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
1) Fringe! Though it may be tragically cancelled and end up with loose ends, fair warning. And give it half a season to find its feet.
2) This may sound a little weird, because it’s not exactly the same genre, but I’ve noticed a lot of correlation between liking SGA/X-Files/Whedonverse and liking Due South. (90s cop show starring an RCMP officer in Chicago – it’s a lot of fun and has a sense of humour, which may be the linking factor.)
3) ReGenesis, if you can get hold of it. Canadian biotech thriller or near-future science fiction show, depending on exactly how unrealistic you think the science is. It’s awesome.
All these suggestions make me want to pull out the DVDs for a marathon tonight!
Seconding suggestions for Alias, Gilmore Girls, Six Feet Under, and Veronica Mars, all of which most episodes I could watch over and over again for eternity. My husband really got in to The Wire. I like it too, but he would watch them when I wasn’t home so I kind of lost track a bit. Same with Dexter…one of his faves. He’s in the middle of trying to marathon it now, but it keeps coming up “Long Wait” on Netflix.
Second on Sars’s White Collar recommendation! I had the exact same Burn Notice experience and White Collar is a very satisfying replacement for when you run out of C4, yogurt, and minidresses.
1. Life on Mars (UK Version)
2. Battlestar Galactica
3. Veronica Mars
Leverage – still in progress, delightful dialog, and if you enjoyed Burn Notice it should be a good fit
I’ll also second (well, technically fifth) Farscape
We like/watch a lot of the same things! I think the Stargates (and Dawson) are the only ones I haven’t watched!
Veronica Mars (Clever, and while it’s only three seasons, the first one can be watched as a perfectly complete stand alone. it’s one of the best put together mystery shows I’ve ever seen and the snark and wit can’t be beat.)
Friday Night Lights (Which, I can’t believe I LOVED, as the description sounds like the opposite of anything I would ever want to watch: high school football in a small Christian Texas town. wtf? It’s an amazing show–acting, award-worthy cinematography, plotlines, etc). Season 5, the final planned season is coming out April 5th–and I think the earlier seasons are available on Netflix instant play, which is how I watched it.)
Gilmore Girls (Very snappy dialogue. Great storylines. Amazing to watch the characters progress over the years, since the first episode, one of the primary characters is 15. Completed at about 7 seasons, I think. A great marathon show. I know this because I am currently marathoning it again!)
I just came back to this thread because I can’t believe I forgot about
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. It got cancelled too quickly so the ending is a bit rushed, but it’s worth it. We would stay up way, way too late just to watch one more. Also, it has Summer Glau.
I will second Weeds. (I can’t believe only one person has mentioned it so far.) I started watching Season 1 on Netflix and basically inhaled the rest of them, and am waiting anxiously for Season 7 to premiere this year.
I’ll put in my three cents:
1. Leverage
2. Rome
3. Arrested Development
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Just so effing good.
Dexter is great for marathons. Addictive!
And I definitely second Sports Night! Sounds like you’d love it.
I absolutely love The Wire, too, but the pacing IS similar to Mad Men, so YMMV.
We power disc shows too – there’s so much crap on tv its great to have something good to watch, that lasts a while.
I reiterate the call for The Tudors – or as we called it, The Hooters – CBC, our public broadcaster, didn’t cut much out.
Rome – so good.
Top Gear – I still know almost nothing about cars (what kind of car do we drive? Hmmm… its red?), but those guys are hysterical.
I only have one that hasn’t already been said: Freaks and Geeks. You won’t be sorry.
I second the UK Top Gear recommendation. I think DVDs are only available starting with season 9 or 10, but that still gives you 5 seasons or so. You don’t have to know anything about cars, or really care about cars, but I think this is hands-down the single most entertaining show on television right now. The hosts have an amazing rapport, are ridiculously witty, and very clever. I frequently laugh so much I start crying.
