Or more appropriately, Jim Werdell, chairman of Mensa International, selected the shows after being posed the question by Fancast.com.
I hope it's, y'know, ok to cut n' paste the summary of Werdell's thoughts below. I find it rather lacklustre, in particular the inclusion of CSI -- fine acting and great production value, but as my PhD-candidate biochemist partner likes to remind me, the "science" in that show is laughable at best. I think it was more an off-the-cuff list rather than something he gave any real consideration to. Anyway:
1. "M*A*S*H" – It had smart repartee and was so much more than a comedy. 2. "Cosmos" (with Carl Sagan) – Sagan was able to communicate something extremely complicated to the layman and do it well, and that’s unusual for a scientist at his level. 3. "CSI" — The way they use science to solve their programs is intriguing to viewers. 4. "House" – Again, it’s high level type of show; it’s the personality that makes it a winner, plus it deals with science. 5. "West Wing" – You had to pay attention to stay up with it. The repartee was fast and furious and you needed a fairly high level intelligence to keep up with it. 6. "Boston Legal" – It’s primarily because of the characters. The story lines are okay, but the characters are incredible and the writers give them great dialogue. 7. "All in the Family" – The show dealt with social issues before its time and was on the forefront of trying to show people’s feelings, beliefs and the complexities of personality, in both a serious and comedic way. 8. "Frasier" – The repartee was sensational; the main characters were very good. Even though they portrayed people who were likely of high intelligence, they also showed their weaknesses. 9. "Mad About You" – It’s a personal favorite, I loved the characters and the back and forth. It was very smart. 10. "Jeopardy" – It’s about the only game show that really tries to test people’s intelligence. There’s very little luck involved, and there are few game shows like that. I don’t watch it all that much honestly, but from what I’ve seen it tests more than knowledge, it tests intelligence too.
You mentioned how the science on CSI is not all that....there's a site that examines the medicine used on House and how accurate it is. It's an interesting read to go hand-in-hand with the episode:
Why do I have the impression that this is the list of "the smartest shows that are still manageable by the *average* viewer"? This list feels really condescending.
I'm right on side with him on M*A*S*H, CSI (Las Vegas and New York, anyway), House, West Wing, All in the Family, and Frasier. I'd probably add Oz and Six Feet Under and the better episodes of the X-Files to that list.
Originally posted by tarnish QI (bbc.co.uk) - Highbrow, lowbrow, and hilarious; I just wish more different folks appeared on it.
Thank you--that is the exact show I thought of when I saw that list. I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one :-) QI is threatening to overcome House as my favorite show!
Originally posted by CerebusMAD ABOUT YOU? Is that a joke?
That fucking show made me feel retarded anytime I was too lazy to change the channel. There wasn't anything 'Smart' about it.
During the second and third seasons it was one of the best comedies on television. "Bing Bang Boom" and "Our Fifteen Minutes" are just fabulous half-hours of television.
That said, the first and fourth seasons were just your average good sitcom and the last three seasons were utter crap.
Plus Ben Stein was awesome. Alex is great, but Ben Stein is awesome. I loved watching that show.
Cena can't be beat because he's some unholy genetic recombinate of superstars past. I mean, you might as well call him John "Realest of the Real, Sargent Rock - Cold - A - Mania" Cena.
Originally posted by geemoneyYou mentioned how the science on CSI is not all that....there's a site that examines the medicine used on House and how accurate it is. It's an interesting read to go hand-in-hand with the episode:
Thanks. That's a pretty cool site. Big fan of House and always wondered how the medicine stacked up.
I'd third the mentioning of QI. It's repeated almost ad nauseum on one of the channels over here, but I still love it.
For completely different reasons I'd maybe find a place for The Wire. Not 'bookish/scientific' clever, but it's brilliantly written, and one of the few shows out there that doesn't smack you across the face with the writers' black and white view of morality, instead relying on the intelligence and maturity of the viewer to make up their own mind.
I guess a case could be made for University challenge (BBC) but the questions on that are so insanely difficult I find it unwatchable. Either that or I'm just too criminally stupid to know the answers, but I prefer to blame the questions.
Originally posted by CRZBBC America wouldn't be able to show it without covering half the screen with bugs.
Yes, *sigh* believe me I have thought of that. I guess maybe we could hope it was run on a different channel a la some of the other British shows, but if they made it American I am not sure I could stomach it. Especially if they took away Fry and Davies.
Welcome home, men of the 2nd Bn, 127th Inf, 32d "Red Arrow" Brigade, WI Army Nat'l Guard! Good luck to those down south.
Speaking of "CSI," I've heard prosecutors b*tching about that whole franchise...people watching all that whiz-bang wrap-it-up-neatly-in-an-hour science are also potential jurors.
So when those folks are on a real jury, and actual forensic evidence is presented...and it turns out not to be a slam-dunk like on the pretty TV show, and they actually have to draw their own conclusions, they sometimes find for the defense...because the prosecutors' evidence wasn't CSI-level oh-wow pretty.
Originally posted by The ThrillSpeaking of "CSI," I've heard prosecutors b*tching about that whole franchise...people watching all that whiz-bang wrap-it-up-neatly-in-an-hour science are also potential jurors.
So when those folks are on a real jury, and actual forensic evidence is presented...and it turns out not to be a slam-dunk like on the pretty TV show, and they actually have to draw their own conclusions, they sometimes find for the defense...because the prosecutors' evidence wasn't CSI-level oh-wow pretty.
Gotta love the faux Atari 2600 video game screen shot on the back cover. What's this?!? The back of the Blu-ray box says "Bonus Music CD Included". Hmmmm...
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