One of last year’s surprise series was a little romantic comedy that SoapNet bought from the Canadian Broadcasting Company. It’s back tonight, at 10 p.m.
Being Erica
Safety Issues: Some sexual behavior between consenting adults
Friendly: Most teens should get the idea of trying to fix regrets
Quality: Wonderful, thoughtful writing, well-acted
Erica Strange (Erin Karpluk) has tons of regrets, but her special therapist, Dr. Tom (Michael Riley), has an unusual way of helping her deal with them – sending her back in time to learn from her mistakes.
The catch is that she can’t actually change anything, just her perspective, which kind of caused some trouble at the end of season one. Now, Erica has a lot more exploring to do. But even more fun, so does Dr. Tom – who we find out has more than a few regrets of his own.
Because this is a romantic comedy/drama, there are some scenes in bed and Erica’s relationships are sexual. But you don’t get beat over the head with it, and there is some suggestion that her earlier dalliances as a teen were a bit of a mistake. Because of this, there’s more room to talk about sexual activity and what it means for your kids.
What makes this show is the writing. The thing I like most about the time travel premise is that it isn’t about the butterfly/Back to the Future effect. Erica usually finds out that most of the dumb things she regrets don’t really change the course of her present. But she does learn from her regrets and is better able to navigate her present as a result.
This is a show that looks fun and frothy, but then sneaks up on you and gets you thinking. Because some of the behavior is on the mature side, you want to approach it with some caution. On the other hand, what an excuse to share something with your teens that will get them thinking, if not actually talking to you.
Anne Louise Bannon
Your Family Viewer
