25 TV Shows You Should Watch on DVD: Our Favorite Marathon-Worthy Series

THE WEST WING

RIESE, EDITOR

It was maybe a few months after George W. Bush was elected for his second term when I came home from work and found my roommate Krista crying on her bed and eating rice pudding from the tub with the tiny television on. On the screen I saw some sort of surprisingly soft-lensed political event. Presidential colors. I asked her what was wrong and she wailed, he’s so perfect, he’s just so perfect, why can’t we have a president like him?

Like who?

Jed Bartlet. (dramatic pause) On The West Wing.

I thought, “What?! You’re crying over an inauguration on a television show?” but a few months later when I’d caught up to that scene I cried, too. I think every time someone I respect is either sobbing or cracking up over a teevee show, I check it out. Krista owned some of the discs, or her friend did, and she’d been re-watching the first five seasons (the last two had yet to air) in some sort of post-2004-election-therapy cleansing. Also in 2005, Bravo had West Wing Mondays and I was still young enough then to feel watching television was an acceptable way to spend an entire afternoon.

I had a job then where I was mostly unsupervised and when we were busy, I was busy, and when we weren’t, I was watching The West Wing on DVD. In addition to the DVDs we owned, at this point Krista and I both had 3-disc Netflix plans as well. They never seemed to come fast enough.

By all means, the show looked — and by “looked” I mean literally how it looked on the screen for a newbie — really boring. But it wasn’t.  It’s government porn. It’s everything you’d ever wanted government to be, and with these brilliant sharp clever evolving characters, too, including kickass women CJ Cregg (Allison Janey) and Abigail Bartlet (Stockard Channing).

Jed Bartlet is at once passionately religious/spiritual as well as politically liberal and entirely logical. He’s memorized the Bible, so he can go head-to-head with Conservative Bible-Beaters and win every time. His idea of a fun secret field trip involves a used bookstore. He was just so JUST, so fair, so smart — and when Obama ran for President, I voted for Obama partially because I voted for Bartlet. Then oddly the 2008 election almost exactly mirrored the contest between Barlet’s successor, Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits), and Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda). It turns out during the summer of 2004, when the writers were constructing Santos’ character, “they modelled him in part on a young Illinois politician – not yet even a US senator – by the name of Barack Obama.” During the 2008 campaign there was a lot of chatter about West Wing parallels — Aaron Sorkin constructed a read-out of the “imaginary meeting” between Obama and Jed Bartlet. The Guardian UK compared Obama’s White House to Barlet’s. Ultimately the difference between Obama’s White House and Bartlet’s was probably that Bartlet’s wasn’t controlled by lobbyists and money.

Also! There’s a rotating roster of impressive guest/reoccurring roles for actresses you love like Kristin Chenoweth, Mary McCormack, Mary Louise Parker, Lily Tomlin, Anna Deavere Smith, Jorja Fox, Marlee Matlin, Janeane Garafalo, Elizabeth Moss, and Evan Rachel Wood Bisexual.

The first time the song Ave Maria struck me as something I needed in my earbuds a lot was when I heard it on The West Wing. When I’d been writing for too long and my brain hurt, I’d turn out all the lights and lie on my bed and listen to Ave Maria over and over until time slowed down and my limbs got cold. Then I could sit back down, turn on Firefox, go to my Google Home Page, see the CNN headlines, and remember that George W. Bush is president, not Josiah Bartlett, and then I’d go stick my head in the oven.

Watch this and then watch all seven seasons on DVD.

DARIA

LINDSAY, WRITER


I moved to Atlanta for a summer less than a week after graduating college. Packing was a blur, having to move everything from university flat to home to new room in the ATL, but I made sure to bring the essentials: laptop, bottle opener, tank tops because that is all you can wear there because of the heat, a couple of travel guides for urban exploration and summer roadtripping, and, of course, a bootleg copy of the complete series of Daria on DVD, a.k.a. the Best Graduation Gift Ever. During the week, I would come home from the office knackered and usually a humid, sweaty mess and look forward to winding down with my favorite ’90s TV heroine and the other denizens of Lawndale.


Daria has always been a summer-viewing show for me for some reason. This probably has a lot to do with the nostalgia effect — summer is an explosion of nostalgia. Freeze pops, Third Eye Blind, summer romances, fireworks. All the things that bring you back to being young and stupid and deliriously happy. If there’s a show that takes me back to that kind of blue-tongued, sunburnt bliss, Daria is it.

