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Mensa Chairman picks ten smartest shows of all time

nlatimernlatimer
edited February 2008 in Everything Else
I am simply going to love to hear what all of you have to say about this.

The list is laughable alone from its exclusion of Arrested Development, but the things he includes proves that watching television makes you stupid.

My top ten is:
1. Arrested Development
2. Titus
3. Firefly
4. The Adventures of Pete and Pete
5. Daria
6. Win Ben Stein's Money
7. The Daily Show
8. Star Trek: The Next Generation
9. Monty Python's Flying Circus
10. Scrubs

Comments

  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    House > Scrubs, in terms of a show being smart.

    For example, I watched an episode of Scrubs where a character had to tend to a room of four doctors. One of the doctors had diagnosed himself as having "viral gastroenteritis" and told the guy to "just culture me for Strep pneumo" (referring to Streptococcus pneumoniae. There are two things wrong with that statement: 1. S.pneumo is a BACTERIA, not a VIRUS, and 2. S.pneumo extremely rarely (if at all) causes ANY sort of gastroenteritis.

    House never makes that sort of mistake.

    Except for leaving out AD, I agree with most of that list.
  • ChrisChris
    House ftw.

    That list is pretty good. I'm sure if I sat down and went through lists of TV shows I could find something else. In fact I'm positive I could even without the list but most of those would definitely be somewhere in a top 20-30 range if not top 10
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    edited February 2008
    1. Masterpiece Theatre (I know they call it just Masterpiece now, but I'll always know it as Masterpiece Theatre)
    2. Nova
    3. Nature
    4. American Experience
    5. The NewsHour
    6. Washington Week
    7. The Paper Chase
    8. The Tudors Frontline
    9. The McLaughlin Group
    10. Meeting of the Minds
    Post edited by HungryJoe on
  • nlatimernlatimer
    edited February 2008
    I watched an episode of Scrubs where a character had to tend to a room of four doctors. One of the doctors had diagnosed himself as having "viral gastroenteritis" and told the guy to "just culture me for Strep pneumo" (referring toStreptococcus pneumoniae. There are two things wrong with that statement: 1. S.pneumo is a BACTERIA, not a VIRUS, and 2. S.pneumo extremely rarely (if at all) causes ANY sort of gastroenteritis.
    If I recall correctly the whole point of misdiagnosing themselves was to mess with J.D. as they were doing throughout the episode. I also don't equate intelligent or smartest with being factually accurate. They should make you think, and procedural shows, that essentially follow the Power Rangers model really don't.

    A typical episode of House
    Oh shit problem
    Do this standard thing
    Worked for a minute, but not really
    Oh shit again
    Hmmm, ok, try this thing that is more obscure
    Still didn't work - problem is getting worse
    Do this thing that only the smartest doctors in the world know
    It worked

    A typical episode of Power Rangers
    Oh shit problem
    Do this standard thing
    Well got rid of the putties but something is still wrong
    Oh shit monster
    Shoot it with our blasters
    Didn't work - monster grew
    Call the Megazord
    It worked

