Following the pandemic, many jobs that previously required employees to commute to an office became remote, and some have either stayed that way or now offer a hybrid schedule. If you're one of those people who's lucky enough to still be working from home, there’s a chance you’re looking for something to break up the monotony of your day. When you work in an office, there are friends to chat with, meetings to attend, and annoying coworkers to talk to you even when you clearly have your headphones on. At home, you don’t have any of that, but you do have access to TV shows that are great for background noise.
Sometimes, you need to feel like there’s more going on besides the computer screen in front of you, but you don't want to get sucked into an intricate narrative that requires your full attention. So, we've picked out 18 shows that provide excellent background noise and are easy to work to. Some of them will be a good fit because of their familiarity. Some of them are soothing. Some of them will inspire you to Google “cookies vs. biscuits”—that’s a built-in little break for your working mind right there. From reality shows to sitcoms to dramedies, here are the background noise TV shows that will make your day go by faster.
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1. black-ish
Disney–ABC Domestic Televisionblack-ish is a sitcom, which means episodes are only about 22 minutes long and they all have a similar structure—perfect for popping in now and then while you work.
In this series, you can expect an upper-middle-class Black family headed by Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson dealing with issues in their daily life, all through a comedic lens, of course. And if you get hooked on the black-ish universe, you can try the spinoffs grown-ish (about their oldest daughter's college experience) and mixed-ish (a prequel about Ross' character growing up in the '80s).
Stream on Hulu and Disney+.
2. Chopped
Food NetworkThe long-running Food Network series Chopped involves four chefs competing to see who can make the best dishes using a basket of mismatched ingredients. The majority of each episode consists of the chefs cooking and talking about what they’re making. It won't take much focus away from your other tasks to be repulsed by someone putting cake icing into a salad dressing.
Stream on Max, Discovery+, and more.
3. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Warner Bros. TelevisionWill Smith stars as a teen who moves from Philadelphia to live with his wealthy family in Los Angeles. You can expect Will to argue with his uncle Phil (James Avery), as well as antics from his rich kid cousins Ashley (Tatyana Ali), Hilary (Karyn Parsons), and Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro), plus plenty of '90s nostalgia and some pretty famous guest stars.
Stream on Hulu and Max.
4. Fixer Upper
HGTVThe reality series Fixer Upper is about home renovation, and each episode follows the same pattern: Couple Chip and Joanna Gaines show a family different homes on the market, the family chooses one and sees the plans for renovation, and the updated house is revealed at the end.
It’s easy to just let it play and then check in at key points. Plus, Joanna loves a calm, neutral color palette in her interior design, making the show relaxing too.
Stream on Max and Discovery+.
5. Friends
Warner Bros. TelevisionAnyone who has seen a lot of Friends reruns already knows that it's peak watching-but-not-watching TV. It's familiar and soothing hanging out with this group of friends in New York City (Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer) as they cope with issues in their dating lives, at their jobs, and in their relationships with each other.
Most of the action takes place in their apartments or at their favorite coffee shop, so there’s really not too much to keep up with here.
Stream on Max.
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6. Gilmore Girls
Warner Bros. TelevisionGilmore Girls centers on a mother, Lorelai (Lauren Graham), and her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), living in a small town in Connecticut and dealing with family, school, and dating drama. Especially if you’ve watched the series before, Gilmore Girls makes for gentle, if extremely verbal, background noise, but it’s also not hard to jump in as a new viewer. Just let the one-liners wash over you.
Stream on Netflix.
7. Grace and Frankie
NetflixThe premise of Grace and Frankie is that two women, Grace (Jane Fonda) and Frankie (Lily Tomlin), bond after their husbands, Robert (Martin Sheen) and Sol (Sam Waterston), leave them for each other. The series shows the hijinks they get into as newly single women and explores their relationships with their kids. It’s a funny, comforting show with some hilarious performances.
Stream on Netflix.
8. The Great British Baking Show
BBC StudiosAnother one of the great background noise TV shows, this one is known as The Great British Bake Off in the UK. Wherever you're watching and whatever it's called, the competition show has amateur bakers from all walks of life facing off as they create increasingly difficult cookies, pastries, breads, and more. But, rather than being snarky and ultra-competitive, all the contestants are super nice to each other.