The ’90s, in particular, were a great time to be a girl, too — ‘Girl Power’ may have been a marketing ploy for EMI to sell albums, but I feel like then more than now, girls & young women had a lot of visible role models and figures we could relate to, especially in television. We had Clarissa Darling, Alex Mack, Shelby Woo. Everyone on My So-Called Life (a show that gives me similar feelings). Lisa Fucking Simpson. Lori Beth Denberg, Amanda Bynes and Alisa Reyes had all the best sketches on All That. Buffy and Willow, of course. And Xena and Gabrielle too, for your earliest dose of Ho Yay. And then there was Daria Morgendorffer, in all her sarcastic, filterless, combat-booted glory. Her wit may be as biting as a winter storm, but in watching the show, I will always find an invincible summer.

Get the complete series on Amazon.

LA INK

CRYSTAL, MUSIC EDITOR


As far as I’m aware, LA Ink never aired in Australia. I stumbled across the series accidentally while looking for The L Word in the ‘alternative’ section of my local DVD store.

While I generally loathe reality tv shows that are not based on cooking challenges, I was working on a concept for my next tattoo and thought a reality series about an LA tattoo parlour might provide some inspiration. It didn’t, but it did give me weeks of quality entertainment. LA Ink definitely falls into the ‘so bad it’s good’ category, there is so! much! drama! Kat Von D and her shop manager Pixie are hot messes and (unintentionally) hilarious, by the second season I had developed a strong sympathy-based emotional investment in the tattoo artists that had to deal with them on daily basis.

Get Season One, Season Two, Season Three, Season Four, Season Five or Season Six on Amazon.

SIX FEET UNDER

KATRINA, WRITER

I want to explain to you how much I love Six Feet Under in words, but it’s been a long day, and maybe we could just settle in bed and watch half a season tonight instead? To say that Six Feet Under is a show about a family of undertakers isn’t inaccurate; it’s just not the whole story. I guess alternatively you can say that it’s a show about what it means to be human. Neither description is particularly informative, which is why, you see, I think you should just watch the whole series instead.

Six Feet Under is a show that forces you to confront mortality within the first few minutes of every episode, which says a lot about the gravity of what the series can make you feel. Because, yeah, the show centers around a family – the Fisher family, – but it’s also about what it means to be in a family. The loyalty, the obligations, the struggles and breakdowns and the absolutely heartbreaking, frustrating, manic kind of love that you experience when you realize that people who have been around you your whole life are complete strangers. It just talks about being fucking crazy, or feeling fucking crazy, or going fucking crazy — quietly — while being surrounded by other crazy people all trying to be loved. When main characters die, they remain on the show, the same way that loved ones never truly leave your mind.

It’s catharsis. It’s something to live and hide inside of. And I’m telling you, I think this show is actually perfect. It’s beautiful. It’s literature.

You have to see the series the whole way through, if for nothing else but to watch it end. By the time the final episode of the fifth season rolls around, every moment is so developed that the story and the experience become so devastatingly meaningful, dammit. It is the greatest finale because it’s the end of a journey of lifetimes. You get to say goodbye to everyone. You get to see them to their very end. Jennifer Beals loves it. And you know she’s always right.

Okay, wait, here. Watch this clip of the final scene of the series and think about it some more. I’m crying here. Crying.

Get the complete series on Amazon.

GREY’S ANATOMY

BRITTANI, WRITER


My freshman year of college I was introduced to a lot of things. Notably, frozen yogurt, the hours 3-5 a.m. and Grey’s Anatomy. Prior to my stay in Bingham Hall, I had not seen a single episode of the medical drama. One of my suitemates had the first two seasons on DVD and managed to get the four remaining girls hooked. The last holdout, I popped the omnipresent DVD into the player during a moment of weakness. I was hooked…we all were. We watched episodes in the awkward gaps between lectures, during classes we deemed “canceled” and any time procrastination called (which, for me, was all the time). No matter the day, no matter the hour, there was an 83% chance someone would be in our common room catching up on the first two seasons. Season 3 premiered that fall and every Thursday night our common room was packed bargain poster to mini-fridge with girls babbling over McDreamy and guys whose presence I’m unsure how to explain. I regularly camped out 30 minutes in advance to ensure I got a spot on the futon.

I never questioned my allegiance to the series until Season 5 when more than a dozen of my friends joined me around a television in Myrtle Beach. Foregoing our constant quest for the ever-allusive Myrtle Points (awarded for debaucherous and/or lecherous activities) in lieu of the season finale was when I realized we were all addicted to what was becoming an increasingly shitty show. I continued to watch anyway and felt vindicated when during Commencement Weekend and flanked by two of my freshman year suite-mates, I saw Jessica Capshaw. She waved back at me and offered her congratulations. What could have been a cute full circle kind of moment was sullied by me thinking how hot she was.

Get Season One, Season Two, Season Three, Season Four, Season Five or Season Six on Amazon.

Next: Friday Night Lights, Weeds, My So-Called Life and more!

