What to watch: The best Thanksgiving marathons
"Friends" cast members Matthew Perry, left, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston. Credit: Getty Images / NBC
Long before Netflix and Hulu entered our lives, regular old TV was the place to go if you wanted to binge-watch hours of your favorite shows — at least on long holiday weekends. And that tradition continues this Thanksgiving weekend as the cable channels oblige our desires to stare at a screen for hours on end by programming marathons of our favorite series, movies and more. Here's a selective guide:
THURSDAY
CLASSIC TV
"The Andy Griffith Show" (Sundance, 5:30 a.m.)
"Friends" (TBS, 1 p.m.)
"Law & Order" (Sundance, 3 p.m.)
MODERN TV
"Homeland" (Showtime2, 9 a.m.)
"The Great Christmas Light Fight" (AMC, 7 p.m.)
MOVIES
Hallmark Christmas movies (Hallmark Channel, 12:06 a.m.)
Lifetime Christmas movies (Lifetime, 8 a.m.)
"Harry Potter" movie marathon (USA, 9 a.m.)
REALITY
"Forensic Files" (HLN, 1 a.m.)
"Below Deck" ( Bravo, 11 a.m.)
FRIDAY
CLASSIC TV
"The Andy Griffith Show" (Sundance, 5 a.m.)
"M*A*S*H" (AMC, 5:30 a.m.)
"Friends" (TBS, 10 a.m.)
MODERN TV
"NCIS:Los Angeles" (ION, 11 a.m.)
"Last Man Standing" (CMT, 2 p.m.)
MOVIES
"Harry Potter" movie marathon (USA, 10:11 a.m.)
"Home Alone" and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (Freeform, 4 p.m.)
GAME SHOWS
"Family Feud" (GSN, 12 p.m.)
REALITY
"Shark Tank" (CNBC, 3 p.m.)
SATURDAY
CLASSIC TV
"Roseanne" (TV Land, 1 a.m.)
"The Office" (Comedy Central. 5 a.m.)
MODERN TV
"NCIS: New Orleans" (TNT, 4 a.m.)
MOVIES
"Twilight" movie marathon (E!, 8 a.m.)
"X-Men" movie marathon (FX, 10:30 a.m.)
Christmas movie marathon (AMC, 10:45 a.m.)
Lifetime Christmas movies (Lifetime, 11 a.m.)
"Final Destination" movie marathon (IFC, 3:45 p.m.)
"Santa Clause" franchise marathon (Freeform, 7:45 p.m.)
GAME SHOWS
"Family Feud" (GSN, 2:30 p.m.)
SUNDAY
CLASSIC TV
"Friends" (TBS, 6 a.m.)
"The Simpsons" (FXX ,12 p.m.)
MODERN TV
"SpongeBob SquarePants" (Nickelodeon, 12 p.m.)
"Law & Order: SVU" (USA, 12 p.m.)
"NCIS: New Orleans" ( Pop, 2 p.m.)
MOVIES
Hallmark Christmas movies (Hallmark, 12:06 a.m.)
"Death Race" movie marathon (IFC, 11:30 a.m.)
"John Wick" movie marathon (Paramount, 1:35 p.m.)
"Santa Clause" franchise marathon (Freeform, 2:45 p.m.)
Andy Edelstein, Newsday's entertainment editor, supervises coverage of TV, celebrities, movies and pop music. He has written three books on popular culture, including "The Brady Bunch Book."
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