Can you learn about business from popular TV shows? We all know that TV and movies can be unrealistic, and you might not want to use the actions or insights from a TV show directly in your business.
However, many shows are based on real-life industries or scenarios, and for someone running their own business, they can be relatable and entertaining.
Previously, we shared our favorite Netflix movies with business lessons, and now we’re taking a look at some of the best TV series on which business concepts can be found.
Comedy Business TV Shows
The Office
This mockumentary series makes fun of the mundane and ridiculous day-to-day behavior of office workers at large corporations. The popular show started in the UK, but the US version was a big hit as well.
Regional Manager Michael Scott often flexes his negotiation skills, but it’s usually a masterclass on what not to do. He tries to be a strong but friendly leader, which is also a struggle. If you like slapstick comedy and deadpan delivery, this show might make you smile.
Business lesson: Be confident. Several characters in The Office present confidence in their actions, even when they may not truly feel it themselves. Even when it’s not justified (Michael? Dwight?). This behavior is an important soft skill for business leaders and salespeople to develop.
Ted Lasso
An American football coach moves to the UK to manage a local soccer club and faces a lot of skepticism from the locals. This comedy has a strong cast and a story that brings together lots of silly and heartwarming moments with themes of friendship.
Business lesson: Develop your listening skills. Listening to your customers and prospects can unlock new opportunities for your business. There is no average customer, and each person will have different considerations affecting how they decide to spend money. Ted spends a lot of time on the show listening and learning as he navigates a new sport and culture shock in the UK.
Silicon Valley
This comedy series aired on HBO for six seasons, presenting a parody of tech company culture. It’s the story of a programmer trying to build a startup company in the hyper-competitive world of US technology firms.
Business lesson: Stay true to your vision and follow your instincts. The tech industry is known for being innovative, but it isn’t the only place you’ll find strange or odd ideas. Having a clear vision for your company will help you stay in it for the long haul and recognize the difference between one-hit wonders and long-term success.
Drama Business TV Shows
The Bear
Love it or hate it, this Chicago-based show is an intense drama about pushing yourself, family dynamics, and being laser-focused on an ambitious goal. Displaying the tough challenges of running a restaurant, The Bear shows its characters struggling with investors’ expectations, ballooning costs, and hostile disagreements between each other.
Carmy, Richie, and Sugar work to overcome challenges like talented but inexperienced staff and finding the balance of their own roles within the business.
Business lesson: Invest in your staff with time and training for a stronger business. When Carmy reinvents his brother’s sandwich shop into a fine-dining destination, he knows the limits of his own time and patience, so he sends some of the kitchen staff for professional training.
Peaky Blinders
Another TV show about a family endeavor, this series is set in 1919 with Birmingham’s most famous crime gang, the Peaky Blinders. The show covers the lives of the Shelby brothers, their sister Ada, and cutthroat Aunt Polly.
The show displays examples of different negotiation tactics and strategies that can still be helpful in modern businesses. It’s important to set the tone for negotiations, which can be done if you choose the venue and then respond without being defensive.
Business lesson: Only negotiate when you have leverage. Or, as Tommy Shelby puts it, “You don’t parlay when you’re on the back foot.” This preparation will help to find common ground in negotiations using the reciprocity principle.
Mad Men
This fictional tale of 1960s advertising has been a favorite TV show for business professors and mid-century modern enthusiasts for years. But dig a little deeper, and many of the themes and plotlines are applicable to modern businesses today.
The show features stories about business development, closing a sales deal, surviving a merger, and, of course, advertising. But it also tackles other themes like burnout and negotiation.
Business lesson: Understand your audience. There is a reason why marketing professors love this show. It hammers home the importance of understanding who you are selling to. As the saying goes, “You are not your target market.” Don’t assume you know what your audience wants. Ask them or test different sales strategies and products to see what works.
Suits
This long-running show tackles business themes like ethics, negotiation, and navigating the corporate environment, all with snappy, well-written dialogue that doesn’t hold back. Experienced attorney Harvey Specter is a mentor and sometimes rival to college dropout Mike Ross, who pretends his way into a position at a high-powered NYC law firm.
