If there’s any skill I possess, it’s proselytizing people about TV shows.

I’ve been watching Avatar: The Last Airbender compulsively. It’s troubling, really, given how much other good stuff there is out there that this has affected me so much. Part of it is the brightness of the show– as a kid’s show it is required to remain optimistic, relatively non-violent, yet exciting. But at the same time the show is dark and disturbing. I love the characters, which are multi-faceted. The closest comparison, I think, is Battlestar Galactica. I’ll wait until you stop giggling. But I probably teared up more for Avatar than BSG.

How did Nickelodeon pull this off? Partly I think because it’s a kid’s fantasy show, the series was allowed license to discuss themes otherwise off limits (genocide, destructiveness of war, sexism, resurrection, natural destruction). Cloaked in the guise of a children’s television show is an incredibly depressing premise: the savior of humanity, a young child, wakes up after 100 years. His entire race has been obliterated in a genocidal and near-Biblical attempt to prevent his ascension. Now he must balance his Buddhist upbringing with the knowledge that he must take life en route to saving the world. Seriously, his entire people are the victim of a genocidal war. The creators must have had one incredible sell for Nickelodeon. “Boy we’ve got a show for you! It begins with the genocidal destruction of a peaceful race…”

All three seasons (books) of the show are on Netflix Instant. If you don’t believe me (and it’s a hard sell, I realize), go and watch the first season. Just stick with it for one season. It, like Mad Men or BSG, will reward you in the long run. And, at 22 minutes per episode, the story arc breezes along. For a Peabody-winning show, Avatar: The Last Airbender has had way too much abuse heaped upon it (thanks M. Night, jerk). But the crappiness of the theatrical adaptation may open up the original series for a reinvestigation.