Binge watching is the best, and it’s even more satisfying when the complete series is at your fingertips. So what if you missed these shows when they were on? They’re still great, and they hold up.
I was talking with a friend last weekend, and they told me that they were about to start Game of Thrones for the first time. They finally decided to take part in watching the international sensation that literally everyone watches. But why start now?
“If you start now, you’ll just have to wait in agony for the final season,” I said. Why not start a different show now, and then begin watching Thrones next year before the final season comes out? That way you never have to wait for the next episode. So instead, I told them I’d make a list of 5 complete series that are available to binge watch to completion right now…which I then later realized would make a great article. 2 birds, 1 stone, folks.
#5. Community
The weird little show that just wouldn’t die could have used more people watching it live, for sure. NBC was crushing it with irreverent comedies that really spoke to a generation of people that hated watching commercials in the mid to late 2000s. Before creating Rick and Morty, Dan Harmon introduced us to the Spanish study group at Greendale community college.
Community was unique from the rest of the popular comedies in NBC’s lineup that included 30 Rock, The Office and Parks and Rec. It wasn’t a mockumentary style comedy, and it didn’t take place on the coast. The show was absurd but in all the right ways. It also helped that Harmon and his team were able to put together one of the most talented core casts on TV.
The more famous members of the cast, Joel McHale (The Soup), Chevy Chase (duh) and Ken Jeong (The Hangover) were joined by several future stars, like Donald Glover,who was soon to explode as Childish Gambino, and has gone on to become one of the most celebrated creative minds around right now between his music and his FX show Atlanta. Alison Brie had been on Mad Men, but this was obviously an entirely different tone for a show. Now she’s starring in movies and is the lead in the Netflix hit GLOW. Jim Rash won an Oscar for screenwriting while playing the Dean.
Community was canceled twice but was brought back both times thanks to fan protest online. The first time, it came back on NBC. After the second cancellation, it came back for a final season on “Yahoo Screen”. The show kept chugging along after Dan Harmon was replaced as show runner, and then he came back. The story of Community is as weird and unique as the show itself. And you can watch all of it right now on HULU.
#4. Rescue Me
Rescue Me is the story of Tommy Gavin, a New York City firefighter played by Denis Leary. He has PTSD after being at ground zero during the 9/11 attacks, and he sees the ghost of his cousin who was killed when the towers fell.
I know this show sounds super depressing, but where Rescue Me succeeds is in the way it deals with these dark issues with comedy. Leary is dynamic as Tommy Gavin, scoring a Golden Globe nomination and a handful of Emmy nominations as well. But it’s the supporting cast that truly makes the show so much fun, despite them all dealing with their own issues, ranging from repressed homosexuality to alcoholism.
RESCUE ME: Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin on RESCUE ME airing Tuesday, July 13 on FX. CR: Jeff Neira / FX
Rescue Me ran for 7 seasons, kind of. The show took a year off of filming between season 4 and 5 and came back with an ambitious 22 episode season to make up for lost time. The show has its ups and downs, with the highest highs coming in the first 4 seasons. While the show did dip some in later years, they were able to reel the story back in for the final season, with a satisfying, bittersweet finale that I personally love.
When the show was on, it was as hard hitting as anything on HBO. They never shied away from the bloody, depressing reality of being a first responder, but thanks to Leary and the writing team, they were able to handle those moments with dark comedy and respect.
Much like Leary’s standup, the show makes it a point to intentionally cross the line when discussing topics such as religion, race, and sexuality. But the show is never offensive with the desire to harm, but rather to offend for the sake of their own sanity. Their job and their lives are dark enough, and they deal with it through humor, booze, and relationships. And food.
The show was always at its best when the guys were at the firehouse talking. The same episode could have a child get severely hurt or pass away in a fire or accident, and then the crew would go back to the firehouse, pour some “coffee”, and hash their feelings out with jokes. Rescue Me is available on Hulu.
#3. The Wire
It’s the greatest show ever made, and that’s not hyperbole. HBO’s cult classic cop drama, The Wire, accomplishes more in 5 seasons than most shows could get done in 10. With a cast of over 100 characters spread out over the 5 seasons, David Simon’s sweeping narrative of an American city decimated by the war on drugs is still just as poignant.
Each season, The Wire adds a layer to the story of Baltimore. Season 1 is a fairly standard cops vs criminals type show. Well, it is standard in the sense that there are cops and bad guys. Some of the cops are unsympathetic, and some of the drug dealers are incredibly sympathetic. From the start, The Wire blurs the lines between right and wrong.
Season 1 deals with the drug trade in the inner cities and the rise of the Barksdale organization. Season 2 takes a hard left turn as we get to know the dock workers in Baltimore. These men are a crucial part of the drug trade in the city, whether they know it or not. And with the decline in union jobs that have been happening in the nation, they are forced to make choices on how to get by. Much like the drug dealers in season 1, who live in an area with so few options, that drug dealing is basically their only option.
