The cast of "Battlestar Galactica" includes, clockwise from lower left, Edward James Olmos, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber and Grace Park.

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"Battlestar Galactica" tops the list of "Shows You Really Should Be Watching." Seriously. Just stick with me on this one, OK?

I only recently joined the ranks of the converted, despite two seasons of consistent buzz. I thought, "Really, how good can this be?" And now I am kicking myself for missing out. But I watched the first three episodes of the new season and the catch-up installment, and I am hooked. Embarrassingly hooked.

So I'll make my pitch. "Battlestar Galactica" is a Sci-Fi Channel original, but it's closer cousins with "The Wire" than "Star Trek" or the late-1970s space adventure that pre-dated the current installation. It is set in space, but at its heart, "Galactica" is often a political drama and a religious conflict with great acting and excellent writing.

"Galactica" is smart and complex, so, jumping in blind, like I've tried from time to time, doesn't work particularly well. I'll do my best to catch you up, but if I succeed in my lobbying you to watch this show, it's well worth logging on to the "Galactica" Web site — battlestargalactica.com —and watching the streaming catch-up installment and the 10 Webisodes.

Here's the woefully-too-compressed story so far: We're far enough into the future that planet Earth is just a myth. Human beings have created artificial intelligence in the form of shiny, silver robots called Centurions. The Centurions rise up against humanity, and bloody, bloody war ensues until the two warring species reach a truce for 40 years. Then the artificial intelligence returns — except they've evolved. The new breed, Cylons, look just like humans. More bloodbath ensues when the Cylons come to turn humanity from their polytheistic worship to the "one true God." Nearly all of humanity is wiped out except for about 50,000 survivors who are aboard that naval (space) fleet, including those aboard Battlestar Galactica.

What follows are a flight for freedom and a mystery surrounding how to find planet Earth. There's also a fight for power. Humanity's new president starts having visions of how to get to Earth and sets the fleet on its path. Her presidency is challenged by a brilliant scientist, who also happens to be in love with a Cylon, when a planet that will support human life is discovered. The scientist wins the election, and what's left of humanity settles safely for a year.

Last season ended with a fleet of Cylon ships showing up and enforcing martial law on the budding colony. Battlestar Galactica and the other ships take off, fearing humanity will be completely obliterated if the Cylons launch another nuclear war. Season 3 picks up in the middle of a full-scale insurgency on the ground, while the ragtag naval fleet is running training missions and trying to figure out how to rescue those left behind. The Cylons waver between wanting to destroy all humans and their desire to become more like them. And the remaining people grapple with how hard they can fight back while still retaining their humanity. Both struggles are nuanced and compelling.

(Fans, please cut me some slack. I just tried to relate two intricate seasons' worth of drama in a few paragraphs. I know I left stuff out.)

"Battlestar" doesn't apologize for its science-fiction beginnings, but the intellectual references to a post-9/11 society are unmistakable and make it difficult to tear your eyes away from the intense drama.

The new season starts Friday at 9 p.m. on Sci-Fi.