When did death become "family friendly?"

There it is again.  A happy ending.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for happy endings.  I love them.  And since this is a self-proclaimed "family friendly" show, it's guaranteed to have a happy ending.  It's all "go to school, save the world from an alien menace, be back in time for dinner" and that's great!  Really, it is.  There are some things, however, I wish were just the tiniest bit different.  I'll start with the more important one.
People die.
It's always the enemy, of course.  Always the misguided person who has a twisted idea to save the universe (in this case, by stopping death, which, as we all know, is incredibly stupid) but, by completing said plan, would actually destroy the universe.  And, now, all they need is a time-traveling machine, which the protagonists just so happen to have.  So, our poor, misguided villain devises a plan and sets a trap to get said Time-Travel Machine, fails miserably, and dies.  In this case, one of them died after asking for help.  Of course, it was really all the villain's fault (they had set up some thing which could possibly explode, sealed all exists, and then, when the thing exploded, died).  But it was slightly possible for the protagonists to help.  Sort of.  Granted, there wasn't much they could do.  Most of them were trapped outside, and the few who were inside were busy seeking shelter, but still.  It would have taken a second.  There was plenty of room.  This one person, asking for help, could have lived.
When did death become "family friendly?"
It just doesn't make sense.
Call me old fashioned, but I'd prefer my (as-of-yet-non-existent) kids to learn about the way the world really is.  You don't just kill someone and walk away into the sunset.  The world doesn't work like that.
And, really, what happened to those cliche "everything works out fine and we live happily-ever-after" endings that drive the inner cynic in us insane but kids love?  I'd much prefer my kids (although I don't have any at the moment) to see that.  If we're going to lie to our kids, at least let us do so in a way that will give them hope.
Don't we owe them that?


The other thing that bugged me, for those of you who were wondering, was that the main character had a genetically-enhanced genius son.  Now, this is a show about aliens, time-travel, and other sci-fi goodness (including a robot dog.  No joke), but why does he have to be Genetically-Enhanced genius?  Why not just a normal genius (even though that's an oxymoron)?
The answer probably lies in the fact that when we first meet the main character (in a different show in the same universe.  Her show is a spin-off), she is un-married and childless.  Then, a year later, she has a teenage son.  Some genetic manipulation with other sci-fi reality-bending awesomeness had to have gone on.
But still.  It bugs me.