Whats the most rewatchable TV series of all time?
1y 3mon ago by lemmy.ca/u/Kurtagag in asklemmy@lemmy.ml
Surprised no one’s brought up Futurama yet.
Unpopular Opinion: The endless reboots killed it for me.
My entire counterargument is the fast fashion episode. That one was brilliant.
Yup. Just the original series for me
I dont see them as endless reboots i see them as repeated assaination attempts.
This is a good analysis of the shows life cycle where its pretty clear the show was fucked over repeatedly by the networks hosting it and its just refused to die. A case of when fans love something by execs dont.
I was just about to comment Futurama! Really not sure what to think of the newer episodes though...
To me it's like seeing an old friend from younger years. You've both changed so things are different from the good ol' days, but it's still enjoyable to spend time with them.
Still better than most new adult animated shows
I think the last two seasons were very much hit or miss. Some really good eps but also some really awful ones.
I felt the same way about the Hulu episodes until Quids Game, which I just straight-up hated, at first. No real connection to the larger premise, just torture porn in the form of weird aliens playing with/killing off the familiar characters.
Later, it hit me: The episode is a meta-commentary on the Hulu seasons. The "quids" are self-insert characters for the writers, poking fun at themselves. They aren't doing a coherent storyline with this reboot, they're just playing with familiar characters in different scenarios, and wringing out a few new jokes in a way that they couldn't do with the established canon. In a way, it's Futurama fanfic by Futurama writers.
From that perspective, I've found the reboot a lot more enjoyable. The good parts are a bonus, and the duds are forgettable.
The Fox era was great. But the Comedy Central and Hulu seasons are subpar.
Arrested Development has such intricate humor that it takes multiple passes to absorb it all. For some jokes, the punchline for the set-up doesn’t come until some episodes—or even seasons—later. Just the first three seasons, though. Season 4 & 5 were made years later and aren’t the same.
+1 for arrested development. Took me until season 3 to realize the next episode previews were fake
Red Dwarf
Monty Pythons Flying Circus
IT Crowd
Mr. Robot
"It's cold outside, there's no kind of atmosphere" is stuck in my head forever.
...and the jumping off a plane, riding on a crocodile, killing a nazi scene.
I love that show, saw it plenty of times from start to finish...
"It's the last thing they'll be expecting - a daylight charge over the minefield."
Craig Charles
Arrested Development, Always Sunny, and Archer for me. Always reliable when you just want half an hour of laughs. Although I do then tend to get drawn into yet another full rewatch.
Oh man, I haven’t rewatched Archer is ages. Now I need to
Stargate sg1
Or
M.A.S.H.
Hmm as a gen Z do I rewatch stargate or try mash?
Good question : sadly it's flip a coin and watch one... Sorry you'll have to burn the other one
Watch Mash.
Yes it will have some very cringe aspects you will have to get over.
But i still think it's the best show ever produced and it is often just as relevant any time you watch it or rewatch it.
The reason is they really dealt with some very difficult issues in surprisingly well done ways.
I could go on for a long time but i do really do think this show has everything.
It's comedy and then it fucking hits you right in the feels with no mercy
And the character development from many, though not all, is great.
But if you do watch it pay attention to the tone difference between them in the operating room and outside of it.
The show runners managed to get some concessions about when and where to use the laugh track and iirc they almost never have laugh track in the operating room.
Characters change and the show is set up that it just makes sense that the 4077 would be different at different times.
Hawkeye Pierce as lower ranked officer being the Chief Surgeon is proven many many times over in the show in spite of other characters that outrank him.
Another reason to watch it is to check out the sheer number of cameos, >from pat morita, patrick swayze, leslie nielson and many more!<
Its a real cinephile experience seeing some actors before they got famous (though I'm not sure how obvious those cameos will be to too many people anymore)
And yes I'm incredibly biased as this is my favorite show of all time
Additionally, The Ranch from netflix hit very similarly in how they mixed comedy and then shit getting real very quickly.
I'm not unhappy they removed the actor from the show, but it's too recent for me to be able to recommend it given the problems with him. Rather unfortunate
My favorite show of all time as well, OP, if you see this, do yourself a favor and watch the entire show without the laugh track.
