I mentioned in my post about The Librarians that I felt there was a lack of cool geniuses on TV these days.  When I started thinking about it though, there were a few that I did like, so I wanted to call them out and say what worked for me.

Dr. Spenser Reed

I think of all the geniuses I’ve seen on TV recently, Spenser Reed from Criminal Minds is probably my favorite.  The main reason he makes it into the “cool geniuses” list for me is that he is highly functional and doesn’t need to be babysat.  He can hold his own in a firefight (even though he is not our front-man for killin’ bad guys), and he can manage an emotional conversation with the family of a victim (even if he isn’t the first one Aaron picks to talk to the victim’s families).  He does occasionally make a social faux pas, but he’s perceptive enough to notice, and not too egotistical to recognize and correct it, which, to me, demonstrates an ability and willingness to grow.

Peter Bishop

Peter Bishop was my favorite character in Fringe, partially because he was a genius in his own right, but because his genius was so sharply contrasted to Walter Bishop.  Again, his draw for me is that he doesn’t need to be babysat, and, in fact, is the one doing the babysitting.  He makes the list because he is pragmatic and hardened, but also extremely intelligent – in this way he reminds me a little bit of Jake Stone, he lets his pragmatism show more than his intelligence.

MacGyver

I don’t think I could make this list without giving MacGyver an honorable mention.  While the other geniuses on this list are here primarily for their raw intellect, MacGyver makes the list because of his improvisational intelligence – the ability to make connections and think efficiently on his feet.  However, MacGyver is also exceptionally well rounded, which is why he really makes it to the list – he has the social acumen to maintain a healthy cohort (most episodes feature some old friend) and he is quite physically adept as well.

Honorable Mentions

There are a number of honorable mentions as well – those that are cool. But I didn’t want to do a full write up on: Colonel Samantha Carter and Dr. Daniel Jackson from Stargate, Dr. Diego Soto from Alcatraz, Seamus Harper from Andromeda, the geniuses in the 4400, the Lone Gunmen from the X-Files, and, as already mentioned, Jake Stone from The Librarians.

There are others I’m sure I’ve forgotten, and some who explicitly didn’t make this list, but I’ll not call them out for now.  If you disagree or want to talk about your favorite genius, feel free to do so in the comments.