I Am SHERlocked or Clever Television

  Because I'm not a resident in the magnificent United Kingdom, and I don't have BBC America, every year I patiently wait for PBS to broadcast the hits from across the pond, and I'm never disappointed. Whether it's Hamlet with David Tennant and Patrick Stewart, Downton Abbey, or Moffat's Sherlock, I always come out of each episode mentally invigorated. No American Television programs achieve this level of intellect!
  Except Breaking Bad.
and Damages.
And Weeds.
And Community.
And Dexter.
And Friday Night Lights.
And Game of Thrones.
And Louie.
And... oh nevermind.
  I guess American Television can also hit the nail on the head, but why do so many watch the Kardashians or Dancing With the Stars? Don't get me wrong, I love my guilty pleasures [insert here any CW teen drama ever aired] but at least those have substantial writing, acting, and a dash of respect for its audience. I watch the shows I watch because even the good dramas make you chuckle and even the good comedies will make you cry. They are feats of art that air weekly and they leave you wanting more. The reality tv boom changed the game, and not for the better.
  What we're stuck with now is simple Turn-Off-Your-Brain programs, and that's a mentality I can not support. Not to mention that the only intellectual shows which survive are usually those on subscription based cable channels. HBO, Showtime, AMC. Place one of those shows on Network and they DIE. Freaks and Geeks
Community
Firefly
Dollhouse
Arrested Development.
  And yes, Arrested Development is coming back and Community got renewed, but AD is returning on Netflix (subscription) and Sony fired the creator/showrunner on Community in order to replace him with a more mainstream crew.
  What is this?!
  Why are we so adverse to intellectual, imaginative television?
  Why do generic police and medical dramas soar while breakthrough concepts drown?
  This is a call to action. Start thinking. Even when watching television. Brain stimulation isn't bad, it's good.
  Two and a Half Men is bad.
  That's the enemy.
  Generic, trite entertainment that refuses to innovate.
  Word.