TV shows to 'binge view' during flights

35 replies

Tony Boyd

Member since 07 May 2015

Total posts 10

I've become used to using international flights as a way to catch up on TV shows and especially to 'binge view' them. If the show is really interesting you can knock over plenty of episodes and it's a great way to pass the time on a long flight. I've finished my list of shows so am interested in hearing suggestions for other series I should check out. What series does everybody here like to binge view during their flights?

sgb

Emirates Airlines - Skywards

Member since 30 Nov 2015

Total posts 419

I'd be trying to find Dynasty. Downton Abbey is an old favorite and always worth a replay.

David

Member since 24 Oct 2010

Total posts 1,021

So many choices, it will of course depend on your personal taste in shows. Without knowing that I'll put forward some of my faves.


Downton Abbey: this was recommended by friends, sat with me for a while until I decided one day to watch the first ep and bang, I was hooked! Don't be put off by descriptions of 'period Brit soap/drama' although yeah, that's 100% accurate! Great characters, acting, story-telling, music, this has the lot.


Sports Night: if you like Aaron Sorkin (best known of course for The West Wing) you'll love Sports Night. Only two seasons, I think 23 x 30mins – snappy dialog, wonderfully-drawn characters, Sorkin's evolution of the 'dramatic comedy' (or is that 'comedic drama'?) format. Every ep can easily be rewatched to take it all in because there's so much in there. You don't need to like sports to love this show. If you're already a huge TWW fan you will see several TWW actors appearing here, Sorkin did the first series before West Wing and the second series concurrently! Also a lot of similar and sometimes identical dialogue, plot lines and even episode titles, so TWW fans can find that Sports Night can actually grate on them because you can get 'over' those Sorkin tics. But it's still the best show which nobody watched! (Trivia: this was my very first binge-viewing experience on a trip to San Francisco maybe 15 years ago).


Borgen: while we're talking Sorkin and thus The West Wing, Borgen is a Danish political drama series. Became very popular as part of the western 'discovery' of Scandi-drama. First series is best, second quite decent too.


Travelers: very interesting Canadian sci-fi series, set in modern times and strongly character-based, no ray-guns etc, sci-fi is just the premise to enable the story-telling.


Firefly: so yeah, I do like a bit of smart sic-fi! A single series by Joss Whedon, a sci-fi/western mashup. Again, smart writing and characterisation, the characters really grow on you.

Last editedby David at Nov 09, 2018, 05:03 PM.

sid

Member since 07 Jan 2011

Total posts 208

Here's my go to list:


Silicon Valley
Entourage
Ballers
The Sopranos
House of Cards
Arrested Development

I find shows like Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad are great, but they're too intense to binge watch.


Ourmanin

Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer

Member since 08 Jun 2018

Total posts 144

So many choices, it will of course depend on your personal taste in shows. Without knowing that I'll put forward some of my faves.

Downton Abbey: this was recommended by friends, sat with me for a while until I decided one day to watch the first ep and bang, I was hooked! Don't be put off by descriptions of 'period Brit soap/drama' although yeah, that's 100%accurate! Great characters, acting, story-telling, music, this has the lot.

Sports Night: if you like Aaron Sorkin (best known of course for The West Wing) you'll love Sports Night. Only two seasons, I think 23 x 30mins – snappy dialog, wonderfully-drawn characters, Sorkin's evolution of the 'dramatic comedy' (or is that 'comedic drama'?) format. Every ep can easily be rewatched to take it all it because there's so much in there. You don't need to like sports to love this show. If you're already a huge TWW fan you will see many TWW actors appearing here, Sorkin did first series before West Wing and second series concurrently! Also a lot of similar and sometimes identical dialogue, plot lines and even episode titles, so TWW fans can find that Sports Night can actually grate on them because you can get 'over' those Sorkin tics. But it's still the best show which nobody watched! (Trivia: this was my very first binge-viewing experience on a trip to San Francisco maybe 15 years ago).

Borgen: while we're talking Sorkin and thus The West Wing, Borgen is a Danish political drama series. Became very popular as part of the western 'discovery' of Scandi-drama. First series is best, second quite decent too.

