It's an urge that has become all too familiar of late: I’ll be sitting quietly in my nook at work, trying to look appropriately busy, when all of a sudden my synapses fire. The irrepressible compulsion wells up like high tide on an island beach. All I want to do is squeeze my eyes shut and teleport to my living room so I can curl up on the couch with a big mug of milky tea.

And do what? Watch Grey’s Anatomy. Or Heroes. Or past seasons of The West Wing. Or any other episode of some random TV series that has become my latest obsession. I've already polished off seasons of Prison Break, Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives, and with TV studios churning out one captivating serial after another, I see no reprieve in sight. These TV serials have me chained to my screen, at their mercy. They make me think about nothing else all day, and are the sole reason I turn down after-dinner drinks—or even dinner for that matter—in favour of my moss green sofa.

QUALITY AND QUANTITY
How do I explain this obsession of mine, and of countless other TV serial addicts out there? Quite simply, TV serials have become very, very good. Granted, quality is always a factor—I confess to have watched both seasons of Meteor Garden—but for a generation that pretty much grew up on entertainment of the big- and small-screen kind, we know good stuff when we see it. Great storylines, compelling characters, fantastic scripts—the works.

Take Heroes, for example. The superhero concept isn’t anything new, but here is a TV serial that came without a single famous name attached to it that grabbed me and my attention span purely on the basis of fascinating characters and an intelligent plot. It was smart, different and addictive; the perfect combination. And how adorable is Hiro?

Then there’s the issue of quantity. Admittedly I am capable of watching Pirates of the Caribbean and Love, Actually three times over, but it’s far nicer to watch the characters I love over and over again, unfolding themselves in different contexts. Like, why would anyone turn down the opportunity to see McDreamy every week? Or, any avid follower of 24 knows that Jack Bauer is going to break laws, shoot people, find moles, get chased and be tortured while trying to thwart a terrorist plan to blow up some part of America, all within 24 short hours or 24 long episodes. Every season. Yet we still watch every season of 24. Why? Because quality is good, but quality in quantity is even better.

TO BE CONTINUED...
Then, there's the case of us being the two-minute noodle society. I once interviewed a newlywed rock singer, who said she couldn’t sit down for an entire movie because she felt it was a waste of time. Her attention span was too short, probably due to her rockstar-hectic life, and two hours in one sitting was simply out of her reach.