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155 Comments

  1. Yo, all of “Summer Heights High” is on YouTube. I HIGHLY recommend it, if only to witness Ja’Mie and her “unique” relationship with the school’s most popular lesbian. And, of course, Mr. G and Celine.

  2. Also, I marathon my DVD set of “Freaks and Geeks” about twice a year. If you were anything of an outcast in high school, or if you just appreciate smart humor (and awesome characters – especially Lindsey Weir, and Kim, and Bill… all of them, actually) you’ll find something to like.

    • Totally my favorite. Whenever I travel I always take Freaks and Geeks, Arrested Development, and The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire with me. Such. good. tv. :) I could rewatch all of these ad infinitum

  3. If you’ve only got time for a mini-marathon, the UK Queer as Folk is only ten episodes long and is super-enjoyable! It’s also kind of fun to watch if you’re a Doctor Who fan — when crucial plot moments hinge around K-9, it’s hard to care about the parts that kind of suck.

  5. The Golden Girls, my go-to marathon series for when I’m feeling under the weather. It’s still laugh out loud funny even after more than 20 years.

    • I’ve seen almost every episode and I also laugh out loud even to the jokes I’ve heard over and over. I love those girls. Hell, my DJ name is Blanche Devereauxx.

  6. MSCL is so freaking amazing. My bff got me the series on DVD for Xmas a couple of years ago and I nearly exploded with joy.

  7. I’ve been marathoning Xena this summer and it’s been a blast. Also I second Arrested Development so hard.

    • I started to marathon Xena (but then Star Trek came out on Netflix and now my summer belongs to space) and I was amazed that it’s a LOT better than I remember it being. Also omg Lucy Lawless.

    • I grew up watching Xena, and it is still one of my favorite shows ever. I gleefully marathond it back in February after a six years of my DVDs being packed away. Also OMG Lucy Lawless! So. Hot. I am super happy I can also watch her in BSG and Sparatcus.

  8. Ahhh, I want to hug Riese and Laneia for shouting out MSCL. The aching vacuum that Angela, Patty, Graham, Rayanne, Sharon and Brian left is still palpable. Did Patty and Graham stay together? I hope so. How long did Angela and Jordan last? I’m seriously tearing up thinking about that time he walked across the hall and held her hand in front of all his friends and wait, Angela, the geometry review but it didn’t matter. Did Rayanne stay off booze and what the heck did she grow up into? Please did Ricky find self-acceptance and a hot man who saw what a beautiful person he was? Did Brian Krakow finally find a way to talk to a girl and the miracle of Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious conditioner?

    Oh, uhm I really like and miss Firefly and Buffy too.

  9. “Government porn” is the best description ever phrased of the West Wing. Also the West Wing is the best TV series ever made.

  10. If by buy on DVD and marathon, you mean watch on megavideo and have to stop every 72 minutes, you got it!

      • but, when i tried to install it (illimitux), it said:

        “This extension can access:
        Your data on all websites
        Your browsing history”

        isn’t that, like, access to everything i do online, and will it access everything i share on the internet? (does this make sense at all, or am i paranoid here? LOL)

        • Oh shit, I don’t know. I don’t think it said that when I downloaded it. Or I didn’t mind if it did, since I only use Firefox for watching videos.

          • okay.. it just kinda freaked me out.. guess i’ll just have to wait those damn 30 minutes then.. :P

          • Also, I didn’t mean “oh shit” in an exasperated way. Just like, “oh that’s some bad shit that they’d pull a heinous stunt like that!” Rereading it I realized I sounded like a total bitch.

        • no worries with that, chrome has that warning for every extension you install!
          megavideo away!

  11. Oh no. I feel a Buffy marathon creeping up. Goodbye outside world. Ugh I have to stop this from happening. I have things to do! The entire series is only feet away from me in a box :(. Must…resist…

    Still waiting to go on my dream date with Michelle Trachtenberg. She was so hot as a brainwashed christian & and evil bitch on Gossip Girl. <3 (I'm weird)

  12. This is an awesome list, especially for those of us who are all dried up and empty because we haven’t got Mad Men this summer. I already added The Good Wife to my queue, and FINE, I will now give FNL and The Wire a go. Thank you!

    • “My name is Jessica, some kids call me a slut, and I’ve a dirty habit for Ecstasyyyyy.”

  15. You basically hit all of my favorite shows to marathon except
    +Freaks and Geeks
    +Arrested Development
    +The O.C.
    +VERONICA FREAKING MARS

  16. Okay so you mentioned Doctor Who in passing, but um. Number one recommendation: DOCTOR WHO. All five and a half seasons of resurrected tv glory. (Okay season 1 is not my favorite and neither is season 3 except for “Blink” and about half of 5, but: seasons 2, 4, the other half of 5, and the parts of 6 that are out are SO GOOD.) I only started watching this January, so my obsession is about half a year old, but it is exceedingly strong.

