Twin Peaks - Because you can't have too much coffee with donuts and cherry pie, right? It's just so bonkers you can't stop watching even if you want to. Watch out for a young Heather Graham and a gorgeous David Duchovney, meow! Also, I love Kyle MacLachlan, damnit! Is that so wrong?
StarTrek: DS9 - Because it has a beautiful wormhole! It's space politics at their best. Please ignore the pilot, it's godawful. I never watched it much as it aired, but it's surprisingly good. I especially enjoyed some of the villains. There are so many episodes! It's better than Voyager, I promise. ;)
Black Books - Because who doesn't want to run a bookshop? Even freaks have rights! It's like hanging out with your dysfunctional, yet hilarious, friends... except you can just turn them off if you get sick of them. Even Simon Pegg stops by for a visit.
Arrested Development - Because family love you! Watching makes you feel more normal in comparison to the characters. It's hilarious, just one of the best shows ever. It's easier to follow if you binge watch it, and it's very rewarchable. It's my favorite show... Maybe.
Mushi-shi - Because mushi are all around us! It's beautiful, atmospheric, and creepy. I found it relaxing, yet engaging. If (you think) you're not into anime, this is a good place to start. It's an enchanting fairytale of a show.
Monster - Because Dr. Tenma is innocent, I tell ya! There's so much intrigue and weirdness going on you can't wait for the next episode. Some of the stories are actually quite touching. Wait till you see how it all ends!
Honnerable mention to Death Note, Xxxholic, Futurama, The X-Files, Buffy, Firefly, Angel, Peep Show, The Walking Dead, and Bates Motel. (Buffy is, IMHO, the single most bingwatchable show ever made.)
Interesting to see Mushishi mentioned here. Definitely one of the most out of the ordinary series out there. Amazing and immersive atmosphere, so relaxing after a day's work.
Star Trek: DS9 is great but I also very much enjoyed Voyager. I don't know why they both recieve criticism while TOS evades it. (TNG is perfect, ok?)
Monster is fantastic. More of animated-tv-series than typical anime in style/presentation. Fans of psychological thrillers or mystery should give it a try even if not anime fans.
The rest all get votes from me actually, great list.
Buffy is, IMHO, the single most bingwatchable show ever made.
I must admit, we tried watching this show, and I mean really tried... but we just couldn't get into it after 3 episodes. Is there some threshold we must cross for it to get good?
Not sure exactly where the 'threshold' is, but the show (and characters) progress a lot during the show's run. If you make it through to "The Body" in season 5, you will see an episode that was (for instance) of which was said "I was riveted by this show ... This isn't just one of the best Buffy episodes of all time. It's one of the best episodes of TV of all time." -- Television critic Alesia Redding and editor Joe Vince of the South Bend Tribune.
Yes, the early episodes take a while to find their footing, but once the cast and crew find their stride, it's a very good ride.
I had to force myself through the first couple of episodes whilst feeling embarrassed about watching it but then a switch flipped and I totally loved it. I'd recommend watching angel side by side when you get to that point. They are both fantastic. Buffy is more campy and fun, whereas Angel is a tad darker but they both have unforgettable characters.
I find myself breaking out into songs from a particular episode almost daily now that I've completely embraced it.
I had the same experience. I remember watching Buffy at a friends house and thinking it was so silly, but then it won me over. I find a lot of Joss Whedon's work to be like that. Maybe it's because his shows are so character driven and you have to get to know the characters? IDK.
I find myself breaking out into songs from a particular episode almost daily...
Well shit, I will definitely have to give it another shot. It's a long way to season 5 though, I guess I'll need to suck it up and get through a few more.
I skipped the first season because I heard it wasn't very good, and then I watched it at the end out of curiosity. Season 1 really is not a very good season, but if you've watched the rest of it first it's funny and somewhat interesting. I remember David Boreanaz's acting being particularly unbearable early on. Now, Buffy is just not for everyone. My brother absolutely cannot stand it. It might not be for you, but if you want to give in another try, start with season 2. It does take a few episodes to get into it. I had the weird experience of catching a stray episode on T.V. now and then and finding it terrible, but somehow it grew on me when I watched it in order.
Twin Peaks - Because you can't have too much coffee with donuts and cherry pie, right? It's just so bonkers you can't stop watching even if you want to. Watch out for a young Heather Graham and a gorgeous David Duchovney, meow! Also, I love Kyle MacLachlan, damnit! Is that so wrong?
