Need TV Series to Help Me Work Out

[Austin]

I've had to bring my exercise indoors because of the weather, and so am working out using our Nordic Track Incline Trainer. The thing I hate about working out indoors is it's so damn boring, but now that I have a tablet (Kindle Fire), I can watch Netflix and Amazon streaming, and it makes it SO much better.

So far I've watched all the seasons available of Brothers and Sisters, The Good Wife, and Parenthood, so I tend to like dramas with well-developed characters. I just started this week on Homeland, which I wasn't sure I would like because it seemed a little x-file-y, but I'm hooked. I would love other suggestions for TV series that are available for streaming, though, as I tend to go through the seasons fast :lol:

I don't like fantasy, Star-Trek-type stuff, vampires, vampire-slayers, zombies or anything "out there". I tend to like more-or-less believable dramas (believable in the left brain sense). My favorite TV series of all time is Six Feet Under, for example.

So yeah, dull and boring stuff to a lot of people. But if anyone has any suggestions for things that will make me forget I am climbing forever at a 30% plus incline, that would be super and I would be grateful :D

[Deleted03]

Downton Abbey? Breaking bad?

[pomology]

Have you ever seen Upstairs, Downstairs? It's a British show from the 70s about a family and their servants from approximately the turn of the 20th century until right around the start of the Great Depression. It's a good show and I highly reccomend it, if you can get your hands on it.

[2xx1xy1JD]

Modern Family and Big Bang Theory.

[Maggie Mae]

I've had to bring my exercise indoors because of the weather, and so am working out using our Nordic Track Incline Trainer. The thing I hate about working out indoors is it's so damn boring, but now that I have a tablet (Kindle Fire), I can watch Netflix and Amazon streaming, and it makes it SO much better.

So far I've watched all the seasons available of Brothers and Sisters, The Good Wife, and Parenthood, so I tend to like dramas with well-developed characters. I just started this week on Homeland, which I wasn't sure I would like because it seemed a little x-file-y, but I'm hooked. I would love other suggestions for TV series that are available for streaming, though, as I tend to go through the seasons fast :lol:

I don't like fantasy, Star-Trek-type stuff, vampires, vampire-slayers, zombies or anything "out there". I tend to like more-or-less believable dramas (believable in the left brain sense). My favorite TV series of all time is Six Feet Under, for example.

So yeah, dull and boring stuff to a lot of people. But if anyone has any suggestions for things that will make me forget I am climbing forever at a 30% plus incline, that would be super and I would be grateful :D

Grey's Anatomy?

I don't know. Everything else I've ever seen is probably not for you. Although I would recommend Game of Thrones because while it uses fantasy, it's limited. The stories are still human stories, just in a fantasy setting. There isn't a lot of magic in the first season, after the first scene of course. But I can understand if it's hard to get into because of the setting. Also it might not be suitable to watch in a public gym, due to the nudity.

[Austin]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Sophie, I am a huge Downton Abbey fan and anxiously awaiting the next season. Some months ago, I watched the first episode (pilot) of Breaking Bad, but it didn't reel me in. I just remember something about a big RV and drugs, but I've had others tell me that I need to give it a chance for awhile, so perhaps I will do that.

Pomology, I forgot about Upstairs/Downstairs, but that is one I'm considering and it is available to me.

I've heard a lot of people say that Modern Family is their favorite show, so I am intrigued by it. Both that and Big Bang Theory are available on Amazon streaming but are not free at this time. I will pay for hour-long shows but not 1/2 hour ones, plus hour-long shows tend to work better for my workouts.

cpenny, I have watched about the first five episodes or so of Grey's Anatomy and probably will give that another go at some point. It's another one that I know a lot of people rave over but it didn't hook me.

And I work out in my family room, no problem on the NSFW (or gym) stuff.

Before I started Homeland earlier this week, I watched the first episode of 24, and that has possibilities. Dexter is another - I've seen about the first three seasons, but I think there are a couple more seasons now.

Has anyone seen Boardwalk Empire? I really loved the Sopranos, so maybe I could add that to my mobster collection - lol. How about Sons of Anarchy? I've heard a lot of people really like that. Outlaw motorcycle club doesn't sound that interesting to me, but the reviews on Amazon are really good.

