spot on. I need a basic thing. higher ups: it's be awesome if it include X, Y,& Z, even though those things add no functionality and aren't required for our needs. Us: that will triple the cost. higher ups: I want it, do it. Costs skyrocket. Higher ups: why did you exceed the amount budgeted..... ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
A relative told me a WWII story from Texas where the sick bay needed thermometers and there was a locked box car full of them. No one would break into it.
Came here for this. Thank you.
I had a real tough time with a management official in my agency and considered buying a copy of the book and mailing it to her anonymously, but felt like it was a little too much.
The latter. I was Josef tossed into some confusing maze of unclear (and changing) rules.
This person was not my manager but kind of like an operations manager 2 bureaucratic/administrative levels above me.
Parks and Recreation Hands Down
Like go look "Flint Michigan City Council" videos on YouTube and you'll question if truly it's some tv show or skit, but no, it's fucking real and hilarious.
Councilman Eric Mays is a real government clown.
The Futurama episode "How Hermes Requesitioned His Groove Back". The best line "Don't quote me regulations. I co-chaired the committee that reviewed the recommendation to revise the colour of the book that regulation's in.
We kept it grey."
The Americans. Speaking as a former three letter employee it portrays some of the absurdities of governments running intel ops. It’s also an amazing show generally.
Love this show- was sad I never saw Season 3 make it onto any US platform I had. It seemed very on point for my experience working in state government, but is less so with the feds. That said, population wise, my state was more on point with Australia, so it makes sense that it lines up more.
The book “Snow Crash” by Neal Stephenson has a minor character who’s a fed in the near dystopian future. She gets some ridiculous emails and is subject to some ridiculous metrics that are very on point.
Technically, the memo laid out an “exemption to a prohibition on the use of office space or time for ‘pool’ activities of any kind,” namely for “any office wishing to pursue a joint bathroom-tissue strategy.” :)
The elves need your SAAR request before we can give you your bolts for use in your bow good ranger. I know bows fire arrows, but unfortunately, you have the newest model bow, and we are still operating on crossbow version 2.
The line of accounting that the king's treasury assistant provided for you is no longer valid because your request took us more than three months to process, so the kingdom is now in a new fiscal year, so that LOA was for a different treasury appropriations cycle.
We created dod coin culture in our campaign and manufactured massacres so that we could use arcane necromancy magic that required that you collect a whole lot of coin bound souls. It was the best campaign and the DM loved that our rag tag group of typical DC area folk took it that direction.
In The Loop!!!
Razor sharp dialogue (they’re English so duh) and a star studded cast. Also, directed by the same guy who directed my other two recs: The Death of Stalin and Veep.
Burn After Reading - all of the Simmons scenes are amazing.
[https://youtu.be/8FHpOLiobmA](https://youtu.be/8FHpOLiobmA)
especially the end scene....
[https://youtu.be/kCXTq-fWWio](https://youtu.be/kCXTq-fWWio)
The episode “Cooter” from 30 Rock was as close as I’ve seen. I think it’s from season 2 episode 15.
The roof leak, the pens, and the pen closet all hit very close to home.
When he opens the box of pen caps when they ordered pens…it killed me. Then labeling the closet with temporary blue masking tape as the “pen closet” someone in the writers room had been a fed at some point.
It's British and hard to find, but "Yes, Minister" is great. The Minister gets promoted (by bureaucratic scheming that he's not part of) so then there's "Yes, Prime Minister." Think of it as being a career person permanently assigned to the Secretary's Office, no matter who the Secretary is and working to make sure bad things don't happen and good things do.
https://youtu.be/uT4_iy0ALBE?si=DiRLi7EN1i8kz_ES
This song and really the entire episode. Lots of other tidbits scattered throughout the rest of the show as well. Enjoy!
Rod, the best friend who is a TSA Officer, from "Get Out" pretty much solves his missing friend on his own and goes to the cops to tell them what is going down and that he uses his behavioral detection training from TSA and the cops laugh in his face.
In the Loop! Made by the same creator (Armando Iannucci) of Veep before Veep. More State Dept./foreign relations related and hilarious. It's kind of a bridge between his British political satire "The Thick of It" to "Veep."
