The 10 Best Geek Shows On TV Right Now
Created 2009-03-12 04:00
It seems like TV is, for the most part, being programmed for tween girls with horrible tastes in music and an equally astonishing acceptance of bad acting and faux-dating. While shows like Gossip Girl, 90210, The Hills and One Tree Hill get the kids (and some of the Mac|Life staff) excited. It's the science fiction shows and shows based on blowing stuff up in the name of science that have us tuning in every week.
Using the latest in TV watching technology we determined the shows below deserve to be included in our list. These are the cream of the crop, the shows that succeed where shows like Automan and Misfits of Science failed. If you're a fan of just one of the shows below, you should check out the others.
As with any list, we're sure we missed something. If your favorite show isn't on here, or you think a show on here doesn't belong, tell us in the comments.
Doctor Who
Summary - The Doctor travels through time and space with a female companion in a craft called the TARDIS that's disguised as a blue 1950s British police box. The Doctor is the last of the Time Lords and travels to different time periods and planets to right wrongs with a female companion that usually ends up being the source of many a nerd's time-traveling fantasies. The current show is a reboot of the long running Doctor Who series that ran from 1963 until 1989.
Resurrected in 2005, the Doctor Who franchise could have been a train wreck. A guy that travels through space and time in a blue police booth. Did we mention he's a bit of an eccentric and the main character was recast after the first season? On paper it sounds like a one-way ticket to Crapville, instead the show's mix of science, time travel and great writing have made the new Doctor Who a geek's delight. With any franchise with deep roots, the new Doctor Who will probably never measure up the old series in some viewers minds. Our sympathies go out to those viewers, they are missing a truly great show.
Where to watch:
BBC America
iTunes - Seasons 1 - 4 of the current series are available as well as seasons from the original show.
Netflix - Seasons 1 - 3 available on instant Queue, Season 4 Available as DVD rental. DVDs of the original series are also available.
The IT Crowd
Summary - Three IT employees do their best to become socially accepted while helping the company's technically inept staff with their ludicrous computer issues from the confines of of their filthy basement office. The computer geeks or "standard nerds" as identified by the companies president, fit every geek stereotype and are lead by their manager Jen, who knows absolutely nothing about computers.
If the above sounds like your job, you need to be watching this show. The IT Crowd (pronounced it) should be required watching of every nerd that's ever dreamed of being an IT admin. This show will surely crush those dreams with hilarity. Bonus geekiness, the UK release of season one had 1337 subtitles.
Where to watch:
iTunes - Seasons 1-3 are avialable for download
IFC - The basic cable network is airing the series in the United States.
Fringe
Summary - An FBI division, known as the Fringe Division, investigates a series of unexplainable events known as "the Pattern." FBI agent Olivia spends her time with a father son team of scientists as they explore issues related to dark matter, reanimation and suspended animation. If it's an outrageous theory, it'll probably end up on Fringe.
Created by J.J. Abrams, Fringe is the X-Files for the new millennium. The show is part part science, part scare-fest, and all nerd. If you're afraid J.J. Abrams will infuse the show with Lost-like plot elements, don't. Abrams has stated that he won't create confusing plot elements into the show like he has with Lost.
Where to watch:
Fox- Fringe has been picked up for a second season and is available for viewing on Fox's site.
Hulu - Episodes 4-14 are available
iTunes - Season one is available for download
Mythbusters
Summary - Former special effects wizards, Jaime Hyneman and Adam Savage test out various myths and urban legends with often explosive results. The guys along with their build team test out myths about exploding pants and how far a rocket car can actually go.
Jaime and Adam have what is possibly the greatest job ever. We've watched them fill sunken ships with ping pong balls, shoot their dummy Buster out of a cannon and test myths about ninjas. Oh, and they build robots all the time. Everyday we think about how we can get on this show. If you have an idea, drop it in the comments.
Where to watch:
Discovery Channel - Airs Wednesdays at 9pm
iTunes - Seasons 1-5 are available for download
Netflix - Various episodes are avialable for instant viewing
Lost
Summary - The survivors of an Oceanic Airlines plane crash end up on a mysterious island complete with hostile natives, a mysterious set of numbers, a smoke monster, time travel, resurrection of the dead and a four toed statue. It's just another day in paradise.
