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What TV serias is binge-worthy?


I totally agree and one of the things I really liked about The Wire was that each season could stand alone. So you could binge a season at a time and not need to try to do the whole series. Dexter was that way too. I'd add Breaking Bad (first 2 seasons a bit slow, but they are the hill before the roller coaster that is the last 3 seasons), Deadwood, Sons of Anarchy, House of Cards, and Justified for macho selections. Downton Abbey, Mr Selfridge and Poldark for Masterpiece theater greatness. Also, the Doctor Who reboot if you enjoy sci-fi.
 
I binged The Wire more than once. It's fascinating in so many different ways. I also binged watch the first 2 seasons of House of Cards. The rest aren't binge worthy. I also binged Firefly. Granted it was only 1 season, but it was worth it. I'd also recommend Band of Brothers if you've never seen it.
 
I've binged The Wire 3 times and watched episodes here and there too. Not sure I've ever watched any other show all the way through more than once. Most shows I watch I don't really binge, I'll watch 1 or 2 episodes a day. Another show I really, really liked was Friday Night Lights. I def binged it too.
 
David Simon has a new show coming out this fall, The Deuce.
 
Loved Deadwood..

Also Treme was a favorite.. hated to see John Goodman not continue on after season 1

I watched Treme when it was on, but never went back and finished the last couple seasons. It was an interesting show, but didn't have much of a plot line....very meandering. Music was great. I wouldn't put it in the same class as others mentioned here.

Billions is a show that's currently on, that I think is good.

Breaking Bad
Sopranos
The Wire
The West Wing
House of Cards
Mad Men

Are the only the shows I've ever binge watched. The first 3 I've watched beginning to end several times. Others, like Dexter, are ok for a once through.

A show like Sopranos, you have to somewhat appreciate the timeframe it was made. While there are a ton of great TV shows now....when it was on, there was really nothing else much like it. It really paved the way for the current era of tv.
 
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Not sure how I forgot this show but Season 1 (only) of True Detective is incredible. Despite debate on the last episode it's probably in my top 3 seasons ever.

I'll also throw in season 1 of Heroes. Save the cheerleader, Save the World is one of the best plot lines ever.
 
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I watched Treme when it was on, but never went back and finished the last couple seasons. It was an interesting show, but didn't have much of a plot line....very meandering. Music was great. I wouldn't put it in the same class as others mentioned here.

Billions is a show that's currently on, that I think is good.

Breaking Bad
Sopranos
The Wire
The West Wing
House of Cards
Mad Men

Are the only the shows I've ever binge watched. The first 3 I've watched beginning to end several times. Others, like Dexter, are ok for a once through.

A show like Sopranos, you have to somewhat appreciate the timeframe it was made. While there are a ton of great TV shows now....when it was on, there was really nothing else much like it. It really paved the way for the current era of tv.

Treme was better the first couple of years than toward the end. I love New Orleans and the music is what kept me coming back each season.

Not sure how I forgot this show but Season 1 (only) of True Detective is incredible. Despite debate on the last episode it's probably in my top 3 seasons ever.

I'll also throw in season 1 of Heroes. Save the cheerleader, Save the World is one of the best plot lines ever.

True Detective season one was great...remember this scene:

hbo2_fl.jpg
 
I watched Treme when it was on, but never went back and finished the last couple seasons. It was an interesting show, but didn't have much of a plot line....very meandering. Music was great. I wouldn't put it in the same class as others mentioned here.

Billions is a show that's currently on, that I think is good.

Breaking Bad
Sopranos
The Wire
The West Wing
House of Cards
Mad Men

Are the only the shows I've ever binge watched. The first 3 I've watched beginning to end several times. Others, like Dexter, are ok for a once through.

A show like Sopranos, you have to somewhat appreciate the timeframe it was made. While there are a ton of great TV shows now....when it was on, there was really nothing else much like it. It really paved the way for the current era of tv.
Billions is great. Hopefully they will be able to keep it going. Maybe everyone is just taking it for granted, but obviously Game of Thrones.
 
