TV tune-out week a good time to reassess what shows are worth watching; Goodbye, 'Heroes'

For 15 years, the Winnetka Alliance for Early Childhood in Winnetka, Ill., has sponsored a TV Tune Out Week in February or March. The group encourages families with young children to turn off their television sets for seven days and engage in alternative activities in the village and neighboring communities.
This year’s TV Tune Out Week concludes today.
While my household isn’t participating in the program (my 3-year-old daughter is a holy terror when she can’t watch Disney’s “Cinderella,” “Tinker Bell” and the like), I do like the idea of it.
My version of the program would be “TV Cut-Back Week” instead. Hey, with digital video recorders like TiVo and Comcast DVR boxes, there’s not much sacrifice any more with TV tune-out weeks. You just record your shows during tune-out week and watch them the next week. It’s sort of like binging after Lent.
Anyway, TV Cut-Back Week is a great time to look at what shows you’re recording on your DVR and deleting the weakest ones. My Comcast DVR is getting pretty crammed. So, I’m going to cut loose some of the shows that aren’t grabbing me anymore.
“Heroes,” that means you.
Season 1 of the NBC show about ordinary people who find themselves with superhero powers was a lot of fun. At the end of season 1, “Heroes” had momentum. The story possibilities were exciting.
Season 2 had promise with a new big bad villain, but the plot meandered and the show lost its way. I was an apologist for the season at first, but ended up agreeing with the critics.
With Season 3, the producers tried retooling the show even more and it’s now a complete mess. “Heroes” is basically unsalvageable at this point. That’s too bad because it showed such potential.

March 27, 2009, update: In order to clear out my crowded DVR, I also have quit watching “24,” “The Office,” “Beast” and “The Whitest Kids You Know.” Good shows, but not worth my time.