Everybody loves lists, even MENSA members.
Jim Werdell, the chairman of the brainy group, has picked what he considers the ten smartest TV shows of all-time. While some of the shows are no-brainers (ha!), I'm not quite sure why he picks some of the shows he does. The full list is after the jump, along with my suggestions for other shows that should be there.
I mean, seriously...Mad About You?!
1. M*A*S*H
2. Cosmos
3. CSI
4. House
5. The West Wing
6. Boston Legal
7. All in the Family
8. Frasier
9. Mad About You
10. Jeopardy!
OK, right off the bat, I can say that I don't really have a problem with M*A*S*H, Cosmos, The West Wing, and Jeopardy being on the list (though I wonder if we could put a lot of other science/education shows in the Cosmos spot). My main dispute is with Mad About You. It had some great episodes and some great seasons, but they put this above The Dick Van Dyke Show, Seinfeld, Arrested Development, and even Everybody Loves Raymond? As for the other shows, I can't really speak about Boston Legal since I haven't watched it enough to make a judgment (though I wonder if the MENSA Chair has watched enough TV to say this is smarter than other dramas in TV history). If you're going to pick a game show, then Jeopardy is the right one to pick I guess, but there's no way that CSI is a smarter show than Columbo. And no Simpsons or science fiction shows?? No Lost or Twilight Zone?
There are so many examples of shows I could pick that should be on that list but I don't think TV Squad has enough space. What would you put on the list (and take off)?
[via Ken Levine]
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NBC's Kings panel - Comic-Con Report
The Dharma Initiative wants you - VIDEO - Comic-Con Report
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
2-18-2008 @ 9:26AM
Jimmy said...
Frasier was the "smartest" comedy I've ever seen. I don't understand why Mad About You is on there -- because it was about Yuppies who lived on the Upper West Side?
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2-18-2008 @ 9:39AM
Thomas said...
What tosh.
S, M, R, T morelike.
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2-18-2008 @ 9:43AM
Finkenwalde said...
What about the Sopranos? Or The Wire? They represent the very best (and yes the most intelligent) that TV has to offer. And Bob, you are comparing the intelligence of Everybody Loves Raymond and Arrested Development? Really? Or was that a joke like Mad About You?
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2-18-2008 @ 9:48AM
Vito said...
Oh, I can tell you exactly why he picked shows that seem kinda dumb. Because (a) MENSA is an organization built around smart people who are tired of trying to relate to us plebes and (b) being super smart in a particular field does not imply good taste.
OK, maybe only the second one is applicable, but seriously... anyone who flouts their membership in MENSA is almost guaranteed to be a jerk.
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2-20-2008 @ 6:11AM
Scorpio7 said...
Your comments certainly give evidence to the fact that YOU could never qualify for MENSA membership.
2-20-2008 @ 1:08AM
Vito said...
The hell I couldn't. And I mean that seriously, though I don't like to wave intellect around like a prize. High IQ doesn't predicate high intelligence. And it certainly isn't a sign of being able to judge art.
But beyond that, every person I've ever known who said they were in MENSA were completely full of themselves and actually not nearly as bright as they thought they were. And the quickest minds I've ever met were not MENSA members, because they didn't need credentials to know they were smart.
2-20-2008 @ 6:11AM
Scorpio7 said...
I doubt that you possess enough of an IQ, to walk upright.
2-20-2008 @ 6:16AM
Vito said...
I thank you for demonstrating my own point. Why don't you post your own list of shows to demonstrate your own superiority?
2-20-2008 @ 6:36AM
Scorpio7 said...
You are assuming that I am a MENSA member, but I have not stated such, because I wouldn't need to proclaim that to the public.
Your statements resemble those made by KKK members against blacks, in that you choose to paint all MENSANS with the same broad brush.
That attitude supplies proof that you have a LOW IQ, LOW self-esteem, and an "inferiority complex."
I doubt that you even KNOW a member of MENSA, or anything about the organization that you so blithely trash.
2-20-2008 @ 6:58AM
Vito said...
Actually, painting the people who decide to join a club the same color works remarkably well. A better analogy would be painting all members of the KKK with the same brush, though still a really offensive analogy to make.
2-18-2008 @ 9:54AM
kip said...
just because you are in MENSA does not mean you are intelligent or smart. It means you have low self esteem and need to belong to a group in order to be recognized.
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2-20-2008 @ 6:11AM
Scorpio7 said...
ANOTHER non-member heard from.
2-18-2008 @ 9:56AM
Sam said...
No Win Ben Stein's Money = FAIL
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2-18-2008 @ 10:12AM
Adam P said...
One point of debate is if Boston Legal is a drama. I don't think it is. It is a comedy with dramatic moments, though the producers may desire it to be the other way around.
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2-18-2008 @ 11:09AM
Ryan said...
You mean Big Brother is NOT on this list? I'm SHOCKED, shocked I say!
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2-18-2008 @ 11:09AM
sitruc said...
CSI and House are two of the dumbest shows in their genres.
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2-18-2008 @ 11:23AM
Jon said...
How in the blue hell does Futurama not rate?
A show with its own written alien language that the fans broke is impressive enough. But what about when the creators make another, more challenging language for the fans to translate, just for fun?
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2-18-2008 @ 11:29AM
Ryan said...
Oh yeah, and this list is oddly lacking any sci-fi/fantasty types of shows. What is up with that?
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2-18-2008 @ 12:11PM
Amber said...
That Babylon Five is not on the list is a travesty. Or, say, Battlestar Galactica (which is not only awesome, but is also really topical). I'm sensing some comprises happened when that list was being made. And perhaps some 'being in the head really hard'.
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2-18-2008 @ 12:11PM
chadwick said...
Dude Fraggle Rock?
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