I used to hate this time of year – the post sweeps with six weeks to go before season finales rolled out time of year – the time of year that heralded a summer full of re-runs that never seemed to be the show you were watching. Lately, network summers seem to have extended into October for several shows, which is probably the length of a Texas summer, but even around these parts we like to pretend Fall has hit in September.

I hated it because all at once I had to say goodbye to some of my favorite storylines and characters all at once. Since cable has come along and produced some real quality programming, I find I say goodbye all year long. This year, my goodbyes began with Deadwood starting with Ellsworth, then the entire show. I guess I’ll never understand how shows like Deadwood and Carnivale die, yet The Sopranos keeps chugging along. Don’t get me wrong, I loved The Sopranos, but I walked away from the series when they killed Adriana and I’ve never felt compelled to return. Then there is my “darkly dreaming” Dexter – everyone’s favorite serial killer. The actor plays the part so beautifully that seeing him appear at the Emmy’s had me wondering “do the actors know?” When Michael C. Hall didn’t win in the acting category, I was deeply disappointed, but that’s an entirely different subject.

Finally, I said goodbye to Starbuck and I wonder if I’ll truly see her again in 2008. (An aside, if I see one more insipid article in a women’s magazine that reads “how you can enjoy Battlestar Galactica with your boyfriend”, I might physically wretch.)

Now I’m left with Heroes (and I suppose Lost, but I’m secretly hoping the island explodes at the end of the season) and wondering if Peter, Hiro, Mohendar, Claire, Dr. Who and Agent Weiss from Alias can “Save the World” and still manage to bump off Nikki before rolling the end credits

I guess it’s that same melancholy I feel after reading a good book. I savor those last 30 pages knowing the world and characters are a shelf away from disappearing from my imagination and it makes me sad. (I’m not looking forward to this last Harry Potter book for that reason – and to you non-Harry Potter readers that sneered just now, read it first, then I’ll accept your criticism. Just because something is popular, doesn’t mean it is without merit.)

So, I guess I’m bracing myself for May when my goodbyes for the year come to an end and I find myself watching one too many “MythBuster” episodes.