Billions is great. Hopefully they will be able to keep it going. Maybe everyone is just taking it for granted, but obviously Game of Thrones.

I've yet to even start GOT. Likely next on my list, maybe I can watch it all by the time this new season is wrapping up.
 
Treme was better the first couple of years than toward the end. I love New Orleans and the music is what kept me coming back each season.



True Detective season one was great...remember this scene:

hbo2_fl.jpg

That was a special moment in TV history.
 
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A show like Sopranos, you have to somewhat appreciate the timeframe it was made. While there are a ton of great TV shows now....when it was on, there was really nothing else much like it. It really paved the way for the current era of tv.

Yeah. I tried re-watching The Sopranos recently as a treadmill show, that is, a show to watch while I'm on the treadmill. It was a tough watch the second time around. Much slower paced than shows today, and all those scenes with the therapist just drag and drag. It really was groundbreaking at the time, but unlike The Wire it doesn't seem to hold up as well. Too much hand wringing angst, not enough story movement.
 
Yeah. I tried re-watching The Sopranos recently as a treadmill show, that is, a show to watch while I'm on the treadmill. It was a tough watch the second time around. Much slower paced than shows today, and all those scenes with the therapist just drag and drag. It really was groundbreaking at the time, but unlike The Wire it doesn't seem to hold up as well. Too much hand wringing angst, not enough story movement.
Warning: TV nerding ahead.

Truth is, The Sopranos wasn't all that groundbreaking, when you think about it. It mostly followed the same TV drama tropes. There were a few new twists, of course. Chase's willingness to kill major characters sort of laid out some of the territory that GOT would eventually travel. And they definitely upped the ante on grittiness, but that was more a function of being on HBO than inventing new ways to tell a story. NYPD Blue was plenty gritty. It was just limited by being on a network that had to maintain some standards of decency. I think what made The Sopranos so special wasn't that they did anything new, but that they did all the old things better than anyone else had up until that point. In other words, shows like Breaking Bad and the Wire might be more likely candidates for douchebag college kids to study in film class, but The Sopranos was the show that really set the modern standard for production quality (although I will point out that Oz and BTVS both premiered two years before The Sporanos, so Chase can't take all the credit).

Just about the only really crazy new thing Chase pulled in that show was the ending, and all it did was piss everyone off. LOL.

Anyway, I've done a single rewatch of the entire series, and I agree it's not quite as good the second time around, but I still think it's a good binge choice for someone who hasn't seen it before.
 
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Try Gilligan's Island, I hear it is engrossing and cutting edge plots.

The early ones are entertaining, back when they were just trying to be funny. But the later seasons where they attempted to address cultural and social taboos and issues seemed to be more tedious than humorous. Like when they tackled the lasting horrific effects of a long ended global conflict (The Japanese Solder) or the 60's drug use epidemic (where Gilligan drinks the berries and has visual hallucinations) or ageism (where Gilligan's hair turns white and he's ostracized) or cultural/racial divisions (The Headhunters) or the pressures of fame and publicity (The Mosquitos taking refuge on the island) or sexual confusion and tension (Erica Tiffany Smith getting the The Skipper all worked up, but pining for The Professor).

It got to be too much. I want to be entertained. Not preached to.
 
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The early ones are entertaining, back when they were just trying to be funny. But the later seasons where they attempted to address cultural and social taboos and issues seemed to be more tedious than humorous. Like when they tackled the lasting horrific effects of a long ended global conflict (The Japanese Solder) or the 60's drug use epidemic (where Gilligan drinks the berries and has visual hallucinations) or ageism (where Gilligan's hair turns white and he's ostracized) or cultural/racial divisions (The Headhunters) or the pressures of fame and publicity (The Mosquitos taking refuge on the island) or sexual confusion and tension (Erica Tiffany Smith getting the The Skipper all worked up, but pining for The Professor).