I also love Long Way Round and its follow-up, Long Way Down. I could watch that for hours and hours. It’s a documentary series following Ewan McGregor and his best friend Charley Boorman ride their motorcycles around the world. Literally. It is hilarious and heartbreaking. You’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat nervous that they’ll get stranded in the middle of the Mongolian steppe.
Most of the American TV series I would recommend have already been mentioned here, but I’ve marathoned a few British series off of Netflix Instant that I enjoyed. Of course there are a lot less episodes for these:
Hyperdrive (comedy spoof of Star Trek type shows)
Primeval (drama about holes in time appearing in present day London)
Coupling (Friends-ish type comedy)
Another loud vote for Battlestar Galactica…such an interesting mix of power-struggles, sci-fi battles, situational ethics, men with really nice arms, religious mysticism, love quadrangles, and gritty tension. We’re only in the middle of Season 4, so I can’t speak to the ending, but frak me, it’s good so far!
Seconding the rec for Sons of Anarchy–FANTASTIC show, though tough to watch at times due to ultraviolence. It’s worth it, though: I’ve never seen another show that so successfully made me care about THOROUGHLY despicable characters. Plus, you occasionally get naked!Charlie Hunnam, which is a good thing even if he needs to wash his hair and shave more often.
Also, as everyone else has said: Sports Night forever and always, and White Collar is the most enjoyable show on TV right now (and I say that as a diehard Supernatural fan).
I second Top Gear. As a chick who has no interest in horsepower or engine size, I watch because the hosts (James May!) are so darn entertaining. Plus you end up learning some car facts in the process.
I also recommend An Idiot Abroad, though it’s only in its first season.
And of course, as a Maryland girl, The Wire.
No mentions yet of Rescue Me? I just started marathoning it and season one was totally engaging.
@Amanda – Yes, Twitter is a must for IPS fandom. Also, LiveJournal. There’s a Mary/Marshall comm that’s not just shippery but generally awesome.
Did you see Fred Weller on The Good Wife?
I’m going to give some of these a try – Leverage, Breaking Bad. I’m working my way through Season 1 of Justified right now. Why aren’t the seasons longer? Waaaaaaa.
1. I third Six Feet Under. In my opinion, it’s the best show ever, but even people who disagree with that assessment generally will at least agree that the actors are terrific and the series finale is absolutely perfect.
2. Breaking Bad! Kind of surprised no one has mentioned this one. Its third season is particular is just perfectly done.
3. Dexter, but this is the one I do think is quite uneven.
Hate to be a broken record, but The Wire really is hands down the best show ever. Be patient – we didn’t get hooked until 4 or 5 episodes in, but it was so worth it. Season 4 was my favorite, though season 2 is also very good.
Six Feet Under – uneven, yes, but the series finale might be the best single episode of TV ever written. And you can’t appreciate it until you’ve seen the entire journey these characters take. It really affected me emotionally.
Rome – Only two seasons, amazing acting.
I’m totally printing this out next time I’m at work. Some awesome suggestions.
Lis, I’m glad that Eureka is one that you’re starting with. It’s currently my favorite show right now, and I can’t even explain why. If someone asks me, “Why do you like Eureka?”, all I can answer is, it’s just a lot of fun! It’s like a shot of seratonin; it makes me feel happy.
Also, one last suggestion, because if you like Stargate, you’ll love Sanctuary. I highly, highly recommend it.
1) Veronica Mars – the first season was amazing, the second season pretty good, and the third season only so-so, but you’ll likely be hooked by then anyway. Fantastic.
2) Dexter – so great. The first and fourth seasons are the absolute best, second is ok, and third sucks because of Jimmy Smits and the storyline, but it’s survivable.
3)Flight of the Conchords – It’s only two seasons, and it’s only a half hour show, but it is so funny. I will warn you that it takes a little while to get used to, as it is rather quirky, but my husband and I continually laugh at things from that show, and sing the songs. Business time, anyone??
Veronica Mars, Veronica Mars, Veronica Mars! I cannot recommend this show enough. I have successfully gotten three other people hooked on it after promising this: After you watch the pilot, you will HAVE to watch the rest of the first season.