    Also, this show called “Downton Abbey” is fabulous if you enjoy drama-dramz with British accents and people in period clothes. So many characters you will either love or love to hate. There’s only one 7 or 8 episode season, so it will only suck your life for like 3 days, but you’ll be thinking about it for weeks after. Bonuses: Maggie Smith as a crabby rich lady, house maids with Irish accents, fancy clothes, girls with huge eyes, one proto-feminist daughter campaigning for women’s suffrage circa 1914, and an upcoming second season. It’s fantastic.

    One last show: Better Off Ted. Two seasons of 20-minute long episodes full of hilarious hijinks in an evil company. And Portia DeRossi. Should have gone on for at least 3 more seasons.

    (All of these things are available on netflix instant!)

    • thank you for mentioning Downton Abbey. It can also be imbibed straight, which will lead you to ask yourself at four in the morning if you are insane, AND, why there aren’t any MORE episodes. Don’t forget the one gay character, who is an ambitious young footman, and damaged goods, which comes to expressionm in his doing lots of plotty eeevil, but of course, his character is hardly one-dimensional. Oh what a fine show.

      And let us not forget the 3 part series (more coming in the fall) of Sherlock. So, so good. That guy from Office UK plays Dr. Watson, and Benedict Cumberbatch rocks the cell-phone-pinching modern Sherlock to a tee (tea?) I can’t wait for more in the fall. But I am a ho for good Holmes… So there you go. GO UK!

      • Yeeessss DA is so good, I’ve been trying to convert people ever since I watched it.

        Sherlock! Awesome show, I’m excited for the next season :D

        • I’m watching DA right now, because of this referral, and I have to say that I’m extremely intrigued.

    • Better Off Ted was such a pitch perfect satire! It is a shame that it didn’t go on longer.

    • Yes, Dr. Who can be fabulous, but its spin-off, TORCHWOOD, is perhaps even more so. Pansexuality & 51st-century characters & aliens, set in modern-day Cardiff. Also, Gwen Cooper’s Welsh accent is a joy & Captain Jack’s greatcoat is a thing of beauty (still searching for one, cause I’d really love to have one as this year’s winter coat).

    • I’m more into Doctor Who than Torchwood. So glad others are shouting out “Blink”, as far as I’m considered that’s the single best hour of television that’s ever been screened.

  17. So many awesome shows recc’d. However I’d add Arrested Development to the list myself.

    Fun Fact: Firefly was the show that made me realize I was uber-gaymo. First there was Kaylee, but then there was that b-plot where Inara serviced her female client (the senator) and…. yeeeah I’m gay.

  21. The Office (U.S.) is mine. It’s my favorite TV show with re-watchability. It’s true the past couple seasons have been pretty awful, but seasons 2 and 3 were something pretty special and I would argue the show stayed pretty awesome through at least early season six. Season one is a poor representation of the show (although Diversity Day remains a hilarious episode) so you could start with season two if you wanted. I can just watch that show and still laugh even though I have the jokes memorized. It was so pitch perfect at one point.

    Other favorite shows of mine that are re-watchable (so, like, not the Amazing Race):

    Felicity – I wish my college experience was like that

    Daria – I agree with this one. But by the time they introduced Tom, the show started to go downhill. It’s like they were worried Daria was too much of a loner (and seemed too much like a lesbian) and the show seemed to inherit the values it rejected early on. Tom was just kind of smarmy and useless.

    Lip Service – Only six episodes, but it’s like a better version of the L Word. Season two is coming at some point in 2012, so get ready!

    Degrassi – Major guilty pleasure, but I’m not sure what it is about this show that I am always perfectly willing to watch it when it’s on TV. The show has been around for a while (it’s in its 11th season now) so seasons vary in quality. Last season, season 10, was universally praised as being a strong return to form for the series and there’s a lesbian and MtF trans character, so it’s worth watching. At 44 episodes (half hour), it will keep you busy for a while.

    I honestly don’t watch that much TV. I’ve heard good things about shows like Weeds, The Wire, Madmen, etc. It’s just such an investment. I’ve realized I don’t really watch shows unless there are lesbian characters (or strong female leads), which is pretty limiting. If not, it was by accident.

    • I work in politics but I couldn’t get into the West Wing. I don’t know, I’ve never aspired to end up working in the White House like so many of my colleagues do. Plus the characters remind of people in D.C. I hate. I think real issues and real government action are more interesting. I like to follow the real thing — if there was a documentary like the West Wing, I’d be all over it. The War Room, a documentary about Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign is one of my faves. I’ve been trying to find a part fiction, part documentary show called K Street that aired for a short run about lobbyists in D.C. I may need to just rent it if I want to watch it.

