Friday Fives: Five Shows I Love Watching on the Dreadmill!

I've been noticing a lot of blogs do Friday Fives...so I'm going to get in on that too!  My first Friday Five:  Five Shows I Love Watching on the Dreadmill!  This summer has been horrendous and a good tv show on in front of my treadmill can make a run feel so much easier.

1.  Parks and Recreation (On Netflix Instant Watch and Hulu)
The closed captioning on this screenshot I took totally says it all...

The theme song is so upbeat and super easy to run to.  If you've never heard it, here it is.



How can that song not put a pep in your step on a dreary day or in the middle of a run?  The show follows the daily life of people who work in a Parks and Rec department in Pawnee, Indiana.  It focuses mostly on Leslie Knope, a faithful (and occasionally clueless but means well) public servant.  It's very similar to the Office in that there are times where the characters talk to the camera in one on one interviews so you know a little bit of backstory or their motivation for something they did.  The first season is a little slow to start, but once the show gets to the second season it really finds its stride and is amazing.  (I totally miss this show.)

2.  My Little Pony:  Friendship is Magic (On Netflix Instant Watch)
Okay, I know I'll lose a few people here.  But hear me out!!!  If you're a child of the 80s you probably know about the original My Little Pony.  I've rewatched the original series, and the new version is a lot better and the creator also grew up with the series so you know she will keep it true to the heart of the original show.  (Occasionally there are episodes where old characters come back too!)  This latest version is in the middle of season 6, and is absolutely fantastic.



This iteration of the series (they're on the 4th version now) focuses on Twilight Sparkle and her friends Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie (also known as the Mane 6) and her faithful helper, Spike.  Every episode is essentially about learning how to be a good person and a great friend.  I realize that sounds really dorky, but give it a try.  The theme song is really catchy and every episode has at least one song that is also fun to run to.  (One of my favorites is from the Winter Wrap Up episode.)



3.  Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2 (On MTV.com and Hulu)
Okay so I cheated a little bit and lumped these two together.  It's totally a semi-guilty pleasure of mine.  Getting wrapped up in other people's drama makes a run go so much faster.  It's on pretty much year-round (they trade off with about a month or so break in between each series) so it makes it easier to get in the habit of going for a run and something to look forward to on my Tuesday treadmill runs.  Here's the trailer for the next season of Teen Mom OG which starts on August 22nd.

4.  Bravo Reality TV Shows (On BravoTV.com and Hulu)
Okay, cheating a little again but it's because there are so many Bravo reality shows that I enjoy to watch.  Real Housewives of the OC (it's the only show in the housewives franchise I watch), Flipping Out, Ladies of London and Top Chef just to name a few.

5.  Futurama (On Netflix Instant Watch)
I love this show.  It was created by Matt Groening (who's also responsible for The Simpsons, another favorite) and is based around pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, who was cryogenically frozen on December 31, 1999 and wakes up on December 31, 2999 moments before the year 3000.  Think of the series as the Simpsons with a sci-fi spin to it.  (They actually did a Futurama/Simpsons crossover episode.)



This show was technically cancelled twice.  It started in early 1999 and lasted for about 4 seasons and was revived in 2007 with a series of 4 direct-to-video movies.  They were so successful that after showing the show and movies in syndication, Comedy Central announced in 2009 that they had ordered a new season of 26 episodes to be made.  After its success, they ordered a final 26 episodes (season 7) and allowed for the series to have a proper finale.  This is one of the few series that has an ending that is absolutely perfect.  It's not insulting to the die-hard fans, still leaves it a little open ended and is so lovely that you feel satisfied where it leaves you.

What shows do you like to watch on the treadmill?  Are there any you recommend vertical viewing??