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Time & Perspective Quote by Drew Carey

"When the show's in production, we work for three weeks at a time and then take a week off"

About this Quote

There’s a sneaky kind of honesty in Drew Carey’s production schedule: three weeks on, one week off. It lands like a casual behind-the-scenes detail, but it’s really a reframing of celebrity labor. Instead of the myth of effortless TV stardom, Carey points to something closer to shift work with a union-friendly cadence. The phrasing is deliberately plain - “we work,” not “I perform,” and “in production,” not “on set” - widening the frame to include the crew and the machine. He’s signaling solidarity while still sounding like the approachable guy next door.

The structure of the sentence does a lot of work. It’s not “we shoot episodes,” it’s “we work,” which quietly insists that entertainment is an industry before it’s an art. The three-to-one rhythm also reads like a pressure valve: the show demands intensity in bursts, then institutionalizes recovery. In a culture that romanticizes burnout and treats exhaustion as proof of commitment, Carey normalizes rest as part of the job, not a luxury earned through suffering.

Context matters, too. Carey’s brand has always been genial, pragmatic, anti-glamour - a host who makes production look friendly and functional. This line fits that persona while hinting at a larger truth about modern TV: the product is seamless, the process is cyclical, and sustainability has to be scheduled. The subtext is simple: the work is real, and staying human takes planning.

Quote Details

TopicWork-Life Balance
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Carey, Drew. (2026, January 17). When the show's in production, we work for three weeks at a time and then take a week off. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-the-shows-in-production-we-work-for-three-49087/

Chicago Style
Carey, Drew. "When the show's in production, we work for three weeks at a time and then take a week off." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-the-shows-in-production-we-work-for-three-49087/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"When the show's in production, we work for three weeks at a time and then take a week off." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-the-shows-in-production-we-work-for-three-49087/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

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Drew Carey on TV Production Schedules: Work and Rest Balance
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About the Author

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Drew Carey (born May 23, 1961) is a Actor from USA.

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