Archive

AfterEllen.com Huddle: TV marathons

Some shows are best watched all in one sitting, whether they’ve long since gone off air or you’re just late to the party and want to catch up before a new season starts. As it gets colder, television becomes more and more appealing and you might need some suggestions for a new show to marathon. We’ve got you covered.

Emily Hartl: This topic tore my heart in two because I was so conflicted about my decision! Mad Men is absolutely amazing and, once you start, there is no way you’re stopping unless you have to, like, drive someone to the hospital/go to work/pass out because you’ve been on the couch for eight hours, mystified.

The other series that I seriously could not rip my eyes away from was Queer as Folk. I was late to watch it, as I did not have the luxury of Showtime in my very early 20s. So once I borrowed the first two seasons from a friend, I was hooked. It was an amazing and original storyline, not to mention the first really gay centric show of it’s time, so for a newly out homo it was fascinating, even if the only lesbian plot line was a pretty typical one. At least they tried!

Grace Chu: Queer as Folk. I never had Showtime, I wanted to watch a show depicting gay people, and I didn’t discover Bittorrent until 2005, not that I would ever use something like Bittorrent. Nope, not I.

BTW, why did they ever change that intro? The original far surpassed the update. p.s. Sunshine 4ever!

Courtney Gillette: I’ve got so much love for Europeans who watched Forbrydelsen (the Danish original of The Killing) on a week by week basis. Never have I scrambled more to start the next episode than while watching Lund and company unravel mystery after mystery. And what they said was true: the original is a thousand times better than the US remake. The suspense was always stellar. I couldn’t imagine having to wait for the next one!

Drummerdeeds: I never got into Arrested Development (which, by the way, stars the lovely Portia de Rossi) until the show was canceled and immortalized on DVD. Once I got my hands on those three seasons, I couldn’t stop watching until I had chicken-danced my way with the dysfunctional Bluth family through all 53 episodes. The return of the best show ever and a movie to boot could not come sooner. Cuckoo ca-cha!

Bridget McManus: Battlestar Galactica. Holy crap, I had no idea what I was in for and I couldn’t stop watching episode after episode. I’m talking no sleep, no shower and no idea what was going to happen next. Viva la Starbuck!

Heather Hogan: I love Veronica Mars (the character). Love her, love her, love her. And the first season of that show was as good as any first season of TV ever. But somewhere in season two it went off the rails. Like really, really off the rails. By the time the season-long bus-bombing mystery was solved in the finale, it was obvious the writers had lost control of their show somewhere along the way. Season 3 saw the introduction of Piz, something I’ve still not recovered from. However! Veronica Mars is a fan-friggin-tastic show. If you can marathon seasons two and three on DVD, Kristen Bell‘s perpetual charm almost covers the multitude of writing sins unleashed therein.

The Linster: For me, the ultimate marathon was Skins (UK). I tracked down the first few episodes after HH and our readers went wild over the show, but I didn’t understand the appeal. (That was Series 1.) Last year I got screeners of the first four seasons and spent a weekend watching, then went back and rewatched certain segments :wink-wink: over and over. Fan. For. Life.

Trish Bendix: By the time Dexter had been on for three seasons, I had heard about how good it was – the acting, the writing, the suspense – and I caved. I’m so glad I did, because I was compelled to watch each episode in succession, one immediately following the other, biting my nails to see if Dexter would ever be found out and if Deb would ever come out. (Still waiting on both of these things.)

I finished it all in time for the fourth season premiere so I was able to easily slide right into the series and be all caught up. But then I had to wait for an entire week for a new episode. That’s the worst!

Dorothy Snarker: I am mainlining Dexter right now. A show I was certain I’d never get into because it’s hero is, you know, a serial killer. But it’s dark and weird and funny. Oh, who am I kidding, I’m in love with Deb f—— Morgan. She is the foul-mouthed badass in tightly fit plaid shirts of my dreams. Also, Julie Benz, Jaime Murray and Julia Stiles don’t hurt either.

Karman Kregloe: I have to admit that I initially had no interest in True Blood. The Twilight (film) series had pretty much ruined vampires for me, and I once made the mistake of watching an online fan (or hater) clip of a million instances of Vampire Bill intoning, “Sook-eh!” on a loop. I sneered.

But then a friend loaned me her Season One DVD collection, so I vowed I would watch “just the pilot.” You know, to be polite. Eight hours later, I had been completely glamoured by Eric, Lafayette, Sam, Sookie and, yes, even Bill. Sex! Gore! Really funny writing and stellar acting! Plus, it was set in a trashy little Southern town, so it made me wonder what it would have been like to grow up with vampires selling me Lotto tickets and SlimJims at the Kwik-E Mart. Yes, I occasionally had nightmares after my marathon viewing sessions, but it was totally worth it!

Ali Davis: I’m doing that right now with Doctor Who and I could not be happier. I gorged on Season 1 and now I’m trying to ration Season 1, though it isn’t easy. I’ve definitely lost some “just one more episode…” sleep.

What series did you get into via marathon? Or is there a show you would recommend to wait for it to come out on DVD after the season ends to watch for hours on end?

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button