Marathon
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As a marathon veteran, I feel it is my duty to impart my wisdom and expertise in this area to you, dear reader, who might be just starting out. You will find some tips for optimal media selection below as well as a list of things that make for good marathonable material. Especially if your tastes are similar to mine.
Material Selection Tips
Not every TV series or movie collection makes for an optimal binge. Here are some things you should be mindful of:
- Watch time: keep in mind the food breaks, bathroom breaks, and general "decompression" breaks every few hours. More than that is definitely doable but you're pushing it (unless you start at an ungodly early hour). 8-10h is generally a good duration for a full marathon.
- Media type: miniseries or movie trilogies are the best because you get to start and finish a full story in one sitting. You could also go for a single season (or two, depending on the length) of a given show - anthology series or series that neatly wrap up the story arcs of their seasons do well here. Finally, a "best of" selection - a collection of the best episodes of a given series - is also a viable option. Episodic-type series are probably the only viable candidates for this, however. Also, I recommend making a list of choice episodes before the marathon starts.
- Media "vibe": remember that marathons are supposed to be a social occasion, too. To that end, you should avoid highly depressing series (looking at you, The Handmaids Tale), series that require a high level of concentration (anything highly philosophical, anything with subtitles), or just plain ol' boring shit (unless you're specifically crafting something like a bad movie marathon, but that's a different conversation).
I will lay out some tried and true and some potential options in the chapters that follow.
Certified Bangers
These shows have been battle tested - some of them multiple times - and guarantee success.
Movies
The Lord of the RingsEXTExtended
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
12h
Monty Python Movies
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Life of Brian
The Meaning of Life
Comedy
5h
Miniseries
Band of Brothers
Drama, History
10h
Firefly
Adventure, Dramedy, Sci-Fi
14h
Generation Kill
Drama, History
6h
The Pacific
Drama, History
10h
Players2022
Dramedy, Mockumentary
5h
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena
Action, Adventure, Drama, History
6h
Specific Seasons
Altered CarbonS1Season 1
Action, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
10h
American VandalS1Season 1
Comedy, Mystery
9h
Black MirrorS1-2Seasons 1-2
Anthology, Drama, Dystopia, Thriller, Sci-Fi
3h
Danger 5S1Season 1
Comedy
3h
DeadwoodS1-3Seasons 1-3
Drama, History
12h
SpartacusS1-3Seasons 1-3
Action, Adventure, Drama, History
13h
The OAS1-2Seasons 1-2
Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi
8h
Watch time applies to a single season.
Some Assembly Required
CommunitySelectionSpecific Episodes
Comedy
~
Watch time depends on the amount of episodes selected.
Potential Candidates
These have not yet been vetted but are considered highly viable.
Miniseries
The Queen's Gambit
Drama, History
7h
Specific Seasons
ArcherS1-3Seasons 1-3
Action, Animation, Comedy
7h
FoundationS1-2Seasons 1-2
Drama, Sci-Fi
10h
HannibalS1-3Seasons 1-3
Crime, Drama, Horror
13h
Harley QuinnS1-2Seasons 1-2
Animation, Action, Comedy, Superhero
7h
Rick and MortyS1Season 1
Animation, Adventure, Comedy
6h
RomeS1-2Seasons 1-2
Action, Drama, History
12h
The ExpanseS1-3Seasons 1-3
Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
13h
The MagiciansS1-5Seasons 1-5
Dramedy, Fantasy
13h
The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselS1-5Seasons 1-5
Dramedy
10h
The SandmanS1Season 1
Drama, Fantasy, Superhero
11h
The White LotusS1-2Seasons 1-2
Drama
7h
YouS1Season 1
Crime, Drama
10h
Watch time applies to a single season.
Some Assembly Required
Chappelle's ShowSelectionSpecific Episodes
Satire, Sketch Comedy, Music
~
Monty Python's Flying CircusSelectionSpecific Episodes
Satire, Sketch Comedy
~
Watch time depends on the amount of episodes selected.