It’s an extremely calming show, and it also follows a formula: In every hour, there are three bakes, three judgments, and one person sent home. So if you can't give it your full attention, it's OK.
Stream on Netflix.
9. House Hunters and House Hunters International
HGTVHGTV is a great resource for background noise TV shows. See also: House Hunters, which packs about 10 minutes worth of actual content into every 22-minute episode. A person, couple, or family looking for a new home tours three options and then chooses one. That’s it. That’s the show. And you don’t have to worry about missing anything because footage you watched only moments ago is summarized over and over again. It's addicting.
Stream on Max.
10. The Office
Image via NBCUniversal Television DistributionThe Office fans are known for re-watching the workplace comedy over and over again on streaming. And if you fit into that category, it’s great for background noise simply because you already know what happens. But even newbies will find the beloved series starring Steve Carell as the bumbling boss of a paper company staffed by plenty more colorful characters easy to follow—and totally hilarious.
Stream on Peacock.
11. Planet Earth
BBCThis iconic nature series is as gorgeous as it is basic. Are stories told through dramatic narration? Sure. Are the intricacies of our planet's ecosystems explained in detail? Yes. Is the footage beautiful? Absolutely. But, still, the main appeal of Planet Earth is all the time you'll spend with cute, gross, and terrifyingly powerful animals.
Stream on Max, AMC+, and more.
12. Project Runway
Buena Vista Television/Disney–ABC Domestic TelevisionProject Runway is a series in which fashion designers compete against each other, designing a new outfit during each episode based on a particular challenge. At the end, the final few contestants go head-to-head in a full fashion show that decides the winner.
To watch this show while working, listen for the design challenge, tune out for the middle portion of the episode, and then pay attention again for the runway show and designer elimination.
Stream on Peacock.
13. Sex and the City
HBOSex and the City episodes are short, and they all revolve around writer Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) exploring something new about dating or friendships for her newspaper column and hanging out with her similarly single friends Charlotte (Kristin Davis), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). The only element of this groundbreaking show that might distract you from your work is when you realize how many times you’ve heard the catchy theme song play in a day.
Stream on Max and Netflix.
14. Bob's Burgers
FoxThe jokes do come fast and furiously on Bob's Burgers, so while that does mean that it can pay to pay attention, it also means that if you miss one laugh, you'll probably catch the next three.
The long-running animated series about a family who operates a struggling burger joint in a fictional beach town is also soothing comfort TV, offering plenty of running jokes, recurring guest characters, and surprisingly sweet moments among the Belchers and their neighbors. There's a movie, too!
Stream on Hulu.
15. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
NBCThe spinoff of the original Law & Order that went on to eclipse it is perhaps the background noise show of our times for several reasons: Firstly, it's always on. Even if you don't have access to your streaming apps, you can almost certainly find it in syndication somewhere on cable, no matter the time of day.
Secondly, it consists of 25 seasons and counting of investigations into especially heinous crimes, as well as the court cases that follow. And finally, it rarely deviates from its trusty, reliable structure, meaning that you never have to work that hard to keep up with Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Co.
Stream on Peacock and Hulu.
16. Dirty Jobs
Discovery Channel
As previously mentioned, reality shows that aren't serialized (like a Housewives franchise, for example) are great to work to, because each episode follows the same format and you don't have to retain much information. If you like to be grossed out vicariously, check out Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs, which features host Mike Rowe shadowing people with some of the ickiest, most intense careers on the planet.
Stream on Max and Discovery+.
17. Suits
USA NetworkThe Suits-aissance took off whenever the USA procedural hit Netflix, once again proving that audiences in the streaming age still crave shows with longer and more seasons, so they can get to know the characters over time. The legal series is most famous for introducing a young actor named Meghan Markle to the world, but there are also tons of cases and workplace relationship drama to dig into.
Stream on Netflix and Peacock.
18. Emily in Paris
NetflixThere's certainly no PhD necessary to enjoy Emily in Paris, Netflix's frothy rom-com about an American woman who moves to Paris to work at a French marketing firm. It's filmed on location in the City of Lights, features some creative (and sometimes questionable) fashion, and focuses largely on Emily's (Lily Collins) relationships with a series of hunky love interests. It's pure candy floss.
Stream on Netflix.
