I watch too much TV. It's a fact I've come to terms with. I spend a lot of time in front of my computer, and the idiot box is on most of the time.

So, actually, I listen to too much TV, since I rarely actually give my attention to the screen. And, to be honest, most of what's on doesn't really require much in the way of direct attention. I can follow the action of your average "Law & Order" or "CSI" episode without actually looking at the screen.

This season, however, there are two shows that have made me turn off the computer and take to my comfy chair to actually pay attention. Between the geektastic mutant odyssey of "Heroes" and the dark sweet treat of "Lost," I've found myself truly interested in TV shows for the first time in years.

We'll start with "Heroes," which owes its existence to the "X-Men" concept launched by Stan Lee, godfather of all that is good and right in the world of comics, a few decades back. For the four or five of you who haven't watched the show yet, it deals with ordinary folks who discover they have super powers and their struggles both to lead normal lives and escape the clutches of a shadowy organization that seeks to ... well, we're not exactly sure what the bad guys do to them, but we know it's not pretty.

Of course, there's a bad guy, and he's VERY bad. We're talking slice-open-your-skull bad. There's deadly peril, interpersonal problems, the aforementioned shadowy organization and, as a super bonus, Malcolm McDowell and George Takei as what members of what may be an older generation of superheroes. Ever since "A Clockwork Orange," McDowell has excelled at playing the smoothly evil type who has a thriving, well-fed brutal streak. The revelation of him as the shadowy "Linderman" character was akin to the spooky organ music starting in an old-time terror flick.

And Takei as the father of Masi Oka's character, Hiro? Sheer genius casting. You know he'll be around for a while ... you don't just bring in a sci-fi legend for stunt casting, not in a show like "Heroes."

As dark as the dangers in the show are, "Heroes" is at its base a lighthearted adventure. From Hiro's shout of sheer, unadulterated joy when he finds himself teleported to Times Square to the adventures of cheerleader Claire and her geek pal videotaping proof of her indestructibility, there is a sense of wonder and hope that breaks the show out of the mold of most television sci-fi, which is usually pretty dark stuff. Not since the dear, departed "Firefly" has a fantastic show had characters that were so relatable.

Speaking of dark ...

As much as I love "Heroes," there have been times when I've had something else to do and had to catch the episode streaming online on the NBC site the next day. However, I would ignore anything short of the birth of my child or a major medical emergency to catch "Lost." The recent announcement of a definitive end date for the series only makes that more certain.

Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof have, in "Lost," created what is probably the least new-viewer-friendly bit of entertainment in the history of television. But you know what? I don't care. I've watched since the first episode and will be watching when the last one rolls credits. With the interweaving plots, the flashbacks, the mysteries of the island, the Others, the Tailies and, of course, the sinister (but slightly goofy) Dharma Initiative, "Lost" gives us a world turned on its head, where what is certain one moment is amorphous the next, where no one and no thing is predictable ... except human nature.

And that's where the strength of the show lies. The plane-crash survivors of "Lost" are real people -- venal, scheming, noble, angry, lustful, violent, kind, caring, heroic people. In every situation, be it a polar bear in the jungle or a Volkswagen bus in a field, the characters react much as normal folk would. The aforementioned bus happened to be loaded with beer, and after a sufficient amount of it had been consumed a vehicular adventure unspooled that provided simulataneously comic relief and a flash of the hope in most human hearts that somehow, sometime, everything's going to work out OK.

Quit whining about how you can't understand what's going on and go rent the DVDs to catch up. You'll thank me later.

Will these two shows bring about a rebirth of good sci-fi on TV? Probably not. The history of televised science fiction is littered with bad shows that went on far too long and good shows (again, "Firefly," anyone?) that died far too young. But I plan to enjoy them while they're here.

Oh, and for all you "Firefly"/"Serenity" fans, in mid-June there will again be benefit screenings of the movie held around the world to raise money for Equality Now, a women's rights advocacy group. Click here to find a location near you! I'll be at the Charlotte screening, myself.

So, what's weird in your world? Drop me a line, anytime!