Travelers: very interesting Canadian sci-fi series, set in modern times and strongly character-based, no ray-guns etc, sci-fi is just the premise to enable the story-telling.

Serenity: so yeah, I do like a bit of smart sic-fi! A single series by Joss Whedon, a sci-fi/western mashup. Again, smart writing and characterisation, the characters really grow on you.

Definitely Borgen. It’s excellent. If you can get it then the original BBC version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (with Alec Guiness) is superb. As is the more recent Night Manager.

Poolprouk

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 14 Sep 2017

Total posts 8

For parents, on the QF Entertainment app I can highly recommend the BBC comedy Motherland about a mother who can't cope with parent like situations (e.g. birthday party, pool party, parent social events...) and it becomes a farce.


It's hillarious. (in my opinion).

Last editedby Poolprouk at Nov 09, 2018, 02:44 PM.

AsiaBizTraveller

Member since 20 Nov 2015

Total posts 43

+1 for The Night Manager. If you like British shows then I would suggest the original BBC House of Cards, it's only four episodes so much easier to take on than the US series which only loosely adapted it. The BBC series is quite delicious and 'FU' is even more calculating and cold-blooded!

Grannular

Member since 31 Mar 2014

Total posts 283


Serenity: so yeah, I do like a bit of smart sic-fi! A single series by Joss Whedon, a sci-fi/western mashup. Again, smart writing and characterisation, the characters really grow on you.

Without being too picky, Serenity was the movie. Firefly the TV show ;)

Fantastic show and recommend it to anyone who enjoys Scifi. Unfortunately you could get through all the episodes and the movie on a single flight to LA. Then you will be left wanting more.

Anna80

Member since 09 Mar 2015

Total posts 15

Downton Abbey is great for indulgent binging on a long flight! I adore UK shows and also suggest you try these ones.
  • Broadchurch, very long and some bits you can skip through but excellent and gripping right to the end.
  • A Very British Coup, from the 1980s, set in a post-Thatcher England where a left-wing Labor party is elected but 'the establishment' treats this as a mere aberration and works to undermine them.
  • A Very English Scandal, recent mini-series with Hugh Grant, based on real-life story.
  • The Crown, if you haven't already seen this, it's fantastic!
  • Unforgotten, a BBC 'cold case' crime series, also keeps you guessing.

David

Member since 24 Oct 2010

Total posts 1,021

Without being too picky, Serenity was the movie. Firefly the TV show ;)
Fantastic show and recommend it to anyone who enjoys Scifi. Unfortunately you could get through all the episodes and the movie on a single flight to LA. Then you will be left wanting more.

You're quite right, my comment edited to reflect this - I always get those two titles confused! But you'd only get through the series and movie if you didn't sleep on that flight, and I have actually become more mindful of my inflight binge-viewing for that very reason. If one isn't careful and disciplined it's all too easy to get caught up in "just one more episode" mode and suddenly realise you've left yourself too little time to sleep!

sgb

Emirates Airlines - Skywards

Member since 30 Nov 2015

Total posts 419

So many choices, it will of course depend on your personal taste in shows. Without knowing that I'll put forward some of my faves.


Downton Abbey: this was recommended by friends, sat with me for a while until I decided one day to watch the first ep and bang, I was hooked! Don't be put off by descriptions of 'period Brit soap/drama' although yeah, that's 100%accurate! Great characters, acting, story-telling, music, this has the lot.


Sports Night: if you like Aaron Sorkin (best known of course for The West Wing) you'll love Sports Night. Only two seasons, I think 23 x 30mins – snappy dialog, wonderfully-drawn characters, Sorkin's evolution of the 'dramatic comedy' (or is that 'comedic drama'?) format. Every ep can easily be rewatched to take it all it because there's so much in there. You don't need to like sports to love this show. If you're already a huge TWW fan you will see many TWW actors appearing here, Sorkin did first series before West Wing and second series concurrently! Also a lot of similar and sometimes identical dialogue, plot lines and even episode titles, so TWW fans can find that Sports Night can actually grate on them because you can get 'over' those Sorkin tics. But it's still the best show which nobody watched! (Trivia: this was my very first binge-viewing experience on a trip to San Francisco maybe 15 years ago).


