Top Of The Pops is a prime example. For 40 years it was a staple part of the British TV diet, as reliable a dish as chips, peas and gravy, as much part of the household contents as the salt and pepper pot.
And now it's gone.
Suddenly, ashen-faced "fashionable" dads are scratching their heads as they wonder where else they can find a pocket-sized slice of contemporary culture to fill them in on the shifting tides of popular music.
If only they'd written to their MPs when it was moved from Thursday to Friday night. If only they'd dressed up as Superman and picketed the House of Commons when they finished the poor programme off by sending it to the gulag that is BBC2 on a Sunday night.
You might find it hard to believe, but the mighty 4x4 now faces the prospect of going the same way as Pan's People and Legs 'n' Co.
According to industry figures, sales of 4x4 off-road vehicles have dipped for the first time in years, suggesting the public is becoming disenchanted with the costly vehicles which have been widely criticised for their impact on the environment.
The figures reveal a mere 105,196 new off-roaders were sold in the first seven months of 2006, compared with 106,732 in the same period last year. Sales in July 2005 were 12,744 while this July they were 12,336.
Granted, most people who buy an off-roader will never use it anywhere more muddy than a country lane.
In most cases, 4 x4s are a little bit like Dave Lee Travis: big and pointless.
But you know what? I'd wager that even people with Green Party stickers on their wheelie bins have started to appreciate the rugged Tonka curves of modern mud-pluggers.
Whinge
They moan about the petrol they use, they whinge about the fact that they take up a few extra centimetres of road space, but they'll certainly miss them when they've gone.
Thankfully, like Top Of The Pops 2, which survives on a BBC satellite channel, there is a third way.
The new Suzuki SX4 has the trendy, rugged look of a four-wheel drive monster, but serves them up in a bite-sized morsel which isn't going to overly offend the lentil eaters.
To get some idea of its scale, the SX4 is based on the same platform as the Suzuki Swift.
There are five models in the line-up, with prices ranging from £9,999 to £12,799.
Rather than gas-guzzling V8s, four of the five are powered by a 1.6litre petrol engine. If diesel is music to your ears, a Fiat-sourced 1.9DDi is also available.
Only one of the range offers selective four-wheel drive - the 1.6litre GLX 4GRIP 5-speed manual. Given that it's slower, more expensive and pretty pointless to boot, I'd probably avoid it unless you happen to live up a muddy track.
Interior materials are pretty good, and the car I tested (the GLX) was fairly well appointed with (optional) air conditioning, fully electric windows and a decent cloth on the seats.
As you'd expect for a car designed to emulate an SUV, the SX4 boasts numerous bottle holders, while the rear seats split 60:40.
It is designed to carry five passengers and their luggage, but I'd say that it's probably better suited to four people and a couple of overnight bags.
The 1.6litre engine isn't overly powerful and the driving dynamics didn't feel as tight and sporty as the Swift.
But then you've probably bought this car for its fun and funky looks rather than its functionality.
And when off-roaders are finally given the Top Of The Pops treatment, experts will be able to point out the SX4 and say: "I've no idea why they built them{hellip} but they looked a little bit like that."
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