Definition of binge-watching:
To watch multiple episodes of (a television program) in rapid succession, typically by means of DVDs or digital streaming. (Oxford Dictionary)
The Farmer’s Almanac has predicted that this winter is going to be a harsh one except for the people in Texas and Florida, of course.
Since the Almanac is pretty reliable, everyone should get their long johns and Snuggies out.
So what do you do when it’s too cold to go outside or everything is closed because of snow or dangerous road conditions?
You binge-watch of course and to help you decide what to watch, The Boob Toober has compiled a list of the top 25 shows to binge-watch.
The shows were selected using the following criteria:
1. The
show must be on for at least 5 years.
2. They
were rated based on their storyline, characters, and actors.
3. Shows
were omitted if an actor of the show was involved in a questionable personal
situation.
This doesn’t mean that these weren’t good shows or weren’t deserving to be on this list, but their situations tend to spark random negative emotions from people.
However, to be fair, these shows get an honorable mention for the quality of the shows and not the offending actor.
In the case of Big Brother, it was more about the network, CBS, then it was about its host Julie Chen even though she is married to Les Moonves who was fired from his position as chairman of CBS following accusations of sexual misconduct allegations.
Despite the fact that CBS had fired Moonves and even donated $20 million to the #MeToo movement, they permitted contestants on the show to bully other contestants using sexist and racist names for the last 5 years despite viewers complaints.
Honorable mentions:
1. The
Cosby Show
2. Roseanne
3. 7
Heaven
4. Big
Brother
So starting from last to first, here are the 25 shows:
25. NCIS: Los Angeles
Fast facts:
Network: CBS
Seasons: 11
Cast: Chris O’Donnell as G Callen (School Ties, The Three Musketeers, Circle of Friends, Grey’s Anatomy; Daniela Ruah as Kensi Blye; LL Cool J as Sam Hanna (In the House, Deep Blue Sea, Kingdom Come, Deliver Us from Eva, Lip Sync Battle); Linda Hunt as Henrietta "Hetty" Lange (She-Devil, Kindergarten Cop, The Practice); Barrett Foa as Eric Beale; Eric Christian Olsen as Marty Deeks (Tru Calling, Brothers & Sisters, The Loop); Renne Felice Smith as Nell Jones.
Premise: A special team of undercover operatives investigate possible crimes that are both foreign and domestic.
The criminals are both dangerous and elusive who pose a threat to national security. Each agent possesses special skills.
Callen is regarded as a chameleon who can change personalities, etc. as easily as he changes living arrangements. He also speaks several languages fluently and has worked for the CIA in the past, Blye previously worked as a bounty hunter and is a skilled sniper, Hannah is a former Navy Seal and speaks fluent Arabic, Beale is the Technical Operator and has extensive experience with hacking into un-hackable programs, fan favorite Deeks is an LAPD Detective with extensive undercover experience and is an attorney. He is LAPD's Liaison Officer to assigned to NCIS. Jones is the team’s intelligence analyst.
So how is this different than NCIS?
NCIS officers are more investigators and they mainly investigate military related crimes especially murder. NCIS: Los Angeles has undercover operatives.
It is also known as The Office of Special Projects for NCIS which means that their job requirements fall under a different governmental authority; that the cases they are tasked with solving involve something on a more global playing field.
On NCIS, Gibbs goes out into the field with his investigators. The formidable Hetty Lange never goes out in the field and prefers watching everything on a computer screen while drinking tea.
How to watch: CBS Access only shows the current season, but you can either buy episodes/seasons through Amazon.com, YouTube or Vudu. USA network, and ION network show several episodes during the week.
To watch a little of what you’ll see while binge-watching, please view the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUo-QRBgUn0
24. House
Fast facts:
Network: FOX
Seasons: 8
Cast: Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House (A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Jeeves and Wooster, Veep, Chance); Lisa Edelstein as Dr. Lisa Cuddy (As Good as It Gets, What Women Want, Almost Perfect, Relativity, The West Wing, Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, The Good Doctor); Robert Sean Leonard as Dr. James Wilson (Dead Poets Society, The Last Days of Disco); Omar Epps as Dr. Eric Foreman (Juice, Higher Learning, The Mod Squad, ER, Shooter); Jesse Spencer as Dr. Robert Chase (Chicago Fire); Jennifer Morrison as Dr. Allison Cameron (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Star Trek, How I Met Your Mother, Once Upon a Time).
Premise: The show is a medical detective drama in which the doctors investigate symptoms and their causes in order to make a diagnosis in order to cure the ailment.
As the show continued to be developed, the direction of the series changed from focusing mainly on medical procedures to focusing on the main character.
The character, Dr. Gregory House, was the Head of Department of Diagnostic Medicine. He was also a habitual drug abuser, narcissist, grumpy and lacked the ability to feel or express empathy for his patients and his fellow doctors.
How to watch: You can watch episodes on the Pop television network, NBC or you can purchase the episodes or seasons on Amazon. If you have Amazon Prime, you can watch them for free.
