Addictive Television

by Kayla Perrin

You know the shows. High drama. Lies and deceptions. Characters you love to hate. Shows that you gather around the water cooler at work to discuss--or for those of us who work from home, you chat about on your Facebook wall and tweet about in 140 characters or less.

Shows that you tune in to watch week after week, season after season. Because you're addicted. Shows like 24. Desperate Housewives. Lost. And then there are all the reality shows that provide the kind of drama and deception you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. The Bachelorette. Survivor. Big Brother.

I have to admit, after Ali gave Roberto the final Rose on The Bachelorette a few weeks ago, I went into a bit of a slump (and by the way—BEST bachelorette series ever! I totally believe that Ali and Roberto have found true love!) What was I going to watch for the rest of the summer that provided the high drama I had become accustomed to? I was already in the dumps because Fox canceled 24—my favorite fictional show—and I'm still not sure what show I'm going to replace that one with this fall (though there are a number of new shows on the fall line up). I decided to tune in to Bachelor Pad, where 20+ of the rejected suitors from previous Bachelor/Bachelorette series have all come together to live in a house in the hopes of winning $250,000. There is a mix of men and women, so you know there will be hookups—and lots of broken hearts. So far, there's definitely that train-wreck type drama that keeps you tuning in, but I'm not overly excited about the show. Perhaps it's more like a Big Brother (which I never got into, despite the drama).

Luckily for me, I recently stumbled across a DVD at the library. With the title Footballers' Wive$, I couldn't help thinking that this was a series I might like. Produced and set in Britain, it's a show about star soccer players and the women married to these men. As I started to watch the first season, I quickly became engrossed in the series.

Infidelity, lies, secret babies, and egos beyond your imagination make this series super fun. I watched one episode, then the next, then the next. Soon I was getting the second season on DVD. Season two proved to be even crazier, with illegal acts and even more deception to cover up bad behavior. It's definitely more drama than football, but that's to be expected with a fictional television show. And I'm sure that viewing audience is mostly women, so the secret hookups, devious plotting, etc all do well with a female audience.

Season two definitely was not as good as the first season, with some of the storylines way too over-the-top even for me. But when season two was over and I was almost in a panic to get the third one, something dawned on me. Producers of addictive television like this are truly on to something. All of that drama—crazy or not—keeps viewers coming back. You might roll your eyes, throw things at the television in frustration, lament the unbelievability of a certain plot line...but guess what, you're tuning in.

I should know. Here I am unwilling to watch anything else so I get through the third season of Footballers Wive$.

Footballers Wive$ is not groundbreaking. It's not going to be remembered as the best show ever. But that said, it is escapist fun. And it's addictive.

Have any of you seen the show? I have to say, it's quite nice to be able to watch one episode after another without having to wait a full week to see how the drama unfolds. There are a whole host of shows I have not yet watched which are on DVD, and this might just be the best way to watch them. Though I suppose I will have to lock myself in my room for a month or so if I decide to watch six seasons of Lost back-to-back!

What are some of the shows you're looking forward to watching this fall? I didn't see the last six or so episodes of Desperate Housewives, so if I want to watch the season premiere in a few weeks I'm going to have to backtrack and do some catching up. That show has gotten a little zany and perhaps I've grown tired of it. I'm excited to discover some new, great shows this season. I'll definitely watch Survivor, which my mother turned me on to, but I ultimately prefer scripted television to reality shows (perhaps with the exception of The Amazing Race, my ultimate fav reality show).

So what are some of the dramatic shows to watch this season? What should I add to my list of shows I can't miss?

And I'll end with a plug for my new book, which will hopefully have you addicted to the pages! Control, an erotic story from Harlequin Spice, follows Elsie Kolstad on her journey of self-discovery. After ten years of marriage to a much older, wealthy man, she realizes that she has lost herself. Robert controls every aspect of her life. And when Elsie discovers Robert's unforgivable act of deception, she knows it's over. Dion Carter, a sexy college football coach, makes her decision to leave easier. But Robert has controlled Elsie's life too long for him to let her simply walk out of his life...

The book just went on sale in stores and online. I hope you'll pick up a copy!

Until next time,
Kayla