ajzepp Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 With the availability of tv shows on DVD, blu-ray and streaming so prevalent, there are many people who love to rent a season, or even an entire the entire series, and have a marathon viewing session. It's something we've talked about on here from time to time, so instead of discussing whether it's better to watch after the fact or during the show's actual broadcast, I thought we could discuss some of the best choices for marathoning. The first time I really watched a series on DVD was probably the Sopranos back in the early 2000s. But my first experience with a marathon session was S1 of 24. It only took me a couple days to get through all 24 episodes and it was a total blast. I ended up doing the same for the next few seasons until I was caught up with where the show was at the time S5, I believe. I have to say, I found that watching back-to-back on DVD was much more fun than watching week-to-week. That's the sort of thing I'm focusing on in this thread...not just which shows are your favorites, cause we've had lots of conversations about that....but which shows do you feel best lend themselves to marathon sessions? Also, for those who know if their suggestion(s) are available on Netflix streaming, please let us know. The show I'm marathoning currently is one that many of you have suggested to me for a while now - Friday Night Lights. I figured I'd just watch from time to time, but having been on leave from work a bit recently I found myself really going on some long stretches. The show is much better than I expected it, with excellent acting and writing, and with very little in terms of "filler", which is something I really can't stand (e.g. Falling Skies...way, way too much filler). I started a week or two ago and I'm already into S4. So what are some of your best recommendations for shows to watch in large chunks at a time that actually enhance the viewing experience as a result? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 1 Day Marathons Band of Brothers. I think it's Spike TV that does one every 4th of July and Memorial Day Firefly John Adams Multi Day Marathons Any Star Trek Series Babylon 5 Sopranos Spartacus Breaking Bad Sons of Anarchy Stargate SG1 Stargate Atlantis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooderson Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Twilight Zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I remember thinking "I should check out that LOST show everybody is talking about" and going to abc.com. An indeterminate number of hours later, it's Season 4, my eyes are bloodshot and a robin is nesting her eggs in my beard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 I remember thinking "I should check out that LOST show everybody is talking about" and going to abc.com. An indeterminate number of hours later, it's Season 4, my eyes are bloodshot and a robin is nesting her eggs in my beard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Twilight Zone. Ditto. We used to love to watch them with the local stations had them over a certain holiday. No with Roku/Netflix we can watch a Twilight Zone marathon anytime we like. I also like to watch South Park marathons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevestojan Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Rescue Me. Thought it would be boring. Turned out to be top 3 favorite of all time with SOA and Sopranos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biglukes Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia! I could watch that show constantly and never get tired of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Boston Legal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PastaJoe Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 The Walking Dead Band of Brothers Dexter Six Feet Under Mad Men Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I finished ST: Deep Space Nine recently. Watched Seaquest DSV and regretted it, thankfully it wasn't on long. Currently working on Adam-12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 1 Day Marathons Band of Brothers. I think it's Spike TV that does one every 4th of July and Memorial Day Firefly John Adams Multi Day Marathons Any Star Trek Series Babylon 5 Sopranos Spartacus Breaking Bad Sons of Anarchy Stargate SG1 Stargate Atlantis I second Firefly. Because of the way it's structured, it definitely benifits from marathon viewing. Disagree with Band of Brothers, however. Watching the episodes back-to-back, the series always felt a little choppy to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 John Adams Band of Brothers Walking Dead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Twin Peaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I remember thinking "I should check out that LOST show everybody is talking about" and going to abc.com. An indeterminate number of hours later, it's Season 4, my eyes are bloodshot and a robin is nesting her eggs in my beard. Been there. That's one where it's 4 a.m., I've got to be at work at 9 a.m., but damnit, I've got to see what happens next [as I start the next episode]. I prefer shows with an ongoing storyline (18 hour movies) for marathoning, but there are a few like Burn Notice *, The In Betweeners *, and Firefly * that despite having some ongoing story are primarily stand alone stories strewn together with a secondary backstory are still fun to watch in succession. My top 8: 1. The Shield 2. Lost * 3. The Wire 4. Dexter (Seasons 1 & 2) * 5. 24 * 6. Sons of Anarchy * 7. Breaking Bad * 8. Strawberry Shortcake * * Available now or recently on Netflix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 These Andy Griffith marathons have been fun and time consuming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirdborn Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Bears Beets Battlestar Gallactica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 (edited) "Treme"...only two seasons... few watch it...but it is excellent...from the same guy who brought you "The Wire" Season 3 is pending...hopefully this fall...I doubt it lasts much beyond that. For a 1 or 2 day marathon, "Freaks And Geeks" is pretty great. Edited July 15, 2012 by Buftex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsPride12 Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Married with Children. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep and they usually have a MWC marathon on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 (edited) 1 day marathon: Pushing Daisies: I know it officially had 2 seasons, but it was in-between the writer's strike so it's more like one full season. Multiple day marathon: Supernatural: Still on the air and heading to it's 8th season. While it is not as fresh as it once was, I still find it very entertaining. Damages: Just started it's 5th and I think it's final season. Started on FX, now it's on a DirecTv only channel. This fantastic show somehow keeps getting overlooked. Trust me on this one, check it out, you'll enjoy it. Mystery Science Theater 3000: This would take a long time, but it'd be worth it. Sorry, I do not know if any of these are online streaming. As for me I just started watching "Firefly", and I am going to start "Boardwalk Empire". Edited July 16, 2012 by Mark Vader Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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