Being Erica

Often you begin watching a show with an expectation that it will be interesting or entertaining, especially when it's categorized as a comedy as this is, but 'Being Erica' caught me off guard. Going in, I thought I was getting a lighthearted comedy, and to categorize this as such is a mistake, what this little treasure delivers is so much more. The main characters of Erica and Dr Tom are superbly written and perfectly acted, and the supporting cast are delightful as well. This show is so well-written and so well done, so clever in its delivery of profound insights and life lessons that they come to you first subtly and then with a resounding deep impact that leaves you better having seen it.

After having been fired from her job, dumped by her boyfriend and collapsing from anaphylactic shock after consuming a nut-laced coffee all in the same day, 30-something Erica Strange wakes up in hospital and meets a mysterious man known only as 'Dr. Tom'.

Erica learns that he is a therapist and she has been chosen to be one of his patients -- what she doesn't know is that Dr. Tom has the ability to travel time and his 'therapy' involves sending Erica back in time to various, regretful, moments in her life to allow her the chance to gain a new perspective and learn.

Initially reluctant, Erica refuses Dr. Tom's help, but after being shamed into feeling like a big loser who can't get her life together by her family she writes a list of her life's biggest regrets and so begins her journey into what 'being Erica' really means.

I watched a handful of episodes of 'Being Erica' a few years ago and it instantly grabbed my attention with it's quirky 'Sex and the City' meets 'Quantum Leap' concept. Unfortunately, as it aired in the mornings here the UK and my schedule wasn't always consistent I didn't see it all the way through to the end, despite being hooked.

I put 'Being Erica' on my list of movies and TV shows I wanted to revisit, and now, thanks to the gift of Youtube I've spent the last week of 2018 and the first week of 2019 binge watching the entire series from beginning to end -- and let me tell you, what an ending it was! (Spoiler alert: I cried)

The promo for this show really doesn't do it justice; though incredibly quirky and comedic at times, the promo really underplays the philosophical aspect of the series and how thought-provoking and emotionally engaging it was.

A thoroughly underrated show that I highly recommend to anyone with an interest in time-travel, philosophy or metaphyics... or just anyone who has ever experienced the pain of regret.

"Being Erica" is:

* fresh

* fun

* positively female identified (I watch out for that)

and every week's episode contains a life-affirming message that helps both Erica and potentially the audience.

The acting is superb and I wish the show was on more than once a week. Luckily CBC posts in online so you can watch repeats whenever - bless them!

Finally, "Being Erica" showcases the hard-working Canadian book publishing industry, which can only help with self-sustainability efforts.

The show gets me and I dig it, through and through!

This is the first time I'm addicted to a Canadian show on a Canadian channel! It is such a great show with very interesting characters and a heart warming romantic subplot. I really like how each story centers on the fact that Erica has to go back in time to change something in the past so she can deal with something in the future differently. I really like how this show has quirky and insightful dialogue and I like how Erica is someone many people can relate too. I think many of us would have liked to change something in the past and Erica does that but, at the same time things don't always end perfectly which makes this show more realistic and interesting. This is a show where a normal person is put in an extraordinary situation but because she's a real person with real problems, she can pull it off and she does!

What can I say, form the beginning to the end, the show hits the nerve of all feeling, sometimes struggling 30+ women and men. There are few shows enough, that hit right where they have to do, like "lie to me", "firefly" or "in treatment". So what is more humanly than people, who do make a lot of comprehensible and sometimes live changing choices, but still are able to forgive and so been forgiven?! Ever changing, self critical, life affirmatively and heart warming souls like Erica Strange - clearly benefiting from Erin Karpluk - are the ones, which make life just worth living. If I wouldn't new, that this is a TV show and the characters are mastermind views of manifold daily story's, I'd just be overwhelmed and hopelessly falling in love with Erica/Erin. And by not being gay, saying, even the guys are well painted, I'm looking forward to see a lot more of this. Canada/Canadians, another 10 points to love YOU.