This Grey’s Anatomy, how people are doing things with their lives and getting a career and love-lives. Why am I not so cool?” said an aspirational SMS from a friend late last night.

Gets you thinking about how while some of India might still be fulminating under saas bahu serials and reality dance shows there is a rapidly multiplying breed hooked to American television.

What started with Small Wonder in the early ’90s, moved on to Friends and Seinfeld, and by the millenium had diversified into hundreds of “I-watch-only-Star World-and-HBO” claims. Here are our top shows.

Lost
What is it about? A science-fiction and time-travel drama about a mysterious group of characters that get abandoned on an island that turns out to be a time-space continuum.

Why tune in? The show spawned a whole generation of “Castaway in an alternate universe” sympathisers. The Season Finale which aired recently had a spate of screenings world-wide and crazed expectations of how the innumerable mysteries in the show would unravel.

How to catch it? Season 6 is currently on Indian television, but it’s all over in the real world. How to catch it? Buy the DVDs or hit the download button and veg out on the couch with all 121 episodes.

Dexter
What is it about?  A serial killer cop. Ok, not exactly. Dexter is a forensic scientist who works for the Miami police. He knows he has something different inside him that makes him want to kill. He learned to channel this desire to only the deserving. He’s the serial killer of serial killers.

Why tune in? Because it’s darn good. Addictive even. Apart from the single story (solved murder and separate committed murder) that each episode contains, there is another story that links each episode of a series together.  Plus the opening credits alone have won awards for brilliance.

How to catch it?  You have to rent DVDs as it’s not on TV yet. The first couple of seasons come highly recommended.

Grey's Anatomy
What is it about? A dramatic portrayal of life in a hospital, where passionate romances, complicated friendships and twisted medical tales play out in the background of violence, death and some healing.

Why tune in? Steamy romances can be quite eye-catching in the whole doctor-doctor context. Plus amazing medical drama gives you a thrilling mix of the hilarious and heartbreaking. Star attractions include a very fetching set of male protagonists, crowned with the epithets ‘McDreamy’ and ‘McSteamy’. Any questions?

How to catch it? Catch up to Season 6 on TV.  Season 7 will be on American TV this September. Wait for it with bated breath. (Not enough to send you to the emergency room though.)

True Blood
What is it about? This is the ultimate dark, sometimes comic drama. A fictitious world in which vampires have “come out of the coffin” and integrate into main-stream society. In the background is the tale of a romance between small-town ‘human’ Sookie Stackhouse and her fanged paramour Bill, with slew of fascinating supporting characters.

Why tune in? A drama about how vampires, shape shifters and werewolves DO exist. Set in small-town South USA, every dialogue has a fascinating twang and  each character has that dark edge. It helps that the leads (who are dating in real life) have the most amazing chemistry.

How to catch it? There’s only two seasons to catch up on, so get set go. Watch it at twilight or late night. Season 3 premieres this Sunday.

Entourage
What is it about? This show centres around the meteoric rise (and periodic falls) of Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier)’s Hollywood career. Set in La-la -land, the show takes you through the fascinatingly hedonistic lifestyles of the rich and famous. Plus point? His amazing entourage.

Why tune in? Chase’s entourage including an aspiring actor (loser) brother, a best-friend who’s also his manager, a crazy old buddy enjoying the ride and his fantastically dramatic, stressed-out and brilliant agent are fab. Catch them navigate the craziest parties, super-hit movies, eccentric directors, evil producers and a never-ending slew of hot women.

How to catch it?  Season 6 is over, but await for season 7 this month itself.

Desperate Housewives
What is it about? Suburban America, behind it’s posh facade, manicured lawns, and deceptively perfect families has no end of twisted, dramatic evil ensuing — is the main theme of this show.

Why tune in? A set of hot, nymphomaniac, and as the title belies (rather desperate housewives) amidst deviant killers, psycho-exes, murders, divorces, tons of infidelity and a dark new mystery every season.

How to catch it? The 6th season finaled recently, and will be picked up for renewal this year.

Other shows you shouldn't miss
House, Castle, Fringe,Monk, The Big Bang Theory, Treme, Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock, 24, Heroes 

Inputs by : Veda Aggarwal, S  anand