OK, I guess the TV seasons before most people had televisions were worse, but this season was for the birds, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The four major networks (that’d be CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox – sorry CW) lost an average of 16 percent of viewership in the coveted “demo” – adults 18-49. That includes DVR use.

Fox was on top, followed by CBS, ABC and NBC. But “on top” still includes a steep drop.

Why is this?

A whole mess of things.

First off, a lot of people are watching online – legally and illegally (Hulu an example of the former, BitTorrent an example of the latter). I know some folks who don’t have televisions, even, and only watch what they like online.

Second, a lot of people watch on DVR, but not within that 7-day window included in ratings. For example, my husband and I haven’t watched Season 2 of Damages yet. The entire season is sitting there on our DVR. We just finished up the entire first seasons of Dollhouse and Better off Ted in a few days in marathon viewing sessions. (I’ll be writing about BoT in a couple days). I still have episodes of Reaper, the season finale of Supernatural and Sunday’s episode of Breaking Bad on my DVR, waiting for me to have a chance to sit down and watch ‘em.

Then there’s the whole DVD experience, too. A few years ago, we caught up on the first two seasons of Alias by borrowing them from the library. I’ve been watching Season 1 of Torchwood on DVD, a Christmas present.

The ratings were as of Wednesday night, which marked the “official” end of the TV season. Did you even know that? Didn’t think so.

There is no such thing as a TV season anymore. We just were treated to a third season of Burn Notice this winter, and another one is coming this summer. Some shows never start until “midseason” (24, American Idol, Lost). Others bounce around the scheduling calendar (Battlestar Galactica, Kyle XY).

Yet the ratings system, other than adding the DVR and DVR+7 ratings into the mix, hasn’t changed in forever.

It’s time to change. We’ve lost too many good shows (Jericho, Kings) to the poor way ratings are measured. All the networks own multiple stations now; if the ratings for Kings are too low for NBC proper, why not send it on over to USA or even SyFy?

C’mon. The Nielsen ratings are so … 1980s.

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Sad news: According to sci-fi uber site io9, Kyle XY has been canceled.

Including tonight, there are just four episodes left. Ever.

That’s a damn shame, because it was just starting to get good again after a rather lame Season 2.5.

Jessi and Kyle have been super-powering out the last few episodes, really testing their limits. The super-sappy Kyle-Amanda storyline may finally be at an end (yay! – and I used to be a Kyle-Amanda supporter, but I just can’t take her whining anymore), Josh and Andi are the new cute and we’re finally getting to see Latnok.

I finally saw last week’s episode last night, and seeing Kyle conduct electricity and jump (noislessly) from a height to kiss the memory blocker from Amanda’s head was really cool. How many high school kids can blow up a light bulb just by forcing electricity through it?

Kyle XY producer Scott Schofield told i09:

We’re all very sad about it.

No word yet on whether all the storylines will be wrapped up. It appears the episodes may have been completed already. If they’re not wrapped up, perhaps ABC Family wil be good enough to give fans a TV movie to clear up the rest?

Besides that, last week’s ep left me wondering if Amanda was going to remember everything – the kidnapping, etc., – because Kyle took the memory blocker out of her brain. Will that blow his cover?

I love the thought of Kyle getting plastered, though, which is what it appeared, from the previews, was going to happen.

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This week’s premiere (which had lower ratings than Season 1 or Season 2) had everything that was missing from Season 2 (the second half in particular).

As completely insane as Jessi is, she was completely right – and utterly badass. When she was holding that nameless security suit guy up in the air by his neck, interrogating him, she did Jack Bauer proud.

We haven’t seen Kyle do this much with his powers, really, since Season 1. We saw him test various abilities at points last season. But anyone else remember that Season 1 ep where he hopped off the roof at the Walker’s after he fixed the satellite connection?

He was always trying new things, just to see what he could do, and in part because he didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to do these things.

When he jumped off the Latnok roof? Rock ‘n’ roll.

And, of course, that Eurotrash Latnok guy (“Cassidy”? Really?) wasn’t being honest when he told Kyle that they just really think he’s peachy keen and want to help him achieve his potential, blah, blah, blah. I wasn’t the slightest bit surprised that Lori’s new boycrush was in on the Latnok thing. The “Previously on…” at the episode’s start telegraphed it.

That means, naturally, that Lori will get her heart torn out and smashed into little teensy tiny pieces. Again. I do wish, however, that Lori and Declan would just admit their love to one another again and drop the drama already. After a while, it gets a little silly.

Andi/Josh? Cute as buttons. Devirginated buttons, but buttons nonetheless.

Sarah? Tell me you didn’t know she was gonna split on Jessi when our favorite crazy girl had to run off to save Kyle (thanks for that, by the way!).

Kyle/Amanda, as usual make me both want to puke and say “awwwwwww” at the same time. Amanda’s mom? Bat-guano crazy as ever, though she finally seems to be warming to Kyle in her own way.

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I thought the second half of last season was rather … lacking.

This season’s premiere was very promising and if they keep the superhero/sci-fi aspects heavy in the episodes to come (and it looks as if they will), we should find ourselves with a pretty damn good little show on our hands again.

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Lest anyone think that I watch only 24, I wanted to comment on one of my other favorite shows that came back this week: Kyle XY.

I have not yet seen it, because apparently Monday night has more shows per capita that I like than I’ve ever experienced in my television-loving life and the DVR can only handle two shows airing at the same time. Fortunately, ABC Family has seen fit to re-air it at midnight tonight (why not just later Monday night?? C’mon ABCF!), so I’ve put it on my Wednesday night/Thursday morning DVR season pass and will get to see it tomorrow.

I have to admit, the second half of last season left me … wanting. The season finale was a total crap-fest, in fact, except for when Amanda was kidnapped (you didn’t know? wtf? It only happened a year ago!), but I’ve read around the blogosphere that this season is supposed to really focus on Latnok and all the mysterious superhero-y-type stuff, so I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, at least temporarily.

But if this season doesn’t live up to the glorious cheese of Season 1 or the cooler, darker tone of the first half of Season 2 (still with cheese, natch), Kyle’s gonna find he’s lost more than a belly button.

So I’ll be reviewing Kyle XY on Thursdays from now on and Supernatural will be joining the pantheon of Amy shows, as thanks to Beth (who so kindly loaned me Seasons 1-3), I finally caught up on all my SPN viewing, having watched the final episode of the first half of Season 4 just the other night.

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