[keen23]

White Collar is pretty amazing

Psych is great, even if you don't usually like crime drama- it's crime comedy

Persons Unknown

Weeds

Burn Notice

Lie to Me

Rescue Me- mmmm Dennis Leary as a firefighter

[Maggie Mae]

How about The Wire? It's a very well done show, a bit older, but the writing is very realistic. I think it takes a little bit to get used to though. I've heard it described as "the show that teaches you how to watch it."

Friday Night Lights gets a lot of really good reviews as well, though I can not personally attest to it. It's on my "someday" list.

Parks and Recreation is streaming on both Amazon and Netflix, and it's very funny and I love the characters. Modern Family is not (i know this, because I'm currently buying my way through Modern Family and cursing myself every time I tell myself that it's "only 2.99."

I saw the first episode of Treme and liked it, but then my HBO "membership" ran out.

[StarrieEyedKat]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Sophie, I am a huge Downton Abbey fan and anxiously awaiting the next season. Some months ago, I watched the first episode (pilot) of Breaking Bad, but it didn't reel me in. I just remember something about a big RV and drugs, but I've had others tell me that I need to give it a chance for awhile, so perhaps I will do that.

Pomology, I forgot about Upstairs/Downstairs, but that is one I'm considering and it is available to me.

I've heard a lot of people say that Modern Family is their favorite show, so I am intrigued by it. Both that and Big Bang Theory are available on Amazon streaming but are not free at this time. I will pay for hour-long shows but not 1/2 hour ones, plus hour-long shows tend to work better for my workouts.

cpenny, I have watched about the first five episodes or so of Grey's Anatomy and probably will give that another go at some point. It's another one that I know a lot of people rave over but it didn't hook me.

And I work out in my family room, no problem on the NSFW (or gym) stuff.

Before I started Homeland earlier this week, I watched the first episode of 24, and that has possibilities. Dexter is another - I've seen about the first three seasons, but I think there are a couple more seasons now.

Has anyone seen Boardwalk Empire? I really loved the Sopranos, so maybe I could add that to my mobster collection - lol. How about Sons of Anarchy? I've heard a lot of people really like that. Outlaw motorcycle club doesn't sound that interesting to me, but the reviews on Amazon are really good.

We really REALLY like Sons of Anarchy. It's outlaw motorcycle stuff, but there's enough interpersonal drama that it seems to not be too "out there" - although the violence does occasionally make me look away.

We were really into Dexter for a long time, but it only sort of holds my interest now, I have to be doing something else while I watch it.

Homeland gets better and better, the second season is really turning out to be great.

[Seven Severn]

I highly recommend The Walking Dead and Mad Men.

[NerdyHil]

I adore Boardwalk Empire. I would also support The Wire. If you haven't seen Sherlock, you are missing out, and my heart hurts for you.

[Megan]

I don't know if it is available on either site, but The West Wing is my favorite show and I would recommend it to just about anyone. I also second the Sherlock recommendation, if you haven't watched those yet. There's only 6 episodes of Sherlock, but they're each 1 1/2 hours (I think?).

[Austin]

Thanks, SEK - I may very well queue up Sons of Anarchy after I'm done with Homeland, which unfortunately won't take long as there aren't that many episodes yet.

Seven Severn, I have watched all the Sherlock episodes, so hopefully your heart doesn't hurt :D . I assumed the Walking Dead was something with zombies, which are not my thing. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

NerdyHil, thanks for the thumbs up on Boardwalk Empire. That seems like another good option for me. I love Mad Men and have seen every episode. That's probably my second favorite of all time tv series. I just wish it wasn't so long between seasons! I will have to check out The Wire, as I am not familiar with it.

Megan, luv-luv-luv The West Wing and have seen all the episodes at least twice. Great suggestion.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions!

[Deleted03]

oh yeah as cpennylane the Wire is great. I only got to see the first 3 seasons, but it's really good :)

[constantgardener]

Have you seen Elementary? I don't think it's as good as Sherlock (the cases they investigate are a bit more straightforward, not quite as dark) but it's still pretty good.

[rhododactylos]

With apologies for posting on a thread that's been dead for a few days...

