History Main / OneHourWorkweek

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' initially averted this, but as of the TBS seasons, Stan Smith is rarely shown working at the CIA unless it fits the joke.
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsons'' has a twist on this, as George Jetson's slave-driving boss cruelly forces him to work three-hour days. As a button pusher. Who sits as he pushes buttons.
** And that's only [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity when he's actually working there]].

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy's'' Glenn Quagmire works as an airline pilot - [[JustifiedTrope which is surprisingly accurate as pilots work many fewer days (albeit longer ones) a month than most other professions.]]
** Likewise, Cleveland owning a deli was only mentioned and shown in a few early episodes; the rest of his appearances are hanging out with the gang. When Cleveland moved on to his own show, he got a job at a cable installer, giving us this exchange:
-->'''Donna:''' If you can get the time off work...\\

** This also goes with the main characters . JD once gets it lampshaded by Turk when he asks him when he finds the time to care for his patients.

* ''WesternAnimation/HiHiPuffyAmiYumi'': In one episode, Kaz tells Ami and Yumi he's got enough time to coach a football team because their shows only last half an hour per weel.

For the childhood equivalents of this trope, see ShouldntWeBeInSchoolRightNow (where the characters don't seem to go to school) and SchoolOfNoStudying (where the characters ''do'' go to school but don't ever seem to think about their studies). Compare ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything (who are literally their profession InNameOnly), ObliquelyObfuscatedOccupation (when the profession isn't even named), and the RichIdiotWithNoDayJob, GentlemanAdventurer, and {{Socialite}} (who have money but are not presented as holding down a real job).

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': For being the sole cop in town, Emma isn't seen doing a lot of police work after the first season. She was right; there really ''isn't'' a lot of sheriffing going on in Storybrooke.

** WordOfGod said that Cliff was originally supposed to be a limo driver to explain why he was around during the day but they thought parents arguing with their children would be funnier if the parents considered themselves educated.

* ''Series/{{Friends}}'' lampshaded this in one episode, where the Friends note that their bosses don't seem to like them... at which point Joey [[DumbassHasAPoint points out]] that this may be because they're hanging out at a coffee house at 11:30 on a Wednesday morning.
** Chandler and Rachel have ordinary office jobs, but seem to take lunch breaks for hours at a time.

* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'': the gang's occupation as bar-owners was specifically selected to free them up for hijinks during the day. In the original pilot, the characters are struggling actors, selected for the same reason. However, the gang is still seen off the job at night, and even during the regular business hours of other bars around town. The show lampshaded this in one episode where the bar's patrons are described as simply serving themselves. While the bar has always been portrayed as a dive, later seasons increasingly imply that Frank's ArbitrarilyLargeBankAccount is the only thing propping it up.

* [[Series/TheDailyShow Jon Stewart]] and [[Series/TheColbertReport Stephen Colbert]] have both joked that they only work a half-hour a night for four days a week. Of course, it's just a joke because they, along with their teams, spend the rest of the work week researching, writing and rehearsing their shows.

** Somewhat {{Justified}} with Walden Schmidt. He's a billionaire computer genius who seems to have plenty of time to goof around, sleep till noon, and bone hot women. However, he explicitly states that he doesn't ''need'' to work, as he really is that rich (he claims to have made his initial fortune by selling software to Microsoft). He has an office, but semi-openly admits that he barely does any real work, leaving the lion's share of the workload and responsibility of running the company to his business partner. His ''ex-crackhead'' business partner who hates him--[[IdiotBall perhaps not the best business decision]].
*** Walden also partially [[AvertedTrope averts]] this later on. At one point in the show, he starts a new business with his friends, and is frequently seen working. However, he explicitly states that he's doing it for fun, not for money, so he still has plenty of time to screw around.

** Before the lotto money Earl sustained himself, Randy and Joy through crime and the occasional odd job. Darnell works at the LocalHangout and seems to be the only consistent employee. Catalina works at the motel Earl and Randy live at, explaining her presence. They go even further by stating that the manager is incompetent and doesn't expect much from employees.
* In ''Series/TrueBlood'', some of the characters have more than one job, but seem to have plenty of free time. This is often handled well, such as when someone needs to get off early or shows up late, but at times, many of the main characters seem to blow off work when they should be working. Several of the characters work for Merlotte's, and Sam is too much of a BenevolentBoss to fire anybody, even if they jaunt off out of town for days at a time. The Season 4 episode "I Wish I Was The Moon" was the first time in at least 2 seasons that we actually see main character Sookie working her waitress job.

* Lampshaded on ''Series/{{Entourage}}'': when E asks Drama if he should be working on his show, Drama responds: "That's the beauty of an ensemble cast: two day work weeks."

* Parodied in ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'': Robin spends most of her working hours in a toy store, despite having been ''elected to Congress'' [[WhatDidIDoLastNight during]] a Cadbury Creme Egg induced [[CaffeineBulletTime sugar rush]]. No one seems to care about this. Robin has also repeatedly stated that she considers her Congresswoman position to be "just a hobby" and prefers the reduced responsibility of her job at Shortpacked (which fits completely with her character). However, her congressional position has been used as the focus for a few storylines, especially when she's up for re-election.

* WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants apparently has to work 6 days a week 23 hours a day (or 24, if the joke calls for it). However, these figures only ever appear when the jokes call for them, otherwise Spongebob is free to demolish Bikini Bottom or harass Squidward every 10 minutes or so, which is lampshaded by the latter.
** His school attendance is seems to be about once a month. Justified since every time he's there ends with Mrs. Puff getting injured and the school destroyed.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinecure A sinecure]] used to be a government position that gave you a fancy title and a salary, but few or no responsibilities. It was awarded to people to either reward them for past services, or to enable them to concentrate on their art (Goethe held one, for instance). As the article points out, a few straight examples are still scattered around:

* What does SantaClaus do the other eleven months of the year? [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls Sleep?]] [[VideoGame/MapleStory Hold fundraising events?]] [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Play golf and go skin diving?]] [[CocaPepsiInc Go on vacation in Bermuda?]] Jokes about that [[ObligatoryJoke happen all the time.]]

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinecure A sinecure]] used to be a government position that gave you a fancy title and a salary, but few or no responsibilities. It was awarded to people to either reward them for past services, or to enable them to concentrate on their art (Goethe held one, for instance). As the article points out, a few straight examples are still scattered around

* ''Series/ICarly2021'' reveals that Spencer became rich since the original series after a partially-melted marshmallow white house sculpture he made sold for a lot of money. The only character we see working on a regular basis is Harper, who worked at Skybucks coffee shop, before quitting in the episode "iMLM" due to the job getting in the way of her fashion ventures. Carly is still making content online and is mentioned to have over 3 million subscribers, which means she most likely makes enough money through ad revenue and sponsorships that she doesn't need to work a 9-to-5 job. Freddie previously owned a startup business that failed and then got a job working remotely in tech support, only to foolishly quit after falling for an MLM scam. Instead of trying to get his job back or get another job, he realizes that he's an entrepreneur at heart and decides to start another business.

The trope is sometimes justified in that the character is SecretlyWealthy (via inheritance or lawsuit) and only have a minor job for their own amusement or beer money. And note too that just because [[ObliquelyObfuscatedOccupation their job is unknown or unseen]] doesn't mean this trope is in effect. It's when you only ever see them with a lot of free time, doing things at any point during the day, that this causes FridgeLogic.

** And then the site freezes Pip's account, forcing him to get a job at a consignment store. With a hot woman who was Kat's school rival. [[spoiler:Who manipulates and actively drugs him so he thinks they're in a real relationship, while she's actually dating a much-hotter guy and building connections to get a better job. Which effectively reduces her to a ''[[UpToEleven Zero]]'' [[UpToEleven Hour Work Week]].]]

** Walden also partially [[AvertedTrope averts]] this later on. At one point in the show, he starts a new business with his friends, and is frequently seen working. However, he explicitly states that he's doing it for fun, not for money, so he still has plenty of time to screw around.

** Walden Schmidt is a billionaire computer genius who seems to have plenty of time to goof around, sleep till noon, and bone hot women. He has an office but seldom visits it, leaving the lion's share of the workload and responsibility of running Electric Suitcase, Inc. to his ex-crackhead business partner who hates him--[[IdiotBall perhaps not the best business decision]].

* ''VideoGame/Persona3'', ''VideoGame/Persona4'', and ''VideoGame/Persona5'' have a variation, as the PlayerCharacter can take on a variety of part-time jobs and maintain a completely random schedule without getting fired. You can go one day, get paid for that one day, and then not come back for months... but the job will still be waiting for you. ''Persona 4'' sort-of justifies it with several of the jobs, which are work-from-home projects that don't have a fixed schedule but instead pay based on output, but others like day-care work and tutoring (Although the tutee does eventually decide that he doesn't need any more tutoring and cancel the job) fall right back into the same problems. ''Persona 5'' justifies it with the places you can work being so desperate for help that they don't care if you don't show up for months- if you're there and willing to put on a uniform they'll take you.

* ''Film/AmericanPsycho'': Part of the satire is that Patrick Bateman and his colleagues don't actually do anything at their company. They spend all their time gossiping, comparing business cards, and scheduling lunches at trendy restaurants. When Bateman is actually in his office, he watches television.

* Harper Lee's bibliography for most of her career consisted of one novel, ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'', published in 1960. (Her second novel, ''Go Set a Watchman'', published in 2015, was actually an early draft of ''Mockingbird''.) Its status as universal [[Main/SchoolStudyMedia high school required reading]] ensured it sold consistently well year after year; when Lee died in 2016, she was earning around $3 million a year in royalties. What exactly she did with her free time is unknown; her only published works after ''Mockingbird'' were a few magazine articles.

* In ''Series/TrueBlood'', some of the characters have more than one job, but seem to have plenty of free time. This is often handled well, such as when someone needs to get off early or shows up late, but at times, many of the main characters seem to blow off work when they should be working. Several of the characters work for Merlotte's, and Sam is too much of a BenevolentBoss to fire anybody, even if they jaunt off out of town for days at a time. THe Season 4 episode "I Wish I Was The Moon" was the first time in at least 2 seasons that we actually see Sookie working her waitress job.
** This becomes a minor plotpoint in season 3, when Arlene, Terry and maybe Jessica are the only reliable employees at Merlotte's, and Arlene ends up forcing Sam to hire some more waitresses, because she is massively overworked and pregnant. In seasons 5 and 6, Sam barely even sets foot in his namesake restaurant even though other characters are actively working there, making you wonder which character is handling purchasing and payroll. In the season 6 finale it is revealed that Sam has been elected Mayor of Bon Temps, leaving Arlene the bar.

* ''Series/{{Euphoria}}'': Even though the show's primary setting is a high school, at no point do we actually see the main characters doing schoolwork, and we often see them sashay down the halls with nary a bookbag or textbook in hand. Even after school, the kids have all the free time in the world for sex and drugs; rarely do things like homework, extracurriculars, part-time jobs, or chores get in the way of their partying.