Our Newest Addiction…

We were addicted to Buffy…and finally, it went off the air (ALAS!) and we got the DVDs, and we can watch it whenever we want to, and mostly, we’re OK. We were addicted to West Wing (not like Buffy, but we did watch it every week…) and now, it’s gone away. This happens over the years…Thirtysomething, The X Files, 90210, etc. All of these shows, we love them, and they go away…and whenever they go away, I feel a great sense of relief…like, oh, good, one less show that I HAVE to watch, one less show that calls me, that I want to tape when I’m not going to be home, etc. We were down to zero, I think…but then, Ted and Maya got hooked on Battlestar Galactica. I resisted awhile, but like the Borg, resistance is futile. Then, there was Lost (or was Lost first? Or at the same time?) I’m not sure. But when Lost is on, I must watch, no matter how dumb it gets. When I hear of great new shows, shows that I am not watching, I feel no real desire to tune in, because heck, I’m getting an awful lot of reading done, and it feels kind of liberating to not be watching. So, Grey’s Anatomy? We tried, but it didn’t stick. Ugly Betty? We haven’t even tried. The Wire, or whatever the other shows are? Not interested. HBO shows, we watch on DVD via Netflix, since we don’t have HBO. That’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, Weeds, Six Feet Under, Dead Like Me, so many great shows on HBO or Showtime, that we watch at our leisure, because we don’t have to watch them on TV.

But now, we listened…we listened to those who said, You Must Watch Heroes. Why? Why did we listen? I know not, but here we are, hooked. We have downloaded the whole season onto iTunes, so we can watch whenever we want, no commercials, no tapes, nothing like that. It’s like having a DVR, without the DVR. We love it. I swear, at some point, we’re going to have to get a DVR, or just get rid of cable, and watch everything on the computer. What a crazy world.  We’ve watched 6 episodes over the last 3 days, and gosh, we wish there weren’t things like work, school, homework, sleep, cooking, cleaning, and eating to get in our way, because we have 6 episodes left before we can be all caught up.  7 now, I guess, since there was a new episode on last night, which we didn’t watch. Dang.
My point, though, is, is anyone else watching Heroes? It’s great so far…we’re LOVING it. Give it a chance. Go to iTunes, or Netflix the Heroes catchup DVD, or hell, give it a try, see if you can jump in halfway through the first season, and figure it out. It’s not rocket science, it’s network TV. You could even do a bit of research on Television Without Pity, if you were so inclined. Maya says I need to give you a bit of a plot summary, so here you go, from TV.com:

Heroes is a serial saga about people all over the world discovering that they have superpowers and trying to deal with how this change affects their lives. Some of the superheroes who will be introduced to the viewing audience include Peter Petrelli, an almost 30-year-old male nurse who suspects he might be able to fly, Isaac Mendez, a 28-year-old junkie who has the ability to paint images of the future when he is high, Niki Sanders, a 33-year-old Las Vegas showgirl who does things that are mysteriously connected with mirrors, Hiro Nakamura, a 24-year-old Japanese comic-book geek who literally makes time stand still, D.L. Hawkins, a 31-year-old inmate who can walk through walls, Matt Parkman, a beat cop who can hear other people’s thoughts, and Claire Bennet, a 17-year-old cheerleader who defies death at every turn. As the viewing audience is discovering the nature of each hero’s powers, the heroes, themselves, are discovering what having superpowers means to them as well as the larger picture of where their superpowers come from. Tune in each week to see how these heroes are drawn together by their common interest of evading the series’ antagonist who wants to harvest their super-DNA for himself. Their ultimate destiny is nothing less than saving the world!

Like any show, what works is the writing, the acting, and the directing. All pretty much top notch here. Check it out.

17 Comments

  • Black Belt Mama

    I love Heroes. I didn’t want to get hooked on another show but I can’t help myself. 24 is also fabulous, as is The Unit. Ugly Betty? You should really give it a chance. It’s such a fun show to watch.

  • J

    BBM, I didn’t make it clear in my post, but the reason I’m not watching Ugly Betty etc. isn’t because I don’t think they’re great…I’m just trying not to get hooked on too much TV. There was a shameful period in my life when there was something on EVERY night that I really wanted to watch. Enough that I would tape them if I weren’t going to be home. I didn’t like that feeling, so as things went off the air, I didn’t replace them. I like only being hooked on a few things. 🙂

  • Beenzzz

    What an interesting premise. I’ll definitely check it out. I tried watching Dead Like Me for a while, but lost interest. That happened with Greys Anantomy and Eureka too. Oh well. Maybe Heroes will stick!!

  • starshine

    Have you and Ted NetFlix’d all three seasons of Arrested Development? That show is genious!!! I love it, and I’m so sad it only lasted the time that it did.

  • ally bean

    I watch very little tv, but I have enjoyed Weeds and Arrested Development. Also like Monk and Psyche. And Six Feet Under catches my attention. But I never see all of a series, nor do I see it when it’s popular. Somehow I’ve never gotten hooked on tv.

  • Cherry

    LOVE THE HEROES!
    You can also catch up on all of the episods on nbc.com. They have a per episode play by play if you want to read it.

    I am forced to watch it on the night it airs because it will be talked about in the office on Tuesday. Although I do still TiVo it so I can watch it 15 minutes in to avoid the commercials… LOVE THE TIVO!

    I have also been trying to avoid picking up new shows, but some of the new ones this season got me hooked, like Ugly Betty, Studip 60 and Brothers & Sisters. And I also jumped on the Grey’s train, but jumped off a few older ones like ER, although TiVo still records it if I feel like checkin in. Ok, I watch too much TV.

  • Random Kath

    Yes, Yes! I just got hooked on Heroes too – a really good friend of mine, who hardly ever gets hooked on TV shows highly recommended it, so two weekends ago while I was sick, I got caught up on the whole season by watching on the website. I LOVE this show – and I’m glad they have it online so I don’t have to be stuck waiting around watching on Monday nights. I’m also glad I’m not the only one who is really miserly about what I get caught up in, TV-wise. 🙂

  • Maya's Granny

    Save the cheereleader; save the world! I love Heroes! It is sooo good! I DVR it and start 15 minutes in so I can skip the commercials, too! How wild.

    I finally figured out why Henry on Ugly Betty looks so familiar — he’s the actor who starred in Jake 2.0, which I liked but not enough other people did. From a superhero to an accountant. Acting must be an interesting profession.

  • la luna

    It is a good show, but can we have some answers to the questions. Maybe the commericals put a damper on figuring out all these little tiny clues. Cause everytime the are onto something, bam… 5 minutes segment of commericals interupt.

  • Gina

    I tried to resist Heroes, but got sucked into the finale in December and caught up before it came back on.

    And, I CANNOT say enough how Arrested Development makes me laugh. Heck, we’ve got all three seasons, I’ll send them to you!

  • Lotus

    J, I have had my nose in my books for so long now, I just haven’t made any time for TV. One of my resolutions this year was to watch more TV and Cinema. THis post couldn’t have come at a better time because I was in the process of deciding which TV serials I should watch…I now seem to have some nice recommendations, thanks! And oh,I have HBO, I just never ever turn it on, shame on me!

  • Ginger

    Yes, we are hooked on Heroes, too. And oh how we love our TiVo. I don’t even remember what life was like before it but I could never go back. I also loved West Wing and felt like I lost a friend when it went away. But American Idol? I have never seen it. 24? Twenty-four what? You just can’t see it all even with the TiVo.

  • some girl

    I am a huge Buffy fan and was longing for a replacement. I knew from the very 1st episode that Heroes was it! I hope it lasts longer than 7 seasons!