R
anked by the extremity of their desperation

    In New York City, the rent is notoriously high, making it a cutthroat market for decent housing. In real life, people might do whatever it takes to secure a place, from scouring neighborhoods for "For Rent" signs to bribing landlords. On TV, things can get even wilder.

    5 NewsRadio

    Dave Foley's character is on the verge of losing his apartment and falls in love with a vacant one, but he's not the only one interested. The realtor notes that both Dave and Lisa (Maura Tierney) want it, leading to a contentious battle between them and their colleagues. Max (Jon Lovitz) throws his hat into the ring, claiming the apartment will allow him to start a family. However, Lisa wins over the internet crowd by pulling out a cute beagle puppy during a livestream, saying she wants the apartment so she can get a dog.

    4 High Maintenance

    Heidi (Greta Lee) is a free spirit who lives out of her bags and has adapted well to life with her partner Nihal. However, when she sees a news piece about a hipster TV show stealing her intellectual property, she enlists the help of The Guy (Ben Sinclair) and Hannibal Buress to take action against the project. Heidi's plan involves locking down Nihal in a courthouse wedding, but it seems like she might actually love him – or at least his pierogies.

    3 Friends

    Ross (David Schwimmer) tries to weasel his way into a desirable apartment by appealing to the current tenant as a kindred spirit. He even goes so far as to have a naked visit with him, which surprisingly works. Ross continues living in the apartment through the season finale.

    2 Futurama

    Fry (Billy West) and Bender (John DiMaggio) find an amazing apartment that's technically in New Jersey, but they're willing to overlook that. However, when Bender's antenna causes a satellite TV signal to go on the fritz, he gets evicted, and Fry disloyally stays. Bender makes a big sacrifice by removing his own antenna, and Fry moves into his apartment.

    1 Poker Face

    Anne (Lauren Tom) adopts her granddaughter Madeline so she can pass down a rent-controlled apartment. However, Anne quickly becomes infatuated with Kate (Alia Shawkat), who's actually a sociopathic murderer on the run. Madeline discovers Kate's true identity and orders her to break things off with Anne, but Kate sets up a Rube Goldberg death machine in the laundry room instead.