The Dea(r)th of Good Television.

Battlestar Galactica is ending.

It had a good run. Or so they say. 4 (after its final) seasons. An entire fan community. Critical acclaim by the media critics. And the alteration of real life cuss words. But the Galactica ends its voyage after 92 episodes. Impressive. Most impressive.

Frak that I say!

In a war of attrition that's been going on for some time now, Television's been killing its brightest and its greatest. The slaughter began with the call to arms as Reality TV led the charge. Cheap and easy to produce, the battlefields quickly became saturated by the hordes of brainless programs that appeal to both the masses (because of the sheer inanity of it all) and the corporate fat cats that run the networks (because of the low cost of production). And it's sad when you see all the shows that fall on the wayside as the juggernaut which is brainless television programming forces its way through...Battlestar was the latest to fall, joining a pile of shows that didn't quite hit their prime.

1. Tru Calling. Cut down in it's prime with nay a chance to develop, a Tru pity that she couldn't time travel to prevent her early demise.
   
2. Veronica Mars. The spunky female investigator who did not survive to graduate college.
   
3. Angel. Vampire. Dusted just when the season was heading somewhere.
4. Firefly. Like the Galactica, Serenity got her wings clipped but resurfaced for one last adventure on the big screen in Serenity.
   

That said, there are still shows on TV that entertain without being TOO insulting to the intelligence. There's Heroes, which is certainly entertaining but not too cerebral. There's the upcoming Sarah Connor Chronicles which looks like it's going to either bomb or blast off and there's the ongoing Bones which feels like CSI meets Angel with a bit of Veronica Mars thrown in (which unfortunately for the series, although compelling, has nothing on the original series that it borrows from).

So while I lament the loss of great shows that actually made me think, I'll keep watch over the horizon for better programming. Failing which, it may be time to sit back, turn on the boob tube and let the brains dribble out of my ears.