BSG is baaack

"Battlestar Galactica" starts its third season tonight.

It might be the best show on television. It's definitely in the top five, and if "Friday Night Lights" gets canceled, it will be moving right up the charts.

The season premiere tackles the morality of suicide bombings, revenge killings, extra-legal tribunals and collusion. Serious stuff? Yeah, and "Galactica" tackles those hot-button subjects without taking sides or insulting the audience. Well, there's a little side-taking at the end, but mostly it's all thrown into the morally ambiguous mix of a clash of civilizations. Remind you of anything?

There are some people around the office you couldn't pay to watch "Battlestar Galactica." For the most part, these are the same people would have signed up for a root canal before watching "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Silly titles put some of them off, insightful analysis of the human condition is a little much for others.

And I'm not one to say that people looking for a little easy entertainment rather than challenging moral quandaries are wrong. But there's something so rich and satisfying about watching a TV show that's smart (as opposed to pretentious - see Sorkin, Aaron).

It's like reading a John Grisham book: That's a fine way to relax before you fall asleep, but I think it's healthy to mix that up with fare that has a little more depth. Of course, trying to sleep after watching one of these harrowing "BSG" episodes is a difficult proposition.