We’re living an unusual couple of weeks at the moment, when cinema visits stopped being an option, and we’ve had to move all of our film-related experiences, alongside our offices, at home. It’s important to respect the special temporary regulations imposed by your respective governments, and hopefully we will be back to normal sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, Netflix and co can be our best friends, even though watching patterns involving streaming services have also changed. Previously, cozying up on your couch and starting off Netflix was the highlight of a long day away from home. Now that each day is spent entirely at home, the charm of home streaming is partly dilluted, given its constant availability.
But since it’s all we’ve got these days, we can look at a number of series that can keep you busy for at least a couple more weeks. Perhaps you’ve always meant to start a series that came highly recommended, but after glancing over the double-digit number of seasons, decided to postpone it for when you have more time. Well, now you certainly have enough time! So let’s take a look at a few super-long series that you might want to consider.
1. 24 (9 seasons)
This was the first show I binge watched, and remains one of the very few series on my list to check this distinction. The real-time format was a neat gimmick that kept you hooked and also created more rapport with the audience. For the ultimate experience, you could try binge watching all 24 episodes of each season within 24 hours – but I certainly wouldn’t recommend it! Although later seasons started to merely offer more of the same, 24 remained solid, entertaining and extremely enjoyable.
2. The Walking Dead (11 seasons)
There were zombie apocalypse series before and there were zombie apocalypse series after, but The Walking Dead managed to take the crown, due to its fine mixture of zombie action and human drama. The first couple of seasons was really good, but subsequent ideas and decisions have not been to bright, and The Walking Dead became a mishmash of the same types of situations and moments, but placed in different backdrops and involving different characters. I’ve yet to catch up with the last couple of seasons, but perhaps the time has finally come!
3. The X-Files (11 seasons)
I remember that as a kid, I was scared to watch some of the episodes which were a bit richer in supernatural elements. I came back to it during my teenage years and worked my way through all of it. X-Files has a bit of everything: mystery, drama, comedy, aliens, monsters, conspiracy theories… and more. It got too repetitive at one point, though, with both Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny getting a bit fed up at different times. Two new seasons were recently released, and while the nostalgia factor was present, it was just not the same.
4. Supernatural (15 seasons)
After hearing so many good things about Supernatural from my high-school friends, I decided to give it a shot. I watched the first season and liked it quite a lot – I was particularly fond of the mixture between supernatural elements and a plotline that didn’t take itself too seriously. However, since then I got distracted with other series, and never managed to come back to it. Knowing that there are 14 more seasons to go through has been quite a daunting thought.
5. South Park (24 seasons)
South Park doesn’t really need an introduction, so I won’t offer it one. It’s been around for almost a quarter of a century, and it has remained one of the very few animated series to keep improving over time, while not dropping any of the political incorrectness that has defined it throughout this entire time. It’s been a fan favourite for more than a few generations, which speaks volumes about its quality and appeal.
6. The Simpsons (32 seasons)
Staying into the realm of long-enduring animated series, The Simpsons is another iconic example of shows that can keep going for decades without running out of fresh ideas. It often gets praised for its visionary ‘comments’ about the future of the world, with the show ‘predicting’ a number of high-profile events way ahead of time, including the invention of smart watches, the election of Donald Trump and a number of FIFA World Cup results. And, if you look into tabloids, you will read about how it ‘predicted’ the coronavirus pandemic in an episode from 1993 – although I think that one is a bit of a stretch.
7. Doctor Who (36 seasons)
The ever-popular British series started in the 1960s, and while it did take a break in the 90s, it’s been delivering new content almost constantly since. It’s a very fun and lighthearted show, especially suitable for those who consider themselves fans of science and technology. Doctor Who keeps constantly changing, with new actors (and more recently, actresses) constantly repraising the main role, and contributing to keeping things always fresh.
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