Why does the BBC consistently produce interesting and well thought out series? I can list many (most of which I've actually seen)...Spooks (MI-5), Doctor Who, Life on Mars, Survivors, Merlin, Robin Hood, Jekyll, State Within. Ok all of these series aren't exactly television royalty but they have interesting ideas and excellent acting. Plus, they embrace science fiction either as the main idea or as elements within the series. Plus, most of the time, these shows make sense! There's no feeling like some week's during Lost when you feel like the writers have played the mad libs game...<character> finds a(n) <object> and <verb> to <character> with it. Is it because British writers are that more imaginative? I think American producers are lazy. Every once in a while there is a Joss Whedon with some original ideas, or a show like Jericho which explored a lot of heavy, end of world themes, but usually these shows are short lived. Thank god for torrent sites and...