Written by: Roxanna Bain

The Chairman of MENSA has chosen the television shows he feels have been the “smartest” over the years.

MENSA is a highly respected International organization for “people from every walk of life whose IQ is in the top 2 percent population.” Jim Werdell, Chairman of MENSA International, when asked by Fancast.com to choose the smartest shows, defined the criteria he followed, “They weren’t pure comedy, mystery or action,” he says. “They tended to be shows that dealt with issues in the world, and from my perspective that’s considered smart. Some sitcoms reach a higher level of intellect than others, and you can say the same about some of the dramas. The stories may be cliché, but the characters and dialogue are smarter.”

Werdell, 63, is more than qualified for this job. In addition to being a MENSA member for 29 years, he has been on the board of directors for 12 years. When asked his IQ, he responded, “We don’t talk about that.” Obviously this intelligent, retired Northern California government official is a true television fan. He admits to keeping his set on about 10 hours a day in the background while he is performing his MENSA duties. “I’m actually watching and paying attention about five to six hours a day,” he says.

Like his IQ, his TV time is much higher than the 170 minutes a day the average American spends watching TV. Even with that much viewing time, Werdell explained this challenge by saying, “It was difficult. There were programs that were good in their time, but the way shows are made today has improved.”

And some of his decisions were tough, “I was a Star Trek fan. It was on the original list. It was groundbreaking, no question. But the follow-up, Next Generation, were better programs than the original, in my opinion, and smarter. I had a number of shows in that situation,” he adds.

According to Fancast, the shows Werdell watches now include: CSI: New York, Law & Order: SVU, House, Stargate SG-1, NCIS and Numb3rs. However, the Top Ten Smartest All Time Shows he named are:
Frasier

The West Wing

Boston Legal

Jeopardy!

Cosmos

House

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

All in the Family

Mad About You

M*A*S*H
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