I haven't started watching it, but I've collected up to ep 33.
That's already a little long (to me) unless something very intense is going on.
Two shows that went beyond 26 eps that I enjoyed were Juuni Kokki and Monster.
I liked Rurouni Kenshin up through the Kyoto arc, then they added too much magic and it got away from the historical coolness that initially attracted me.
So - Fairy Tail - does anyone know if this going to wrap up in a reasonable number of eps, say 52 or less?
Or is it going to be a Bleach, One Piece, Conan, Dragonball thing?
Or some interminable, shonen fight of the week, filler-packed crudstorm?