Eggheads, geniuses and misunderstood prodigies are running rampant within the average television show these days. Whether they are super smart by design or are simply made this way through one circumstance or another, many characters within today’s TV shows are quite adept at making the costars seem rather dim with their expansive wealth of knowledge. TV characters are often times so convincing that the average viewer has to wonder if these individuals are in fact this intelligent or if they are simply that good at their craft. In any case, the five smartest characters in television are not the conventional type of genius that the average viewer might expect. Here they are in no particular order.
Abby Sciuto-NCIS
To look at Abby you might think she belongs in a dimly-lit bar rocking out to a house band rather than being placed in the position of forensic analyst for a government agency. After watching a single episode however you might be reconsidering your take on the popular Goth-loving Sciuto, who is part comic-relief and all heart when it comes to the team of agents her character cares so deeply for.
Dr. Gregory House-House
He’s crude, rude, crass, and usually doesn’t care much for the opinion of others unless it gives him an opportunity to practice his well-honed sarcasm. In short, House is more or less the doctor you might fully enjoy at your bedside or the guy you wouldn’t want to see even if you were taking your last breaths. Existing as an acquired taste for his patients and his coworkers, House is still one of the most brilliant minds to ever grace a medical drama.
Sheldon Cooper-The Big Bang Theory
Sheldon is the stereotypical prodigy that grew up too quickly and wasn’t allowed to simply be a kid. As a result his genius intellect is now stuck within the mind and body of a grown man that has little to no idea what irony or sarcasm is, and exhibits nearly zero social skills. In other words he’s a literal boy genius that could wow a person with the knowledge he possesses, but would be utterly lost in even the most casual social situation.
Jim Moriarty-Sherlock Holmes
Known throughout literature as the man that was the only true match for his nemesis, the legendary Sherlock Holmes, Moriarty is the definition of an evil genius. The ability to counter a mind such as Holmes’ is no small feat, but Moriarty has proven to be up to the challenge throughout the long and storied history.
Sherlock Holmes-Sherlock Holmes
If ever there was a name that seemed to epitomize the very meaning of intelligence, Holmes would be it. Despite being a fictional character his legendary level of intellect has for several generations inspired legions of young men and women to reach heights considered unattainable in the past. Sherlock Holmes in any representation is without a doubt one of the smartest, if not THE smartest, fictional character to be found onscreen in the modern age.
As with any such list those selected are highly subjective in terms of how they are chosen, but the confidence of many has determined these selections. Intelligence is but one facet of the human condition, meaning that those selected have displayed a level of intelligence onscreen that is without peer. Whether they possess the wisdom to balance such intelligence is another question, and quite possibly another article all on its own.
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