The Vine: March 18, 2011
My fiancé and I are huge fans of “marathoning” shows (as in get a show we’ve never seen that’s got at least 3 seasons on DVD and start Netflixing them until we’ve either caught up to live episodes or the show ends). We’ve been doing this for several years and absolutely love it. Our most recent successful pick was Burn Notice, but we’ve finished the episodes available on DVD and now have to wait for more.
I’m looking for recommendations on other shows we can do this with. I’m including a list of shows we love and some minimal criteria and hopefully you and the rest of the nation can give us some ideas. I’m going to say one more thing, and please don’t hate me…no Mad Men. We’ve tried…twice. Gotten through 2 discs. CANNOT get into it. We just don’t get it. I’m not sure why, it’s a well-written show, but we just don’t love it.
Major criteria: Preferably an hour-long show. We really like dramas that are snappy and mixed with humor/smart-ass remarks, basically we’re fans of snark. Also fast-paced dialogue (a la Sorkin…love it). Our other firm preference is that if it’s a show that is no longer on the air, we want it to have been a planned-out end (as in West Wing, or Buffy); not so excited about watching a show that has 2 great seasons and then gets canceled so you’re left hanging (Joan of Arcadia and Dead Like Me, I’m looking at you).
Some of our favorites are:
- West Wing (LOVE LOVE LOVE)
- Psych
- Studio 60
- Lost
- Dr. Who
- Stargate
- Stargate Atlantis
- Supernatural
- Buffy
- Firefly
- Angel
- Deadwood
- Burn Notice
- True Blood
- Dead Like Me
- ER (but only to a point…you know what I mean)
- Dawson’s Creek (ok that’s just me, not the fiance)
Hopefully you get the gist of what we’re into. Basically it can be any genre, what we’re interested in is quality entertainment value, we’re not married to a specific subject.
Thanks in advance for the help!!
Lis
Dear Lis,
I’ll confine myself to three recommendations here (and I’ll ask that readers do the same, so that comments don’t get too unwieldy in length):
1. Sports Night. I’m a bit surprised not to see it on your list, since you like Sorkin; in my opinion, it’s his best work (i.e., the highest proportion of what makes his writing good, without some of what can make him off-putting). It may not qualify for you guys, as it’s only two seasons and only half an hour…and Dana’s dating plan is maddening, but if you know it’s coming, you can take it less seriously, and Guillaume is tremendous.
2. Six Feet Under. A wildly uneven show, but at its best, it’s extremely rewarding.
3. White Collar. Still in progress. Charismatic leads and a fun premise.
Readers, help us out here. Your three top marathonables, based on Lis’s list. Go.
Tags: Ask The Readers popcult
Your list pretty much knocks it out of the park as far as my recommendations would have gone, so I only have one to add: “House”. Fair warning, it may be like your ER pick (good…but only up to a point, since the most recent seasons are getting a little irritating), but it’s a fantastic show. Hugh Laurie in particular is jaw-droppingly good.
And something else that might be worth a try is the BBC program “Top Gear”. Yes, it’s a car show, but it’s hilarious and intelligent (unless they’re being really, really silly, which is even MORE hilarious). Take this from someone who knows NOTHING about cars, and still loves the show.
My favorite show forever, The X-Files
Dexter
And if you like Doctor Who then you have to watch Torchwood
THE WIRE!!! No snark, but it’s brilliant.
1. A second vote for Six Feet Under.
2. Dexter
3. Torchwood (although I suspect if you’re Dr. Who fans, you may have seen it already.
I haven’t seen Battlestar Galactica, but I’m guessing someone will mention it.
How about The Wire (which has raving fans, but is not really in the light snark vein), or Freaks and Geeks (only 1 season, but soooooo worthwhile).
Damages. It’s had three seasons (a fourth is coming, but only on DirecTV grrRRRrrr), and each season wraps up the plot, so nothing gets left hanging. Twisty, dark, and oh-so-fun.
The first two that came to mind are:
1) 4400: A really fun sci-fi show that although it ended without notice to the writers, still ended in an entirely satisfying way.
2) Friday Night Lights: the last season still hasn’t aired on NBC but has aired on Direct TV, but I don’t know what that means for DVD availability. Either way the first four seasons were terrific. One of my favorites.