    • If you like strong female characters, though, you should watch “Mad Men.” PEGGY OLSON. I think the first two seasons are on Netflix now, and in the most recent season, there was a badass lesbian character.

      • I’ve only seen season 1, but thank you for inspiring me to continue! (Yes, I will watch pretty much anything with a lesbian character in it.)

        • Watched a clip on YouTube. I’m gonna download the series. It looks pretty good. I’m fascinating by advertising and the tipping point is the time era its set in. I’m always drawn to the 60s. Seems like an interesting time in America. Hopefully the actual stories and characters can interest me as well. Thanks!

          • I absolutely love Mad Men, but I found it slow to get into at first. Give it at least three episodes before you give up on it.

      • The fact that you say there “was” a bad-ass lesbian character makes me think she was on the show for one episode, two tops, and probably during sweeps. I usually only watch shows with regular lesbians characters. There’s literally no other explanation as to why I put up with Pretty Little Liars. It’s just Emily’s lesbianism and her beautiful flowing hair. That’s all.

    • the office is my favorite sitcom ever by a longshot, it’s the only thing i can watch re-runs of and not get bored

      • Totally! My mistake was I kind of watched it out of order. I don’t know why since I just went through the entire show anyway, but I watched season two last. I’d recommend someone get the DVDs and watch it straight through in order to get all the storylines and jokes! I wish I could go back in time!

    • i am so glad you brought up felicity because I have so many feelings about that show and no one ever seems to share my enthusiasm for that character. i always thought felicity’s character was a lot like angela chase. felicity got SUPER weird towards the end (time travel? really, jj, really? thats what we get? thats some IFC shit right there), but the first season was really meaningful for me as a 13 year old girl. i was a bit too young for angela chase the first time around (dont worry, i have since discovered the magic), but felicity was the first time i experienced that type of female character and it was pretty powerful for me. I think they were both introverted, sensitive, intelligent, unknowingly beautiful, and huge fans of enormous clothing. oh and they both had great hair that became a major defining characteristic for each of them. i would recommend the first season if you havent seen it.

  22. My two favorite shows are Weeds and Sex and the City. Since Nancy Botwin is in New York now, she should maybe just drop by Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment.

  25. VERONICA FRICKIN’ MARS is right. I cannot say that enough. Easily one of the best television shows of the 2000s, if not ALL TIME.

    Alias is also good for marathoning, especially the first two seasons. The third is really good for drinking games and despair at how awful it became. Four and five are back to being good.

    Also, a series that never really got its due, but is super great, American Dreams. Annika, if you like TV set in retro times, this is the series for you. 60s pop EVERYWHERE and Brittany Snow in a role that doesn’t make me want to rip my eyes out. It’s astounding that it got three seasons, and it’s probably my favorite show of all time. Did anyone else watch this when it was on, because I’ve never been able to find anyone who actually cared about it.

    • Thank God someone finally mentioned Alias. My best friend in high school and I were obsessed with it. Only years later did I realize that my overwhelming and somewhat confusing adoration of Lena Olin should have been the first sign that I liked women. Especially nicely muscled ladies with accents and perfect hair.

      Screw it. I’m going to start a season 2 mini-marathon right now.

  26. I would also add Sports Night to this list. I didn’t not to expect to like it as much as I did, but I was so sad that it was over after only 2 seasons. Felicity Huffman was perfect on that show, she is wasting her talent on Desperate Housewives.

    • SportsNight was brilliant
      If I ever hhaave my own company I will call it QuoVadimus

  27. I will marathon Buffy and BSG pretty often. Love those shows. Firefly is also up there.

    Anybody like farscape?

    • Sorry I think you mean *~*FARSCAPE*~* because that is the only way to represent my feelings about that show/Claudia Black. So bizarre, so brilliant.

      • Ha! I accept your correction. I wish I could gush about my feelings for both the show and Claudia Black more often, but sadly not many people I know are aware of their utter awesomeness.

    • ZOMG FARSCAPE!!!1!eleventy

      Yes, I do like Farscape.

      And I highly recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi even a little bit. A lot of people have avoided it because some of the characteres are puppets (although I don’t know why. Think what the world would be like if people had avoided Star Wars because Yoda was a puppet), but honestly you’ll forget all about them being puppets pretty quickly. Soon enough, they’ll just be Rigel and Pilot to you and it won’t seem weird at all.

