Campus Life | Favorite Shows & Movies

As we all know, Pittsburgh’s weather can vary a lot and has a mind of its own at times. One day it’s 70 degrees and sunny, and the next day the high is 30 degrees and rainy. On these rainy days I am sure most people, like me, do not want to leave their dorm or apartment and want to bundle up at home to watch TV all day. Although you still want to get work done, there are many shows and movies that you can play in the background while you work.

I have come up with a list of my favorite things to watch as my “doing homework” shows and movies. Hopefully these will not distract you too much from doing your work and getting things done!

My first favorite show to watch is the classic American sitcom “Friends.” I personally am guilty of having watched this 12 times in total and am currently rewatching it again for the 13th time. This TV series is perfect to play in the background while doing your homework and it is also very entertaining. It’s true that there are times when I lose focus and wind up watching this for an hour or more, but since it’s rainy and cold outside, that’s okay because it’s the perfect excuse!

I watch “Friends’” on HBO Max since it got removed from Netflix in Jan. 2020. This show is based in Manhattan and is about six friends who go through life together. They go through love, marriage, divorce, having kids, heartbreaks and all sorts of other drama. The show’s overarching theme is friendship, and it centers on six single friends who navigate life together and respect one another like family.

Another great American sitcom to play in the background is ‘“The Office,” which can be found on Peacock TV or Amazon Prime. This show is based in Scranton, Pennsylvania and is about the work lives of a few office employees in a fictional company called Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The overall message of this show is being understanding and seeing the best of a situation that did not go in one’s favor. “The Office” has a lot of enjoyable plot twists and is perfect to play in the background while doing homework. If you stick with it, I can guarantee that you will enjoy the show, even though it may initially seem dull.

There are a lot of different movies playing in the background while doing homework, but my favorite type are Adam Sandler movies. You do not particularly have to pay attention to the movie, but he never fails to make me laugh during his movies. A few of my favorite movies that he plays in are “Murder Mystery,” “The Do-Over” and “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.”

“Murder Mystery” is a film about a couple that goes on a European vacation to try and find their spark in marriage again. But, while there, an incident leads them to be framed in a murder. The only time you really need to pay attention in this movie is at the end, when they reveal the murderer, because it is very interesting to see who the murderer ends up being out of all of the people in the movie.

“The Do-Over” is a film about two guys who decide to fake their own death and start their lives over with new identities. However, they later find out that the two guys that they are pretending to be are in deeper trouble and they have to get themselves out of it. This is also another movie where you really only have to pay attention at the end because you find out who is getting the two guys in trouble.

The last movie, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” is a film about two firefighters that are best friends but have to get married in order for one of them to make sure that his kids will be beneficiaries on his life insurance policy. It is quite entertaining to see both guys pretend that they are a gay couple around other people so that no one knows they are faking it and so they do not get themselves into trouble.

With all three of these movies, you are able to follow along even if you are not giving it all of your attention, which I really enjoy. You are still able to know what is going on in the film, while also doing your homework.

I’m not encouraging anyone to stop doing their homework or stop studying to watch these shows and movies. Make sure that you are still on top of your school work and exams! However, if you have some busy work to do and want something turned on in the background that is not music, these are just a few shows and movies that I recommend. Hope you enjoy them!

Shriya writes about some of her favorite T.V. shows and movies she likes to watch on a rainy day and while doing homework. Talk to them at shy76@pitt.edu.