Futurama
Also, Disenchanted
At least for me:
Dr. Who (First through Fifth Doctor mostly)
Original Star Trek
Star Trek: TNG
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: DS9
I really wish I was even a little bit British so I could watch Dr Who. But it's unwatchable to me. Even the two very attractive sidekicks can't keep me interested.
It's definitely something that you have to grow up with. I was lucky to have an uncle who was obsessed with The Fourth Doctor when I was a child, and my love of the show comes from that. I wish some of the older stuff could be redone: it's unwatchable for many because it was made for an audience who had tiny black and white TVs and a great deal more patience.
Having it on your whole life is definitely something that I imagine contributes to enjoying it. I love the idea, and some of the lore is pretty cool.
If you like the lore but watching it makes you want to stab your eyes out, look into the Target novelisations. They are mostly faithful to what was on the TV, and you get to use your imagination instead of BBC's production values. They were usually written by the same person who wrote the script. I actually prefer the novels for several stories and was really, really disappointed when I finally had a chance to see them. A big bonus is the Target books are pretty cheap and easy to find used.
That's an interesting idea. Thank you
Of course! I hope you find a way to enjoy Who. It is a lovely universe. The other idea would be to look into Big Finish audio---they do a lot of interesting Who stuff.
Bob’s Burgers
I like how every single character is incredibly weird in at least one way, but their weirdness is usually a source of joy and hardly ever used as the butt of a joke.
I've definitely re-watched old Adult Swim stuff. Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Sealab 2021 in particular. (I need to include Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law in that mix)
Don't sleep on Home Movies
12oz Mouse!
The Wire.
Gets better every time I watch it.
Star Trek, the next generation and Star Trek deep space nine. Star Trek Voyager is pretty rewatchable too.
Seinfeld hands down.
In love Seinfeld
"Gravity Falls"! Great to watch with the kids, too. (:
Futurama is my comfort show. The wet humor gets me everytime
This is my go-to. I have the old DVDs ripped onto my Plex server so that I can hit shuffle on all the old seasons and just watch episodes at random.
The Office
My wife can watch the Office any time of day. It will be playing on the TV at the most random times.
I just can't get into it. It seems weird and it's primarily the format that throws it off for me. The whole interview talking and stuff it's just odd.
The documentary style quickly takes a back seat, but the interviews are always there and heavily used. Try Modern Family first and see of the Office doesn't hit better once you're used to the interviews there. They're brief fourth-wall breaks and not diagetic.
e: I would say if you're not having an absolute blast by the Dundees episode (I think that S2E1?), don't waste any more of your time.
King of the Hill
- Friends
- Golden Simpsons Era
- Futurama
- Star Trek TNG/Voyager
- X-files
I have a hard time watching any sitcoms. I can do one watch through but then I feel like I know all the joeks already, which is weird, because that is not an issue with me for futurama for example. Have to agree about TNG
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
MASH
Many good series mentioned, I want to add: Community
Black Books
I watch a lot of cartoons, but when there's a dry season I find myself just rewatching The Simpsons or American Dad.
Usually the earlier stuff of course, but you get some gems in the later stuff, and the later stuff gets funnier the more you memorize the writing.
I'm beginning to suspect that nostalgia is a form of brain rot.
I’m beginning to suspect that nostalgia is a form of brain rot.
I've struggled hard to do it, but in my forties I'm still listening to new music and watching new media. I want to go out like John Peel, listening to good new music until the day I die.
I still listen to and watch a lot of old stuff, but I really try not to make it my main entree.
I honestly think if you're my age (mid forties) and you're still listening to music exclusively from the 90's it's gotta count as some type of arrested development.
It's just hard getting into new stuff without questioning whether it was sold to you through some kind of advert osmosis.
At least with the old stuff, there's little chance that you were target audience
I'd have to say Invader Zim.
Mr. Bean
Venture Bros
Seinfeld
Ken Burns' Baseball
Firefly
M.A.S.H.
It’s a gorram shame how few Firefly episodes there are.
Agree, but also think it might kind of be a part of what makes it great. Didn't go so long to get ruined. Gave us just enough to love it and imagine what could have been. Everyone gets to have their own fantasies of where it might have gone next.
Didn't go so long to get ruined
I think it's safe to say they had plenty of rope left before that were danger of that happening
I love to turn on the 24-hr adult swim of venture bros and just drop into an episode.
