Top 10 TV Shows according to Mensa

I guess this explains why I hated Mad About You with such a passion. It was simply too brilliant for me to get. And here I thought it was a lame Seinfeld knock-off.

Only dumb people watch TV.

I love Jeopardy, and agree with the assesment that Arrested Development should trump Mad about You.

Before I even clicked I thought M*A*S*H should be number one. But Mad About You??

In a related story, Tinkie Winkie was just arrested for carrying a pipe bomb hidden in a red bag into Mensa headquarters.

QI didn't place.

Hence the list is bollocks.

QED

Mensa list

1. M*A*S*H (no argument here)
2. Cosmos (haven't seen it)
3. CSI (I suppose)
4. House (No problem)
5. The West Wing (I suppose)
6. Boston Legal (No Problem)
7. All in the Family (I suppose taking into account the era it was made in)
8. Frasier (No, much better out there)
9. Mad About You (No, much better out there)
10. Jeopardy! (I suppose)

They need to add, The Wire. Best crime drama ever.

and III, you're killing me.

.

Some of my favorite shows were on that list.

House, Frasier--very smart shows.

And I liked Mad About You.

Too heavily weighted towards comedy IMHO ... it's a very subjective area anyway. Personally I would have had The Ascent of Man, Life on Earth, Twin Peaks and Monty Python on there

Willie

I agree with the majority of that list.

1. M*A*S*H (brilliantly funny)
2. Cosmos (just brilliant)
3. CSI (are you kidding? maybe the first few seasons, but they take far too many liberties with the facts and rely too heavily on grossing you out ... mind you, the original premise showcases science and cognitive reasoning, so that's a big plus for putting it on this list)
4. House (yes and no -- some great writing in the early seasons, but I quickly got sick of how they expect us to believe a doctor could behave the way he does and still have a job, let alone not be in jail)
5. The West Wing (superb show, start to finish)
6. Boston Legal (hilarious and smart)
7. All in the Family (extraordinary for the time, it changed TV for the better)
8. Frasier (one of the funniest, smartest sitcoms ever)
9. Mad About You (I enjoyed it, thought it was funny and smart too, but was it good enough to make this list? I dunno.)
10. Jeopardy! (best quiz show ever, it relies entirely on the contestant having a brain)

Reading through the comments over there just reinforces that there's no accounting for taste. What one unarguably intelligent person thinks is brilliant, another thinks is utter dross. Look how popular LOST is, and I think it's dumb.

Okay, so maybe one could argue that I'm not unarguably intelligent.

I want to know how the list-makers define "smartest TV show."

Seriously. 'Cuz those shows are so different from each other in style, content, audience and length that I can't begin to compare them (except to say that The West Wing should be much higher on that list).

ChaosTitan said:

I want to know how the list-makers define "smartest TV show."

Seriously. 'Cuz those shows are so different from each other in style, content, audience and length that I can't begin to compare them (except to say that The West Wing should be much higher on that list).

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I suppose it has to do with the writing, and the subject matters, etc. That's why West Wing (a very smart show with sharp writing) and Frasier (probably the smartest sitcom ever) are on the list.

So, you're telling me I need to go get the West Wing on DVD, eh?

I loved MASH. That's just a given.

Why no cable shows? There so many socially-relevant smart shows on cable.

That list is only one person's opinion, and maybe he didn't have cable. If he didn't watch a given show, it won't be on the list no matter how good it was.


Which might explain the absence of Joanie loves Chachi.

ChunkyC said:

That list is only one person's opinion, and maybe he didn't have cable. If he didn't watch a given show, it won't be on the list no matter how good it was.


Which might explain the absence of Joanie loves Chachi.

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Common sense and reasonable brain function explain the absence of Joanie Loves Chachi, even if he had watched it.

1. M*A*S*H
I've only truly seen a handful of episodes, but I did like what I saw.

2. Cosmos
Haven't watched this in ages, but loved it.

3. CSI
I've seen one full episode of the Miami version, half an episode of each of the other. Not impressed.

4. House
Adore this show. Adore Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard. I'm hooked.

5. The West Wing
I so miss this show! Never watched it until I sat down with Kelly one Sunday when a marathon was on. First ep I saw: In the Shadow of Two Gunmen. Watched the entire day, and never missed an episode after.

6. Boston Legal
Never saw it. Not sure I want to.

7. All in the Family
Great for its time. Some honestly cringe-worthy moments now. LOL

8. Frasier
This one I never watched first-run eps. I've caught a lot of them in re-runs and do enjoy it.

9. Mad About You
I've maybe seen a handful of episodes. Hated it when they tried to go the 'Dramedy' route.

10. Jeopardy!
Just a fun time. Although if they ever have "Team Jeopardy!" my dad and I are in!

They got the list all wrong. Married With Children wasn't on it, and neither was Mail Call.
I think the list is a red herring. There's a difference between being really smart and really cultured. They wouldn't even admit that they watch The O'Reilly Factor. Ouch! who snapped me with a rubberband?

1. LOST
2. The Wire
3. The Shield
4. The Sopranos
5. Deadwood
6. Six Feet Under
7. Seinfield
8. MASH
9. Jeopardy
10. Criminal Minds

The Mensa list is bogus. What kind of fraud are they trying to perpetuate?
They're a bunch of paste-eaters anyway.
They need to take 'em all down to the hood and turn 'em loose. The real stomp-down-hope-to-die hood. Let 'em run from the ghetto elk for a while and see how they fare.

there. rant done. I'm out.

ChunkyC said:

Which might explain the absence of Joanie loves Chachi.

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I think that had more to do with the fact that if you have Joanie Loves Chachi, then you also need to have Charles In Charge, Happy Days, and the new Scott Baio is 45 and Single. There's no arguing that JLC had the most touching moment in TV history, but I think Mensa was worried about appearing too one-dimensional with an Arcola dominated list. Wah wah wah.

ChunkyC said:

That list is only one person's opinion, and maybe he didn't have cable. If he didn't watch a given show, it won't be on the list no matter how good it was.


Which might explain the absence of Joanie loves Chachi.

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*grin* if the president of MENSA doesn't have cable, we should all revoke our memberships. Seriously.

Anybody remember the episode of Barney Miller where they had a Mensa guy in the cage for most of the episode? Barney Miller, one of the wittiest comedies of its age, wasn't on the list, which I think proves this dude never had cable.