I’ve got only one suggestion: The Wire
My husband and I do the same thing because he is incapable of joining a series at any point other than Season 1, episode 1. West Wing & Sports Night are two of our favourites but The Wire is so amazing to watch. It elevates television to a whole new level. Treme is pretty good too, but there’s only the one season so far.
I like a lot of the things in your list, so you might like these:
Veronica Mars (only 3 seasons available)
The Good Wife
you might try Being Human (the British version, don’t know how much of it is available – the knock-off US version is playing currently on SyFy)
Only 3?!?!?! I could go on and on. Definitely support Sars suggestion of White Collar.
1. Damages. Season 3 isn’t on DVD yet but soon. Season 4 is filming and will air on Direct TV. AMAZING. Glenn Close is so fabulous. Every season seems to be sort of a self-contained unit, so if you don’t have Direct TV, you won’t be left hanging.
2. Friday Night Lights. Netflix has first 4 seasons on instant, and Season 5 aired on Direct TV in the fall. Word is the DVDs will be released in the next few weeks and then NBC airs the final season beginning mid-April.
I can’t decide on a 3rd, because my two suggestions are still on the air (Chuck and In Plain Sight.
Ok sorry Sars. I did suggest 4. Don’t hurt me!
Me and my husband do this all the time also.
1. Sopranos is wonderful
2. Although only 2 seasons long at this time, sons of anarachy can’t be beat!!
3. we watched the first three seasons of 24, then got bored, but the first three were great
My recs are 24 (spent last weekend marathoning season 4), Dollhouse and Castle (if only for the Fillion and occasional Firefly references).
Fringe, Fringe, Fringe, Fringe!! My husband and I watched the first 2 seasons via Netflix and now we are loyal followers. It is a very smart show, very well acted and really entertaining.
Just one suggestion from me. We seem to have quite similar tastes, and I think you would enjoy Pushing Daisies. This is actually the only TV DVD I own (well, except for the entire series of Monty Python’s Flying Circus) and escaping to that universe of saturated color and fairy tale storyline helps take my mind off the fact that I am a public worker in Wisconsin (don’t get me started.)
Gilmore Girls–great dialogue and my husband really enjoyed it too.
Farscape is also a wonderful show and the actors have great chemistry.
I would also put in a vote for the BBC version of Coupling. It’s a 30 minute comedy but the writing is WONDERFUL!
Battlestar Galactica
I’m sure I could come up with a ton, but the first thing that comes to mind is The Wire. Seasons 1 and 2 are especially excellent, and Season 5 goes off the rails a bit, but in terms of overall quality, I think it’s one of the best shows that’s been on TV.
My husband and I also love marathoning TV shows via Netflix, I can’t wait to hear the suggestions!
My tastes overlap with yours quite a bit, Lis. Here are my two suggestions.
1. Chuck — 3 seasons on DVD so far, 4th on the air. Season 2 in particular is just plain fun. In terms of your list I’d describe it as a cross between Burn Notice and Buffy.
2. The Vampire Diaries — Only 1 season out on DVD so far, but the show is still on the air so hopefully more to come. A great guilty pleasure. My caveat here is that I hated True Blood (got 2 discs in, gave up), so this may not be your vampire cup of tea.
“Veronica Mars”. Arguably my favourite show EVER and terribly addictive. Though the 3rd season isn’t as good as the first two, the first season might be the best season of TV I’ve ever watched.
We’ve also loved “The Wire”, early “Alias”, and are getting through “Friday Night Lights”.
Justified! It meets all of your criteria for dramas with smart-ass, snappy humor, plus it has the devastatingly gorgeous Timothy Olyphant. If you liked Deadwood you might appreciate all the cast members who show up as guest stars on Justified.
My mom just watched all of season one in less than two days so it’s also very marathonable. :-)
If you are fans of British snark, I’d recommend:
– Primeval. Still running, three seasons in, very funny. Time-travel with overall villian/problem arc.
– Torchwood. Two seasons, the 5-ep stand-alone season and more to come this fall. You may want to wait on that until the next series airs on whatever paid cable station they picked and then goes to DVD.
– The Venture Brothers. 30 minutes, but all 4 (well, three and a half of season 4) are hilarious with good dialogue and characters. last half of season 4 will be airing on Adult Swim….soon. They promised!
My husband and I have been doing the same. My last three picks have had short loves but been totally worth the watch. I suggest:
1. Dollhouse – cut tragically short to 2 seasons but nicely wrapped up and a must watch for any Whedon fan. The season 2 mytharc is crazy good.
