Let's face facts: all of the people looking at this blog entry were probably some form of dork when he or she was younger. It's a matter of time; hours and hours spent in front of the TV didn't leave us much time to develop our social skills. It didn't matter whether we were the shy reserved type of nerd or the full-blown, tape-on-the-glasses geek, we all watched the pretty people on the screen and wished we had it as easy as they did.That's why we love TV nerds. They were only characters on our favorite shows who were the most like us. They weren't smooth talkers or good dressers, they were clumsy, and they almost never got the girl (although most TV nerds were luckier in love than we were, giving all of us false hope that the head cheerleader would change her opinion if she was just able to see how funny we were....).
But, as in real life, there were some TV nerds that were dorkier than others. These are the ones that even I would have shunned from my lunch table, at least until I felt guilty enough to ask them back:
- Steve Urkel - He went from bit player to breakout star within the first season of Family Matters, and for good reason. Urkel was irritating as hell, with his high-waisted pants, big glasses, and a penchant for destroying the Winslow's property and generally making their lives miserable. He even had a catchphrase: "Did I do that?" But, like most TV nerds, he would soon cross over from nuisance to "endearingly quirky", mainly because of his loyalty to both "Big guy" Carl and his son Eddie. Oh, and he constantly tried to get together with Laura, despite nine years of eye rolls. There's something to be admired in his persistence.
- Samuel "Screech" Powers - Didn't think Screech had a first or last name, huh? Well, he did, and he was the one everyone rooted for on Saved By The Bell. Screech was a different kind of nerd; no glasses or black shoes with white socks, just a funny voice, colorful clothes, and a wicked Jewfro. The fact that he hung out with cool guys Zach and Slater never seemed to help him with the ladies, especially Lisa Turtle, whom he pursued with an Urkel-like zeal for many many years. At least Urkel got a little off Laura at the end of their show; all poor Screech got from Lisa was insults.
- Arvid Engen - In 1988, I was in an AP history class that pretty much was a real-life clone of Head of the Class. Guess who everyone called Arvid? So, as you might imagine, I had a particular affection for the guy. He was a TV nerd that wasn't completely over the top; he wore big glasses and a pocket protector, but he was a nice guy who was just a bit clumsy. I always rooted for the guy each and every week, especially when he gently went after, and eventually won over, popular beauty Lori Applebaum. I mean, why not? If Arvid could get Lori, I could get Tracy, the smartest girl in my class. It was possible, I tell you!
- Cliff Clavin - Cliffie is the best example of those nerdy teenagers who never grew out of their discomfort. The Cheers mailman is middle-aged, lives with his mom, and insecurely spews his misinformed knowledge whenever he gets a chance. Heck, he still wears the high pants with the white socks! Fittingly, the only time Cliff was speechless was when he was in front of a woman, which even the dorkiest of us get over.... eventually.
- Carlton Banks - He was the perfect counterpoint to Will Smith's friendly hip-hop persona on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Carlton was short. He tied sweaters around his neck. He liked showtunes and Tom Jones. He danced like he was having a seizure (IMDB noted that the "Carlton Dance" was modeled after Courtney Cox' dance in Bruce Springsteen's video for "Dancing in the Dark"). Will tried to set him straight, but Carlton always stayed entrenched in his preppy ways. At least he was rich, right?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
11-10-2005 @ 8:14AM
mattjh said...
It was actually Lisa Turtle, not Little, whom Screech persued on Saved By The Bell. Guess I'm a nerd too for knowing that...
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11-10-2005 @ 8:30AM
Joel Keller said...
You're right. That's what happens when you do some late-night writing. It's been corrected.
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11-10-2005 @ 9:04AM
Dan said...
Don't forget Paul from The Wonder Years, he was quite geeky.
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11-10-2005 @ 9:06AM
Stephen said...
Paul Pfieffer on the Wonder Years was pretty nerdy. But not over-the-top nerdy like Urkel. More like someone you probably knew nerdy.
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11-10-2005 @ 3:31PM
fazed said...
Paul Pfieffer was the most realistic nerd on TV!
