Dear Sitcoms, Write More Diverse Jobs For Women

The new NBC comedy The Pro starring Rob Lowe and Rob Riggle just signed on Rosa Salazar from Parenthood to join the cast. The Pro is about two former doubles pro champions who have reunited after a nasty feud and now run a tennis and golf pro shop together. It’s basically the stuff that sitcom dreams are made of. And though the show has a hi-freakin-larious team behind it, it’s a little sigh-worthy that Salazar will be playing the, you-probably-already-guessed-it, receptionist.

Generally, office-y comedies that feature desk jobs have just as many men behind desks as women. However, it becomes a little frustrating when the leading lady doesn't rank as high professionally as her male co-stars. I guess we can call it the “Pam Beasley Syndrome” of sitcom-dom. I’d be a little more excited if we knew that Salazar’s character is an aspiring tennis athlete or is at least well-rounded, but as of now, it’s reported that her character chases after the club’s snack bar guy whose name is Chad. And that’s about it. Really? A receptionist whose main interest is boys. Hmmmm.

C’mon, NBC. We know you’re better than this. Liz Lemon was one of the most revered and holiest female comedic characters for her wit, honesty, and the fact that she was a successful woman who was unapologetic about actually DOING something. And thankfully, on Parks and Rec, Leslie and Co. have no problems getting their hands dirty, but Leslie as a city council member and her campaign trail was a total game-changer for the show — I just hope that she keeps moving forward even though she’s back in the Parks Department.

I digress. The fact of the matter is, we’ve got two male stars who have a lot of status in the show and one female who ranks low on the professional totem pole. And at base level it’s just so eerrrrrrgggghhhhh. However, all hope is not lost and it’s way too early to write off the series. Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been able to write Chelsea Peretti as a stand alone character who isn’t defined by her gig answering phones. And over the seasons, Pam Beasley herself stepped out of the receptionist desk and we learned about her passions as an artist.

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