If you like David Cross's standup, David Cross: Bigger and Blackerer is quite good.

This was great. Him, Lewis Black and Eddi Izzard are the really well-known comics to have specials added recently, however both the Black and Izzard videos were more documentaries on there rise to fame with stand-up clips mixed in. The Lewis Black one was especially tilting, since I don't give a **** about what his parents/teachers/friends thought about him growing up, after about 20 minutes i turned it off, sitting there thinking make me laugh or stfu already!

spoiler alert

also that batman animated film (i apologize if it has already been mentioned itt) the red hood one is actually very good

While I was watching this movie, I thought maybe I fell asleep and dreamed this part.

FMP

For cooking show fans, check out Take Home Chef. There's a ridiculous 115 episodes per season, but they are short and fun to put in when you're multi-tasking.

A buff, likable assuie chef approaches cute girls in a supermarket and offers to cook for her and her husband/boyfriend/friend in her home.

Blue Mountain State is a pretty funny show. I just started it last night - the characters are pretty interesting. Lots of partying, drinking, pranks. It's good if you want to sit back and just be entertained by mindless college antics.

Dexter Season 1 - just burned through it the last couple weeks.

Very solid - 8/10, maybe 9/10 after I have time to fully digest it.

What are people's thoughts on it? I'm actually feeling pretty good about never watching another new episode of the series again. Worth it to keep going?

-Al

I'd keep going. Season 2 is pretty good and a guy I've been talking to said he felt 2>1. I felt 1>2 imo, but it's def worth still watching. They elaborate further on things with his father and Dexters past. I'd talk about season three but it's not on instant

what i'm confused you thought it was 8/10 and 9/10 and don't want to watch any more ???

Dexter really depends on how much you like the guest stars each season features. Jimmy Smits was OK, John Lithgow was great, Julia Stiles.. too early to tell yet but there is a lot of potential in her storyline.

It is confusing. Let me explain.

First - Dexter is such an original series, with great acting out of the lead, and generally well executed, it of course rates high. (It actually felt a lot in tone and execution like Veronica Mars, where they do a deft job of mixing the overall mystery arc with episodic self-contained plots).

All that being said - I'm not sure I care where the Dexter character goes anymore, or how he develops. He had a very satisfying development arc for the full season. Also, I didn't actually think the supporting characters were all that compelling. His sister was pretty grating - I hear she just gets even more annoying. Or, as another example - do I care what happens to the recently demoted lieutenant? Probably not since I can't even remember her character's name.

Second, and probably more importantly - there is just a ton of TV I am catching up on, so it's just a matter of what to devote time to. (For example, I have never watched an episode of the following series: Weeds, Sopranos, Six Feet Under, or Deadwood).

-Al

I thought S2 was better than S1. I enjoy the whole whodunit type of suspense in S1, but I enjoy the meat of the storyline driving the suspense even more, as in S2.

Huh - my buddy just told me S2 is pretty weak (partially influenced my thinking when I wrote my original post). OK, and especially since it's on streaming - I will start watching. Thanks guys.

John Lithgow? OK - him on Dexter (didn't know he guest starred on it) - I'll probably keep watching until at least that season - he seems like a really good fit for the series...

-Al

office season 6 on WI.

All the good parts from the episodes have been cut. =\

Finally got around to signing up for Netflix last night. Watched "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" through WI. Movie was even more hilarious and great then I thought it would be. I would give it a very solid B+. Def. recommend to those who like horror-comedies or well-executed B horror flicks.

It took me about 6 months to watch season 1 of Dexter. It took me 14 hours to watch season 2.

2>>>>>1 for me.

Overall I like Dexter but prob not as much as most seem to here. I'd watch season2 real quick and then prob take a break and go with Deadwood (bc its shorter) and then Sopranos.

Thanks, and now I have to watch Season 2 of Dexter, just to see if I like it more than Season 1!

Deadwood is definitely next up for me. (My friend owns the entire series on DVD, too bad it's not WI.) It's the series I most consistently hear about (along with The Wire and Mad Men) as some of the best stuff ever produced.

And that's the thing with Sopranos - there are like, what, 9 seasons? I just don't even want to get started I'm afraid I'll just sit there and watch for like a month straight and lose my job and friends.

-Al

General Question:

What are your thoughts on "marathoning" TV series? Let's define a "marathon viewing" as being at least 6 straight hours of viewing time. (This came up in the Mad Men thread as well.)

I was always under the impression pretty much everyone does this, but my buddy contends that's not the case.

-Al

that's what they're good for. who wants to watch an hour at a time once a week? I just watched Firefly again in 2 days, immersing yourself in a world like that is the whole point.

I think I would get sick of the Sopranos long before I made it through all 6 seasons at a stretch. It really bogs down with a lot of weepy bull****.

Gotta watch Firefly again, so good. I watched Dexter this past weekend too, in like 2 5-hour stretches.

The reason I'm asking is because I agree with you, and it's great to be immersed in the world. The problem I have is that I will be so compelled to find out what happens next, or just keep going, I'll be watching the episodes as I'm passing out from needing sleep. I'm positive I'm missing stuff. But I can't help it!

-Al

I've watched an entire season of 24 in three days.

X-Files in 4-5 days, etc. etc.

Marathon or gtfo.

Thanks to discovering hulu this is the first year I won't be marathoning shows I'm really in to. Before that I'd just wait until they came out on dvd/bluray, and blast through it asap.

So much more fun.

Would be so much better if I could just click play all rather than have to get out of bed after each episode.

Did this for seasons 1 & 2 of Sons of Anarchy and really enjoyed them both. Then started watching season 3 and I gave up on it after about 5 episodes. Partly because the story for season 3 is pretty ridiculous and I think having an entire week to realize just how dumb and full of holes the plots are ruins it.

It also depends on the type of show, If it is something that requires close viewing to fully appreciate, like Mad Men, or Breaking bad, then I think watching more than 2 or 3 at a time actually takes away from the average person's enjoyment. Whereas something like Married with Children you can burn through a season or more in a day or 2.

Definitely worth it. Too bad 3 and 4 aren't on instant.

2 is not as good as 1 in my opinion, but it's close. 3 is somewhat lame, but still quality tv. 4 is very good, perhaps rivaling 1. 1 was just so good because it was a novel and written perfectly that way.