After a stellar first season, Lost got side-tracked with new characters and Kate's inability to not to get held hostage in every episode. The last two seasons the writers have really hunkered down and brought life back to the series. Few shows have their own Wiki and ARG, The Lost Experience. With only one season after this one left in the series, it's a good time to get Lost.
ABC - Wednesdays at 9pm
ABC.com - All five seasons are available online
iTunes - Seasons 1-5 are available for download
Eureka
Summary - U.S. Marshall Jack Carter becomes the sheriff of a small town inhabited by geniuses. The highly classified town, Eureka is continually threatened with annihilation by a science experiment gone awry or a rogue scientist with a bone to pick with Global Dynamics. Imagine if the smartest person you know was 10 times smarter and lived in the pacific northwest with other smarties.
This light-hearted science show is nice break from the dark and scary world of science that we've come to expect from TV shows. Sheriff Jack Carter, while not the sharpest tool in the shed in a ton full of razors, is just a regular schlub we can all relate to.
Sci-FI - The show is on a mid-season break right now.
SciFi.com - Watch the past five episodes
Hulu - All of season one and half of season three
iTunes - Seasons 1-3 are available for download
Battlestar Galactica
Summary - After a 40 year truce with the Cylons, the Twelve Colonies were obliterated by the Cylons. These aren't your father's Cylons, they've taken human form and they chase the Battlestar Galactica and its rag tag group of ships across the universe as they humans search for a new home. With enough plot twists to keep you begging for more, you'll never look at your toaster the same way again.
It's not very often that a reboot of a series is better than the original. After a successful mini-series, Battlestar Galactica hit the Sci-Fi channel and entered nerd hearts everywhere. Starbuck's a girl and Apollo is her on again, off again love interest. So some stuff has changed from the original. This is the last season of BSG and we can't to see what happens.
Sci-Fi - Friday 10pm
SciFi.com - Past five episodes
Hulu - Past four episodes
iTunes - Seasons 1-4 plus the mini-series are available for download
30 Rock
Summary - As the head writer of the hit show TGS wth Tracey Jordan, Liz Lemon has to deal with a group of sarcastic writers, the insane antics of star Tracey Jordan and falling star Jenna Maroney. In addition to the cast and crew, Liz must contend with Jack Donaghy, the "Head of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming" at General Electric. All the while Liz looks for love and acceptance. Even going so far as to date a beeper salesman.
30 Rock is bar none the funniest show on TV. Not only is this show hilarious, it's choke full of geek references. Liz shows up to jury duty as Princess Leia, and the show popularized the "uncanny valley." The theory that as non-human entities begin to appear more and more human, the creepier they become. A good example is the film "Polar Express." Oh, and let's not forget Tina Fey's geek chic.
Where to watch:
NBC - Thursday 9:30pm
Hulu - Last five episodes
Netflix - Seasons one and two are available for instant watch
iTunes - Season 1-3 are available for download
Flight of the Conchords
Summary - New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo a capella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo, Flight of the Conchords consists of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The duo hope to make it big in New York under the misguided direction of their manager Murray. Each episode contains a hilarious song.
The Flight of the Conchords have a song entitled "Humans are Dead." It takes place in the distant the future, the year 2000. Can you get any geekier then that?
Where to watch:
HBO - Sunday 10pm
iTunes - Season one is available for download
How It's Made
Summary - Ever wonder how your accordion was made? How It's Made will show you. The Science Channel, a subsidiary of the Discovery Channel, wants you to know how everyday items are created. It's the answer to a mystery you never knew you wanted solved.
Watching How It's Made is a geek zen experience. Who knew that pencils were so damn interesting. The show sucks you in and fills you full of worthless information.
Where to watch:
The Science Channel -
iTunes - How It's Made Vol. 1-6 are available for download
Did we miss your favorite geek show? Drop your favorite show in the comments below.
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The 10 Best Geek Shows On TV Right Now
