With the new golden age of television fiercely competing with major motion pictures for our time, it’s never been more important to be able to keep track of your favorite TV shows. Responding to this uptick in the popularity of TV, Google will now include listings of television episodes and on-air dates in its search results.
Now by simply entering the name of the program, followed by the term “tv show,” users can get the show’s current schedule, season number and the episode number of each episode.
See also: 20 Searches Made Ridiculous by Google Autocomplete
This new data will be displayed alongside the existing information in Google’s database that already details a show’s network, cast, theme song and main characters.
The change also extends to TV shows no longer in production. For example, if you search for the recently concluded television show Dexter, the results will show you the dates of the first and final episodes of the show to give you an immediate snapshot of the show’s relative lifespan.
Google's update represents a subtle shift that pushes the search engine closer toward direct competition with content brands like TV Guide and IMDb, two resources viewers have come to rely on for up-to-date information on their favorite television programs.
So while additional search result data offers a convenient alternative for television fans, the update presents yet another challenge for traditional content companies closely tied to the television business.
BONUS: 20 Searches Made Ridiculous by Google Autocomplete 
Enter "Google Gravity" in the search bar. Hit "I'm feeling lucky" (if you have Google Instant enabled, it's on the right hand side of the suggested searches). Then watch your world fall down.
Simply search for the word "askew." We dare you not to tilt your head.
Search for the Walker Texas Ranger star, hit I'm Feeling Lucky, and Google will school you in Norrisology.
Searching for ASCII art -- the kind built out of characters -- is about the nerdiest thing you can do. Google salutes you with a special logo.
Here's one for word nerds and philosophy majors. Search for "recursion" and Google asks "did you mean recursion?"
This one started life as an April Fool's joke, but is still around at google.com/mentalplex. Baffle your less Internet-savvy family and friends!
The Google doodle that launched a thousand lost hours of productivity will live forever at google.com/pacman.
Here's where Google easter eggs start to get a little more complex. Go to Google Reader, then use your cursor keys thus: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A. A ninja then pops onto your screen and into your search box. Thankfully, this still works in the new version of Google Reader.
Set your iGoogle homepage to the beach theme. Wait until 3:14am (or if you can't, just move your clock forward). What monster this way comes? Could we be on the shores of Loch Ness?
This one began life as an easter egg, and became so well-loved that Google incorporated it as a feature in Google Earth. Click on Tools > Enter Flight Simulator, and you're off and flying around the planet. Bon voyage!
Image: Flickr, Vince Smith