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11-10-2005 @ 9:47AM
Lis said...
What, not a single female geek in the list?
How about Patty Greene, the lead character in the 1980s series Square Pegs and played by Sarah Jessica Parker?
Or, from Head of the Class, the 12-year-old who had skipped grades into high school?
Come on. You gotta do a followup...
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11-10-2005 @ 10:16AM
Joel Keller said...
I forgot about Paul Pfeiffer! Yeah, he was pretty nerdy, but a normal, everyday nerdy. More like Arvid. I should have put him ahead of Carlton; but then if I did, you wouldn't have found out about the orgin of the "Carlton Dance"... man, this list-making job is tough.
Janice on Head of the Class was kind of a bit player, wasn't she? Since she was so young, she didn't have the usual teenage storylines (crushes, mainly) the others had. I probably would have listed Dennis Blundin over Janice.
And SJP's character from Square Pegs... interesting one. I barely remember the show... was she that nerdy, or just a smart cute girl in huge '80s glasses?
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11-10-2005 @ 10:33AM
Sugar said...
SJP was like a super nerd, trying like totally hard and everything to like not be nerdy and fit in with the cool kids, like at all. Hey...is that what they meant by that totally lame title for the show? Like she was a peg and like the cool kids were like holes or something?
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11-10-2005 @ 11:28AM
mattjh said...
So who is the nerd pictured above. I though it was Paul Pfieffer from the Wonder Years as he fits my very vague memory of that character.
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11-10-2005 @ 11:42AM
Dr.Funbags said...
Thats Arrvid!!!
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11-10-2005 @ 11:53AM
Anna said...
I'd replace Screech with Millhouse from The Simpsons. Or... what about Comic Book Store Guy? Tough decision.
Good list!
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11-10-2005 @ 12:11PM
wassily said...
I'll add an honerable mention for Willow from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in her pre-lesbian high school years. She was shy, had the dorkiest outfits and a real zeal for book learning.
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11-10-2005 @ 12:42PM
Brent McKee said...
If you want to know the absolute truth, the geekiest character I ever saw on TV wasn't a fictional character - at least I don't think he was. He's a guy named Richard Rubin and he was on the reality series "Beauty and the Geek" ast summer. This guy was so socially inept that even the other geeks on the show thought he was a geek. The reason I say that I'm not sure whether he was a fictional character is that I found out from his IMDB biography that he did high school dramatics, so he may have beent he one "punking" series producer Ashton Kutcher, and the Geek on the show may have at least partially been an act.
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11-10-2005 @ 12:56PM
Joel Keller said...
Richard was both my favotite and least-favorite part of Beauty and the Geek. He had the most personality, but I think he "acted out" a little too much in order to get attention. I did root for him to win, though.
I wonder how much of Richard's antics were set up by the producers? Like the "brownnosing" bit where he put chocolate on his nose and sucked up to the immune pair so he wouldn't get picked for the elimination quiz? There were some other instances that looked set up on that show, but that one was the most obvious-looking.
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11-10-2005 @ 1:27PM
Jen said...
You forgot my favorite nerd! Bill, from "Freaks and Geeks." Dry sense of humor and a good heart.
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11-10-2005 @ 1:38PM
Rachel said...
Jen definitely deserves a star for that. When Bill dressed up as the Bionic Woman for Halloween... greatest nerd moment ever.
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11-10-2005 @ 1:49PM
mattjh said...
A took a look at Head Of Class and Arvid on IMDB, and it seems that the guy was at least 26 when the series began.
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11-10-2005 @ 1:51PM
Eric J said...
Boz from Riptide.
How about Barclay from ST:TNG?
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11-10-2005 @ 3:31PM
Tenken said...
The geek triad of Sam, Neal, and Bill from Freaks and Geeks are worth mentioning as well. The only problem is not as many people know about them, a shame for one of the best high school series ever.
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11-10-2005 @ 3:43PM
fazed said...
I liked Screech better when the show first started. He has just a cute little geek then. Didn't use that fake voice yet either. They took him a little far..
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