The Big Picture

Collider’s Steve Weintraub asked our guests which TV show they’d pick if they could only watch one for the rest of their lives.
Stars like Nicolas Cage, Daisy Ridley, and Rachel Zegler share their number one top picks.
From
The Sopranos
and
Twin Peaks
to
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
and
Sex and the City
, did your favorite make the list?

Ever wonder what film and TV stars watch in their downtime? At the end of the day, after a long shoot, what is Arcadian’s Nicolas Cage tuning into to relax? Is That 70s Show’s Wilmer Valderrama watching his show’s Netflix spin-off, That 90’s Show? At SXSW 2024, in addition to getting some exciting scoops and digging into behind-the-scenes of up-and-coming features this year, Collider’s Steve Weintraub asked each guest the same question: If you could only watch one TV show for the rest of your life, what TV show would it be and why?

It’s no secret the frontier of television is changing. We’ve gone from black and white to color, analog to digital, and most recently streamers like Netflix, Max, and Hulu have swept in with their own original series, as well as providing a platform for classics. With so many options at the press of a button, it can be mind-boggling to find something new to jump into. How many times have you sat down to eat and let your food get cold while browsing?

Collider set up shop to talk with the artists behind some exciting films and TV shows like showrunner Michelle Paradise and executive producer Alex Kurtzman for Star Trek: Discovery, 3 Body Problem stars Benedict Wong and Rosalind Chao, and the cast of Kyle Mooney’s first feature film, Y2K, including Rachel Zegler. When we asked our “supercut” question we got answers ranging from series that hail from the 1950s to the ‘90s to some that are still ongoing, and all of them have had an impact on television viewing over the years.

There were a handful of shows that got more than one vote, like David Chase’s The Sopranos and, naturally, The Simpsons, which could keep you occupied for decades. For some, the question was a thinker — the rest of your life is a long time, after all — but for others the answer was a no-brainer. In Cage’s case, he seemed like he’d been preparing for this his whole life:

“Rod Sterling,
The Twilight Zone
. Great actors, great story structure, and I just love the way Rod Sterling opens every segment with that wonderful voice and stiff upper lip and a cigarette. He’s just the coolest guy ever on television.”

We got a lot of well-loved, iconic TV shows like The Office and Friends for their replay value and laughs, but we also got a few unexpected recommendations. For example, YouTube star and co-host of the Daddies and Dungeons podcast, Freddie Wong, had some passionate words to say about Masaaki Yuasa’s (Adventure Time) animated series, Ping Pong the Animation, vehemently suggesting:

“The single greatest sports anything ever made. Fuck your other movies, fuck Western movies! Masaaki Yuasa’s Ping Pong the Animation, I’ll watch until the day I die. I watch Episode 8 and I cry alone in my room. It’s the greatest sports anything! Anything! Watch it!”

Yes, we got trailblazers like Twin Peaks, and yes we got kickass mentions like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but we also got those guilty pleasure picks. Kirby heard “for the rest of your life,” and chose to be happy. She opted for a lighter binge, or rather a couple, stating, “It’s gonna be Sex and the City. It’s so easy, so watchable. I love the clothes, I love the way it looks. I know it should be something way deeper, but it’s that.” The Sandman star went on to admit, “All of them… Even the new ones,” referring to the less well-received revival series, And Just Like That… on Max.

No matter your genre preference, there’s no doubt there’s something here for you. Seen them all? (We doubt it!) Every one is worth a rewatch, and a few of these stars have seen their pick up to 10 times. Did your favorite make the cut? Check out the full video above for recs from Paul Reiser, Daisy Ridley, John Leguizamo, Mason Gooding, Liam Cunningham, Barbie Ferreira, French Stewart, D’Arcy Carden, and many more.

If you’re looking for a good movie to watch, check out Perri Nemiroff’s supercut below for 24 must-see movies from the actors and filmmakers at SXSW 2024.