TV shows

I find it fascinating how addictive certain television shows can be. I love to watch House, Heroes and Lost. My boyfriend and the majority of my friends are also addicted to these and other shows. Its funny because in many ways we really cannot relate to these characters lives' even though we wish we could. House is a genius diagnostics doctor, yet can be quite cold-hearted. Heroes is a show about, well, heroes and lets be real, we do not have any powers. Lost is a show about a group of very diverse people who are lost on an island after leaving Australia.
Most people tend to stick to or be attracted to things that are familiar to them. When most people watch TV it would make sense that they would tune into something they can relate to. So why, I ask, is everyone so enthralled with the unfamiliar? I've heard that people use TV as a way to escape their everyday lives, which makes sense. When I read a book I always see myself in the shoes of the protagonist and on several occasions the antagonist. Yet it still baffles me how fascinated we all are with the lives of other people, especially those of fictional characters who happen to differ so much from ourselves.