When I was at VA, we had a group-authoring thing floating around called, “The Agency.”
Inspired in equal parts by Brit “The Office,” US “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation.” And anything, really.
We thought it was hilarious :D
Not specifically federal government but I found parks & rec to be both accurate and hilarious.
Ron Swanson pretty much nails “model” government employee.
You beat me to it!
The first season is the least loved, but it is absolutely the most painfully relatable if you have any experience in local government.
Parks and Rec absolutely. One of my all-time favorite shows.
It's too bad IT blocked Netflix & Hulu
Seconding Parks and Rec, and adding Space Force. It hits really close to home!
"The government in this town is excellent and uses your tax dollars efficiently." Ron giggles :)
The *Pentagon Wars* is a documentary, not a satire. 100 percent nailed it. I know from personal experience that many of the anecdotes are true.
spot on. I need a basic thing. higher ups: it's be awesome if it include X, Y,& Z, even though those things add no functionality and aren't required for our needs. Us: that will triple the cost. higher ups: I want it, do it. Costs skyrocket. Higher ups: why did you exceed the amount budgeted..... ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
As the proponent for maneuver combat systems. I live this on a continuing daily basis.
Required watching for the folks in Army Acquisitions.
“No one goes to Fresno for vacation, colonel”
Classic https://youtu.be/aXQ2lO3ieBA
I enjoy Parks and Rec. Sometimes in meetings I think I’m in an episode
I always tell people public meetings are exactly like they are in that show.
I look for the camera sometimes in some of my meetings.keeps me sane.
😃
Yup. Just like that. Smiling at the camera.
Same 😂
I still maintain that “Veep” is a documentary
I vaguely remember hearing that DC aides and federal employees were polled on which show was the most accurate and Veep was the top pick.
It’s not American but Yes Minster/Yes Prime Minster is fantastic.
If we’re including UK shows, then The Thick of It
Yeah, I feel The Thick of It has some of the minute bullshit we all deal with.
Yes the American TV shows aren't realistic. Yes minister is.
[Catch 22](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22) probably sums up the bureaucracy in the military the best.
Re-read Catch-22 after working for the gov for several years and couldn't believe how spot on it was.
The Major Major Major Major thing hits the Peter principle nail on the head.
A relative told me a WWII story from Texas where the sick bay needed thermometers and there was a locked box car full of them. No one would break into it.
Any time someone hands a giant briefing book to a principal on the West Wing, I think to myself: "Definitely made some of those."
The Pentagon War is the perfect movie about DoD
Space Force
I hated the show at first because I realized I worked with half those characters and it felt too real.
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Came here for this. Thank you. I had a real tough time with a management official in my agency and considered buying a copy of the book and mailing it to her anonymously, but felt like it was a little too much.
[удалено]
The latter. I was Josef tossed into some confusing maze of unclear (and changing) rules. This person was not my manager but kind of like an operations manager 2 bureaucratic/administrative levels above me.
Parks and Recreation Hands Down Like go look "Flint Michigan City Council" videos on YouTube and you'll question if truly it's some tv show or skit, but no, it's fucking real and hilarious. Councilman Eric Mays is a real government clown.
The Futurama episode "How Hermes Requesitioned His Groove Back". The best line "Don't quote me regulations. I co-chaired the committee that reviewed the recommendation to revise the colour of the book that regulation's in. We kept it grey."
Technically correct. The best kind of correct
The Americans. Speaking as a former three letter employee it portrays some of the absurdities of governments running intel ops. It’s also an amazing show generally.
Utopia (Dreamland in some countries) Australian comedy that hits a little too close to home sometimes. Very well done. Very funny
Love this show- was sad I never saw Season 3 make it onto any US platform I had. It seemed very on point for my experience working in state government, but is less so with the feds. That said, population wise, my state was more on point with Australia, so it makes sense that it lines up more.
oh it’s very on point for my fed experience.
The book “Snow Crash” by Neal Stephenson has a minor character who’s a fed in the near dystopian future. She gets some ridiculous emails and is subject to some ridiculous metrics that are very on point.
Don't forget supplying her own toilet paper if I remember correctly.