2. Torchwood – 2 seasons & a 5 ep mini series but the next series will be starting soon. It’s a great companion piece to dr who. The beginning of season 1 is a little bumpy but stick with it.
3. Veronica Mars – brilliant show, well written & acted, and super engrossing with the twists an turns and mystery. Plus just enough of the teen romance angst from dawsons creek but probably not too much of it for your man to handle :)
Enjoy!
Wait! How did I not add “Alias” as my third suggestion? Another fun spy series, highly marathonable.
I love almost all the shows you list (though I also adore Mad Men, so, grain of salt), and just recently enjoyed marathoning Veronica Mars myself. Lots of snark & fast-paced dialog and excellent serialized story-telling.
And then there’s the actual reason I bought a DVD player in the first place: marathoning the X-Files. A know a ton of people who are dual Buffy/X-Files lovers (as am I), so on the off chance you haven’t checked it out already, the first five seasons or so are AWESOME.
If you’re up for slightly fluffier fare (along the Dawsons’ Creek line), I also LOVE LOVE LOVE The Vampire Diaries. Only in its second season, but damn. Keeps you on the edge of your seat every week.
…Aaaaand now I’m going to be consumed with thoughts of how much more fun it would be to watch TV all day instead of work. Have fun! Since our tastes seem pretty similar, I’m excited to see what suggestions other people come up with.
I’m doing a Weeds marathon now, and am pretty addicted through at least the 4th season
Torchwood!
Jericho is only a couple seasons at most but I freaking love it to pieces, and it fits with the sci-fi.
Another thought: Gilmore Girls. Maybe only for you and not the fiance, based on the Dawson’s Creek note, but when it’s on, it’s ON, and it’s jam-packed with fast-paced snark-talk.
Also: OMG FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.
The Wire, aka The Greatest TV Show ever! (But I like Mad Men, so …) Fascinating 5-season arc, dark but with flashes of humor.
Buffy fans who haven’t gotten on the BSG bandwagon yet? Boy do you have a treat in store!
I’m Ms. Obvious – I’ve marathoned “The Office,” “30 Rock”, and “Parks and Recreation.”
Also British mysteries like “Midsommer Murders” (no longer a favorite), the “Inspector Morse” series, “Wire in the Blood” (a particularly dark choice), “Poirot/Marple,” etc.
I’d recommend “Wire in the Blood” especially if you like dark storylines.
Great question- I share a lot of your TV loves (especially the Sorkin), so am keen to see the responses.
1) The X Files! I was too young to watch it when it was on air, and had some skepticism about it being All Aliens All the Time, etc, but then a friend lent me season 1, and I was hooked. There are 9 seasons: the first 5 are excellent, the next two are still quite good, and then the final two are…less good. So it does sort of peter out, but I think it’s definitely worth watching in spite of mytharc…difficulties. The writing is quite snappy and occasionally snarky, and there are some things about it that remind me of The West Wing (snappy dialogue, characters who are workaholics/ caught up in something bigger than themselves/ lovely production values). Really a great show to ‘marathon’- there were so many moments where I was thinking I would have hated having to wait another week/season to find out what happened next.
2) Felicity may be on the outer edge of your interests, but again it has pretty good (and often very funny) writing, and in spite of a bit of a sophomore dip, it is well sustained over four seasons.
3) If you’re interested in trying something slightly different/foreign, this Australian show SeaChange (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SeaChange) is pretty great. You could order DVDs online from the Australian ABC shop, I think. (There are a heap of great Australian comedies (half hour shows), particularly Summer Heights High & Frontline, that I’d also recommend…)
Torchwood (which is a Dr. Who spin-off and more for adults)
Alias
Hetty Wainthrop Mysteries (see Dominic Monaghan before he was a hobbit, and Patricia Routledge is pretty bad-ass)
1 – Alias. You love Lost and Buffy, so you should love Alias. OK, the latter seasons are a little iffy, but I think that’s less of an issue when you’re marathoning than it was for those of us who were watching obsessively as it aired. Ahem.
2 – Veronica Mars. A little short (only three seasons), and because the creators were fairly sure the end was coming, I think the series wrapped up pretty satisfactorily.
