I had never before attempted such an intense viewing marathon in my life.

Last week I finished the ninth and final DVD of “Rich Man, Poor Man.”

Each disc contains four episodes that run 45 minutes each.

Don’t worry.

I did the math for you.

That’s 27 hours I spent glued to the flat screen.

“Rich Man, Poor Man (Books I and II)” is about two brothers chasing the American dream and ending up at different places.

Peter Strauss (“The Jericho Mile,” “Nick of Time”) plays the older “rich man” opposite Nick Nolte’s “poor man.”

The sequel continues sans Nolte but follows his character’s equally feisty son and Strauss as a U.S. Senator with a troublesome stepson.

It’s like a soap opera for men and I loved every minute of it.

“Rich Man, Poor Man” aired as a miniseries on ABC in 1976 and ’77.

That’s before I was born.

So how did I hear of it?

The show is mentioned in one of my all-time favorite movies:

The 1996 comedy-drama “Beautiful Girls” with the killer cast of Matt Dillon, Timothy Hutton, Lauren Holly, Uma Thurman, Mira Sorvino, Martha Plimpton, Michael Rapaport, Noah Emmerich, Rosie O’Donnell (delivering one of the funniest bits about men ever written) and a young, scene-stealing Natalie Portman.

Dillon’s character tells Rapaport’s he’s ditching their 10-year high-school reunion to watch “Rich Man, Poor Man.”

The two then talk about the show like it’s “The Godfather” of miniseries.

So, after watching “Beautiful Girls” for probably the 20th time the other night, I decided to Netflix “Rich Man, Poor Man.”

I’ve been a member of the streaming and by mail DVD provider since 2005, but I’ve

only used Netflix for movies.

Or occasionally a new premium cable TV series someone is raving about.

Thanks, bro.

“Eastbound & Down” rocks.

But now that I’ve entered the TV time machine department of Netflix, what else should I devour?

At age 12, I had no use for “Lonesome Dove.”

But the Emmy-winning miniseries starring greats Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones now seems like a worthwhile week or so of evening viewing.

How about “North and South”?

“Roots”?

I’d also like to go beyond the miniseries market and revisit some classic TV shows.

Let’s see.

Netflix has all 39 episodes of “The Honeymooners.”

“All in the Family” in its entirety, too.

Nine seasons of “Roseanne” sans commercials also could be fun.

Well, that’s all for this week.

I have classic TV to catch up on.

Of course, suggestions are always welcome.

And no, I am not endorsed by Netflix.

But I do think it’s one of the greatest entertainment inventions since the VCR.

Wade Tatangelo, features writer/columnist, can be reached at 745-7057. Visit heraldbuzzworthy.blogspot.com.