BBC America is so bipolar. They should be a flagship channel for an entire Brit channel package. Keep your hip drivel on BBCA, but have a retro or classic and historical network for the old school proper stuff.
I know SyFy will have less numbers, but I think more people will find Merlin if its with like programming. With all these repeats on Bravo and USA, too, I'm wondering why NBC didn't do this in the first place? Give it a prime time slot, but promo and repeat the heck out of it on the rest of your networks.
I don't really like all out spoilers, but even if you know your Arthurian history, its neat to see the way Merlin may use or newly use traditional myths in different ways.
If Hirst's isn't contemporary, who's is? I thought someone was doing a 'modern' Arthur? Is that Guy Ritchie? Why is Camelot so popular again? I doubt its from a massive return to teens reading Mallory.