The holidays, as happy as they may be in general, are often the worst days for TV addicts like myself. Outside of parades, senseless sporting events, and films themed around the occasion, there is little interest to watch.
Luckily, one of my favorite cable channels is airing a marathon of one of the old classics from my childhood. For twenty-four hours I could watch Rod Serling episode after episode Twilight Zoneincluding Burgess Meredith in “World Enough And Time” and Billy’s Mummy in “It’s A Good Life.”
Other stations sometimes show ongoing episodes of a particular series, giving credence to the term marathon television. However, the literal running event, which usually consists of at least several miles, is rarely used in the plots of television shows.
Here are six of the sitcoms that have featured marathon-centric episodes, most of which involve a regular character taking on the task of running the big distance.
the desk
Regional office manager Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell) of the Dundee-Mifflin Paper Company signs his eccentric employees to the Scranton, Pennsylvania marathon, each ending up with unique experiences as the race progresses.
King of Queens
In the episode “Big Dougie”, Doug (played by Kevin James) volunteers for Big Brother and tries to impress his sheltered child, even to the point of running a 10K marathon.
how i met your mother
Ted (played by Josh Radnor) remembers the time he trained for the New York City Marathon, a memory that also includes a variety of side stories.
Seinfeld
While the main characters don’t actually run the marathon, Jerry (played by Jerry Seinfeld) and Elaine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) compete to see which option is best to deliver the all-important wake-up call to a best friend to win.
league
Andre (played by Paul Scheer) and Pete (played by Mark Duplass) train for a race in the episode titled “The Marathon” in this FX sitcom.
Modern Family
In a show called “Run For Your Wife”, Phil (played by Ty Burrel) challenges Claire (played by Julie Bowen) to compete with him in a marathon, believing they need a hobby to cope with their recent empty nest. Claire allows him to win, but while Phil is celebrating, his daughter Haley is hit by Driver Ed’s car.