Season 3 brings back the Barksdale crew to an extent, and also introduces us to some new criminals across Baltimore, including the people that have decided to run for Mayor. This season juxtaposes the white collar world of the mayoral race in Baltimore with the poverty stricken, drug addicted people that the politicians have declared war on.
Season 4, the most heart breaking season, introduces us to 4 middle school kids that are the new protagonists for the season. We get to see how not only do the politicians and environment fail these kids, but the school system is hamstrung, and can’t offer any support to the children before they’re sucked into the drug game.
Finally, season 5 takes a more broad look at all these problems as we’re introduced to the news staff at the Baltimore Sun newspaper. Journalists have the ability to set the narrative for the city, and could be talking about the schools or the failures of the “war on drugs”, but budget cuts and declining readership have forced them to take a new route, and the city suffers because of it.
One thing to keep in mind is that characters don’t ever just “go away.” Characters from season 1, both cops and criminals, appear in all 5 seasons. These aren’t anthology seasons, they’re layered. The Barksdales are around the entire time, for example. And the cops from season 1 are still cops in season 5. (Well, some of them, anyway.)
If this all sounds preachy…you’re right. If there is one true negative to the show, it is the overall vibe of “look at what we’re doing, and you should be listening to me!”
But…the show shows us what we’re doing, and how damaging it truly is. Maybe we should be listening. The Wire is available on Amazon Prime and HBO Go.
#2. Parks and Recreation
NBC’s 2000’s era lineup may have never delivered the ratings that the network wanted, but it did deliver high-quality comedy that show snobs like us cherish. When Parks and Rec first aired, I actually didn’t like it. It was like a watered down version of The Office. And season 1 of Parks is still the worst season of the show.
In fact, if you choose to starts watching Parks after reading this article…skip season 1. It’s entirely irrelevant. You’ll figure out who’s dating who within minutes. And give season 2 a chance, as well, because it starts kind of slow. You have to get through the worst episode in the entire series in season 2, “Sister Cities”, which is episode 5.
Once you’re done with that first 5 episodes, strap in. I don’t know what happened in that writer’s room, but the characters all of a sudden click, and the ensemble cast of Parks never slows down again.
By the time you get to season 3, there is not another “bad” episode. There are a few that weren’t as good as others, for sure, but they were few and far between. The relationships between these characters, and the development of Leslie Knope from bungling assistant director to political power player is amazing and hilarious.
Not to mention the young cast of the show being made up of future superstars Aziz Ansari (Master of None), Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World) and Aubrey Plaza (Dirty Grandpa, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates). And of course, the legendary Ron Swanson, played amazingly by Nick Offerman, helped to ground the show by playing his stoic conservatism against Leslie’s exuberant progressiveness.
Oh, and Rob Lowe is somehow on the show for like, 5 seasons. Parks and Rec is on Netflix.
#1. Justified
US Marshall Raylan Givens is “a bad Marshall, but a good lawman”. Set in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, this modern day western based on the short stories of Elmore Leonard is maybe the most overlooked drama in the new golden age of television, holding a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Justified wasn’t even close to the highest rated show on FX at the time, as Sons of Anarchy held that banner high. But unlike Sons, which came out of the gate strong only to taper off in quality, Justified started slow but by the middle of season 2, hit a stride that it seldom didn’t maintain.
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Timothy Olyphant shines as Raylan Givens, but the true scene stealer throughout the entire series was Boyd Crowder, played by Walton Goggins. These two men were straight up born for these roles, and the writers of the show were able to craft a 6 season arc for these two men that is as satisfying to watch play out as any other show.
But where Justified truly shined was in its side characters. Margo Martindale won an Emmy for her role as Mags Bennett in season 2. Mykelti Williamson, Sam Elliot, Mary Steenburgen, Neal McDonough, and Patton Oswalt were all side characters that were added at some point in the show, and they were as developed and nuanced as any main player.
The thing about Justified that made it unique from the other shows of its era was the humor. Raylan and Boyd were sharp tongued and quick witted. As a southerner myself, it was a wonderful experience
to see southern accents done so well, and the words being said in those accents to be so pointed, specific, and perfect.
Whether the show is dealing with coal miners, coal companies, the Dixie Mafia, addicts, or drunks…everyone on the show is perfectly sassy and unapologetically southern. And damn, do I love it so much.
Next: Game of Thrones Season 7: Littlefinger is about to make his move, but is it too late?
Justified is available on Amazon Prime. All of these shows are perfect for binge watching, and again, no need to wait for a final season. They’re all completed, have great endings, and are well worth the journey.