      The first two-thirds-ish of the first season is a little shaky because there was some behind the scenes stuff going on between the writers, production company, and the SciFi Channel trying to figure out if this was going to be an adult show or if it should skew younger because of the Henson Company involvement. They finally settled on ADULT and from about ep 16 on, it’s one of the best TV shows that’s been on TV. John Crichton/Aeryn Sun is one of the greatest TV relationships ever, too.

      Also, Claudia Black gives me a lot of feelings.

      • Interesting. I didn’t know that about the first season. It did take a little bit to get into, but once the characters were established it was fantastic.

      • This is good to know because I started to watch FS but quit after a few episodes because I just wasn’t feeling it. I will give it another try while it’s on Netflix Streaming (after my current marathon of ST:V)

        • Ooh, please give it another chance! If you see the episode “A Human Reaction” and don’t want to see more, I’d question your human reaction, frankly ;)

    • YES YES YES YES YES

      I love Farscape, and no one knows what it is. Currently rewatching, and just saw the first episode with Scorpius. I love Scorpius.

  28. Nurse Jackie.
    We just started watching it and are hooked. She takes multi-tasking to whole new levels.

  29. If I wasn’t already committed to a Sunday of watching all the HP films in a row (including a late-night 7.2 3D showing) I would be all over this. My 90s nostalgia is running deep (I bought a stash of fun dip and warheads yesterday) so I could definitely go for some Daria or MSCL.

    Also, Doctor Who. I plan to (possibly via acquisition of a time turner) block out enough time to watch all 5 1/2 series again before 6.2 starts at the end of August. I always do this to myself. Like how before any HP release I find it necessary to re-read all the books leading up to it. Sleep is for babies?

    Finally. Even though this would quite possibly be the shortest marathon ever… Sherlock (BBC) is also worth an afternoon. Plus, another three episode mini-series this autumn!

    • As soon as season 6 paused I started marathoning every previous Doctor Who episode. Almost done season 4! David Tennant!

  30. Parks and Rec is an excellent show to marathon, you can never have too much Leslie Knope or Ron Swanson

    • “Give me all the Leslie and Ron you have. Wait. You may have thought you heard me say I wanted a lot of Leslie and Ron, but what I said was: Give me all the Leslie and Ron you have.”

    • totally agreed. I think my life is guided by an awkward combination of wisdom from Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson. I also appreciate any show with a guy my height on it :) (Aziz)

  32. “Chuck Bass basically makes the best male-identified attempt at a hot butch lesbian that I’ve ever seen.”

    This.

    Additionally, I am convinced that every week there is a distinct lesbian moment between Blair and Serena. It’s amazing.

    • i have a picture of chuck bass on my wall because i think he’s the prettiest butch in all the land.

  33. BSG is one of those shows you have to marathon since about every episode ends on a cliffhanger. First time I watched it was when I powered through the entire series during Christmas break via Netflix. Best way to avoid hanging out with extended family ever!

    • Gah, I know. I always think, “Oh, I’ll just watch one episode before bed” and then wind up watching three in a row because holy shit, what’s gonna happen next?! Is everyone going to die? Will I get to see more of Starbuck’s abs? Who’s really a Cylon?

  34. great list, i’ve seen some of those (absolutely loved six feet under, not even ashamed to admit i cried during the finale), and i will definitely check out a couple more! these are some other shows i really like:

    in treatment
    pushing daisies
    breaking bad
    the o.c.

  35. By the way, before anyone jumps on this:

    I’M AWARE FIREFLY IS ACTUALLY 14, NOT 12 EPISODES LONG, AND I AM THE WORST FAN EVER FOR NOT FACT-CHECKING THIS/KNOWING THIS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.

    • There’s also more than three comic books, but I guess you were talking about the Serenity graphic novels?

  37. yes, 30 Rock, the Good Wife, West Wing, etc. all very well-written shows that could be watched over and over again.

  39. Definitely Veronica Mars, love it! I have all three seasons, but unfortunately my second season is still locked (with that plastic thingy to prevent thieves) and I have’t figured out how to break it off yet since I am afraid of using sharp things and clearly I would suck as a thief sighhhhh. I speak the sad truth.

  40. FIREFLY FIREFLY FIREFLY ON AUTOSTRADDLE. This is the sound of the cult of Whedon hyperventilating :)

  41. MSCL. *sigh* I honestly feel like, if someone doesn’t love MSCL we can’t be friends.

    I need to finish Weeds. I left off in the middle of season 4 (I think) b/c whereever I was watching it from stopped working. Mary-Louise Parker is so incredibly sexy I can’t even.

