On Jan. 6, “The Wizards of Waverly Place” aired its last original episode.

It premiered in October 2007, and showed 108 episodes over its four-season run. And most genre fans aren’t aware of it because it ran on the Disney Channel.

There is an entire sub-genre of programming ignored by most simply because it is produced for the tween/young teen market.

While live action kids genre programming has been around since I was a kid, it seems to be ignored by genre fans these days. While many may remember the works of Sid and Marty Krofft, the kid-friendly programming of today should get some time in the spotlight.

I have been a fan of genre programming since I was young, and saw the original "Star Trek" air on NBC. Since then, I have probably seen at least an episode or two of almost every genre show to air. And that includes the kid shows.

I believe that in order to have adult fans of the genre, they have to start as kids. And in order for that to happen, we need quality genre programming that is age appropriate for them. And let's face it, if done right, there can be something there for both kids and adults.

The Disney Channel has been doing this for a while. Before “The Wizards of Waverly Place,” they aired other series such as “Phil of the Future” (family from the future stuck in the present) and “That’s so Raven” (teen with psychic abilities). All three series have done well for the network.

But Disney isn’t alone in bringing genre programming to children. The Hub network airs an anthology horror series called “R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series” which is in its second season. Believe it or not, I enjoy these. They give you the scares through good frightful writing as opposed to the blood and gore that seems to define horror these days. I would actually recommend checking it out for a nice change of pace.

And not to be outdone, Cartoon Network is bringing us a new series called “Level Up.” They recently aired the pilot movie, and it can still be seen on their website. Its premise is a military accident sends a signal to a satellite that is bounced back into a server farm for a popular MMORPG. This allows creatures and villains from the game to escape into the real world. And the three gamers who solved the quest that opened the real world to the monsters take it upon themselves to battle the creatures.

I liked it. Besides monster fighting, it was filled with looks at our gamer’s lives. While I am years past the lessons they are talking about, I can certainly relate. It’s a fun show, and I intend to add it to my DVR queue.

And of course who can forget the Power Rangers when talking about programming for young teens. My daughters loved the show when they were little, and in its various incarnations is still going strong to this day. And while there are adults that follow the franchise, it’s the earliest episodes they remember the most fondly, cheesy they may be.

And that is the run of course. Kids programming is regarded as cheesy and unsophisticated and not worth the time of adults. Even the Fox series “Terra Nova” took a lot of heat from viewers because of its family-friendly nature. But while it may not be your cup of tea, it may be the inspiration for a young person, may create something amazing because shows like this were available for him or her.

Plus, sometimes watching kids programming allows me to slip back into my youth, awakening memories of the shows aired in my younger days. And what can ever be wrong with that?

Any questions or comments regarding this article, or if you have any memories of the kid shows of your youth, please feel free to comment.