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The Top Five TV Shows for Marathons Over Winter Break

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Chapel Hill chapter.

We’re still powering through the next few weeks of papers and exams, but winter break is just around the corner. Break is a great time to revamp your resume and catch up on work, but it’s also time to relax! And with three weeks off, there’s no better time to watch those TV seasons you’ve been meaning to catch up on.

Here’s our top list of shows that you might not have watched yet but definitely need to see.

Freaks and Geeks

Many critics and fans have called this Judd Apatow series the best television show of all time. Though it only ran for one season, the show launched the careers of a number of modern actors, including Seth Rogen, John Francis Daley, Jason Segel and even James Franco. Set in the ‘80s, the show will make you nostalgic for simpler times of high school drama. It’s available on Netflix instant, so there’s no excuse not to watch it.

Arrested Development

The Bluth family is one of the most-beloved sitcom ensemble casts ever, and it’s not difficult to see why. An all-star cast including Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Portia de Rossi and Michael Cera make the family’s everyday antics hilarious. The entire series, which includes three seasons, is currently on Netflix instant, and the fourth season will be released on Netflix in the spring. Use this break to catch up before the new episodes!

Party Down

Parks and Recreation’s Adam Scott stars as Henry Pollard, a cater waiter who returns to the business after an unsuccessful acting career. His costars in the catering business include comedy favorites like Jane Lynch, Lizzy Caplan and Megan Mullaly. Plus, Paul Rudd is an executive producer! The Starz sitcom only ran for two seasons and isn’t streaming on Hulu or Netflix, but you can find DVDs on Amazon for really low prices, and you can also digitally rent the episodes from iTunes or Amazon.

Community

We’re not sure what to expect from the NBC cult favorite next season now that creator Dan Harmon isn’t with the show, but we do know that the first three seasons are comedy gold. The Soup’s Joel McHale is perfectly cast as Jeff Winger, a disbarred lawyer who’s forced back to his undergraduate classes at a community college, where he forms a study group of unlikely friends. Each cast member brings a different flavor of comedy to the show, and you’ll be laughing out loud while simultaneously wondering if anyone actually acts that weird. It’s available on Hulu Plus.

Lost

This is a drama for the ages, and once you watch the first episode you will be hooked. The high-budget J.J. Abrams drama follows the journey of flight passengers who crash on a mysterious island and encounter some interesting forces along the way. You will be surprised by the ending and probably have a few questions, but Lost is a really well-executed show, and it also has an amazing soundtrack. All six seasons are available on Netflix instant.

Happy TV viewing, ladies! Just don’t start watching these until after exams are over.

Sources:

Freaks and Geeks cast (photo): http://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity-lifestyle/articles/favorite-on-screen-geeks#slide-2
Arrested Development cast (photo): http://geektyrant.com/news/2012/8/15/arrested-development-will-introduce-new-characters.html
Adam Scott as Henry Pollard in Party Down (photo): http://hellogiggles.com/why-we-needed-henry-pollard
Community cast (photo): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Community_characters
Lost cast (photo): http://www.vulture.com/2010/05/have_you_heard_lost_ends_on_su.html

Meghan is a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill studying classics and English. She has interned at Girls' Life and Parenting magazines and was a Collegiate Correspondent with USA TODAY in Spring 2012. Meghan loves all things entertainment related and plans to move to New York and work for a national magazine after graduating in May 2013.
Melissa Paniagua is a senior journalism major at The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, specializing in public relations. She is currently a fashion market intern at ELLE Magazine. On campus, Melissa acts as the Her Campus president as well as the vice president of the Carolina Association of Future Magazine Editors, UNC’s Ed2010 chapter. In the past, she has been an intern for Southern Weddings Magazine and a contributing writer for Her Campus. Melissa has an appreciation for all things innovative, artful and well designed and hopes to work in marketing for a women’s lifestyle magazine in the future!