Sarah in Ottawa, I agree – the first season is one of the best seasons of TV I have ever watched. (And the next two season aren’t too shabby, either.) I have gone through the entire series multiple times, and never get sick of it, and find new clues each time I watch it.
And I also have to add my love for Vampire Diaries. I thought the pilot was horrible last year when I watched it, but I picked it up again in season 2 after a friend said it was so much better. She was right! I actually just marathoned season 1 this past week, and I was so hooked. It really starts to pick up about 4 or 5 episodes in to season 1, so don’t give up on it if the first few episodes don’t do anything for you.
Babylon 5
Five seasons, impressive story arc. It’s from the 1990s, I don’t know if you can get it on Netflix but they are on DVD. This is my favourite show ever.
Battlestar Galactica
I marathonned the new one, haven’t seen the old one yet. (The two are different in every way but a couple elements.) Great show.
If you haven’t been spoiled already, what about Lost?
1. The Wire. Yes, it’s heartbreaking, but as others have pointed out, it’s also very funny (on what other show, for example, will you have a meeting of drug dealers run according to Roberts’ Rules of Order?). And it really is the best thing on television ever.
2. For a classic, if you’ve never seen it, M*A*S*H. The later seasons tend towards heavy-handed, and there’s also heartbreak aplenty here, but the dialogue is really funny and snappy here as well, particularly in the first 5 seasons (Sorkin has cited the show’s writer, the late Larry Gelbart, as an influence, and in watching, you can see why).
3. A toss-up between Pushing Daisies and Veronica Mars. I don’t know if you’d be satisfied with the endings of either show, but they both have some really great dialogue, and some great lead and supporting performances as well. As an added bonus, if you enjoy playing the game of “how the hell did they get THAT passed the censor?”, both of these shows are a gold mine for that.
Hasn’t been mentioned here yet . . .
My suggestion is useless for your criteria (still on the air, not even sure how you would go about obtaining it legally, maybe youtube?) but my husband and I finished the second season of Misfits last night and we LOVE LOVE LOVED IT. We’ve marathoned a lot of the same shows (Buffy, Angel, West Wing, etc.) so maybe you would love it too.
Misfits is a british hour-long show about some young offenders who become superheroes. The comedy is british filthy and the drama is involving. We were always dying to watch the next episode and it has a decent mytharc (although there are some holes at the end of the second season). And, oh my god, Kelly and her chav accent! Amazing.
I just googled it and apparently it won the 2010 Bafta for best drama. So it’s not just us! Seriously, everyone should watch it!
Oh….TV shows on DVD are my weakness. I don’t know how many shows I haven’t watched at first because I thought they were stupid or I wouldn’t like them (I’m looking at you The Office and you, The West Wing).
1. Friday Night Lights—one of my favorite shows of all time. Season 2 gets a little weird, but stick with it. It’s fantastic. It’s one of those rare shows that you are sad each time an episode is finished because you just keep wanting to watch the story.
2. Veronica Mars—this is one that I didn’t watch, but bought the DVD on a whim and then watched the entire first season in about a day. love, love, love.
3. The Closer—maybe not your style, but is a fun show to watch.
And sorry, I’ll add an honorable mention, but only 2 seasons are out on DVD–Castle.
My suggestions are for half-hour comedies, but oh, they’re good.
First, Arrested Development, as others have already suggested. I’m marathoning it right now, in preparation for an AD pub quiz coming up soon. Good writing, amazing continuity, and snappy humor.
Second, Community which is in its second season and has just been picked up for a third. Perhaps not so good for the marathon treatment yet, but there are plenty of other suggestions to watch until its marathonable. It’s definitely got snark, though, which is why I love it.
I don’t remember if anyone has mentioned Life yet, but you should definitely check it out based on your other likes. You may also enjoy Foyle’s War, a British mystery series set during WWII. And if you’re going for pure hilarity, ‘Allo ‘Allo is another British series set during WWII, this time in occupied France, and is a madcap comedy full of ridiculous accidents, mistaken identities, and unbelievable coincidences.