The West Wing, my favorite TV show of all time, is available for streaming on Amazon! It's a few years old now, of course, and you may have watched it when it was still airing, but that hasn't stopped me from binging on a few seasons. :D

[Wandering]

If you want a sort of mindless TV show like Parenthood, Raising Hope would be a good one. Commander-in-Chief is also an excellent show with great characters.

[ceg045]

On the drama side, Damages is pretty good. Glenn Close is awesome as a ruthless prosecutor and Rose Byrne is her ambivalent protegee. Each of the five seasons details a case their team is working on. There's lots of notable guest stars (Ted Danson, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Ryan Philippe, John Goodman, Martin Short, Lily Tomlin), often playing against type.

[mpheels]

Do you have Hulu Plus also? I'm hooked on Chicago Fire. It's on Amazon (but not Prime), but is also on Hulu Plus.

[gimlet]

On the drama side, Damages is pretty good. Glenn Close is awesome as a ruthless prosecutor and Rose Byrne is her ambivalent protegee. Each of the five seasons details a case their team is working on. There's lots of notable guest stars (Ted Danson, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Ryan Philippe, John Goodman, Martin Short, Lily Tomlin), often playing against type.

Oh yeah, Damages is great. THey peel Patty Hewes like an onion and it is awesome to watch. The music used is really good too.

I like a lot of mindless crime tv to listen to, and I like Canadian tv selections on Netflix. Durham County is good--it's a cop who takes a new job in the country where he grew up, and is confronted by his old friend and nemesis who is maybe a serial killer or just a huge asshole.

"Intelligence" is good too. It's a battle of wits and alliances between the biggest heroin and marijuana kingpin in BC and the female head of the internal Canadian threats and intelligence agency.

[RandomTrivia]

Oh yeah, Damages is great. THey peel Patty Hewes like an onion and it is awesome to watch. The music used is really good too.

I like a lot of mindless crime tv to listen to, and I like Canadian tv selections on Netflix. Durham County is good--it's a cop who takes a new job in the country where he grew up, and is confronted by his old friend and nemesis who is maybe a serial killer or just a huge asshole.

"Intelligence" is good too. It's a battle of wits and alliances between the biggest heroin and marijuana kingpin in BC and the female head of the internal Canadian threats and intelligence agency.

If you like Canadian shows and crime shows, you might try Flashpoint (stars Hugh Dillon, who was in Durham County) and Da Vinci's Inquest. Also Due South, but it's a little more comedy than Flashpoint or Da Vinci. Slings & Arrows is another Canadian drama, but with theater instead of police. I missed Durham County, waiting for someone to air it again.

British dramas - MI-5, Monarch of the Glen, Ballykissangel, Foyle's War, The Irish R.M. (okay, that one's also a bit comedy at times), Cadfael, and Touching Evil. And if you go for British TV, Acorn Media has an online video option - http://acornonline.com/acorntv.aspx? - 14 day free trial, $29.99 a year, and I believe there's an option to watch the first episode of all their series for free, so you can sample some different things. Not sure if all their shows are on Netflix/Amazon/Hulu or not.

[DoozerEquinox]

We are big fans of The Wire and The West Wing, and we've been (slowly) working our way through Dr. Who and Torchwood.

[Austin]

If you want a sort of mindless TV show like Parenthood, Raising Hope would be a good one. Commander-in-Chief is also an excellent show with great characters.

Yeah, well, I'm a fool for Peter Krause, I suppose, and I thought it was a funny little family drama. Mindless is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose, as I consider dramas with zombies and vampires mindless. To each their own.

[RandomTrivia]

Yeah, well, I'm a fool for Peter Krause, I suppose, and I thought it was a funny little family drama. Mindless is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose, as I consider dramas with zombies and vampires mindless. To each their own.

You've seen Sports Night then, I guess? If not, it might be good workout TV (if you can still hear the TV - lots of dialogue on the show sometimes).

[Austin]

You've seen Sports Night then, I guess? If not, it might be good workout TV (if you can still hear the TV - lots of dialogue on the show sometimes).

No, I'll check it out, though. I can move the TV closer and my treadmill is not very loud. Thanks!