What’s on the Tube? Locals Weigh In On Binge Watching Favorites
After going full-bore all summer, few things sound nicer to Outer Bankers than settling into our sofas to enjoy some off-season relaxation. Sure, we love having the beach (mostly) to ourselves on a sunny, crisp day. And the cool weather and lighter crowds makes it a wonderful time of year to visit the beautiful parks and attractions we never have the time to see during the busy months.
But when it’s one of those bone-chilling drizzly days with the northeast wind slapping at your windows, it’s the perfect chance to reward ourselves for all our hard work by catching up with all the latest shows we’ve missed during the year. Or maybe we just need to veg out for a few hours – or days – on old favorites such as Friends or re-watch all of the Harry Potter movies. Guilt-free binge-watching, whether through streaming, DVDs, or – yes it’s still possible – with old VHS tapes is surely one of the delights of the quiet months for us Outer Bankers.
Here’s a sampling of what some locals look forward to watching on a cold, nasty Outer Banks day.
Lee Nettles, Outer Banks Visitors Bureau Executive Director
“Hey, it’s predictable, but you can’t beat Game of Thrones for new-show binge. Rain day, snow day, whatever. And House of Cards kind of invented the concept, so they’d have to be on the list, too.” As for old shows? “Well, I’m proud to see my kids getting into Seinfeld. We must have done something right as parents.” But Nettles says his real weakness “goes back - way, way back - Star Trek. It debuted on September 8, 1966, just three days after I ‘debuted’ (was born). The original show only lasted three seasons, but it foretold the future…flip phones, video conferencing, automatic sliding doors. I’m waiting for somebody to figure out the teleporting thing and solve summer traffic. Binge long and prosper!”
“Narcos is the name of the show. It’s on Netflix – the third season just came out. It’s just interesting. It keeps you on your toes.” Thompson also came up with a couple of choices from the past. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is like 8 to 10 years old. (It premiered on FX in 2005 and is still running.) It’s always hilarious. If I had to pick an old, old one it’d be Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Will Smith stars in it. (It aired on NBC from 1990-1996.) It’s funny as hell and relatable.”
Taylor Thompson, Kitty Hawk
Kermit Skinner, Manteo Town Manager
“The old show would be Seinfeld. (It ran on NBC from 1989-1998.) I would stream it on Netflix. It just never gets old. It’s so multi-layered and no matter how many times I’ve seen an episode, I always find something to laugh about. For a new show, I’d say Veep. (It premiered on HBO in 2012.) It reminds me of what I do for a living. I really like Julia Louis-Dreyfus. To me, the show smacks of the absurdity and the reality of (the job) at the same time.”
“On a cold winter day, I generally watch a lot of rom-com movies like The Walk of Shame (starring Elizabeth Banks and James Marsden), The Ugly Truth (starring Gerald Butler and Katherine Heigl), Love Actually (starring Hugh Grant and many others), and About Time (starring Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams.)” As far as a TV series, Wyant says, “I guess the closest thing to an old show is Supernatural (a fantasy horror broadcast at different times by The CW and The WB channel). It started in 2005 and it’s still going. It’s got fighting angels and demons and different supernatural monsters. It’s funny. There’s a lot of humor in it.” As for newer fare, Wyant says she has enjoyed “bits” of Outlander, a Starz series that is in its third season. “But I haven’t been able to keep up.” Wyant, at the time of her interview, was also set to start watching the second season of Stranger Things, a Netflix series with a retro sci-fi twist starring Winona Ryder that debuted Oct. 27.
Vivian Wyant, Duck
Bill Swithers, Manteo
“I still watch the original old Star Trek. I stream them through Direct TV.” But Swithers admits he also has included a couple of newer shows to binge on during the winter down time: Rogue One, as well as The Force Awakens, the two latest Star Wars movies. Still, they’ve been added to rotation of the older Star Wars flicks. “There’s almost always some kind of Star Wars on the Direct TV channels,” he says. “When they re-did the effects on them and re-released them, that’s when I watched the series. Other than Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, those are the only series I make an effort to watch.”
“I really like Empire. It’s come on the last few years on Starz. I enjoy the drama, the fun, the excitement – everything about it.” As for the old, she says, “Anything Stephen King. I really liked It (King’s horror movie released this summer.) But I still remember the old version.” (It was also a TV mini-series in 1990.) Norman says she loves King “anywhere – all of his books – anything. He’s just my favorite. I like all of his movies.”
Stella Norman, Manteo
Felipe Cantera, Nags Head
“I don’t really watch DVDs or stream shows. When I watch TV, I just watch sports. Sometimes, I like to watch The Discovery Channel. I just switch through about 10 channels because I’ve got a dish. Or I’ll watch the news – mostly Telemundo, Univision.” Cantera saves his off-season binge-watching for sports – practically all of them. “I watch football, soccer, basketball, baseball, football. For football, I like the Carolina Panthers; for baseball the Red Sox; and for basketball the Golden State Warriors.” But soccer is at the top of the list. His favorite? “All the Mexican teams.”
“My kids (ages 4 and 6) are currently binging on Puss ‘n’ Boots. We do watch Andy Griffith for our family night TV show. My husband and I still laugh. (The kids) think Otis is funny and they think moonshine is bad.” The family also enjoys watching Man with a Plan, a CBS series launched in 2016 starring Matt LeBlanc and Liza Snyder. “It’s a family sit-com,” Brodie says. “It’s about a family with kids. It was a funny show.” But when the kids are in bed, Brodie’s current favorite to binge watch on Netflix is the CBS criminal investigative action-drama NCIS that premiered in 2003 and is still going strong.
Lori Brodie, Manteo
Jane Fiedler, Southern Shores
Jane Fiedler’s top choice for old favorites to binge watch is The Office. “It’s great comedic relief,” Jane says. “I like Jim the best because of all of his antics and pranks he plays.” As far as newer ones, her go-tos include Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy. “Those were just fantastic, but as far as current one, I am a big fan of Walking Dead. I’d be really good through an apocalypse.”
Author: Catherine Kozak
Catherine Kozak has worked as a writer and reporter on the Outer Banks since 1995. She lives in Nags Head and enjoys running in the woods with her dog, Rosie.