Oh my God, I have to watch so much TV now.
Must second the recommendation for Due South, I loved that show and I have watched and liked almost everything on your list and most of the ones rec’d.
Also Rome, I wish it had more episodes!
I’m thirding the suggestion of White Collar! Love the show, love the characters, love the camera work, etc…
Battlestar Galactica
The Vicar of Dibley
Adventures of Brisco County
1. Nurse Jackie – only a half hour but it has two seasons out on dvd and the third starts on the 28th. It’s really funny, imo.
2. Big Love – four seasons on dvd already, currently airing it’s final season.
3. Everwood – four seasons.
If you felt the burn from the disjointed second season of Dead Like Me, disliked how some characters on Buffy just got bitchier as the show went on, and felt that Lost became too self-involved then a word of caution about Veronica Mars and Battlestar Galactica: VM had one really good season before beginning a steady decline that made me hate most of the characters, but especially Veronica. BSG had two really good seasons and one good mini (the first one) but it’s last two seasons and second mini (Razor) were, to put it politely, uneven.
This is not another series recommendation, but if you were disappointed about the abrupt ending of “Dead Like Me” you may not realize that they did a made-for-tv followup movie, with most of the original cast. Also available on Netflix.
I must admit I struggled with the Wire. It’s not that I didn’t like it, just that it demanded more commitment than I was able to give at this point of time. (So did Damages come to think of it)
And on the complete other end of the scale, it’s obvious and mainstream, but along with NCIS, I get good levels of snark from The Mentalist, especially as they developed the supporting characters. And Simon Baker is oh so pretty
My husband & best friend & I do this too!
Another recommendation for The Wire. Mind-bendingly awesome show; the world they built feels realer than real.
I second what Sars said about Six Feet Under, both the unevenness and the rewards.
I can’t believe anyone hasn’t suggested my all-time favorite:
BONES!
Snarky, smart, awesome. I marathonned it myself this fall.
Also, I know you said you wanted hour-long shows, but Scrubs is worth the marathon.
This is *exactly* how my husband and I watch TV nowadays, and we seem to have very similar tastes.
Others have beaten me to some of my favourites (Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica, Arrested Development), so I will recommend what we thought were the best:
1) FX’s The Shield, which sets the bar for gritty cop shows. A wonderful cast of characters, gripping plots, and gut-punching intensity. And yet, they know how to bring the smart-ass. It was a bit uneven at times, but overall, I highly recommend it.
2) HBO’s Rome, particularly if you enjoy history and/or loved Deadwood.
3) HBO’s The Wire, which is IMO not only the best show I’ve ever seen, but possibly the finest television show ever to grace a flatscreen. Seriously. We avoided watching it for years because it had been too heavily hyped for us. Turns out, it hadn’t been hyped enough. (It does start slowly, but unlike Mad Men, all of the little details actually DO pay off in the end!)
(The Wire is also a spiritual successor to Homicide: Life on the Streets – same setting, same creative team, occasionally the same actors – so if you’ve seen that, there are some great continuity bonuses. And if you haven’t seen it, well, there’s another seven seasons’ worth of show to watch…)
@Kari, my husband sometimes pulls his pants-leg up and says, “Hey, look what kind of socks I’m wearing!” I’m sure you can guess the answer…
@Sarah, no, I missed Fred on The Good Wife, unfortunately. I’ve made a point of using my Netflix subscription
for evilto watch everything else he’s been in, though, so once the current season shows up on DVD, I’ll make up for this grievous error.Re: M*A*S*H — @Seankgallagher is right on (though I’d recommend the sixth season as well, because: Charles!). I understand Sars’ aversion to Alan Alda completely, though I will confess to enjoying him as Arnold Vinick in the latter seasons of The West Wing. But if you stick with the earlier seasons, it isn’t even close to being The Hawkeye Pierce Show. And there are worthwhile episodes later on; my favorite out of the whole lot is from the eighth season.
