Heartland: What Have You Done To Me?

Devoid of much TV during the summer (I'm only really following Blood Drive, The Night Shift and Younger, while occasionally dipping into Prison Break on Netflix - a huge step down from the dozen or so shows I was juggling in the on-season), I've looked for something to fill a little more of my time. And Heartland has become that show.

What is Heartland?

L-R: Scott, Mallory, Jack, Lou, Amy, Ty, Tim

Simply, it's a family show about a family who own a horse ranch. There's the two leading ladies - sisters Amy and Lou Fleming - who make up the "Horse Whisperer" and the business manager; Grandpa Jack, a slightly surly, old-fashioned old man who gets all the best one-liners and sports a wicked moustache; Ty Borden, serving probation at the ranch as a farmhand; and Tim, the estranged father of Amy and Lou who is attempting to make inroads with his family. It has a fun supporting cast (including the snobby buggers over at Briar Ridge, Heartland's well-to-do competition), and some extremely heartwarming stories. I actually cheered at the end of an episode once, and that's something a TV show normally has to work hard to buy from me. Heartland just did its thing and got me. And now I'm addicted.

Addicted to It

But here's the fun thing for me: I have no idea why I'm so into it. I don't really like horses, I don't know any of the cast and it's not even close to the type of show I usually watch. I'm into cop and spy shows, anything that does good examination of artificial intelligence, and some decent science-fiction; it's so far out of my usual playpen that if Heartland wasn't a long-running show (it's been renewed for season 11), I probably wouldn't have even considered giving it a try. But because of its longevity and a relatively stable cast, I figured I'd take a chance.

   And boy did that ... well, pick whether it backfired or paid off. Perhaps a little of both given I now have 175 episodes and a TV movie to catch up on.

   But truthfully, I don't mind.

Final thoughts

I don't know why I like Heartland so much, but I do, and I think you might too. Whether you nab the DVDs or catch up online (UK Netflix has the first 9 seasons to binge on), if you like a light-hearted, funny, heartwarming series - or you're interested in horses - this is the show for you. Give it a go, and see if you don't end up as crazily addicted as me.