Job Swap
Two characters (usually a husband and wife) decide to swap jobs or household chores, either to prove they can each do what the other does or to understand each other better. At first, they try to pretend they can handle it, but eventually they have to admit they're struggling.
The Bob Newhart Show
Appearances
- The Bob Newhart Show: Season 4, episode 4, "Change is Gonna Do Me Good" (1975). When Emily gets fed up with Bob's overly-complicated bill-paying process, they decide to switch jobs: Emily pays the bills and Bob does the grocery shopping.
- Too Close for Comfort: Season 4, episode 21, "Divorce Chicago Style" (1984). Muriel is considering quitting her photography career because taking care of Andrew is a full time job, but Henry won't hear of it. He volunteers to take care of Andrew all day so Muriel can go back to work. He quickly gets overwhelmed with taking care of Andrew while still getting his work done, but he won't let Muriel find out because he doesn't want her to quit.
- 3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 2, episode 16, "Same Old Song and Dick" (1997). When Sally complains about everything she has to do, Harry claims he could handle her job no problem, so they agree to swap jobs and prove they can handle each other's roles. Harry does a piss-poor job of all the household chores, and Sally gets bored to tears sitting around doing nothing all day, but Harry breaks when he has to kill a spider.
- Spin City: Season 4, episode 13 "A Tale of Two Sisters" (2000). When Paul receives Carter's paycheck by mistake, he gets bitter because Carter gets paid more than him, and they get into an argument over whose job is harder. To prove his point, Carter handles a press conference instead of Paul, and it's a disaster.
- GCB: Episode 4, "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" (2012). On the advice of Paster Tudor, Sharon and Zack temporarily switch household roles to help repair their strained marriage. Sharon gets a job at the church, and Zack cooks and takes care of the house and kids.
- Still Game: Season 7, episode 4, "Small Change" (2016). Boabby and Navid argue about whose job is easier, so to help them resolve their feud, Jack and Victor suggest they switch jobs until one of them gives up.