  42. Beautiful days outside, yes, but it’s soooo hot and I don’t like sweating unless there are orgasms involved, so yesyesYES to this post! Buffy is soooo my Slayer (Buffy nights are fun, my gay neighbor lusted after Angel as I enjoyed watching women kick ass. Bottles of wine round it all out, of course), Six Feet Under sucks you, er, in, or under? 30 Rock cracks me up out the DOOR. As long as out that door is also air conditioned. I apologize to our planet, cuz fuck, freeon and tv sometimes are just what we need…

  43. I’m so disgusted with my computer right now because it didn’t work all day, but I’ll take a minute to talk about TV before I throw it out the window.

    Buffy, Firefly, The Wire, Queer as Folk, The X-files, Battlestar Galactica, Six Feet Under, Daria and Dexter are all shows I’ve watched and loved. Well, uh, I’m still working on The X-Files.

    Of course, I’ll take any opportunity to talk about Buffy. I consider it a huge part of my childhood, like many of you feel about MSCL. I missed most of it; I was (almost) eleven years old when I caught the last fifteen minutes of Season Six as it aired. After that, I found myself filling at least 20 VHS tapes with reruns. It didn’t matter that I was too young to understand the adult humor or old pop culture references(Farrah hair, anyone?), I loved this damn show. My friends did, too, and it turned out they didn’t share the same affection I had for Willow. That – coupled with my complete distaste for Spike – helped me realize I was gay. The show ended three days before my 12th birthday and I started coming out soon after that.

    It also made me contemplate a world without shrimp.
    Oh, Anya.

      • I just watched episode 411 El Mundo Gira, which’s the first episode I’ve watched in over a month now. If there were more cliffhangers(of the smallpox-aliens variety) I’d probably be nearly finished with the series by now, to be honest. How far have you gotten?

        • I got stalled for a long time between seasons 5 and 6 because the first movie goes between those two, and they took that off netflix and I was deeply discouraged. But then I went to great lengths to watch it illegally and now I’m starting season 6. I think I am just apprehensive about reaching the end? I mean how can this end satisfactorily? You know?

  44. the wire, weeds, dexter, 30 rock, yes.

    yeah, arrested development? and true blood? that’s on dvd. the opening credits of tb are the best.

    i kinda like damages too, although it’s totally bad, but it has rose byrnes and glen close, so y’know.

    my so called life — liked it, but was for sure the in thing at my school, not like the alternative kids thing.

    thanks for the post, good motivation to check out some shows.

    • wait, why is Damages bad? Is it because it kept getting nominated for awards and people think that means it’s not cool/alternative enough to be good? Is it because the storylines were too well plotted out and it was so difficult for the average viewer to follow (read: “elite,” as the Republicans like to say) that it didn’t build the kind of following of, you know, 2 1/2 Men? What’s “bad” about it?

  45. While I enjoyed this list greatly and agree with many items on it…

    WHY NO SCRUBS?!

    D: !

  46. ‘the sopranos’ is brill; the uk’s ‘the thick of it’ is ridiculously funny, as is ‘peep show’. ‘misfits’ is also great. ’24’!! and ‘heroes’ was good for the first two series

  47. I’m surprised none of the writers put down Arrested Development. That show is SO smart and hilarious. Sadly, there are only three seasons but they are worth it.

  48. i am flailing so much over this post! TV IS MY FAVORITE THING OF ALL THE THINGS.

    shows i would add would definitely be arrested development, doctor who, and sherlock. ALSO, COMMUNITY. COMMUNITY NEEDS A LOT MORE LOVE.

    • COMMUNITY. YES.

      I read all the damn comments, and was surprised it took this long for someone to mention Community. I want to be in a Troy and Abed sandwich. Make of that what you will.

      Also, I feel like I need to speak up for Party Down, which is almost never mentioned anywhere. Probably because nobody watched it, even though it’s the funniest goddamn thing ever. And Janis Ian looks rull gud in a bowtie.

  49. Gilmore Girls! Best week ever!
    Veronica Mars would probably be a good one too. And Lost. And Community. And Daria.
    Also, I just got into Game of Thrones and must really control myself not to watch all 10 episodes at once! I’ve seen 3 so far… off to watch the 4th!

  52. I’m going to need to see a pic of hillary duff kissing a girl.

    also i had daria but my ex borrowed it and refuses to give it back. but i watched that shit all the time. my mom swears that daria is the reason for the way i act today. i was really shy until i watched that show and discovered sarcasm.

    also i was daria for halloween last year.

  53. The Office (UK only)
    Louie
    Skins (UK only)
    Extras
    Once and Again (and for goodness sakes they need to put season 3 on dvd)
    Hex (and for goodness sakes they need to put series 2 on dvd)
    Twin Peaks
    Strangers With Candy
    At Home With The Braithwaites (and for goodness sakes they need to put the rest of the seasons on DVD)

    Last of all – Hopefully Sugar Rush will be put on DVD

  54. Veronica Mars. Please, just everyone, watch Veronica Mars. Her total badassness made me realize the awesomeness of being gay, even though I was crushing on all her boyfriends. Except Duncan. Obviously. There is just something about a smart, snarky, beautiful, tough girl on my television that makes me smile.