It got to be too much. I want to be entertained. Not preached to.
Wow, you must have really been into it! lol.
 
The early ones are entertaining, back when they were just trying to be funny. But the later seasons where they attempted to address cultural and social taboos and issues seemed to be more tedious than humorous. Like when they tackled the lasting horrific effects of a long ended global conflict (The Japanese Solder) or the 60's drug use epidemic (where Gilligan drinks the berries and has visual hallucinations) or ageism (where Gilligan's hair turns white and he's ostracized) or cultural/racial divisions (The Headhunters) or the pressures of fame and publicity (The Mosquitos taking refuge on the island) or sexual confusion and tension (Erica Tiffany Smith getting the The Skipper all worked up, but pining for The Professor).

It got to be too much. I want to be entertained. Not preached to.
For ****s sake you can't make a Gilligans Island post without posting some pictures of Ginger or Mary Ann. Which leads to the question which way do you lean?
 
Here's a few (there are many others):

The Americans
Black mirror
Shameless
The league
It's always sunny in Philadelphia
Halt and catch fire (season 1 only)
House of cards

i agree on Halt and Catch Fire, but thought season 3 was really great and the best of the 3 so far, while 1 and 2 were very good, but not as good as 3.

would definitely recommend HACF as binge worthy.

also agree with the poster above who recommended "Billions".

The Good Wife stayed consistently good through the entire run.

hated to see that show end.

Suits was really good for a season or 2, but writing really fell off last yr.

i never understood the love affair with Breaking Bad.

tried several times, and never could get into it.

i also keep trying with The Americans, but it moves way too slow for me. (i now catch about every other to every third episode, and fast forward some at that).

i'm still thinking in the end, Elizabeth, (a brainwashed true believer psychopath), turns on Philip, for not being so much one.

i'm thinking this could go "Prizzi's Honor/"Mr and Mrs Smith" in the end, with Elizabeth forcing the issue since she's the unbending zealot.
 
The early ones are entertaining, back when they were just trying to be funny. But the later seasons where they attempted to address cultural and social taboos and issues seemed to be more tedious than humorous. Like when they tackled the lasting horrific effects of a long ended global conflict (The Japanese Solder) or the 60's drug use epidemic (where Gilligan drinks the berries and has visual hallucinations) or ageism (where Gilligan's hair turns white and he's ostracized) or cultural/racial divisions (The Headhunters) or the pressures of fame and publicity (The Mosquitos taking refuge on the island) or sexual confusion and tension (Erica Tiffany Smith getting the The Skipper all worked up, but pining for The Professor).

It got to be too much. I want to be entertained. Not preached to.

perhaps you took that show a bit too seriously.
 
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GOT,Breaking Bad,Homeland,The Wire and Banshee. Also the first season of True Detective,last show so so. But rest was outstanding .also The Americans is good.
 
i agree on Halt and Catch Fire, but thought season 3 was really great and the best of the 3 so far, while 1 and 2 were very good, but not as good as 3.

would definitely recommend HACF as binge worthy.

also agree with the poster above who recommended "Billions".

The Good Wife stayed consistently good through the entire run.

hated to see that show end.

Suits was really good for a season or 2, but writing really fell off last yr.

i never understood the love affair with Breaking Bad.

tried several times, and never could get into it.

i also keep trying with The Americans, but it moves way too slow for me. (i now catch about every other to every third episode, and fast forward some at that).

i'm still thinking in the end, Elizabeth, (a brainwashed true believer psychopath), turns on Philip, for not being so much one.

i'm thinking this could go "Prizzi's Honor/"Mr and Mrs Smith" in the end, with Elizabeth forcing the issue since she's the unbending zealot.
But "The Americans" is historically good claims a mod. Emmy nods and The Wire Season 4 be damned.
 
I've been watching a lot of series from start to end while I've waited for GOT.

