We've come a long way, my fellow nerds. It used to be that we were portrayed in the media as hapless, sexless losers good for nothing but computers. And then, we had our revenge (Bill Gates) and the whole world changed. In this feature, we'll share eleven nerds on TV who are straight-up awesome, for a number of reasons. From sexy nerds to scary nerds and everything in between, these are the 11 Best TV Nerds.
Best TV Nerds
The portrayal of nerds on TV has grown by leaps and bounds in the Internet age, as brains become sexier and sexier every day. Here are eleven of the most definitive TV nerds of all time.
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By K. Thor Jensen March 7, 2012 |
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg |
When we were first introduced to mousy, redheaded Willow Rosenberg on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, nobody could have guessed that she'd become one of the most important (and hottest) TV nerds of all time. Buffy's best friend and loyal research companion was smart as a whip, with an aptitude for hacking that would serve the Scooby Gang well. Of course, she then got into witchcraft and started peeling the skin off of dudes with her mind. What nerd hasn't wanted to do that?
Credit: ABC
Steve Urkel |
Well, duh, of course Steve Urkel had to make this list. The next-door neighbor from Family Matters had a single-minded mission to win the heart of the lovely Laura Winslow, and to do so he'd accomplish just about anything. Whether it be unleashing the uncontrollable Urkel-Bot upon the world or using a mysterious machine to transform into the suave Stefan Urquelle, Steve stopped at nothing. Originally intended to be a one-off character, he proved so popular that he was brought back time and time again, and guess what? In the show's finale, Urkel finally gets to kiss Laura.
Credit: FOX
Chloe O'Brian |
Jack Bauer may be a pretty awesome field agent, but he needs the help of a brain behind the scenes. In five seasons of 24, the woman who helped Jack out the most was Chloe O'Brian, played by the awesome Mary Lynn Rajskub. Chloe is an analyst at CTU, which means she essentially stays behind a desk and helps Jack get the information he needs to find the right dude to torture or punch (or both). She also demonstrates one of the nerd's biggest virtues: unswerving loyalty to our friends.
Credit: NBC
Chuck Bartowski |
Ah, Chuck. We hardly knew you. Chuck Bartkowski, the protagonist of the ABC action comedy, is in many ways the ideal of what nerds aspire to be. When the show started, he was nothing but a tech support geek working for the Nerd Herd, but after a database of top-secret spy information was downloaded right into his head, his whole life changed for the better. Paired with a hot agent who needed to protect him at all costs, Chuck actually grew as a person and managed to save the free world a time or two.
Credit: ITV
Simon Bellamy |
Simon Bellamy of Misfits illustrates a particular strain of nerd: the Silent Type. Simon is cursed with extreme social anxiety, making it difficult for him to even talk to other people. So he retreats into cyber-chatting and shooting video on his phone. After the storm gives a group of Londoners superpowers, he gets the ability to become invisible. Simon's nerdiness is abated in a very unusual way - a time-traveling future version of himself comes back to basically make him man up. He remains geeky even when he starts kicking ass, though.
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