Battlestar and Lost: The Power of Setting an End date

"Battlestar Galactica's" return on Jan. 16 is a cause for rejoicing, and not just because it provides a couple of million geeks a more compelling excuse than usual to stay home Friday nights. (As someone who carries the sci-fi gene, these are my peeps, so it's OK for me to dog them a little.)

Rather, the final flight of "Galactica" episodes -- coupled with the Jan. 21 two-hour season premiere of "Lost" on ABC -- offer a welcome reminder how creatively liberating it is for a TV series to set an end date well in advance, allowing producers to build toward a well-thought-out finale. Particular credit goes to "Lost" show runners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, who were smart enough to leverage the renewal of their deals into a fixed conclusion in 2010, meaning a mere 32 hours remain after the season launch

Barring that concession from ABC the program would probably have experienced even more precipitous ratings declines, given how remarkably dense and demanding the show's mythology has become. As is, look for the ratings arc to continue to drift downward, as a hardy core of survivors hang around all the way through, but at diminishing levels. ("Lost" was always something of an anomaly back when the series pulled in major-hit numbers in its heyday, and it has settled at a perfectly respectable Nielsen plateau that's more logical for such a brainy genre show.)

No spoilers here, but it's also amazing to consider how many changes the ABC series has undergone, to the point where it's difficult to remember that Michael Emerson's creepy Ben character (pictured above, right, with Matthew Fox) wasn't part of things from the get-go.

As for "Galactica," watching a preview of the latest installment -- as the Colonial fleet grapples with the Earth they discovered last year -- one has to marvel at how brilliantly the program overcame its kitsch-y source material and goofy name, joining the elite ranks of science fiction. The series has done that by creating an alternate reality that helps illuminate our current one, particularly in regard to fear and terrorism -- even daring to cast its humans as an insurgency against an occupying force.

Recalling the hubbub that greeted its debut, I also can't resist a big shout-out to the lunatics who were ready to march with pitchforks on Sci Fi Channel for daring to trifle with their memories of the original starring Lorne Greene. Talk about a ragtag fleet of dead-enders.

It's telling, too, that both series have (with a few notable exceptions) avoided the narrative mine fields that have plagued "Heroes" -- no small feat in this sort of complex dramatic endeavor. And speaking of "Heroes" -- or rather, its home at NBC -- here's one practical thought: If the network was smart, they'd simulcast the final few episodes of "Battlestar Galactica" with sister cable net Sci Fi Channel. Because if the rest of these hours meet the creative standard set by the first, then the show merits a royal send-off.