Toga parties, beheaded statues and off-color hijinks have been the University of Oregon’s main claim to show biz infamy ever since the raucous cast of Animal House took up residence on campus in 1977.

Although the College of Arts and Sciences has its share in that legacy—parts of the movie were filmed in Fenton Hall, which houses our Math Department—we've come a long way since then. Our extraordinary faculty, students and alumni have continued to put CAS on the pop culture map with their talent and ingenuity, spawning a list of Hollywood hits that will make you laugh, cry, shiver and think.

So grab your favorite steamy beverage, snuggle up under a cozy blanket, and binge your way through our watchlist of films and shows that all share a CAS connection.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Rennie's Landing may have confiscated her fake ID back in the 90s, but theatre arts alum Kaitlin Olson got the last laugh. After graduating in 1997, she launched a successful acting career and went on to become a fixture at Paddy’s Pub, the Philadelphia dive bar in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Olson plays waitress Deandra “Sweet Dee” Reynolds in America’s longest-running live-action sitcom, which will enter its 17th season later this year. 

In the meantime, you can check out the show’s Abbott Elementary crossover episode, which airs Jan. 8.

Ghosts

Former Ducks defensive end and political science alum Devan Chandler Long graduated in 2006 with his sights on the NFL, but his football injuries prevented him from going pro. He pivoted to acting and snagged a role as the incorporeal Viking warrior Thorfinn on the CBS hit comedy Ghosts. Adapted from the British sitcom of the same name, the show follows the antics of a living couple who move into a country estate inhabited by an eclectic group of spirits.

The Fall of the House of Usher

When Hollywood came knocking on author and graphic novelist Mat Johnson’s door seeking options for his books, the creative writing professor decided he’d rather try screenwriting himself. He began writing and pitching for television and eventually got to work on a couple of shows. One was horror showrunner Mike Flanagan’s latest creation, The Fall of the House of Usher, a series inspired by Edgar Allen Poe. Johnson co-wrote the fourth episode, “The Black Cat,” along with Flanagan.

Modern Family

Despite playing football in high school, Ty Burrell opted not to play for the Ducks. He chose theater instead. The theatre arts alum started his acting career with a role on the UO stage in Lysistrata and eventually went on to play awkward dad Phil Dunphy on the ABC sitcom Modern Family, earning two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. The popular series, which ran for 11 seasons, is now streaming on Hulu.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Eric Stillwell was a Star Trek fan long before he became a political science major. As a kid, he petitioned his local NBC affiliate to keep the series on the air. As a Duck, he ran the Starfleet fan organization, which became one of the world’s largest fan clubs. After graduating in 1985, he headed to Hollywood and landed a job working on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Stillwell worked his way up to script coordinator and eventually co-wrote “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” which is widely regarded as one of the show’s best episodes.

A Bold Peace

While researching for his PhD in sociology, Matthew Eddy discovered that Costa Rica has become one of the most peaceful nations in the world since abolishing its military in 1948. Eddy teamed up with Professor Michael Dreiling from the Sociology Department to write, direct and produce the award-winning feature documentary A Bold Peace, which examines Costa Rica’s happy, healthy and demilitarized social democratic society.

The Humanitarian Trilogy

Award-winning documentary filmmaker and theatre arts alum Skye Fitzgerald has focused his career on shining a light on the global refugee crisis. His body of work includes three film projects known as the Humanitarian Trilogy: Lifeboat, about German volunteers who brave the Mediterranean waves to pluck refugees from sinking rafts; 50 Feet From Syria, which follows a Syrian-American orthopedic surgeon to the Turkish border to operate on civil war victims; and Hunger Ward, which documents the effects of the war in Yemen on children and health care workers. Two of the films received Oscar nominations.

Afghan Dreamers

When Afghanistan’s first all-girls robotics team was refused entry to the US for a robotics tournament, teen computer enthusiast Saghar Salehi and her teammates made headlines around the world. Their fight to learn and compete in a country where women were habitually denied access to STEM education became the subject of the documentary Afghan Dreamers. Not long after the film was made, a Taliban resurgence forced the team and their families to flee for their lives. Salehi found a new home in the University of Oregon’s College of Arts and Sciences, where she’s now a computer science major.

Breaking2

When elite runners Eliud Kipchoge, Lelisa Desisa and Zersenay Tadese teamed up with Nike in an attempt break the two-hour marathon barrier, sports physiologist Brad Wilkins was the scientist who led the charge. Their efforts were chronicled in the documentary Breaking2. Wilkins joined the CAS faculty last year as an assistant professor in the Human Physiology Department, where he continues to explore the limits of human performance in the Oregon Performance Research Lab.

La Serenata

Inspired by his work supporting queer Latinx communities, Professor Ernesto Javier Martínez wrote the award-winning children’s book When We Love Someone We Sing To Them as a way of transforming his personal pain into a lesson for kids. Its success led to the short film adaptation La Serenata, which won multiple awards on the festival circuit—including HBO’s Latinx Short Film Competition. The head of the Department of Indigenous, Race and Ethnic Studies is now working on expanding the film into a feature-length movie.

Coming Up: The Chronology of Water

Once a competitive swimmer and Olympic hopeful, Lidia Yuknavitch veered into literature, earning her PhD in English in 1998. Her award-winning memoir, The Chronology of Water, caught the attention of actor Kristen Stewart, who will make her feature directorial debut with an adaptation filmed at the Oregon coast. While its release date hasn’t yet been announced, it could premiere later this year. Stay tuned! 

—By Nicole Krueger, College of Arts and Sciences