I still watch Spongebob, Dragonball, and I used to watch that 70s show a lot(harder to watch nowadays though)
Early Spongebob is easily re-watchable.
Futurama. I’ve seen it thousands of times. That’s not an exaggeration.
I really should get around to re-watching Futurama. I often say Professor Farnsworth's 'Good news, everyone!' to myself :-)
You won’t regret it!
Babylon 5.
Every time I watch it I’m stunned at how relevant it still is.
I sooo wanted to rewatch that. But I just cannot get past the special effects these days. I thought it was great when it was on, now it's unwatchable for me. It's like, Playstation 1 cutscenes: the show.
I watch too much tv:
Ted Lasso
The Good Place
Parks and Rec
The Office
Brooklyn 99
Northern Exposure
Friends
Schitt’s Creek
Sherlock
Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Fawlty Towers
This tells me I need to watch Northern Exposure, Schitt’s Creek, and Fawlty Towers.
And that you need to watch 30 Rock, Community, Scrubs, and Arrested Development.
Aah! I knew I forgot some! Excellent list!
Oh, formatting, no….
Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
it's been aging really well
The same can't be said for Joss Whedon.
Just did a rewatch with daughter. She wanted to watch after seeing the musical episode. Still stands up in my opinion even though we know Joss and some of the cast weren't perfect.
The Season 6 rapey tech bros were still a very hard watch and skipped an episode or two in that season but hard not to see it as a bit prescient - it was before Gamergate and the right wing radicalisation of young men online. Should have paid more attention. It went a bit over my head first time.
Working through Angel now. Will see how that holds up. Has been a long time between watches. I kind of started House again though so ...
Wife can watch unlimited Supernatural and I think she might hold a record for rewatches of Voyager.
Ensemble comedies like UK Ghosts and Community seem popular for rewatching with family. I think that is probably a general theme along with animations. Less serious shows tend to do better I think. Psych and Monk are probably more likely to get a rewatch than a serious procedural.
Except for the last season. There are some lines that really feel like the writers talking to themselves about how they painted themselves into a corner.
Painted into what corner? Seven was always supposed to be the final season, and included a bunch of things that only made real sense big picture if you knew about the Buffy universe comics, like the scythe. The Season 8 etc. comics are so out there that they were never intended for actual production.
Season 6 was the real klunker because they had shifted from WB to UPN, so production after an epic season 5 had lots of new staff, so it ended up in a lot of uninspired drudgery, monster of the week blah, plus Buffy has to work now and that sucks worse because you can't stake a mortgage and dust it.
Frasier
Came here for this. Was not disappointed.
- Black Adder
- Adventure Time
- The Last Of Us
- The Expanse
- Community
- Friends
The expanse is top tier tv. Not sure how it wasn't more popular. Community is gonna go down as one of the classics
The Expanse may be the best bit of sci-fi I have ever had the joy to watch and read.
I didn't get that far into the show because I was bored and lost in the space battles. Action scenes are always shakey cameras and me being confused about who's on what ship. I was extremely interested in the human dramas, politics, and especially the mystery of the fungal thing. The acting and dialects were really cool though, and I'd probably miss out on those unless the author does a good job writing them. Does it seem like I'd prefer reading it instead? I kind of feel like I just talked myself into trying the show again. :s
A lot of the issues you mentioned get solved in season 2. I think there was a network shift and the camera work got better. Later on Amazon pumped a lot of money into the show as well. It's really worth the watch and I'd love to hear back from you if you do.
If you're a gamer there's a Telltale game that follows this account's namesake. Camina Drummer.
The writers did a fantastic job writing all the dialogue in the books. I would argue it's on par or even better than the show. Which is hard, considering the writers for the books produced and even wrote the screenplays for the show.
As someone who shares a line of work with Bobby Draper and many other characters, the military jargon and quips are also spot on. Never have I heard such accurate lingo and expression in sci-fi.
King of the Hill
Never got into that one
It holds up
Literally from the first episode til like season 11 where it declines somewhat but still strong
I'll keep that in mind as I occasionally chew through it. I never really watched it at the time.