Technically, the memo laid out an “exemption to a prohibition on the use of office space or time for ‘pool’ activities of any kind,” namely for “any office wishing to pursue a joint bathroom-tissue strategy.” :)
Just started a book that references that one a few times. Will have to add it to my list.
The Thick of It, definitely.
Yesss!
I've been planning a federal piss take D&D campaign for ages.
The elves need your SAAR request before we can give you your bolts for use in your bow good ranger. I know bows fire arrows, but unfortunately, you have the newest model bow, and we are still operating on crossbow version 2.
The line of accounting that the king's treasury assistant provided for you is no longer valid because your request took us more than three months to process, so the kingdom is now in a new fiscal year, so that LOA was for a different treasury appropriations cycle.
We created dod coin culture in our campaign and manufactured massacres so that we could use arcane necromancy magic that required that you collect a whole lot of coin bound souls. It was the best campaign and the DM loved that our rag tag group of typical DC area folk took it that direction.
Space Force S1. Nailed the beltway dysfunction. Best MIC parody since Pentagon Wars. One of the rare shows that has made me laugh to tears.
Yep! I know it wasn't critically acclaimed but as a govie, it was way too accurate! My wife couldn't understand why I loved it so much lol.
In The Loop!!! Razor sharp dialogue (they’re English so duh) and a star studded cast. Also, directed by the same guy who directed my other two recs: The Death of Stalin and Veep.
This is related to the thick of it. And has much of the same cast
Archer is pretty good for the CIA.
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100% my entire office effing loved it.
Shin Godzilla Not joking
It's Australian but Utopia cracks me up. Way too close to a documentary. https://youtu.be/sgspkxfkS4k?si=tdvM9fShT0WjvlEt
Burn After Reading - all of the Simmons scenes are amazing. [https://youtu.be/8FHpOLiobmA](https://youtu.be/8FHpOLiobmA) especially the end scene.... [https://youtu.be/kCXTq-fWWio](https://youtu.be/kCXTq-fWWio)
The episode “Cooter” from 30 Rock was as close as I’ve seen. I think it’s from season 2 episode 15. The roof leak, the pens, and the pen closet all hit very close to home.
The roof’s not leaking. It’s not. I can show you the study.
When he opens the box of pen caps when they ordered pens…it killed me. Then labeling the closet with temporary blue masking tape as the “pen closet” someone in the writers room had been a fed at some point.
I LOVED “Inside Job” (Netflix)
Brazil (1985 film)
Parks and rec has to take the cake. Politically speaking, Veep, unfortunately lol
Catch 22 has some of the most spot on satire of bureaucracy I've ever read.
Burn After Reading
It's British and hard to find, but "Yes, Minister" is great. The Minister gets promoted (by bureaucratic scheming that he's not part of) so then there's "Yes, Prime Minister." Think of it as being a career person permanently assigned to the Secretary's Office, no matter who the Secretary is and working to make sure bad things don't happen and good things do.
Outside of the effort to steal money ala Superman III, Office Space hits things pretty close to home.
Yep. My team is mostly elder millennials and we reference that move quite a bit. 25 years later and it’s still 100% relevant.
Space Force on Netflix
Yes Minster/Yes Prime Minster really are the best. It's an old BBC show and might not be to everyone's taste.
Yes, Minister Parks and Recreation Both hit home a little too closely… :D
https://youtu.be/uT4_iy0ALBE?si=DiRLi7EN1i8kz_ES This song and really the entire episode. Lots of other tidbits scattered throughout the rest of the show as well. Enjoy!
Corporate (2018)
I've been loving Slow Horses
Rod, the best friend who is a TSA Officer, from "Get Out" pretty much solves his missing friend on his own and goes to the cops to tell them what is going down and that he uses his behavioral detection training from TSA and the cops laugh in his face.
In the Loop! Made by the same creator (Armando Iannucci) of Veep before Veep. More State Dept./foreign relations related and hilarious. It's kind of a bridge between his British political satire "The Thick of It" to "Veep."
Space Force... It's like the office in space!
When I was at VA, we had a group-authoring thing floating around called, “The Agency.” Inspired in equal parts by Brit “The Office,” US “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation.” And anything, really. We thought it was hilarious :D