There are scores of TV shows out there, with dozens of new episodes each week, not to mention everything you can find on Hulu Plus, Netflix streaming, and HBO Go. How’s a viewer to keep up? To help you sort through all that television has to offer, Flavorwire is compiling five best bets for the coming week. This week’s list is given over to the venerable tradition of the Thanksgiving weekend TV marathon. (I assume everyone who is foaming at the mouth over Netflix’s Friday release of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life doesn’t need a reminder to tune in.) The weekend TV schedule is packed with channels airing back-to-back episodes of both current and classic series, and I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for comedy. Whether you’re trying to avoid your family or bring them together, here are five funny options to tide you over this weekend.
Now: The Simpsons
FXX began this epic, 600 episode marathon yesterday, on Thanksgiving Day, and it won’t end until next month: The channel is airing all 27 completed seasons of the long-running cartoon back-to-back, ending with the first four episodes of the current 28th season — the 600th, “Treehouse of Horror XXVII,” will air at 12 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 7. Surely The Simpsons is something your family can all agree on, and it’ll be waiting for you on FXX any time you need it.
Friday: The Golden Girls
Add a little sunshine to your Friday with a Golden Girls binge: TV Land is airing episodes of the beloved 1980s sitcom from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tune in for such classic episodes as “Adult Education,” in which Blanche deals with a professor who’ll give her an A if she gives him something in return; “The Artist,” in which Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose each pose nude for a painting; and “The Way We Met,” in which the ladies reminisce about how they all met and moved in with each other.
Friday: Party Down
Starz its airing the entire second season of its 2009-10 cult-classic comedy Party Down on Friday night, which really is my idea of a rockin’ party. The marathon kicks off at 7 p.m. and ends just before midnight. I highly recommend watching it all, even if you’ve seen it before — Party Down might be the most most re-watchable show I’ve ever seen. If you’re not in the mood for a 5-hour binge, make sure to tune in at 8:52 p.m. for the second-best Party Down episode, in my humble opinion, “Steve Guttenberg’s Birthday.” Party with the Gutt!
Saturday: Roseanne
TV Land, at it again with the classic sitcom marathons. From 2 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, the channel is airing back-to-back episodes of one of the best sitcoms ever made, Roseanne. If you’re up early, you can watch “Like, A Virgin,” the episode where Roseanne gives Becky and Darlene the sex talk, at 7:48 a.m. If you prefer to laze in bed, tune in at noon for one of my personal favorites, “The Commercial Show,” in which the Conner clan stars in a commercial for Roseanne’s diner.
Sunday: Insecure
Are you watching Insecure, one of the best new shows of the fall? Created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore, this new HBO comedy has been spot on in its first season, a very funny and very honest look at two best friends on the edge of 30 living and working in Los Angeles. If you haven’t checked it out, or if you’re loving it as much as I am, HBO2 is running a marathon of all seven episodes that have aired so far, starting at 4:30 p.m. and ending at 8 p.m. Take a breather, then tune into HBO’s main channel at 10:30 p.m. to watch a brand-new episode.