StarTrek: DS9 - Because it has a beautiful wormhole! It's space politics at their best. Please ignore the pilot, it's godawful. I never watched it much as it aired, but it's surprisingly good. I especially enjoyed some of the villains. There are so many episodes! It's better than Voyager, I promise. ;)
Black Books - Because who doesn't want to run a bookshop? Even freaks have rights! It's like hanging out with your dysfunctional, yet hilarious, friends... except you can just turn them off if you get sick of them. Even Simon Pegg stops by for a visit.
Arrested Development - Because family love you! Watching makes you feel more normal in comparison to the characters. It's hilarious, just one of the best shows ever. It's easier to follow if you binge watch it, and it's very rewarchable. It's my favorite show... Maybe.
Mushi-shi - Because mushi are all around us! It's beautiful, atmospheric, and creepy. I found it relaxing, yet engaging. If (you think) you're not into anime, this is a good place to start. It's an enchanting fairytale of a show.
Monster - Because Dr. Tenma is innocent, I tell ya! There's so much intrigue and weirdness going on you can't wait for the next episode. Some of the stories are actually quite touching. Wait till you see how it all ends!
Honnerable mention to Death Note, Xxxholic, Futurama, The X-Files, Buffy, Firefly, Angel, Peep Show, The Walking Dead, and Bates Motel. (Buffy is, IMHO, the single most bingwatchable show ever made.)
Interesting to see Mushishi mentioned here. Definitely one of the most out of the ordinary series out there. Amazing and immersive atmosphere, so relaxing after a day's work.
I'm glad to see another fan! :)
Star Trek: DS9 is great but I also very much enjoyed Voyager. I don't know why they both recieve criticism while TOS evades it. (TNG is perfect, ok?)
Monster is fantastic. More of animated-tv-series than typical anime in style/presentation. Fans of psychological thrillers or mystery should give it a try even if not anime fans.
The rest all get votes from me actually, great list.
I must admit, we tried watching this show, and I mean really tried... but we just couldn't get into it after 3 episodes. Is there some threshold we must cross for it to get good?
Not sure exactly where the 'threshold' is, but the show (and characters) progress a lot during the show's run. If you make it through to "The Body" in season 5, you will see an episode that was (for instance) of which was said "I was riveted by this show ... This isn't just one of the best Buffy episodes of all time. It's one of the best episodes of TV of all time." -- Television critic Alesia Redding and editor Joe Vince of the South Bend Tribune.
Yes, the early episodes take a while to find their footing, but once the cast and crew find their stride, it's a very good ride.
That's a gut-wrenching, but excellent, episode! Season 5 is a good one.
It's one of those episodes that I still remember watching the first time, and it's been 14 years.
Well shit... I'm sold. It might take a while to get to it, but I will troop it out, who knows maybe I'll get hopelessly addicted! :D
Well, even if you don't, we can still be friends :)
Deal!
I had to force myself through the first couple of episodes whilst feeling embarrassed about watching it but then a switch flipped and I totally loved it. I'd recommend watching angel side by side when you get to that point. They are both fantastic. Buffy is more campy and fun, whereas Angel is a tad darker but they both have unforgettable characters.
I find myself breaking out into songs from a particular episode almost daily now that I've completely embraced it.
I had the same experience. I remember watching Buffy at a friends house and thinking it was so silly, but then it won me over. I find a lot of Joss Whedon's work to be like that. Maybe it's because his shows are so character driven and you have to get to know the characters? IDK.
Even the skeezy cheese song? Be honest! ;)
Well shit, I will definitely have to give it another shot. It's a long way to season 5 though, I guess I'll need to suck it up and get through a few more.
Well, I don't mean you have to wait quite that long to get to good episodes - just that you will be rewarded for getting there (and beyond).
Agreed. Will check back here in a bit to "share my experience" :)
Can't wait to hear what you think :)
I skipped the first season because I heard it wasn't very good, and then I watched it at the end out of curiosity. Season 1 really is not a very good season, but if you've watched the rest of it first it's funny and somewhat interesting. I remember David Boreanaz's acting being particularly unbearable early on. Now, Buffy is just not for everyone. My brother absolutely cannot stand it. It might not be for you, but if you want to give in another try, start with season 2. It does take a few episodes to get into it. I had the weird experience of catching a stray episode on T.V. now and then and finding it terrible, but somehow it grew on me when I watched it in order.