Marathon

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 and movies have been battle tested and guarantee a good time.

Miniseries

Specific Seasons

Watch times are approximate and apply to a single season.

Some Assembly Required

Watch times depend on your selection.

Potential Candidates

These have not yet been vetted but are considered highly viable.

Miniseries

Specific Seasons

Watch timeWatch times are approximate and apply to a single seasons are approximate and apply to a single season.

Some Assembly Required

Watch times depend on your selection.