I can’t believe I forgot Sons Of Anarchy! For me it was the perfect contrast to Mad Men (I know it wasn’t your cuppa but I loved it) and the acting is really superlative, even in the third season when Ireland got out of control. Plus, Charlie Hunnam and his prediliction for nudity. Thank you, God.
A lot of people have recommended The Wire, but I would recommend David Simon’s first show, Homicide: Life on the Street. It is one of the finest cop shows ever and featured the amazing Andre Braugher and oscar-winner Melissa Leo, to name just a few of the wonderful actors. HLOTS has smart dialogue, wrenching story lines, and a gritty feel. To its fans Homicide will always be TBDSOT (the best damn show on television). The earliest seasons are the best, but the whole series is well worth your time.
I’d also second other people’s nominations for Friday Night Lights and, on the lighter side, Leverage.
I support a lot of previous recs but feel that not enough people are standing behind Justified and Sons of Anarchy. The Shield was a gripping show and SoA isn’t a spinoff at all but you’ll see people you recognize because the creator was part of the Shield’s team.
I’ve only seen the 1st Season bug Nurse Jackie is pretty disturbing in a wonderful way.
United States of Tara is worth taking a look at. A well-known blogger with Dissociative Identity Disorder.
I’ll go out on a limb and recommend In Treatment. It’s kind of a killer, deep and painful but really well acted. I always wind up in a puddle of tears but unable to quit watching. So it’s good but it’s not exactly going to be the most uplifting date night you ever shared.
I would suggest Slings and Arrows – it’s a Canadian TV show set at the fictional New Burbbage Theater. Three seasons, all only six episodes. Hilarious and serious all at the same time, as the show features a Shakespeare play each season (Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear) and the problems of getting the show ready. Available via Netflix streaming!
Another favorite TV show of mine is Due South (which also features Paul Gross, star of Slings and Arrows). It’s set in Chicago and is about the exploits of a Chicago cop and a Canadian mountie. The show spent two seasons on the air here in the US and then was picked up for an additional two seasons in Canada. You can get all four season very inexpensively off of Amazon. I haven’t watched in a long time, but I imagine if you enjoy Psych, you might like this show.
Finally, I’m not sure if you enjoy historical TV shows, but I enjoy the majority of the shows you’ve got listed, so I might also recommend Downton Abbey, which is a Masterpiece Theatre show. It was a British miniseries, kind of an upstairs/downstairs set in the period before WWI. If you enjoyed Gosford Park, you’d probably like this one too. Plus they are doing a second series (plus a Christmas special, hooray) this year.
I will second recs that I saw on here for NCIS (I am SUCH an NCIS whore, its awesome. I am working on acquiring them for my collection.) and the Tudors. (Even if just for you. Because its fun. And hot sexy men in tights acting all arrogantly? Yes please.) I love the way they ended it and now that I have all 4 seasons on DVD, I marathon them quite often.
And will add a rec for Numb3rs. It just ended about a year ago, but the way they did the season finale worked really well in the event it was the series finale (which is really was). Its essentially the FBI meets university. But its got good writing, snappy dialogue, and good acting. :)
BOSTON LEGAL. Sorry for the capslock, but it’s the only way I know how to say the name of that show. I know that, on the surface, it may sound lame: a legal drama mostly starring people in their 40s and 50s or older (William Shatner, Candace Bergen, James Spader), but it’s actually brilliantly written, with incredible characters and amazing dialogue.
When I watched the last ever episode, I sat on my couch like a lame-ass and maybe teared up a bit because there would never be any more ever. Whoops.
Weeds (only a half hour, but still awesome) and True Blood (also only a half hour). Everyone else mentioned all my other favorites.
My husband and I do the same thing and watch most of your list
1) Being Human (the British original, stay away from the new Syfy americanification, it is horrible) still on air and the last episode of Season 3 is about to air in the UK
2) M*A*S*H (all 11 seasons)
3) Castle- still on air, about 3 seasons so far, I think
*bonus- my husband walked by before I posted and recommends Babylon 5