Catching up with ‘Being Erica’ (TV review)

The great thing about the TV conveniences of the 21st century (Hulu, DVRs and DVDs) is that not only can you watch shows outside of their timeslot, but also you can watch them completely out of season.

For whatever reason, I spaced on the first two seasons of the Canadian-produced “Being Erica,”which ran in the spring of ’09 and ’10 on SoapNet, but I am now catching up on Hulu after a friend — knowing my TV tastes — told me I would like the show.

Actually, I kind of love “Being Erica.”

At first glance, it’s another one of those shows about a self-aware, self-centered modern woman who just can’t quite get it together. A woman who in the real world would be a great catch for any guy but in TV land can’t catch a break. A woman whose relationships don’t quite click, her job doesn’t quite click, and her quirks and habits put her just outside the mainstream of the human rat race.

At second glance, “Being Erica” isn’t that show, at least not exactly. As the series begins, 32-year-old Toronto native Erica Strange (played by the understatedly adorable Erin Karpluk, who also plays Cate’s assistant/best friend on “Life Unexpected”) fits the aforementioned stereotypes, but soon she lands a good job and a good boyfriend, and — here’s a remarkable achievement — her successes make the series more compelling, not less so.

Erica is not self-pitying; she takes all of her struggles in stride. But she’s also a real person. In her job as an assistant with a book publisher, she gets ripped into by her 27-year-old boss and cries in a bathroom stall. Then she tells herself, “Erica, you’re older than her,” and in the next scene she stands up for herself.

“Being Erica” isn’t about wallowing, despite its premise: Erica’s psychiatrist, Dr. Tom, sends Erica back to relive pivotal moments of her life (she feels a rush of cold air and gets swept into the past). Erica always takes the opportunity to do things differently: Rather than picking sides between her mom and dad, she plays mediator. She avoids an embarrassing situation at prom. She sticks around at her bat mitzvah rather than skipping out.

When she comes back to Dr. Tom’s office (which magically appears as Erica enters any doorway), she realizes that by doing things differently, it didn’t change anything in the present. Things were going to happen as they happened no matter what she did: Her parents got divorced anyway. She got into a different embarrassing situation at prom. Her bat mitzvah was happier the second time around, sure, but it didn’t knock the Earth onto a new axis.

In addition to learning Dr. Tom’s first lesson (Stop worrying about what other people think about you), Erica picks up ideas from her time warp that she then uses to tackle her present-day issues.

“Being Erica’s” framework is similar to “Quantum Leap,” “Early Edition” and “Side Order of Life,” but those shows’ plots were about different people every week; we only came back to the main character for the broad arc. But in “Being Erica,” it’s all about Erica’s arc, so I feel more invested in it. It would be a turn-off if Erica had a big ego, but like I said, she doesn’t. The show works because Erica is nice, calm and humble (and because Karpluk portrays all of this so well), and I don’t mind getting into her head.

(That’s not to say “Being Erica” is all about the title character. Her family, friends and co-workers are all finely drawn, and in Season 2, we learn more about the quote-happy Dr. Tom.)

“Degrassi” fans should check out “Being Erica” because veterans from that teen show are constantly popping up (Jane from “Degrassi,” the age-versatile Paula Brancati, plays Erica’s best friend, Jenny). “Being Erica” also reminds me a bit of “Once and Again” because of the light music cues that signal the changing of a scene. Intentional or coincidental, that music makes me associate “Being Erica” with my favorite show of all time.

“Being Erica” might not be at that level yet, but it’s certainly my favorite show of right now, and — as Dr. Tom has taught Erica and me — right now is what really matters.