3 – Battlestar Galactica. Look, you’ve watched both Stargates as warm-ups. Now it’s time for the major leagues. :)
Battlestar Galactica – it took me forever to try it but I was obsessed once I did.
Friday Night Lights – It’s not just a show about football, I swear! The first half of the second season gets rough, but it gets amazing again.
The Wire – I’m sure everyone will recommend this because it’s THAT SHOW that everyone recommends. But… watch it anyway. It’s so good.
Veronica Mars
Torchwood
Eureka
P.S. I didn’t know anything about Doctor Who when I watched Torchwood, and I still enjoyed it a lot!
Arrested Development. Although it left us too soon (the final season was shortened), they managed to pull together a satisfying ending.
The Office UK.
Absolutely Fabulous, but stop after Season 3.
I’ll recommend MI-5 (or if you have a region-free dvd, Spooks). Brit spies. Drama, things go boom, Hotness in both sexes.
1) Gilmore Girls. Great, snappy dialogue. Annoying last season, but wonderfulness before that!
2) Arrested Development. Chalk (chock?) full of awesome, though only a half hour
3) The Avengers. A 1960s British Spy show. Lots of humor and great Mod-ness. Get the Diana Riggs years — Avengers ’67 is streaming on Netflix
Obligatory recommendation of The Wire, which has more funny moments than you would expect.
You also might like Damages, which is sort of in the Burn Notice/White Collar vein but is a little bit more painstakingly constructed over the course of a season and boasts two interesting female leads who have a relationship that resists most stereotypes.
Justified is still airing, but if you wait a bit for the second season to finish you can marathon the first two seasons together. It’s extremely snappy and, to modify a Sorkinism, Timothy Olyphant was created by a technician very close to God (I second the Sports Night rec as well.)
HBO’s Rome – I still wonder what those guys are up to. Although it’s only two seasons.
The Wire – I think it answers everything you are looking for. The writing definitely isn’t Sorkin, but it’s plenty snappy.
Alias – There are some definite issues with the end of Alias, but since you guys like Buffy, it might suit. The first two season are really fantastic – sad and fun and heartbreaking and full of hot people.
The Wire. We are rewatching the series for a third time. Also in the heavier catagory: MI-5. Perhaps not as snappy as you’re looking for, but good stuff.
Eureka. I resisted this show for a long time even though it’s a natural fit for a giant geek like me, then watched a few on Netflix. Now I’ve seen every episode so far and want to MOVE THERE. Jonesing for the next season.
All of my recommendation have somewhat planned endings, though the satisfaction of the finales is debatable:
Farscape (+ the TV movie)
Carnivale (part 1 of the planned three part trilogy completed in the first two seasons)
Pushing Daisies
Nonetheless, I’d highly recommend each, and at least Farscape and Pushing Daisies are available on Netflix. I’m not sure about Carnivale, but that’s definitely on DVD.
Chuck! My boyfriend and I recently marathoned Chuck and are totally enraptured. We both love it and are a little bummed that we’re totally caught up and actually have to wait every week for a new show.
Fringe For Walter Bishop alone. The first part of the first season is a little uneven, but holy crap does this show find its legs.
X-Files My sister is in the middle of marathoning this right now and she reports it’s holding up well nearly 20 years after it started. It goes back and forth from really really serious to quirky to somewhere in the middle.
Gilmore Girls! Funny, fst dialogue, and while your fiance might think it’s a girly show at first, he’ll get over it when he sees how funny it is (plus, there are two attractive women as the leads)>
I also recommend Damages, which isn’t as funny but is VERY gripping and easy to get hooked on.
Hey! We do this too… and since our list looks a lot like yours, here are 3 suggestions:
1. Battlestar Galactica
2. Farscape
3. Northern Exposure
Have fun!
Run, do not walk, and get THE WIRE. It’s a fantastic show, a great blend of funny dialogue and serious situations. Give yourselves a couple of episodes to get into it, and consider watching with the subtitles on if you have trouble understanding what people are saying at first.
Alias, times infinity! Snappy, sassy, fast and fun. Also Farscape – one of our first marathons and a really great show. Seriously, don’t let the muppets put you off – far from being Jar-Jars, they are nuanced characters in their own right. Happy watching!
I think Dexter is great for marathoning. And if you like Doctor Who, perhaps the Sarah Jane Chronicles?
Life on Mars? BBC version.
Oh, and Torchwood! Definitely Torchwood.