To watch a little of what you’ll see while binge-watching, please view the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la8NinV9TWM
23. Gunsmoke
Fast facts:
Network: CBS
Seasons: 20 (1955-1975)
Cast: James Arness as Matt Dillon (How the West was Won, McClain’s Law); Amanda Blake as Miss Kitty Russell (The Red Skeleton Show); Ken Curtis as Festus (The Quiet Man, Mr. Roberts, Have Gun Will Travel, Ripcord); Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode (Gentle Ben, Emerald Point: N.A.S, McCloud); Milburn Stone as Dr. Galen Adams.
Premise: Gunsmoke centers around the town Dodge City, Kansas and its residents. The city was established in 1871 and has a history of being, at times, a wild and lawless town.
On the show, it covers the time period of the 1870s.
The main character Matt Dillon is a U.S. Marshal in charge of the town’s law and order. Some of the problems he has to deal with were possible Indian raids, bank and stage robberies, cattle rustling, small-minded town folk, family feuds and, of course, murder.
Dillon prefers to use logic, but the type of people who wander into Dodge City often don’t leave him any choice but to use his gun. Due to his job, Dillon is often curt and doesn’t have the best social skills.
He has a romantic relationship with Miss Kitty who owns the local (and only) saloon. Because of her clientele she is often able to provide Dillon with information regarding whatever legal matters he has to deal with at the time.
How to watch: CBS has limited episodes, but you have to pay for the CBS: All Access function in order to view them. You can purchase the DVDs through Amazon, but the seasons or episodes are not available to view through their streaming video option. TV Land also shows episodes.
To watch an episode of what you’ll see while binge-watching, please view the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiGL_E-i00U
22. Everybody Loves Raymond
Fast facts:
Network: CBS
Seasons: 9
Cast: Ray Romano as Ray Barone (Ice Age, The Irishman, Men of a Certain Age, Parenthood, Get Shorty); Patricia Heaton as Debra Barone (Carol’s Second Act, Thirty Something, The Middle); Brad Garrett as Robert Barone (Suicide Kings, The Pacifier, Til Death, Single Parents, I’m Dying Up Here); Doris Roberts as Marie Barone (Remington Steele, Dream On); Peter Boyle as Frank Barone (Young Frankenstein, Hard Core, Malcolm X, Midnight Caller, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman).
Premise: The show is based on a stand-up piece by Ray Romano about his family.
Everybody Loves Raymond is about husband, father, sportswriter and mama’s boy Ray Barone.
He is married to Debra and they have three kids. He has one brother, the self-loathing Robert Barone who is an NYPD police officer.
Ray and Debra live across the street from his overbearing parents, Frank and Marie who are a continued source of annoyance for Debra.
Each episode revolve around the Barone family and the typical issues that come up in life. There is also friction between the two brothers because Robert is constantly reminded that Ray is their mother’s favorite.
Some of the funniest episodes are those surrounding Robert's pending marriage to Amy such as The Plan, Robert's Wedding (Part 1 and 2), and Thank You Notes.
Where to watch: Unfortunately, both Netflix and Hulu have removed the show from their lineups, which is sad because it’s one of the funniest sitcoms in television history.
You can purchase the show’s seasons or episodes on Amazon.
You can see it on TV Land and TBS. You can also purchase episodes on YouTube.
To watch a sample of one of the many funniest skits that happen on Everybody Loves Raymond, please watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oyKzTMv1BI&t=11s
21. The Wonder Years
Fast facts:
Network: ABC
Seasons: 6
Cast: Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold (The Princess Bride, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Working, Friends from College); Dan Lauria as Jack Arnold (In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco); Alley Mills as Norma Arnold (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Yes, Dear, The Bold and the Beautiful); Olivia d'Abo as Karen Oliver (The Single Guy, The Legend of Tarzan, Law & Order: Criminal Intent); Jason Hervey as Wayne Arnold; Josh Saviano as Paul Pfeiffer; Danica McKellar as Winnie Cooper (Static Shock, Project Mc2).
Premise: It’s a coming-of-age television show that is set in the late 1960s. The main character is 12 year-old Kevin Arnold, the Arnold family and his friendships with Paul Pfeiffer and his friendship/budding romance with Winnie Cooper.
The Wonder Years is a great show for those who grew up in that era. The episodes cover the day-to-day life of a family during that period including the over-worked and stressed out father, Jack, who hates his job and stay-at-home mother Norma.
Funnier moments are with Kevin and his friends as they navigate the raging waters of public school.
Topics include sex education, the Vietnam War, Kevin experiencing bullying from both his brother Wayne as well as his ex-girlfriend Becky Slater, sex, first jobs, and growing pains in general.
How to watch: You can watch the show on Hulu. It is not available in any format on Amazon.
To watch one of the funniest scenes of the show, the dinner table conversations, please watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g9qVwCpxwA
No comments:
Post a Comment