  55. scully <3

    speaking of great 90s mystery series, twin peaks was pretty awesome/crazy. i mean, david lynch!!! the audrey horne character is just.. wow. sadly there are only 2 seasons, although i'm not sure i could handle more. and then there's the movie.. which i found a bit disturbing but also is it supposed to be a prequel or sequel or wtf?

  56. daria. daria. daria. maybe its pathetic that i relate to a cartoon character so much, but i do.

  57. Northern Exposure. It’s kind of terrible, but also very, very good for watching in marathons.

    But the West Wing is the best television show ever made, this is fact. And the Wire is a close, close second.

  58. How can two of the hottest series on TV in the last few years be missing from this list?! Both on Showtime.

    1. United States of Tara (writer/producer Diablo Cody)Tara played brilliantly by Toni Collette. Gay friendly storylines.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_of_Tara

    2. Nurse Jackie ( writers/producers Liz Brixius & Linda Wallem: both lesbians)”is at turns wicked, heartbreaking and funny.” Jackie is played by Edie Falco, previously Carmela on Sopranos. Jackie’s best friend is a lesbian. Interesting portrayal of a strong friendship between a straight woman and a lesbian.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurse_Jackie

  59. Anyone seen Bad Girls? Its a UK show, set in prison; long off the air, but in its time the gradual development of the relationship between the 2 central women over many seasons was sizzling hot :)

    Helen & Nikki…just youtube it :)

  60. I’m bummed you forgot Arrested Development and Flight of the Conchords. And yes Doctor Who.

  61. THE WEST WING!
    Share the Sorkin love!
    And yes, Firefly. always <3

    Veronica Mars, of course. if you like buffy/whedon/mscl, you'll like it

    Doctor Who, it happens to be my favourite show ever made
    Game of Thrones, if only for lena headey.

    I must give a shoutout to Coupling. it's absolutely hilarious. best sitcom ever. yes,better than friends. and even better than how I met your mother. which is also awesome.

    life on mars/ashes to ashes
    british music,70/80's aesthetic, mindscrewyness. plus keeley hawes. and the guv.

    someone mentioned american dreams! yes, I loved that show.

    oh, and Castle!
    starring Captain tightpants himself, Nathan Fillion, in his second-best role ever. also there's Stana Katic who's definitely worth watching. and it's funny and sweet and at times even a bit scary.

    Leverage also hasn't been mentioned. witty thieves who ruin bad guys and help good peoople while making doctor who references.

    I could go on. I do watch a ridiculous amount of tv.

  62. Ok Big question here:
    Why didn’t you put The L Word in the list or did I miss it? I am curious to know. Beyond being a Lesbian show, it was a great show (until season 4). Was it too obvious?

    Oh and you girls don’t like 24? I found it one of the most amazing tv show of the past decade.
    But you put six feet Under so I love you still. :) *Best ending ever by the way*.
    Also, The Walking Dead has to considered, it first doesn’t seem to be targeted for women at all but it is actually a very good ’emotional’ show, so well directed and edited. If you want to feel 100% into what you are watching, that’s the show!

    Oh I am also really surprised not to find Nurse Jackie! I thought she was your kinda gal!

  65. No Nip/Tuck? The first few seasons explored sexuality in a social and personal sense. For the time, having characters that were transgendered and gay without it being a big deal and portrayed in a positive light was pretty groundbreaking.

  66. Just watched all series of Ellen Degeneres’ sitcom “Ellen”. So funny.

    Some of my other marathons over the last 6 months include…
    Criminal Minds.
    Twin Peaks!
    Flight of the Conchords.
    Madmen.
    Gossip Girl.
    Summer Heights High.

  67. Honestly disgusted by the recommendation of The Wire. I mean, I get it, it’s supposedly the best show ever. but talk about a show that doesn’t even TRY to pass the Bechdel test. I can count on 1 hand the female characters who were at all developed in 5 SEASONS. Literally hundreds of male characters with well-sketched out storylines, and the women get nothing? Oh, but wait, they get to be “lesbian,” or the TV equivalent of “having an interesting character trait we won’t really discuss, elaborate on, or deal with in any sort of meaningful way, but will use to get ratings ’cause straight dudes sure love lesbos.” Yet, when they screened the show for ACTUAL GANG MEMBERS, one of the main complaints? THE LACK OF FEMALE CHARACTERS. Even GANGSTERS noticed. Yep, talk about insulting.

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