A friend of mine has a theory that Nickelodeon serves as the incubator for tomorrow’s best talent. I’ve been watching a show lately that convinces me that the “for kids” network is in fact the home of TODAY’s best.

Avatar: the Last Airbender is quality. It’s a cartoon, yes. But this show demonstrates the kind of writing I wish I could find more often in “grown-up” programming. The dialogue is sharp, and the story arcs are extremely well structured across each episode, each season, and the series.

AtLA takes place on “Earth” in what seems to be generic medieval-ish Asia. However, with fauna including a huge, six-legged flying bison, turtle-ducks, rabbaroos, poodle-monkeys, and lemurs that fly with their ears, we’re clearly in another world. The nations of the world are divided by their ties to the four elements, and certain of their populations are “benders,” born with the magical ability to influence earth or fire or water in martial arts-like displays. The Avatar is the one special individual (strongly influenced by the concept of the Dalai Lama) reincarnated into each generation with the ability to control all four elements, and through their mastery bring peace and balance to the land.

I tried to ask myself why this show comes across as so consistently entertaining. Much could be said for its sharp dialogue, modern enough to be accessible while not betraying the tone of its world. There’s a humor to many of the conversations that is funny to any age group. Another strong feature is the original world. Like the Harry Potter series, this show doesn’t re-invent the wheel, but synthesizes familiar mythology into a world unlike anything we’ve seen before. As well, here is a creative team that knows that the best villains are sympathetic ones who genuinely think they are doing good.

Probably the best reason this show succeeds, however, is its willingness to take its audience seriously. Along with the ongoing primary storyline, we see characters dealing with budding teen sexuality and romance, disappointing familial relationships, and genuine human emotions. In one particularly inventive recent episode, comprising six vignettes, two girls who had previously been quibbling come together for a girls’ day of pampering. Next, the normally jolly uncle helps a series of people he meets in town, but then mourns the anniversary of his son’s death and wishes he could have helped his brave soldier boy. In the third vignette, the comic relief character stumbles into a haiku rap battle, trading burns with a haughty teacher before a delighted audience of schoolgirls in kimonos, only to be thrown out by a burly guard for using an extra syllable in line three of his last effort. The Avatar frees the animals in a crowded zoo. The show’s villain shares a charming first date with an admirer. Last is a piece with no dialogue in which the avatar’s pet misses the companionship of the avatar’s kidnapped steed, but gets a clue to his whereabouts after befriending some cat creatures who previously wanted to eat him. Oh, and those six stories happen in 23 minutes.

I’ve always been a fan of children’s television that winks at the adults in the audience. This is not that. Nor is it one of those animated programs aimed partly or primarily at adults. This is just good storytelling. For everyone.

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