I'm a huge fan of TV. People like to say it is just junk, but I think it can be as much of an art form as theatre or film. So in honor of my appreciation for TV as an art form, and because it's 2012, here is a list of the 12 "smartest" shows on Television.
12.) Who Do You Think You Are?
Now when I think about "smart" shows, there can be many different types of shows that come to mind. This one goes along the lines of the purely educational. If you haven't ever considered what does my ancestry look like, this show just might inspire you to. Also since the celebrities who take part in the show often look back several generations you often learn about issues such as slavery, immigration, and the living conditions in foreign countries. Overall watching the show is a very educational experience in the most basic sense. I would recommend it to anyone.
11.) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
I DVR this show every day. I really love trivia, and in my opinion this is the most well rounded trivia show. Shows like Jeopardy! aim way too high and shows like Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? aim way too low. Millionaire fits right in the middle. There are questions to fit every genre and they range in difficulty. What I like about this show is it isn't just high brow. Yes it's helpful to know your presidents, but you better also know what the latest summer blockbuster is, because all questions are fair game on this show.
10.) Castle
No show dances the line between comedy and drama quite as well as Castle. One episode will seem like a comedy filled caper, and then the next will dive straight into the drama of something like the cold case surrounding Becket's mother. Surprisingly both sides of the coin seem to work. No, Castle is never the funniest show or the most sincerely dramatic, but it does a good job of balancing element of both. Also I have to give credit to any show that can keep the "will they, won't they" vibe going on for this long without it getting downright annoying. Viewers still wonder if the romance will come to fruition, but it's not the main drive of the show either.
9.) Whitney
This show isn't exactly soaring in the ratings, and I understand why. It's a sitcom based purely around relationship issues, and aren't their enough of those already. I get it and to a degree I agree. That being said, what makes Whitney stand out to me is that the couple banter is coming from two seasoned comedians, and frankly, they're good at it. The show isn't the most clever thing on TV, but it sure beats that sitcom drivel that CBS seems to be shoveling out these days. Overall, Whitney isn't a bad way to spend a half hour.
8.) New Girl
I've heard a lot of criticism over this show since it hit the air this year. Some say Zooey is trying to play up the "adorkable" angle too much, while others just flat out don't like it. No, it isn't the most hilarious or witty show on TV, but I think it's doing just fine finding its place in the sitcom world. I mean let's be honest this is a major leap in the right direction when it comes to Fox sitcoms. It's clearly the best sitcom the network has produced since the cancellation of Arrested Development. Yes Zooey's character does fall into the "adorkable" category, but she does it better than anyone else on TV. Is it really that different that Tina Fey fitting into the role of the affable curmudgeon or Amy Poehler playing the always optimistic (even to goof extremes) politician? Yes this show is still like a baby horse learning to stand, but at its best, it can be pretty darn witty.
7.) Psych
USA network is known for putting out some pretty quirky crime dramas. I mean it is the network that produced Monk. Of all of the crime dramas currently on TV, this is hands down the smartest. Yes, the psychic angle gets absurd at times, but that is completely outweighed by the wit of the show. Seriously I don't think any show does witty banter better than psych. Sean, who clearly should be one of the most annoying characters on TV, comes off as one of the most enjoyable to watch. He make arrogant funny, and the only other show on TV that come close to that (though not close enough to make this list) is the Mentalist. Bottom line is the plot lines are often absurd, but balanced with the witty banter and the intelligence put into solving the case each week this show is definitely one of the smartest on TV.
6.) The Simpsons
Let's face it, The Simpsons has a leg up on the competition. They have been at it for over twenty years, and while plots have been recycled, the show has never gotten old. Comedy owes a debt of gratitude to The Simpsons. It has inspired most of today's comedy writers and is singularly responsible for the entire prime time animated comedy genre. There are some episodes that really play on the basics that make you wonder if the show has lost its touch, but then you see episodes like this week's flawless spoof of Inception which make you realize why it is one of the smartest shows on TV. In the last few years a particular episode of note is season twenty's Treehouse of Horrors in which the show hilariously, yet still respectfully, spoofs The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown TV special.
5.) Parks and Recreation
Believe me when I say that putting this show at number five on this list in no way is me saying that this show isn't as good as the following four shows. The one thing that made me put this show at the bottom of this all-star heap of what I believe are the five best shows still on TV is that the writers sometimes favor silly humor and charm over purely witty humor. I'm not saying this is a flaw, in fact it is the charm of the show that makes it stand out among the rest. It's just that in a list based on which shows are the smartest, I have to give wit a little more weight than charm. This show can be witty, don't get me wrong. April and Ron are proof enough of that. The show just doesn't rely mainly on wit. If this were a list of just my favorite shows, I would have a hard time not putting this one in the top three. So what makes this show so smart? Like I said, the charm of it plus some pretty great writing. Being able to make the audience care about the characters in a show can be hard, but this show does it perfectly by making you laugh along with them. These clips are one such example: 4.) The Good Wife
I don't normally call TV dramas "smart." For the most part I think they play on the shock and awe of crazy plot twists. The Good Wife however is in a league of its own. It's no wonder that at all of the awards shows this is the only network drama to ever stand up against the cable powerhouses. The show is well written, has compelling characters, and evolves without being annoyingly over dramatic. It is easily the best courtroom drama on TV, and I would argue the best drama on TV period. Clips like these where you see Alicia stand up for herself are what makes the show great: 3.) 30 Rock
While I'm starting to think that as an overall show I like Parks and Recreation better, for me 30 Rock really got the recent trend in smart comedies started. Tina Fey is really what sets this show's humor and wit above most. Whether it's the outrageous, such as Jenna's domain name Jennas-side.com (say that one out loud), or just the quirky relationship that Jack and Liz have, this show is generally firing on all cylinders. There is a reason that numerous A list stars have agreed to play recurring characters. Tina Fey is one of the smartest comedians in the business. So what makes this show so smart?
Perhaps it's the way that Tina Fey is unafraid to make fun of herself:
Or the way they work word play into the show frequently:
Then again it could just be how awkward Liz Lemon is:
2.) Cougar Town
Despite the name, this show really has nothing to do with "cougars." Sure the first six episodes of season one dealt with Courtney Cox's Jules dating a younger man, but after that the show has followed the same format of sitcoms everywhere, a group of friends hang out and deal with life. There are many reasons that this show makes number two on my list. It's not your traditional humor. But if you get to know them, you can't help but love the characters and the more attention to pay to the show, the more you realize just how great the writing is. Here are some reasons Cougar Town makes the number two spot:
The way the characters don't understand half the jokes
The way the show introduces a joke at the beginning and brings it back at the end of the episode
Greyson's annoyingly catchy songs:
But most of all it's how fast Jules goes to her "crazy place"
1.) Community
Community is hands down the smartest show on TV. What isn't to love about this show? It's daring, taking on alternate timelines, clay-mation dreamworlds, and school wide paintball wars. But they don't just rely on these as gimmicks, but tools through which to filter some of the best and wittiest writing on television. Not to mention a group dynamic unlike any other on television. Dan Harmon, the creator of the show, has a vision for this show, its dynamics, and the development of the characters unlike any other sitcom on TV. So what's great about this show?
The group dynamic and the witty banter that results from it
Or maybe it's the way that the writers can span a joke like this across three season
Then again, it's probably just this
