Nerdy quarantine binge list

[Ackrin]

As of tomorrow at 5 p.m. my state is shut down until April 7th. I know I'm not the only one in this situation I figured we could compile a list of nerdy TV shows, movies, games, documentaries, or podcasts that will help the time fly by. By nerdy it could be sci-fi, history, science, or whatever.

[Braced4Impact]

X-Files. Stargate SG-1/Atlantis. Star Trek: Next Generation, (especially) DS9, and Voyager. On YouTube check out Yale Courses online, you can watch entire semesters of interesting topics. Same with Harvard.

[limplegs]

+1 for X-Files. If you want some more modern binge worthy sci fi I highly recommend The Expanse, all 4 seasons are on Amazon Prime.

[newjess]

Ooo awesome idea! I love mind warpy stuff... time travel, tech, AI, genetic engineering, space travel, exploring different dimensions, etc. Though just to give a fair warning, I am big into the dystopian/ post-apocalyptic theme as well. Which may be a sensitive subject for some given all that's going on right now...

That being said, some of my favorite shows that are coming to mind now (I'm sure I'll think of more lol):

12 monkeys (the show)
Travelers
Handmaid's Tale
Black Mirror
Orphan Black
Mr. Robot
The OA
Firefly
Stranger Things

I tried The Expanse but couldn't get into it the first time.. Im going to give it another shot. Also loved the first season of Westworld but had a hard time getting into the 2nd season. Planning to give that another try too

[limplegs]

Mar 21, 2020 11:12:31 GMT -5 newjess said:

I tried The Expanse but couldn't get into it the first time.. Im going to give it another shot. Also loved the first season of Westworld but had a hard time getting into the 2nd season. Planning to give that another try too

The Expanse maybe starts a bit slow and feels kinda low budget at first, but it gets better and better each season. Honestly I think it's one of the best sci fi shows around at the moment.

I liked the second season of Westworld better.

*MILD SPOILERS AHEAD*

I'm way more interested in feudal Japan than cowboys and Indians. I actually found myself getting annoyed when they kept cutting back to the western park.

[Dr. BiPAP Sachin]

Being sequestered in my room, occasionally when I take a break from the last minute editing of my thesis, I watch the show Hunters (with Al Pacino) on Prime Video. Tonight, I plan to watch Spenser Confidential (with Mark Wahlberg) on Netflix. To be honest, Hunters probably fits the nerdy category.

[newjess]

Thanks limplegs, that's really good to know! I can admittedly be a little hasty if a show doesn't "grab" me within the first episode or two. But there's been many times I've revisited said shows and they became favorites after giving them another chance

I think with Westworld, I was just too removed from the story by the time season 2 came out. I'll probably rewatch season 1 and/or read a detailed synopsis to get back into the story line before revisiting season 2

[zacc]

Here's some YouTube video series that I find easily bingeable. Adam Savage's One day Builds, anything from videogamedunkey, This Exists' Channel if you haven't seen any of his videos, there's also Game Maker's Toolkit if you really want to delve deep into video games, aaaaaaaaand there's also Knobs if you want to chill out to some ambient vibes. There’s more but I think that's a good start for now.

[devogirl]

Podcasts! Being stuck in a small apartment with two little kids I can't just watch TV whenever I want. But I listen to podcasts all the time, while I clean, do dishes, etc. I find the combination of listening to a podcast while playing online solitaire very calming. Here are my favorites at the moment:

Tumanbay, a BBC audio drama based on the Mameluk Empire in Cairo in the 1500s. It's so good! There is a subplot about the Black Death, which makes it feel oddly relevant.

Fake Heiress, another BBC production, a documentary with some re-enactment about Anna Delvey, the con artist who swindled elite New Yorkers in the arts scene.

Gay Future, a hilarious satire about a future society in which everyone is forced to be gay

14 Days with Felicity, satire of the Felicity Huffman college admissions scandal, by the same people who made Gay Future

Wooden Overcoats, a British sitcom in the tradition of Fawlty Towers about competing funeral homes in a small village

Mission to Zyxx, improv comedy science fiction, mostly a send-up of Star Wars and Hollywood

Bubble, another comedy sci fi satire

Dark Ages, fantasy satire meets workplace comedy, about the people running a museum of magical relics

Victoriocity, a steampunk adventure/detective story with some comedy

The Dead Authors Podcast, improv comedy with Paul F Tompkins, where he interviews a comedian pretending to be a famous author

Judge John Hodgman, settling minor disputes in a court of fake internet justice

And the most nerdy of all: I, Podius, John Hodgman and Eliot Kalan do a recap of the 1976 BBC TV adaptation of I,Claudius. Probably not for everyone but if like me you watched the show it's really fun.

[Deleted]

Took me a while to find all the English titles, but now I have a small selection of my favourite science fiction and end-times movies for you:

Planet of the Apes(1968)
Beneath The Planet of the Apes(1970)
Escape From The Planet of the Apes(1971)
Conquest of The Planet of the Apes(1972)
Battle For The Planet of the Apes(1973)

Escape From New York(1981)
Escape from L.A(1996)
Waterworld(1995)
The Ice Pirates(1984)
The Running Man(1987)
Total Recall(1990)
Alien Nation(1988)
The Black Hole(1978)
Logan's Run(1976)
Enemy Mine(1985)
Tron(1982)
Barbarella(1968)
L'umanoide aka The Humanoid(1979)
Stargate(1994)
Starcrash(1978)

It's definitely nerdy and partly also very trashy, but absolutely entertaining.

I hope you enjoy browsing and watching!

[bangbang]

Mar 21, 2020 11:12:31 GMT -5 newjess said:

I tried The Expanse but couldn't get into it the first time.. Im going to give it another shot. 

The Expanse requires active watching like actually paying attention to what's going on .. it took me many tries to get going too but if you make it past a couple episodes it should be be binge-worthy. 

[devogirl]

The Expanse is great but yes, it does take a few episodes to get clear on what's happening. Things are not spelled out as clearly as on network tv. Also because it's based on a series of novels, there is a lot of background detail. It helped a lot when I watched to have my husband who read the books explaining things.

Also another vote for Barbarella, one of my favorite movies. And there are a few super devvy scenes with a blind angel.

[myrrh]

My brother and I have watched The Expanse all the way through several times, and it usually takes me a couple tries to follow what's happening. They move really really fast, and yes, it is very active watching. It's some of my favorite TV out there. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a high quality, rootin' tootin' space opera with excellent world building.

[myrrh]

Omg @baresqueezelover83 Waterworld! That one got a bad rap, but I love it! Enemy Mine, Alien Nation, Stargate?? I love your list.

My favorite fun scifi is The Fifth Element. You could put that movie on mute, and I could fill in every word. It's bad.

And then of course, my darling Farscape. You guys are probably tired of me talking about one... I've recently embarked upon Star Trek: DS9, which I've never watched all the way through. Sisko is such a good captain, and I'm sort of in love with Garak.

Recently I got a hankering to revisit the Battlestar Galactica remake, but I'm almost afraid to. Does it hold up?

[dolly]

Mar 29, 2020 1:18:39 GMT -5 myrrh said:

Recently I got a hankering to revisit the Battlestar Galactica remake, but I'm almost afraid to. Does it hold up?

The 2004 series?

If so, absolutely! One of my favourites.