we *can't* rip out and stomp on the roots of it without destroying a lot of healthy and normal things

Which is the same reason you'll never stop crime of any kind. The price you'd have to pay to do it wouldn't be worth it.

I'm with you on the 'excess character disease' too. A really good writer can actually make it work, but most of the people writing for TV aren't really good writers, and the ones that are are sharing duties with a bunch of others, not in control of the whole show.