Download This, Matey.

According to TorrentFreak, Heroes was the most pirated show of 2009.

Really?

I didn't realize anyone still watched this show. I used to watch it, but gave up after season 1 because I missed an episode and realized I didn't care. Even though one of the villains, played by that guy from the recent Star Trek movie, is totally hot.

#2 on the list is Lost. That's another one I gave up on. I'm thinking even people who watched it on TV decided to download it so they could watch it 5 million times to try to catch all the clues. That's the thing I'll never understand about people who try to solve a show's mysteries. When I was little, I wanted to be a detective like the kids on Ghostwriter. Now, I just want the show to tell me what I need to know. I'm always wrong, anyway. That dude in the FlashForward video probably isn't even Lloyd Simcoe.

#3 is Prison Break. For me, a poster of Wentworth Miller will suffice.

I'm a big fan of the download. Unlike a DVR, a) it's free b) you don't have to deal with commercials and c) you don't get periodic warnings that you're at 99% capacity and you better delete some stuff or else your machine will explode. Also, if you're watching a show from overseas, you can catch the episode right away.

Advertisers complain that downloading is the equivalent of stealing. How about you just put your products right in the show. Lots of shows already do it--Chuck, 30 Rock, 24. I don't mind if Jack Bauer gets in his Ford and marvels at its wonderful features for two seconds before putting the pedal to the metal to mow down the bad guys. Everybody wins. Unless you're a fan of Heroes, in which case, those downloads may be all you have after this season.