship advice.
3. Seinfeld
At least the sitcom's titular character has his successful stand-up career to explain his spacious Upper West Side digs. His ambiguously-self-sufficient neighbor Kramer (Michael Richards)—whose means of support are never fully explained, though he does dabble in various part-time jobs—too, comes home to a place large enough to play host to a sizable living room hot tub and a series of Japanese tourists. Is it us or is there something wrong with this picture?
2. Friends
Despite the show's attempts to explain away Monica (Courteney Cox) and Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) over-the-top living situation (yes, there's a balcony to go with this) with tales of a sketchy sublet from Monica's grandmother, it's still baffling to no end how the duo, a waitress and flailing chef at the outset, were able to come home to a crib larger than those making three times their combined salary. Chef pay can be generous, but this girl, barely able to hold down a job, is far from Mario Batali.
1. Big
Getting old never looked better than it did in this 1988 classic, where a boy's wish for growth results in his being granted an early preview of adulthood—at least by Hollywood standards. After securing a toy testing job at the MacMillan toy company, dude gets himself an enormous loft that would probably rival Beyoncé's, forgoing furniture in favor of a basketball court, arcade games, and a giant trampoline. Because you can do that when you've got a hundred-foot ceiling.