Business lessons: Prepare and plan to harness the magic of strong first impressions. One of Harvey’s most popular quotes from the show is, “First impressions last. Start behind the eight ball, and you’ll never get in front.” You can set yourself up for success by creating a solid first impression in many ways, like dressing to impress for a business meeting or establishing great customer service for new customers.
Business Documentaries & Reality TV
LulaRich
This documentary on the LulaRoe leggings empire features interviews with the family who started it, the sales force of “retailers,” and former head office employees. Is it a multilevel marketing scheme or just a controversial company that grew too fast?
As the episodes unfold, you’ll see the entrepreneurial spirit that drew many different people to join LulaRoe. Seeing your business grow and expand is the ultimate win for any small business person.
Business lesson: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Being an entrepreneur is about taking risks, and calculated risks can pay off. For high-risk opportunities, proceed with caution and make sure you have something to fall back on.
Undercover Boss
This two-time Emmy Award-winning series is definitely meant to entertain, not inform, and it’s as cheesy as can be. CEOs and business leaders don disguises and create fake identities to work alongside employees. The drama is top-level, and there are always a few tears. But if you watch more than one episode, there are some nuggets of business wisdom.
Business lesson: Keep an eye on day-to-day operations. As businesses become larger, they can get bogged down by small details or unforeseen events. This can go unnoticed by management, who are looking toward the future and at the big picture. Many of the bosses uncover small, recurring problems they were unaware of (and that are easily remedied) when they work with front-line employees.
Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates
Get an inside look at the insights and life of one of the founders of Microsoft. Until recently, Bill Gates was a relatively private person, at least compared to other well-known billionaires.
The series covers his childhood, early professional years, and his current project, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. You can also look at it as an example of positive public relations, which Bill Gates seems to be more focused on for the last several years.
Business lessons: Professional and personal success is not always predictable or a linear path. Bill’s love of multitasking and natural curiosity have taken him on a winding but rewarding path.
The Last Dance
Celebrated by critics and called “the greatest sports documentary ever produced” by Vulture, The Last Dance covers Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ quest for a sixth NBA Championship in 1998. It’s just an incredible show that will get you fired up to be the best you can be.
Business lessons: Success often requires intense commitment. Experienced leaders know this well. As Michael Jordan states in the 10-part series, “Once you joined the team, you lived at a certain standard that I played the game. And I wasn’t going to take anything less.” The level of dedication on display in this documentary is wild.
The Mind, Explained
A two-season documentary that illuminates how our brains work, featuring experts on memory, creativity, anxiety, and focus. As an entrepreneur, the more you can unravel this complex inner world and understand how people think, the better you can use this knowledge in your own marketing and business strategies.
Business lessons: Recognize your own strengths and weaknesses. We think of our brains as being a personal asset for business and a positive force. However, it can also work against us, whether it’s nagging doubts or a bad habit of constant distraction. This show helps you understand the reasons behind why this happens and how you can work around it.
NPR Podcast: Planet Money
Not exactly a TV show, but NPR’s Planet Money is a podcast series about business that is worth listening to. Many of the episodes are also available on YouTube if you prefer a video format.
In less than 40 minutes, the short, engaging format explains economic concepts and shares stories about pivotal business moments. Recent episodes have featured stories on the business of microchips, subscription business models, and the economics of dating apps.
Business lessons: Timing can have a big impact on business success. Many stories on Planet Money about critical business turning points demonstrate how economic and cultural events play a big role in outcomes. Create business plans that take the larger world into account, looking at different likely scenarios for the future.
Coworking Business TV Shows
WeCrashed
As a coworking space, we found this miniseries about WeWork fascinating. WeWork helped make coworking mainstream, but it also gave an example of what not to do. The show focuses on founder Adam Neumann and his wife and Chief Branding Officer, Rebekah Neumann. It explains how they built the right conditions for people to believe in their business despite the losses that were happening behind the scenes.
Business lesson: Choose business leaders and business partners with a balance of the best personality traits and skills. The cult of personality alone is not enough to build a sustainable business.
For a more positive look at how coworking works, come and visit us at The Post Workspaces. We invite you to book a tour today!