Guide to watching long-ass shows on NetFlix?

OK, so with the recent arrival of the Star Trek series on netflix, I've come to a delimma. I want to watch TNG, but there's no way in hell I'm trudging through 170+ eps at 45 minutes a piece, I just don't have the time. I've looked up some lists of "greatest eps ever" but most of those seem to be episodes concluding story/character arcs, and don't seem like something I just want to hop in to.

So this morning I was thinking about DragonBall Kai (yeah, yeah animu sux) which basically took the almost 300 episode DragonBall Z and cut it in half by removing all the filler bullshit. I don't expect anyone to be editing together eps of Star Trek or anything, but is there any sort of guide out there that goes through the seasons and tells me which extraneous "monster of the week" type episodes or ones that just plain suck that I can skip? I just want the stuff that carries along the plot and maybe the best of the "monster of the week" stuff. Cutting it in half would be ideal, but I probably wouldn't even make it through that many tbh.

I have a friend who has been sort of helping me through The X-Files, and it's helped tremendously, but he's not always around and I don't have any friends that familiar with Trek.

Guides like this would also be awesome for other geek shows that went 5+ seasons with 20+ 45 minute eps per season. Basically an "annotated" guide.

Anyway, any help would be awesome.

Side note: This is why the reboot of Dr Who is fucking awesome. Even with the specials, it's only about a dozen eps per season, so I'll actually catch up some time this year.

You got me all excited. TOS: CHeck, TNG: Check, DS9: Check...Getting excited.


The Animated Series!?...Negative. Bum Bum BUM BUMMMMMMMMM. Wah wahhhhh.

Chapel wrote: DS9: Check

I'm pretty sure I heard they won't have DS9 until the fall. They do have Enterprise, for the three people out there that give a shit.

ufe wrote:
I'm pretty sure I heard they won't have DS9 until the fall. They do have Enterprise, for the three people out there that give a shit.

I meant to say voyager. DS9 would have been more exciting though. But the animated series are ones I haven't seen a over 20 years. THAT would be the one that if they streamed would be really cool.

Tons, and I mean tons, of TNG episodes are horrifyingly bad IMHO. I can't even watch 1st and 2nd season episodes. But then the good ones, where they go the right writer... I dunno. I would just go with the greatest hits lists you've seen. You probably wouldn't be missing anything but some shitty episodes.

Gary Sax wrote: Tons, and I mean tons, of TNG episodes are horrifyingly bad IMHO. I can't even watch 1st and 2nd season episodes. But then the good ones, where they go the right writer... I dunno. I would just go with the greatest hits lists you've seen. You probably wouldn't be missing anything but some shitty episodes.

I'll probably end up doing just that. It's just that I'm really digging what my friend is doing with X-Files. By watching the episodes in order, it's nice to see sub-plots/characters like Cancer Man develop over the course of the show, but it's also nice when he's like "these next two episodes aren't that great, skip 'em." Thanks buddy, you just saved me 90 minutes of my life.

Before the announcement of TNG on Instant Watch, I started from season 1 on DVD and couldn't get through it. When it got on Instant Watch, I started in season 3, and that's been a lot better so far. As I understand it kept a much better clip from that point on.

It's not like it's Lost or something like that. It's not serialized at all. You can jump around all you like, really. Greatest hits lists would probably be useful.

TNG is nothing like X-files in terms of arc---there is a bit of one in the later seasons but it's not very strong. DS9 on the other hand, has a very strong arc starting in season, say, 5, that's worth watching once you ditch all the terrible Ferengi episodes and whatnot.

TNG keeps a nice clip going from season three through five. Season 6 starts to drift somewhat and season 7 is just bad. By that time, they had the format down cold and were just pushing buttons (problem established by first commercial break, twist by the second, impending resolution by the third, denouement.) It also reached that point that all long-standing series' tend toward, in which the show is more about the characters rather than the plot. "All My Children in Space" would not have been an inaccurate subtitle. Some good memories, but I had mentally tuned out by the end. DS9 never really caught me. I heard it was far more exciting in the later seasons, but I had dropped it before then.

Though I liked it at the time, I think watching all 7 seasons of TNG when it broadcast, left me pretty much tuned out for most of the follow-ups: DS9 & Voyager.

There seemed to be a relative glut of solid SF tv at the time they came out. Of course by the time Enterprise wandered through, there seemed to be less to pick through, so that one I actually sat through. 8\ *It's been a long time* *BOOT-TO-THE-HEAD!*

Sounds like a solid opportunity to give the other shows a fresh shot. Esp if they can hold my 8yo's attention long enough to do some good and steer him out of the Disney-ghetto.

Actually, the item I'd like to see again would be Babylon 5. I don't think that's been in syndication in quite awhile.

Jackwraith wrote: TNG keeps a nice clip going from season three through five. Season 6 starts to drift somewhat and season 7 is just bad.

Awesome, so watch 3-5 and check the greatest eps lists to see if they mention anything from 1-2 or 6-7. Close enough to cutting that bitch in half, thanks.

I'll probably be back to ask about more geek shows at some point. I know I can't be the only one having the following conversation with myself every time I look at netflix:

"Awesome, they have X on here! I always meant to catch more of that."
"Sweet monkey balls, they made 12 seasons of this?!!"
"Fuck it, back to noncommittal favorites like Twilight Zone."

ufe wrote: "Awesome, they have X on here! I always meant to catch more of that."
"Sweet monkey balls, they made 12 seasons of this?!!"
"Fuck it, back to noncommittal favorites like Twilight Zone."

You are not. I don't watch first run TV, and the series I catch later are 2 seasons or less. Robin of Sherwood, Rome, etc. There is no story or idea that requires more than 2 seasons (heck, even 1) to get across.

Last first run series I followed was DS9 until Worf joined the cast.

Babylon 5 is very disappointing for all the nerd hype it gets. I have literally never seen worse bit part/guest star acting than in Babylon 5. I actually turned certain episodes off at times just based on the acting. The main actors are meh to pretty good, but the rest of the characters are mind bogglingly bad.

I can watch long shows, I just prefer them to be more serialized. For instance, the girlfriend and I are about 50 of 95 episodes into Three Kingdoms, but it's one long, continuous story that I knew had an ending from the beginning (and we started it last year, so we're not exactly hauling ass, just barely keeping up with fansubs). But when the vast majority of episodes are "problem arises, problem solved, return to status quo" with just bits of an ongoing plot sprinkled throughout the season, I'm going to get bored fast and only be able to watch one or two episodes at a time. Meaning I'd never come anywhere close to watching all 170+ episodes of TNG.

Then again, I probably like anthology series the best since you can literally pick up at any point, see a cool story, and be done with it.

I rewatched B5 about a year ago, cutting the non arc episodes. It doesn't hold up well. Some truly cringe worthy dialogue. The plot arc started off interesting, but suffered somewhat when Stracynski had to wrap up the show a year earlier than planned on short notice. Then, the fifth season was greenlighted afterwards, so it feels somewhat tacked on.

It it still worth watching, but has lost some luster.

Agree with others than TNG can be watched in any order and just for maybe select eps.

DS9 is still excellent. I disagree with some who say it was only good in the latter seasons. There are some story arc and characters, like Louise Fletchers Kai Winn, who appear much earlier. Hers and Garak and some of the best recurring characters out there.