The Geek TV Shows We're Not Afraid To Love
Geeks: once the deeply awkward and much-maligned members of society- ridiculed by Jocks and long stereotyped on TV and film as socially inept weaklings with a love of bow ties, thick-rimmed glasses and high-waisted slacks. But oh how things have changed. Ever since Adam Brody’s intensely loveable Seth Cohen appeared on screens in the mid noughties as the lonely, quick-witted, Death Cab For Cutie loving geek on The O.C, the tables have been well and truly turned. ‘Geek Chic’ prevails, the once laughable clothing choices of society’s most brainy and introverted have been re-appropriated by the masses. Everyone is falling over themselves to replicate a look that twenty years ago would have posited the wearer of such garments as a human punch-bag for meat-headed bullies.
O.C character Seth CohenIn the world of TV, sci-fi shows such as Star Trek and Stargate are geek staples but the recent role reversal of geeks as the cultural vanguard posits fantastical shows that would have more likely been derided several years ago as universally acclaimed hits. Game Of Thrones is arguably the biggest TV show in the world whilst The Big Bang Theory, which maintains the long-held geek stereotypes has made veritable superstars of its cast. Here then, is a list of those geeky TV shows that we just can’t get enough of.
Game Of Thrones
George R.R Martin’s monolithic novels have spawned one of the most monumentally successfully TV series of recent times. Now in its third season, the show has transcended its originally geek-centred audience to garner mainstream acceptance through a liberal amount of ultra-graphic violence, gratuitous nudity from both sexes and a healthy dose of expletives. Essentially, the show is a warriors and dragons orgy of sex and violence but the web of manipulation and power grabbing from the show’s multifarious warring factions means the show is a rather more three dimensional affair than it would first appear. Despite its fantastical nature, the wonderful characterisation and extensive array of players has drawn greater and greater viewers to the show to the point where the premiere of season 4 drew HBO’s second biggest number of viewers in the network’s existence, second only to the finale of The Sopranos. Thanks to Game Of Thrones, no longer will geeks be mocked for their adoration of dungeons & dragons fiction.
More: Meet The Stars Of Game Of Thrones Series 5
The IT Crowd
From the genius minds of Graham Linehan, a man responsible for a host of provocative British comedic gems including Father Ted, Brass Eye and Black Books, came the adored British sitcom The IT Crowd. Linehan’s show allowed him to unleash his inner geek and the show was peppered with references to obscure internet jokes and memes that only a few of the internet community could fully appreciate. Yet the series was far from exclusionary and the British public fell in love with the side-splitting happenings and occurrences of the nation’s favourite IT department, alleviating the phrase “have you tried turning it off and on again?” to a ubiquitous catchphrase. Moss and Roy, the shows two central characters and ultra-nerds provided much of the laughs in their struggles with members of the opposite sex and daily social interactions with a revolving door of equally odd characters. Each of the show’s characters would go on to greater success with Richard Ayoade, who played the intensely awkward Maurice Moss- a man who always carried around a small spray can of water in case he got a “hot ear”, now a well-respected film director. Meanwhile Chris O’Dowd, who played Roy, is now widely regarded as a Hollywood hunk.
More: After Three Bafta's, We Remember The IT Crowd
Next Page: The Doctor & More
Long gone are the days of wobbly sets, paper maché monsters and Tom Baker. Doctor Who is now a slick and thoroughly modern production that is gaining ground in America and subsequently giving the traditionally superior US shows a run for their money. No longer is it a faux pas to declare oneself as a Doctor Who fan thanks to an impressive wealth of special effects, more consummate and appealing writing and a series of enigmatic leading actors. It is tantamount to the popularity of the show that the new Doctor, played by the intense Peter Capaldi of The Thick Of It fame, was greeted with such furore and adulation across the web upon his announcement. What’s more, the show has employed a selection of equally appealing female side-kicks, injecting a dose of sexuality into a show that was once a typically sex-less affair.
More: BBC Issues Plea To Fans After Doctor Who Script Leak
Heroes
Star Trek fans.When Heroes first hit our screens way back in 2006 critics and audiences suggested it was one of the greatest works of television of modern times. Brimming with geek connections- Star Trek’s George Takei was a recurring character- plus the fact that one of the show’s most beloved characters was a computer programmer, the show was nothing less than a geek’s dream. Despite centring on the exploits of a group of chosen people who had somehow possessed superpowers, the show also managed to draw an extensive audiences. Awe-inspiring special effects and a then ground-breaking multi-platform method of storytelling proved a huge hit as TV began evolving into the art-form it exists as today. Unfortunately by the fourth series the show had spiralled into oblivion thanks to some increasingly poor decisions by the show’s makers: the introduction of random characters, ill-advised plot devices and a general feeling that no one knew exactly what the show was anymore. The series will return in 2015 in the appropriately titled Heroes: Reborn by the show’s maker’s face an uphill battle in winning over the show’s original audience.
More: What Can We Expect From Heroes: Reborn?
Chuck
The premise of the show amounts to a geek’s paradise. An electronics retail worker is emailed a selection of secret government codes by a friend and naturally Chuck downloads the secret information into his brain. Subsequently he must use this information to thwart a series of attacks on the US government. Chuck is a geek who must adapt to series of increasingly dangerous situations, taking on the role of a freelance secret agent with his country’s best interests at heart. It is surely every geeks dream to be an all-action hero and thanks to Chuck, geeks across the world were able to vicariously live out their fantasy through Chuck’s heroic actions. Mainstream audiences also fell head over heels for Chuck’s endearing warmth and humility as well as the show’s innovative format.
Next page: sci-fi rules
Battlestar Galactica
With a selection of computer and electronics experts operating as the show’s protagonists and a six-foot tall blonde supermodel who is also a robot, Battlestar Galactica is a show that gives Star Trek a real run for its money in the geek-friendly stakes. As the final human Colonial Starship after almost all of humanity has been wiped out by a series of nuclear explosion, the crew’s only hope of salvation is to find the 13th Colony, Earth, which exists somewhere in unexplored space. As the remake of the classic 1970’s series, which was as much known for the hairstyles of the actors as the actual occurrences of the show itself, the rebooted Battlestar Galactica commanded a sizeable and loyal audience who were enthralled by the human’s encounters with the Cylons- whose stated aim is to obliterate humankind.
More: Universal Is All Systems Go For Battlestar Galactica Movie
Numb3rs
Numb3rs. A truly unique show, Numb3rs focusses on a crime fighting unit who have at their disposal the talents of Charlie Eppers, a verified genius who uses mathematical equations and logic to aid the FBI in solving a series of crimes. The show is special in that it appeals to a specific niche whilst also being easily watchable by a wider audience who have no concept of the mathematics that lays at the centre of the show, retaining a universal appeal. For those who are mathematically illiterate, there’s enough action, crime and tension to keep viewers enthralled. For those who live by logic it is undoubtedly invigorating to see a cop apply logic to solve a crime rather than the standard slap dash affairs of vigilante cop shows and the much-replicated Dirty Harry style of crime fighting. The balance of action to intellectualism strikes an almost perfect formula throughout whilst the characters, despite their flaws, remain hugely likeable throughout.