FYI, I have seen and really liked all past seasons of The Wire, Sopranos, Orange is the New Black, and Scandal, and we are savoring each episode of Game of Thrones and House of Cards.

Since you liked the Wire I'd be really surprised if you didn't end up liking Breaking Bad. Were the episodes you watched from the first season?

Have you watched Justified? I have enjoyed that.

I liked Justified most of the way through the first season, then got bored with it when it started feeling very predictable.

I LOVED The Wire and even own a copy of all the seasons now. Am I going to like Breaking Bad if I force myself to watch it? I dropped in now and then throughout its run and was always repelled by its lack of any moral standard whatever.

I dropped in now and then throughout its run and was always repelled by its lack of any moral standard whatever.

If you watch it in consecutive order from Episode 1, the morality becomes clear and understandable.

Have you seen the Blacklist at all? I'm enjoying it. It's bubblegum stuff compared to the Wire and Breaking Bad but James Spader is great in it.

We are totally binging on Veronica Mars. YMMV.

You don't mention Mad Men, so I assume you're not interested...?

What about Treme? It's slow, not much happens, plot-wise, but I very much enjoyed it.

How about Orphan Black?

Battlestar Galactica. Deadwood. Luther. John Adams. Doctor Who. Top of the Lake. The Fall. Bleak House.

Oh, and maybe give Justified another go. The first season's OK, but it gets great in season two, when it switches from a mostly bad-guy-of-the-week structure to a strictly serial format.

I have every episode of Danger Mouse on DVD. And I think every episode of Gargoyles is on youtube.

Rubicon is on Amazon Prime streaming. One season only, one of the best spy dramas ever made.

Oh yeah, I forgot about Rubicon. Very good. Too bad it didn't get a longer life.

Another one that was cut short is Terriers.

I loved Mad Men in Season One, gaspode. It was a perfect show for that season. I thought it jumped the shark right after that. (I realize this is truly a minority opinion.)

Many thanks, all. I haven't even heard of some of these. I will probably try Breaking Bad again, and this time give it into Season Two, and also go back to Justified to see how Season Two shakes out, but I am also going to remember the other suggestions here.

Danger Man (aka Secret Agent) - my favorite TV series ever. There are around three dozen episodes, it's remarkable. Patrick McGoohan is my God-King.

(the original) House of Cards / To Play the King - from 1990, Ian Richardson is stone cold F. U.

Father Ted - is fucking funny, it is.

The Trip - a short series but I loved it, worth seeing the TV show and not the film they made of it. Apparently a sequel is imminent.

Workaholics makes me laugh my ass off but that's only because my brother just sits me down to watch the really good ones.

Fawlty Towers

I will fall off my treadmill and die of laughter if I binge on Fawlty Towers! Let's stick with good drama series, for my safety.

Danger Man is good but a bit dated. If we're going into the past, check out the BBC (cancelled) series The Hour. And if you can deal with subtitles (or speak Danish) get Borgen & Forbrydelsen.

"but"?

Because!

You can say that because you're so young.

I tried Rubicon yesterday and got through the first two episodes. Of course I like the puzzle oriented, tweedy, everyone lies vibe, but I have to say that my overall impression is that it COULD be all the characters are really in an insane asylum. The preoccupation with crosswords and place names and numbers and chess and unexplained plots to assassinate the spies (not to mention the opening credits zeroing in on train schedules, etc.) reminds me of a lot of obsessions of the smart but mentally ill.

I'm glad you posted this thread, bearwife.

I binged on Doc Martin, but I think they're getting lazy & relying on the breakup/get back togetherness bullshit with Martin & Louisa. They're not developing a lot of the other interesting characters on the show (Peter, the kid who seems pretty smart; the nutjob neighbors who moved in nextdoor to Louisa; the cool music teacher at the school, e.g.).

Mrs chewie & I watched a few of the Leverage series & it seems semi promising.

Downton Abbey is utter brainless schlock.

Oh yeah, I quite enjoyed Parade's End, too.

If you like Scandal and Game of Thrones, Reign. First, abandon all thoughts of historical fact and then delight in unexpected insertion of historical fact. It's a costume drama that burns through plot so quickly, you have no time to question it or be bored. Plus, improbable costumes to go with improbable everything, and hair jewelry.

Similarly, The first season of American Horror Story is not good but relentlessly entertaining, but far more for a straight shotgun than daily portioning for the treadmill. Time to think about it may ruin the effect. I used the Wire for the treadmill, and the first hour of many movies and a rewatch of Angel. Rectify is laconic, beautiful and terrifyingly affecting if you let it be. Miss Fisher's mysteries is lightweight fun. I've been doing a survey of maybe a good 80% of tv, so I can pinpoint recommendations with a pretty fine point. Looking for 42 min to an hour of treadmill time? Different from 3 days bed bound to a month of late night company.

The Scarlet Pimpernel to The Hour to Dollhouse to Little House on the Prairie-- to burn through, with a minimum of rape and a range of fact/eye candy, I'd start with British imports: Call the Midwife, The Bletchley Circle, The Paradise, Mr. Selfridge, Last Tango in Halifax, Ripper Street-- if you are looking for something just distracting enough to keep you on a treadmill, that's different from needing to see the next one immediately. Either way, I think The Good Wife fits the bill here.

I have too much to say and already have said too much

Wonderfalls