Couch Potato-ing Fourth of July: Flintstones, Monk, Army Wives

Fourth of July program offerings are meager but the determined couch potato can still happily veg out.  Cable channels are hosting a variety of marathons.  Here’s a list of ten and there’s something for everyone to watch.  (Remember those big bowls of Chex party mix?  Mom’s recipe can be found here. )

The really big news: Cartoon Network’s 24-hour commercial-free sister channel, Boomerang, airs for the first time every episode of television’s first prime time animated series - The Flintstones.  It’s DVR-bait!  For three and a half days, 166 episodes will run without commercial interruption and in order.  The list includes the original pilot entitled The Flagstones.  The marathon kicks off at 6a. (ET) tomorrow (Wednesday) and culminates on Saturday, July 7 at 5p.

The series initiated the sitcom tradition of showcasing celebrity guest stars.  The Flintstones hosted celebrities such as Tony Curtis (“Return of Stoney Curtis”), Ann Margaret (“Ann Margrock Presents”) and Rock Hudson (“The Rock Quarry Story”).   In an early cross-promotion effort, then TV super-stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York (Samantha and Darren Stevens) of Bewitched jumped back to the Stone-age in “Samantha.”  Songwriting great Hoagy Carmichael appeared in another episode (“The Hit Song Writers”).

In addition, Boomerang VOD offers several all-time favorite episodes via the Flintstones Fourth of July tab in the VOD menu.

Season six of Monk launches Friday, July 13.  Tomorrow, building up to the premiere, USA Network airs 22 back-to-back episodes of this long-running audience favorite.

Sci Fi Channel hosts Twilight Zone classics.  The TZ marathon is happening now and continues through the holiday.

Project Runway rolls continuously on Bravo.

Catch up on Army Wives with Lifetime’s mini-thon of all five episodes to date, starting at 4p.

Fans of the cancelled NBC show, Surface, can stock up. Universal HD airs the series throughout the day, along with a smattering of Northern Exposure episodes.

It’s a big day, too, for Discovery’s Mythbusters.  Hosts Adam and Jamie sift fact and fiction thoughout the afternoon and evening.

Feast on science. Science Channel loops Beyond Invention, a series that tracks the cutting edge of inventions and phenomena - bionic predators,  flying cars, sea serpents and more.

And National Geographic Channel explores the paranormal on Is It Real.