Sometimes I get lucky and I find a good TV-show that isn’t from the States, usually it means that the show is either from Australia, UK or Canada. (Which means I like shows that are in English.. I have to admit, I’m not even a big fan of Estonian shows so that kind of proves that I’m weird with “my” languages.) But let me just stop rambling about myself and start talking business.. Being Erica is at the moment the only Canadian TV-show I’m watching (The Listener being the other one, its second season is coming 2011): and it is an absolute treat.
Being Erica is on its 3rd season and I’ve of course watched every episode – I like how the show keeps evolving. First two seasons were mostly about Erica and her regret list. Uhm, yeah, the show is a little unrealistic but I kind of like that about it. The whole point is that Erica (played by Erin Karpluk) starts going to this therapist who gives her a chance to re-do her mistakes she had listed in her regret-list in her first session. Then for two seasons it was all about her list, she could go back in time (the supernatural part of it) and all that, had relationship dramas, work dramas and everything else that could happen to anybody (the realistic drama part) – I now think it would be great to watch it all over again. Also to see my favorite character Kai who appears in the second season – what is it with bad boys and musicians!? I like them SO much! Anyway, the third season started out with Erica entering the group sessions – there are two other women and two guys. Only one of them is like really important for the show at the moment – and yes, it is a guy! There are lots of new things happening in the third season so far: Erica is starting her own company and Kai is sort of back and then there is that guy in her group (ex bad boy) and lots of things happening with Erica’s sister.
The great thing about this show is that they keep bringing back these characters that are from Erica’s past. When she goes back in time to fix a mistake in order to learn from it she revisits her former friends, enemies, coworkers etc. Plus, there have been couple of “groundhog day” situations which spice up the whole going back in time thing. What I am trying to say is that Being Erica is not getting, or at least for now, old. I know that this could happen, like for instance if you forget a show. For me, I’ve forgotten One Tree Hill, Cougar Town, Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives, Lite to Me, The Mentalist, CSI’s, Life Unexpected.. and the ones I can’t even remember anymore. I think the reasons lies in the fact that I got bored, I didn’t feel the need to watch them but all the shows I watch, I get this urge to know what is going to happen. Being Erica has that effect, The Vampire Diaries has it, 90210 has it (why is there so little of Teddy this season!?) and Grey’s Anatomy has magically been able to keep me interested after all these years, to name a few cause honestly, I watch so many shows that I’m seriously impressed with my time management.
But back to Being Erica. What makes it really good is the fact that it is quite different from the typical USA shows – it has heart. Not that the shows in the States don’t have it but I think the heart comes from Erin, the actress playing Erica – she seems so cute and friendly and sweet – so I think the heart is because the character itself appeals to me in a different level. I mean, seriously, how could I ever compare myself with Grey or Elena? All my favorite shows have characters I find hard to relate to but Erica, she is down to earth and the whole show is about her mistakes, her imperfections, things that make her human, make me like her more and more. Of course, every character has her imperfections, I’m not gonna say they don’t but on my personal level I have more in common with Erica than with any other character especially in the boyfriend category.
All in all, I think that if you didn’t have nothing to do and wanted to watch a more lighter Sex and the City type show, Being Erica is a good choice. You might even learn from it, because trust me when I say, that Erica has made some bad decisions in her life, I mean, she has made a lot and she is funny and cute with her red hair – and yeah, it is a girl-show but guys can also learn something about making mistakes.
Finally, some stills from the shows third season:
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