Dr. Katz Professional Therapist
Home Movies
Mystery Science Theater 3000
I fall asleep to Dr. Katz all the time because it's just so calming and it always made me happy how much Dr. Katz loved and accepted his son Ben just as who he was. Most of the comedy aged pretty well, they didn't seem to have a lot of purposefully mean people on. I have a playlist that's just all the Dom Irerra episodes.
Burns, you say?
Kings off-topic, but after listening to the audio book I really want a World War Z miniseries in the style of a Ken Burns documentary.
Band of Brothers
It's an annual thing for me
Futurama (original) Psych Star Trek TNG/DS9 X Files Twilight Zone
All these are on continuous shuffle in my Jellyfin server.
I've actually been rewatching some episodes of All In The Family airing on Pluto TV. It's remarkable (1) how little has changed and (2) how we've lost such great quality television over the past forty years.
I was watching some of The Jeffersons episodes recently, it was on for 11 years. It's a spin-off of All In The Family. Movin' on up!
While the whole series was still streaming, I watched Red vs Blue on a constant loop for years.
Yeah me too,
Apparently one of the original creators got the license back from Warner Bros recently, so we might see it on again somewhere
Yeah I heard that, but i don't think Burnie bought the rights to RVB just Roosterteeth
I guess I assumed that would include at least some limited rights to RvB.
As good as that would be, RvB was the profitable part of the business along with RWBY.
I can't imagine them being among the "left over" assets of the company.
Either way I listen to Good Morning Gustavo (formally ANMA) and So, Alright...
That's the extent of my Roosterteeth viewings for the past few years.
The RT podcast fell off for me along with everything else they were doing
Regular Show has been one of my go-to rewatches to put on at night.
I just watched Deadwood and I was so mad that the story just ended leaving everything open after season 3. (Travoltapulpfiction.gif). Season 4 never happend thanks to HBO being HBO. The tv movie (2019) wrapped the story but just wanted to inform about this to other first time watchers.
- Star Trek (first 5 series)
- MASH
- Stargate SG1
- The Office
- Friends
Mad Men
Parks and Rec, and Letterkenny, for me. Two of my absolutely most favorite shows. Both are ridiculous in the own way, but overall uplifting and positive.
I feel like I’ll get roasted but, maybe Family Guy. I always understand new references and catch new jokes each rewatch
Mythbusters
How its made
Haven't seen these as alternate options
Father Ted.
Seinfield
Futurama
Southpark (earlier seasons were more rewatchable)
The office
How i met your mother
Black books
Scrubs
Spaced from Simon Pegg and Friends is probably the series i have rewatched the most, was just going to watch it again this week with a friend, it's been a couple years, but it always is good
-
Sopranos.
-
All of Star Trek, thanks H&I channel.
Seinfeld is a more "family friendly" option.
But Curb Your Enthusiasm can be put on an endless loop, and I'd still laugh my ass off at every episode.
Cheers
Spaced
Robot Wars.
Craig Charles
MONKEEEEEEEEEEY
Seinfeld for me.
Closely followed by IT Crowd
The Simpsons. Pick your favourite seasons or watch them all, you can’t go wrong
Lost track of how many times I've looped Seinfeld.
Fleabag
The Queen's Gambit
Malcolm in the Middle
Six Feet Under
I'm surprised I don't see Battlestar Galactica or Star Trek Next Generation here yet.
I've rewatched Haven several times. I love everything about it, the characters, the acting, the writing, the music, and the overall vibe. It somehow manages to be tragic, terrifying, and wholesome, all at once.
Blackadder (Not series 1)
Early 20 century comedy. Laurel and Hardy, Harold Lloyd, Marx Brothers, and all the rest. Not technically a series; sue me.
Surprised not to see Generation Kill here. I'll watch it twice a year. Along with, as mentioned by many above, Seinfeld, Firefly, Community (preferably early seasons) etc.
The Six Million Dollar Man. I became fascinated with this show recently, I find it amusing.
WKRP in Cincinnati is pretty funny too.
It seems that if you watched all of Mr. Robot, you cannot stop rewatching it (I finished my 4th rewatch...)
30 rock Curb Seinfeld Arrested development The Simpsons
Pawn stars for one.
Friends, and The Office for me.
It has became my routine to browse on Netflix or HBO Max endlessly looking for something new to watch, but always ended up re-watching between those two.