I watch way too much TV

It's a fact. I couldn't live without Tivo or Neflix. It's sad, I know, but Tivo changed my life. In good ways. If I can zip through Heroes in 45 minutes instead of an hour--that's 15 more minutes of my life I get back for writing. . .or justifying just one more episode of 24 before bed. But don't watch more than two episodes of 24 before going to sleep (seriously stressful dreams will ensue). On a less frivolous note, watching TV is actually great "homework" for a writer (along with reading as much as possible). There are all sorts of lessons to be learned about character development, building suspense, teen drama, plot pacing, hot guys . . .ahem . . .emotional levels etc. from watching a well-crafted television show or movie. For extra-credit (if using Netflix), you can re-watch the episode with the director's commentary to find out why he/she made certain choices.

Here are some of my favorite "study materials." I tried to narrow it to ten, but alas, I could not. These are my TV favs, I'll list my favorite movies another day.

12. Smallville (The early years. This season... not so much.)

11. The O.C. (teen drama at its best)

10. Heroes ("normal people" with superpowers--'nough said.)

9. 30 Rock (That Tina Fey-- she cracks me up.)

8. 24 (This show seriously stresses me out . . .but I love it.)

7. Chuck (It's like the new Scarecrow and Mrs. King but with a dweeby/cute guy--what's not to love?)

6. X-Files (Oooo the chemistry between Fox and Dana.)

5. Flight of the Conchords (I don't have HBO, but I love these guys so much I had to buy the show on DVD.)

4. Freaks and Geeks (I can't hear you. Oh wait, let me switch to my bionic ear.)

3. Scarecrow and Mrs. King (Best show ever! ... at least I thought so when I was 13.)

2. Veronica Mars (Okay, so this is the best show ever.)

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (No wait, really, this is the best show ever.)