As summer sets in and the very few network shows I watch are on hiatus, I’ll be plugging in some streaming shows to watch over the summer. I like to have one longer series to watch throughout the season (and maybe even longer) that I missed out on the first time it actually aired.
One summer I did Mad Men. (would totally re-watch this again) Another I did Schitt’s Creek. One summer/fall I did Friday Night Lights. All were fully shows of the past but I had never watched. I watched Jane The Virgin for awhile but never finished.
What are a couple of NETWORK series you’d recommend? Plenty of streaming series suggestions on the “Binge” thread.
Parenthood was one I thought about. Have never watched an episode.
Ooh, good question. Over the past couple of years, I’ve watched several “big” shows that I never watched the first time around.
- The West Wing
- The Sopranos
- Justified
- Mad Men
- Veronica Mars
- Leverage (and its revival, Leverage Redemption)
- What We Do in the Shadows
Probably some others that I’m forgetting…
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My summer project is Friday Night Lights based upon feedback from the binge thread.
Recent series that I binged having not watched the first time around include The West Wing and The Good Place - both highly enjoyable.
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I know you can’t have watched everything, but you seem very tv up on things so I can’t BELIEVE you haven’t watched FNL!!!
(maybe since we won’t have This IS Us anymore, we should start a thread like a book club but pick a tv series of past to all watch together again! An episode each week!)
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I only started bingeing during lockdown, and FNL has been in the queue since then. But it’s 76 episodes and, with the exception of The West Wing, I was prioritizing runs with fewer episodes. Now,with the exception of series I’ve binged old episodes, but are back for new seasons, like Hacks or Silent Witness, my queue is empty. 
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Friday Night Lights is absolutely worth it and so is Parenthood.
I binged Nashville a few months ago. West Wing is one that I’ve binge watched a couple of times and now and then, I go back and watch a few of my favorite episodes again and again 
Haven’t seen Mad Men. Started Good Place, but somehow never got around to finishing that.
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In addition to many of the great ones mentioned:
Breaking Bad
The Wire
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Scrubs (the first few seasons) is jam packed with hilarity - they had really good writers, and the medicine was somewhat up to date for the time. Their musical episode (you have to have watched the series up until then to “get it” because the song and dance routines are all in consonance with the characters’ roles) is extremely well done.
If you liked the pathos of the Sopranos, and can stand something that’s mostly in a foreign language and subtitled, try Shtisel (it was on the YES network, so I guess it qualifies, even if it was an Israeli network). No violence whatsoever. In my opinion, it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen on TV. Virtually every episode rises to the level of the best episodes of the Sopranos. In the Sopranos, the art is derived from the juxtaposition of sociopathic mob behavior with real life circumstances. In Shtisel, it’s the juxtaposition of a rigid religious community and a sociopathic patriarch with family circumstances and real life. It’s incredible.
Six Feet Under
Lonesome Dove
Malcolm in the Middle (especially if you raised sons)
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Three thumbs up for Shtisel.
Call the Midwife
Better Call Saul
Space Force
Ghosts (British version)
After Life (truly excellent)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
My Name is Earl
Seaside Hotel
The Office (enough episodes to keep you busy through retirement)
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So funny @college_query, I was editing my post to add The Office as you posted it.
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I’ve actually never watched The Office from beginning to end. Just oodles of episodes here and there.
Try and keep your post suggestions to NETWORK tv as opposed to pay channels like HBO or streaming series (ok if a network series is now on a streaming channel - like The Office).
I know it’s becoming harder to distinguish between network and streaming shows.
I was suggesting The Office too! 
I prefer the British version but enjoyed the American as well.
Some of these have been mentioned already. But these are shows I may re-watch or watch for the first time this summer.
Arrested Development
Schitts Creek
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Grantchester
ETA: I just saw @abasket last post. I hope BBC/PBS qualifies. I think these are all available to stream at this point.
IMO, nothing beats ER.
First season of Heroes was entertaining, but then it went downhill super fast.
Adding Parks and Recreation for some summer fun.
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Plus one to The West Wing. So good and still so topical.
The Good Place if you are in the mood for silly.
Babylon Five is still my favorite sci fi series.
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And only the first season. It’s one of the few series that I started watching but abandoned before the end.
I loved hearing Hayden Panettiere on some chat show saying that so many fans come up to her to say, “The first season was so good (dot dot dot).”
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Absolutely second that. We kept watching the second season for a while thinking it would get better, but it was turning into a complete train wreck! 
Mad Men.
Was never on my radar during its entire run on TV.
Then I watched it once it was streaming and I was like “oh, where have you been my whole life?”
I rewatched the entire run with DH and it became his all-time favorite too.
Interestingly, many of our good friends did not watch past the first episode.
I also streamed Downton Abbey and most of The Great British Baking Show after their runs on PBS.
DH’s other favorites to stream (from network TV):
Arrested Development
Shtisl
Schitt’s Creek