Gallery: The Best Comfort-Food TV to Binge Watch Over Thanksgiving Weekend
01star trek thanksgiving
Thanksgiving may be the national holiday of stuffing yourself, but as you sit on the couch in a haze of tryptophan and pumpkin pie, you may want to consider binging on a different form of comfort food: streaming television. There's something deeply comforting about turning on a show you already know and love and letting hour after hour of its familiar glow wash over you. Yeah, you already know how the season finale turns out, but that's part of the pleasure; like a bedtime story you've heard over and over again, the joy is in the repetition. So sit back, relax, and check out the streaming TV smorgasbord of excellent and deeply pleasant shows we'll continually sip through a virtual straw this weekend. (Have suggestions of your own? Leave them in the comments.) *--LAURA HUDSON* *Star Trek* ----------- __Tastes like:__ mashed potatoes Walking into any semi-traditional Thanksgiving dinner, one can always be assured of at least two sure bets: one, that \[insert your own embarrassing family tradition involving binge-drinking here\], and two, that you’re going to eat the mashed potatoes. The fluffy, brilliant-white glob of pure fatty carbohydrates on your plate – much like *Star Trek*, whichever series you prefer – is a guaranteed crowd pleaser: it’s not central, like turkey, but it’s a reliable classic – unfettered, simple, innocent. It is what it is, and has nothing to hide. Plus, you’ve been eating it at Thanksgivings probably since before you could chew solid foods, and as the most obviously wonderful thing on your plate, it’s hard not to go for it immediately. There’s always way more *Trek* than you expected, so this binge-eating episode will have many, many sequels in the days to come. You dig right in, Trekkie – it’s tradition. If you didn’t hear by now, the curators at Netflix have done an exemplary job, and every series – *TOS*, *The Next Generation*, *Deep Space Nine*, *Voyager*, *Enterprise*, even the animated series from 1973 – is available there, as are *Nemesis,* *Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,* and *Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,* (not to mention a whopping six documentaries). The original 1979 *Star Trek: The Motion Picture* and the rest of the *TOS* movies are streaming on Amazon Instant Video. (Let’s call the movies – an extra-flavorful twist on the original – mashed sweet potatoes.) __Careful, though:__ Watch too much and you will have no appetite – or time – for anything else. *–DEVON MALONEY*
02Friday Night Lights
*Friday Night Lights* --------------------- __Tastes like:__ apple pie Some things just sound too good to be true. Apple Pie, for example, is something that has become so iconic as an idea -- the All-American dessert that conjures up nostalgia and patriotism with every bite -- that it's hard to imagine that it could live up to that billing until that first bite. Critically acclaimed and deeply beloved by fans, *Friday Night Lights* might seem too good to be true, but the truth is that it's just that good. Even if you don't know (or care) one iota about football, it's still utterly addictive and disarmingly humble. Best yet for the Thanksgiving binge viewer, it's a series that rewards viewers when watched in marathon sessions (Well, except for that second season). Better yet, it's about football -- kind of -- so that you can even feel like you're part of the family as they settle into hours of watching the big game. Everybody wins! Except Jason Street, of course. *–GRAEME MCMILLAN*
03west wing thanksgiving
*The West Wing* --------------- __Tastes like:__ stuffing Whenever my roommate hears the familiar drumbeat that precedes "previously, on *The West Wing*" emanating from my room, he always laughs. The joke, of course, is that I am pretty much in a constant state of watching *The West Wing*, a show I put on in the background the way some people turn on white noise. For a show about politics, *The West Wing* often feels remarkably like a family drama: Jed and Abbey as the dad and mom, the staffers as their kids, and Leo McGarry as the cranky uncle. There's a easy warmth and familiarity to their interactions -- particularly once the second season starts rolling -- that feels a bit like watching a home movie, thanks in large part to the intimacy and chemistry of its spectacular ensemble cast. It's also a deeply optimistic show, and a fantastic antidote to the cynicism and zero-sum ugliness of the real-life Beltway. (Think of it as the [Cute Emergency](https://twitter.com/CuteEmergency) of modern politics.) Of course, if you're a progressive-minded person who hasn't watched the show in a while, get ready to find a few unexpected crunchy bits in this otherwise deeply satisfying dish. You might notice, for example, and that Leo (and occasionally, Josh) are kind of [dismissive towards women](http://westwing.bewarne.com/sexism.html) at times, or that the post-9/11 discussion about Islam is a lot more tone-deaf than you remember. Much like your mom's trademark stuffing, it might not taste exactly the same as it did when you were younger, but it's not because the recipe changed -- it's because you did.*--LAURA HUDSON*
Devon Maloney; ARCHIVE ID: 5467720430 rock thanksgiving
*30 Rock* --------- __Tastes like:__ The nips you sneak from your flask of booze under the dinner table (aka booze). Like the "[shower scotch](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2011/05/30-rock-recap-the-new-normal.html)" that Jack Donaghy needs to start the day – and the subsequent ones he drinks while staring pensively out his office window – sometimes Thanksgiving requires a few hits of comedy to help you get through the awkward family dinner-table moments. *30 Rock* is perfect. Each episode stands entirely on its own so you can pretty much play Netflix Roulette (not a real thing) and any episode will offer a shot in the arm of humor. There's a little bit of Liz Lemon (creator Tina Fey) – self-deprecating, sarcastic, a bit hapless – in almost everyone and when she looks around at the bizarre antics of her writers and *TGS with Tracy Jordan* stars and wonders what in the hell they're doing, well, anyone looking around the Thanksgiving dinner table will understand. On the flipside, Lemon's also got a big heart, so when she goes about helping those poor souls every time Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) takes off for a strip club or Jenna (Jane Krakowski) gets a bad write-up in a tabloid, it'll be a nice reminder to go back into the kitchen and try to converse with your other-end-of-the-political-spectrum uncle. Pro tip: Serve this one up with "[night cheese](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxqycijBUn0)." *–ANGELA WATERCUTTER*