    Don't get me wrong, I like House, but the weekly plots are really just window dressing for the character drama.
    Post edited by nlatimer on
  • AprecheApreche
    1.Masterpiece Theatre(I know they call it justMasterpiecenow, but I'll always know it asMasterpiece Theatre)
    2.Nova
    3.Nature
    4.American Experience
    5.The NewsHour
    6.Washington Week
    7.The Paper Chase
    8.The Tudors
    9.The McLaughlin Group
    10.Meeting of the Minds
    Yeah, this is pretty much what I was going to say. Except you can replace Masterpiece Theatre with Monsterpiece Theatre.
  • ChrisChris
    You're right House is a lot like Power Rangers, among many other shows. In my opinion it's one of the "Smartest" shows due to it's characters and script. I don't give a rats ass if someone has Lupus, but the banter between characters is entertaining and mostly intelligent.
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    edited February 2008
    Yeah, this is pretty much what I was going to say. Except you can replace Masterpiece Theatre with Monsterpiece Theatre.
    Actually, replace The Tudors with Frontline.
    Post edited by HungryJoe on
  • AndrewAndrew
    edited February 2008
    Yeah, this is pretty much what I was going to say. Except you can replace Masterpiece Theatre with Monsterpiece Theatre.
    No Carl Sagan's Cosmos? What about any of Ken Burn's documentaries? I don't think you can limit this list to ten, nor can you lump all genre's into a single category.
    Post edited by Andrew on
  • SailSail
    I've always been quite dubious of the legitimacy of Mensa.
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    edited February 2008
    Yeah, this is pretty much what I was going to say. Except you can replace Masterpiece Theatre with Monsterpiece Theatre.
    No Carl Sagan's Cosmos? What about any of the Ken Burn's documentaries? I don't think you can limit this list to ten, nor can you lump all genre's into a single category.
    I don't think the Ken Burns docs and Cosmos fit the defintion of "shows" for the purposes of the list. I think the list is meant to only include continuing series. If they did fit the definition, I would add The Ascent of Man and Connections.
    Post edited by HungryJoe on
  • Linkigi(Link-ee-jee)Linkigi(Link-ee-jee)
    Did anyone else ever watch Sheep in the Big City on Cartoon Network, back during the one or two seasons when it was on? That was probably one of the "smartest" kid's shows I've ever watched, especially because there was a lot of wordplay and subtle humor. I really wish they hadn't cancelled it...
  • VigaViga
    Did anyone else ever watchSheep in the Big Cityon Cartoon Network, back during the one or two seasons when it was on? That was probably one of the "smartest" kid's shows I've ever watched, especially because there was a lot of wordplay and subtle humor. I really wish they hadn't cancelled it...
    That show was great but I never thought it should belong there because for that fact. I don't think it should be top ten on the list though. Top 25 yeah.
  • am_dragonam_dragon
    edited February 2008
    I subscribe to the theory that "top 10" lists are just bait to drive traffic. Most don't need any basis in fact, and can be pure opinion. That being said, MXC is the smartest show ever.
    Post edited by am_dragon on
  • VigaViga
    MXC is the smartest show ever.
    DON'T GET ELIMINATED!
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    It might be obvious to say The Simpsons, but I've never heard a prime-time, network TV show even mention Troilus and Cressida much less make a joke of it before this season on The Simpsons.
  • Li_AkahiLi_Akahi
    I will give it to the chairmen, Boston Legal is brilliant, but there are so many other TV shows that could make up that list. I agree with the commentary below that The Twilight Zone should have been on there.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    If you want something to really get you thinking try "University Challenge". My best score was three questions.
  • KieyKiey
    I would include Sports Nights, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Good Eats to the list.
  • WallyBmanWallyBman
    Sports Nights, FTW!
  • Li_AkahiLi_Akahi
    I would include Sports Nights, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Good Eats to the list.
    I completely forgot about Studio 60!(Of course, so did the rest of America...) I loved that show!
  • whateverwhatever
    edited February 2008
    I am simply going to love to hear what all of you have to say aboutthis.

    The list is laughable alone from its exclusion of Arrested Development, but the things he includes proves that watching television makes you stupid.

    My top ten is:
    1. Arrested Development
    2. Titus
    3. Firefly
    4. The Adventures of Pete and Pete
    5. Daria
    6. Win Ben Stein's Money
    7. The Daily Show
    8. Star Trek: The Next Generation
    9. Monty Python's Flying Circus
    10. Scrubs
    This post lacks Conan O'Brien and Twin Peaks.
    Post edited by whatever on
  • KieyKiey
    I would include Sports Nights, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Good Eats to the list.
    I completely forgot about Studio 60!(Of course, so did the rest of America...) I loved that show!
    Yeah, that show was brilliant. I don't think I've ever been sold on a show so quickly. By the title screen of the first episode I knew the show was going to be great, too bad no one watched it. But it will live on forever in my DVD collection.
  • nlatimernlatimer
    edited February 2008
    I will give it to the chairmen, Boston Legal is brilliant, but there are so many other TV shows that could make up that list. I agree with the commentary below that The Twilight Zone should have been on there.
    I enjoyed alot of the Boston Legal I saw from the earlier seasons, yet I saw one last week and it was essentially Melrose Place in a law firm with more mental illness.

    Basically give me a list of Denny's one liners then the balcony scenes and I'll leave the rest.
    I would include Sports Nights, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Good Eats to the list.
    I like Sports Night, alot, I wish it had continued. Yet I feel as if it was extremely clever and only aspiring to be intelligent and just fell slightly short.
    Post edited by nlatimer on
  • zombie a gogozombie a gogo
    Shouldn't DS9 be on that list before NG?
  • nlatimernlatimer
    Shouldn't DS9 be on that list before NG?
    Not on mine.
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