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I've noticed the same thing, and right there is the reason that so much US TV drives me batty. (We're still watching Supernatural and they had a --blessedly failed--backdoor pilot this year that was so full of information dumps and shoddy exposition that we giggled our way through it.) If there's one thing I loathe in any writing--TV, movies, pro writing or fanfic--it's bad exposition.

I have seen Touching Evil (ages ago) and lurvvvvv it. Well, the British version thereof, anyway.