Borgen: while we're talking Sorkin and thus The West Wing, Borgen is a Danish political drama series. Became very popular as part of the western 'discovery' of Scandi-drama. First series is best, second quite decent too.


Travelers: very interesting Canadian sci-fi series, set in modern times and strongly character-based, no ray-guns etc, sci-fi is just the premise to enable the story-telling.


Firefly: so yeah, I do like a bit of smart sic-fi! A single series by Joss Whedon, a sci-fi/western mashup. Again, smart writing and characterisation, the characters really grow on you.

Last edited by David at Nov 09, 2018, 02.59 PM.

I was also hooked from the very first episode of Downton Abbey, have seen the series a few times now on the ground and in the air, and without fail I always chuckle when the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) early on in the series is worried about something called 'electricity' being installed in the mansion, she's concerned about the 'vapors' it creates, the concerned look on her face is just priceless....

Anna80

Member since 09 Mar 2015

Total posts 15

A few more British shows to try!
  • Sherlock of course
  • Bodyguard, just shown recently and got rave views and highest ever ratings for a finale
  • The Fall, a curious crime show set in Dublin with Gillian Anderson as a visiting London detective!

David Robertson

Member since 13 Sep 2016

Total posts 12

I think everyone here is listing all of my favourite TV shows! I will make one suggestion, watch one episode of a show at home before you download the rest and take them on the flight. Sometimes a show sounds great and everybody raves about it but for whatever reason it simply doesn't do it for you, and you don't want to discover that at the start of a 14 hour flight and have nothing else to watch!

MRYJDrake

Air New Zealand - Airpoints

Member since 31 Oct 2016

Total posts 206

So many choices, it will of course depend on your personal taste in shows. Without knowing that I'll put forward some of my faves.


Downton Abbey: this was recommended by friends, sat with me for a while until I decided one day to watch the first ep and bang, I was hooked! Don't be put off by descriptions of 'period Brit soap/drama' although yeah, that's 100%accurate! Great characters, acting, story-telling, music, this has the lot.


Sports Night: if you like Aaron Sorkin (best known of course for The West Wing) you'll love Sports Night. Only two seasons, I think 23 x 30mins – snappy dialog, wonderfully-drawn characters, Sorkin's evolution of the 'dramatic comedy' (or is that 'comedic drama'?) format. Every ep can easily be rewatched to take it all it because there's so much in there. You don't need to like sports to love this show. If you're already a huge TWW fan you will see many TWW actors appearing here, Sorkin did first series before West Wing and second series concurrently! Also a lot of similar and sometimes identical dialogue, plot lines and even episode titles, so TWW fans can find that Sports Night can actually grate on them because you can get 'over' those Sorkin tics. But it's still the best show which nobody watched! (Trivia: this was my very first binge-viewing experience on a trip to San Francisco maybe 15 years ago).


Borgen: while we're talking Sorkin and thus The West Wing, Borgen is a Danish political drama series. Became very popular as part of the western 'discovery' of Scandi-drama. First series is best, second quite decent too.


Travelers: very interesting Canadian sci-fi series, set in modern times and strongly character-based, no ray-guns etc, sci-fi is just the premise to enable the story-telling.


Firefly: so yeah, I do like a bit of smart sic-fi! A single series by Joss Whedon, a sci-fi/western mashup. Again, smart writing and characterisation, the characters really grow on you.

Last edited by David at Nov 09, 2018, 02.59 PM.

On the Sorkin note I'm a big fan of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Lps988

Member since 20 Jan 2017

Total posts 33

I really enjoy any sort of Washington based TV series like Madam Secretary or House of Cards.


Also really love Suits

Its not really a TV series as such but I enjoy a good binge watching of anything Anthony Bourdain, especially worth downloading a few episodes of the place you're travellin too to get a good understanding of its culture and maybe some hidden gems to eat.

Hi Guest, join in the discussion on TV shows to 'binge view' during flights

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