Leah05x-files thanksgiving
__*The X-Files*__ ----------------- __Tastes like:__ Brussels sprouts Brussels sprouts are either the best or the worst thing on the table -- crisp and gently caramelized; or a bitter, soggy mess. There is no middle ground. Such is *X-Files* whose nine seasons span the best and worst of television. For the good stuff -- roasted at the edges, tossed with smoked salt and olive oil--and a sumptuous but digestible serving size that'll easily last you from dinner to bedtime, I recommend marathoning the five episodes written (or, in the case of "Blood," plotted) by Darin Morgan: "Blood," "Humbug," "Clive Bruckman's Final Repose," "War of the Coprophages," and "Jose Chung's *From Outer Space*." Weird, silly, and occasionally profoundly poignant, occasionally veering into parody, they're the best of the best, and, for the most part, easily accessible to viewers unfamiliar with the series. Plus, chock full of vitamins. *-RACHEL EDIDIN*
06Doctor Who
*Doctor Who* ------------ __Tastes like:__ That casserole you can't stop eating until it's too late __Why It's So Comforting:__ Let's be honest -- there are some foods in the Thanksgiving spread that are delicious and life-affirming... as long as they're eaten in, shall we say, controlled amounts. You don't realize it at the time, of course; you finish one portion and it was so wonderful that you can't help yourself but have another, and then another, and so on, until eventually you feel bloated and angry at that dumb food for tasting so good in the first place. Binging on *Doctor Who* is like that. Individual episodes are great, and can feel addictive, but if you try to make it through any more than a season in too short a time, you'll quickly regret it. Each *Doctor Who* season goes too far, throwing everything -- including the cosmic equivalent of the kitchen sink -- in to try and blow fans' minds with the scale of its stories. Trying to make it through more than thirteen episodes at a time, and you'll end up emotionally exhausted, mentally fatigued and entirely uncaring about whatever end of the universe scenario is being described next time around. Pace yourselves. *–GRAEME MCMILLAN*
07justice league thanksgiving
__*Justice League* and *Justice League Unlimited*__ --------------------------------------------------- __Tastes like:__ sweet potato pie Sweet potato pie is the hidden gem of the holidays. Among pies, it tends to take a back seat to the traditional pumpkin; among sweet potato dishes, it's often eclipsed by the traditional sickly-sweet marshmallow-topped casserole. But once you actually cut a slice and sink your teeth in, you'll recognize it as one of the best plates on the table: sweet, spicy, and surprisingly substantial. While *Justice League* may not hold the iconic status of the Bruce Timm-designed *Batman* series it spun out of, it's still one of the best superhero cartoons ever made--and one of the most deftly written and accessible points of entry to the forbiddingly convoluted DC Universe. *Justice League* is smart, it's fun, and it's got a lot of heart. Even the most jaded comics veterans will be rooting for its characters by the end of the pilot. With 2 seasons of *Justice League* and another 3 of its continuation, *Justice League Unlimited* you can either marathon in order or assemble your own playlist of favorites--including a holiday special guaranteed to warm even Captain Cold's icy heart. *-RACHEL EDIDIN*
08arrested development thanksgiving
*Arrested Development* ---------------------- __Tastes like:__ turducken Oh, *Arrested Development*. You – the funniest, trickiest, most absurdly lovable show streaming online – are most certainly the turducken. Known for its deft, interwoven web of references, running jokes and catchphrases, *Arrested Development* is an extremely layered experience, and one that rewards both binge views and multiple views. Its outer rings, seasons 1-3, are delicious, while its inner fourth season is... still *pretty* okay. It’s all right, though, because you can stuff anything in this sucker, from incest jokes to homosexual double entendres. You’re a varied and questionably appropriate phenomenon, *Arrested Turduckelopment*, and that is okay. What’s important, is that Thanksgiving attendees pay close attention to the experience of consuming you so they can tell literally everyone they meet that they, too, have encountered this quirky dish, and consumed it without regrets. *–DEVON MALONEY*
09orange is the new black thanksgiving
*Orange Is the New Black* ------------------------- __Tastes like:__ late-night leftovers Chances are if you're an *Orange Is the New Black* fan, you've already stuffed yourself full of the series in one binge-watch. But – like that sandwich you make from left-over turkey and eat with re-warmed mashed potatoes – it's just as good (if not better) the second time around. For some Thanksgiving is a time for the families that raised them. For others (read: this author), it's a time for gathering with their self-selected families for a dinner with their fellow urban-dwelling orphans. For anyone looking to celebrate alternative family units, *Orange Is the New Black* is the perfect show. Seriously. Nothing will make you happier about the rag-tag group of friends you've assembled on Turkey Day than watching Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) join a rag-tag group of inmates in a women's prison in dancing along to "Milkshake" by Kelis during their own Thanksgiving – or, er, "F\*cksgiving." Netflix's original series is so rich with characters (Taystee forever!) it's easy to watch over and over and become obsessed with a new one each time – even Pennsatucky and her messed-up teeth. (Added bonus: Anything you're eating for your Thanksgiving meal is probably better than the food in the *Orange* cafeteria – no offense, Red.) *–ANGELA WATERCUTTER*