Loved Battlestar Galactica, particularly the first two or three seasons. If you like sociology and philosophical arguments, they do a spectacular job of making you think about it from a different, more desperate light while being disguised within a story. It's filled with tough, philosophical decisions where people die because of them. On a smaller lever it does a good job creating the proverbial good guys and the bad guys, gets you to like the characters and then it later flips everything on you where the good guys could be viewed as the bad guys and vice versa and then bad guys become good and good become bad....etc. Basically it has a lot of the same elements that GOT has but was done before GOT. The acting and production is pretty good for a network show. Only problem is it gets a little long.

If you're looking to knock something out quickly I'd highly recommend The Leftovers. Just three seasons, 30 some episodes. It's really dark, a complete mind f#$k, lives in a world that's relatively normal but weird, unexplainable s$#t can happen. Ends up going into the after life and alternative worlds but the basic premise is awesome. One day 2% of the population vanish into thin air (called the great departure) and it completely mindf#$ks our current society. Religion fails, cults form, no one can explain what the hell just happened. People try to make rhyme and reason of it (religious zealots claim is the rapture but killers and other horrible people were taken. It was random). The other aspect it goes into is the impact something like that has on a person. Like for example say you had a happy family of five and then one day your middle child vanishes. Do you accept it? Do you feel guilty when you try to move on? Do your other children feel lucky that they are still alive or guilty? There's another think veiled line in the characters that are completely broken over the departure is that in the moment it happened, most we're kindof wishing they would go. A mother is frustrated that her baby won't stop crying, another is pregnant with a child they don't want, another screams at her kid while she's taking an important call...which of course adds to the mental breakdown of these characters. It's a complete emotional mindf#$k of a story and I highly recommend it. Again you can knock it out quickly as it was just three HBO seasons.

I'm currently watching Billions and absolutely love it (but I love shows about money monsters). Wendy is the most interesting character though. It's another one where good guys do some bad things and bad guys do good things that you end up liking pretty much every character...which makes it great to watch. That and the strategy on how they both try to entangle each other is good.

I liked Deadwood mainly because of Ian McShane. In retrospect he's just being Ian McShane which is awesome. Timothy Olyphant is boring. Plus if you like Ray Donovan (which I hear is good) two main actors from both shows have a lot of great screen time together. The Darryl guy from Newhart and the shy, stuttering crazy guy from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (and Mississippi Burning) are REALLY good here. Another interesting acting choice is Al's (McShane) muscle and right hand man, who's a redneck tough guy that you end up liking, was the guy who played Frank and Beans (the special needs brother) in There's Something About Mary. It's quite the different role. Lol

If you're looking to laugh I'd recommend Ricky Gervais's two masterpieces...The Office and Extras. Both are genius and both are quick to get through. Extras is a combination of Gervais/Stephen Merchant's awkward humor with Garry Shandling's fish out of water humor with all of the cameos. It won a couple of Emmy's for best comedy back in the day. It's really good.

I'm currently working my way though Lisa Kudrow's 'The Comeback'. It's better than I thought it would be, especially if you like awkward humor. It comes from the same vein as Gervais but not quite as good, but not bad. Lisa can be a little annoying but that's the jist which is basically she's an older actress trying to stay relevant in Hollywood.

Veep is of course amazing, especially if you like insult humor, with one of the greatest casts in comedy history. The character of Jonah Ryan is one of the greatest ever in my experience. I'm pretty sure we all know a Jonah.

Flight of the Conchords takes awhile to get their humor (there is a ton of call back/recurring bits) but once you do...you are delighted. The episode featuring Sally is one of the greatest ever. Everything about it is pure genius.

Anyway....
 
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If you want a quick one to knock out, catch The Girlfriend Experience. Lotsa nudity and only 13 episodes.
 
Another quickie would be, The Fall. There's like 4-5 episodes per season. Stars Gillian Anderson from X-files. Jamie Dorman plays a pretty creepy serial rapist.
 
if you're political at all, The Newsroom, (HBO), is a must see.

only 25 episodes. should be mandatory viewing in school.
 
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