Melissa McCarthy in The Boss and more pop culture bosses

By Jessica Wedemeyer 10:47am PDT, Oct 14, 2013

In honor of "The Boss," which debuts on April 8, 2016, check out 20 of the best and worst bosses in pop culture, starting with Melissa McCarthy's Michelle Darnell. After the titan of industry is jailed for insider trading, she embarks on a mission to rebuild her fortune with a Girl Scouts-style brownie empire. Needless to say, hilarity ensues in the big-screen comedy, which also stars Kristen Bell. Now keep reading for more!

Steve Carell's Michael Scott in "The Office" was most things a boss should never be: inappropriate, insensitive, totally out of touch with reality, sexist and borderline racist. But in spite of his flaws, Michael truly cared about his employees, and even at his worst, he (usually) had good intentions. Thanks to his unintentionally hilarious nature, he'll always have a spot in our hearts — instead of on the list of worst human beings to ever appear on television.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a sexier dentist than Jennifer Aniston's "Horrible Bosses" alter ego, Dr. Julia Harris, D.D.S. (Though we give props to John Stamos' Dr. Carl Howell on "Glee.") Julia wasn't just beautiful, intelligent and accomplished — she was also a super-aggressive sexual predator who gleefully tormented her good-guy employee Dale (Charlie Day). So while she may not be the best boss, she's certainly the hottest.

RELATED: "The Boss" premiere

If being a media mogul isn't reason enough to qualify Oprah Winfrey as one of the best bosses in the history of the universe, just consider this: In 2010, she gifted iPads and checks for $10,000 to every single employee of her O magazine. In 2009, in honor of her 55th birthday, she hosted her 1,700 employees (and their families!) at a three-day party in Barcelona, followed by a 10-day Mediterranean cruise. And in 2005, she took her staff on an all-expenses-paid vacation in Hawaii. Best. Boss. EVER.

Olivia Pope commands the respect and loyalty of her beloved Gladiators as the boss of crisis management firm Olivia Pope & Associates on "Scandal."

You know you're a bad boss when you incite an employee to burn down the office. Gary Cole's infuriating Bill Lumbergh (left) in "Office Space" taught us to equally hate TPS reports and cherish staplers.

In addition to balancing her career as an A-list actress with her full-time job as a mother of two, Jessica Alba founded and runs The Honest Company, which was valued at $1.7 billion in August 2015. In just a few years, the hands-on entrepreneur has made her company one of the biggest names in e-commerce, and that's pretty darn cool!

Yes, Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy may have endlessly teased Tina Fey's Liz Lemon and consistently complicated the everyday workings of her variety show on "30 Rock." But he was also her closest friend and most trusted confidant. Despite his ego, he's a big softie with a whole lot of respect and affection for his romantically challenged subordinate. He even picked up Liz from the dentist after she had her wisdom teeth removed.

Only Sandra Bullock could bring such likability and vulnerability to uptight book publishing exec Margaret Tate in "The Proposal." Sparks fly in the 2009 romantic comedy when Sandy's alter ego convinces her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to pose as her fiance so that she can avoid being deported back to her native Canada after she violates the terms of her work visa.

Donald Trump is probably more famous for firing than hiring his employees — which isn't exactly the most desirable quality in upper management. But it's what made him famous as the star of "The Apprentice." The take-no-prisoners method clearly worked out for the presidential candidate because after 12 years and 14 seasons as the boss on the hit reality show, people were still vying for the opportunity to work for him.

Tony Soprano was one boss you didn't want to mess with. James Gandolfini's mob boss on "The Sopranos" wouldn't deal with your insubordination. You gotta problem with the boss man? Talk to the fishes.

A woman in charge? It was a pretty wild idea when "Who's the Boss?" debuted back in 1984! Judith Light starred on the beloved sitcom as divorced advertising executive Angela Bower, a single mom who called the shots with Tony Danza's live-in housekeeper Tony Micelli.

Has there ever been a boss with as much style, grace and ferocity as Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly in "The Devil Wears Prada"? The editor-in-chief of "Runway" magazine mercilessly tormented her assistants, played by Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt, and backstabbed her closest confidant, Stanley Tucci's art director Nigel, and she did it all while looking crazy good. And that's something we'll never forget!

If you don't know who the real mastermind behind the Kardashian empire is, you haven't been paying attention. (Sorry, Kanye.) Momager Kris Jenner, who made stars of all six of her children, clearly rules the roost.

Even before he founded his own agency, Jeremy Piven's Ari Gold on "Entourage" was a force to be reckoned with — just ask his loyal assistant Lloyd. Vince's merciless, arrogant, crude talent agent may have been cruel to his subordinates, but he still managed to command their respect. And, well, there's something to be said for that!

Rachel Zoe runs a tight ship, and we gotta love that. The celebrity stylist has worked with everyone from Nicole Richie and Keira Knightley to Jennifer Lawrence and Demi Moore — just to name a few! She launched herself to superstardom in less than a decade, made "I die!" one of the hottest exclamations in Hollywood, and in addition to starring in reality TV show "The Rachel Zoe" project, launched a clothing line and writes The Zoe Report, a daily fashion newsletter. Just don't ask her estranged former assistant Brad Goreski what he thinks of the boss lady!

On "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," Mary's executive producer at WJM-TV's "Six O'Clock News" was the type of boss we all hoped to have one day: tough as nails but fair and with a heart of gold. And we weren't the only ones who loved Mr. Grant: Ed Asner won five Emmys for his portrayal of the workaholic newsman.

Love it or hate it, Goop is one of the most well known e-commerce and lifestyle brands on the Internet. And it's all the brainchild of Gwyneth Paltrow. Her recommended must-haves — which range from a $42 tube of sunscreen to a nearly $800 pair of leggings — may be infuriatingly impractical, but, hey, someone's buying them! Goop may not be our cup of tea, but we can't deny its wild success. Here's tipping a $2,000 felt hat to you, Gwynnie-poo.

Mr. Burns, Homer Simpson's deliciously eccentric boss (voiced by Harry Shearer) on "The Simpsons," has been dolling out insanity since 1989. So the billionaire villain isn't just the strangest or most power-hungry boss on television, he's also, technically, the most loyal to his employee of 27 years. And we think that's just excellent!

Simon Cowell was always well aware of the fact that discord boosts ratings, so when the cameras were rolling on "The X Factor," he could always be counted on to stir up drama with his fellow judges (and employees!). But things weren't exactly a cakewalk after the cameras stopped rolling either: Simon fired both Nicole Scherzinger and longtime pal Paula Abdul after just one season on his singing competition. Ouch! It may have been painful for them, but it was great entertainment for us! We're guessing his Boss of the Year award got lost in the mail.