22 Coolest TV Nerds

An evolutionary history of the 22 coolest nerds of all time. 

Potsie Weber and Ralph Malph, 'Happy Days'

"Happy Days" popularized the word "nerd," thanks to the show's obsession with coolness (personified by Henry Winkler's leather-jacketed ladies'-man Fonzie) and nerdiness (pretty much everyone else, but especially Potsie and Ralph. True, Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) was just as nerdy, but Fonzie lived in his garage, so Richie was cool by association. His two best pals, however, as played by Anson Williams and Donny Most, were hopelessly square. Which was all it took to be a nerd back then; no brainiac tendencies or geeky pop culture obsessions required.

Todd and Lisa, 'SNL'

Like their 1950s counterparts on "Happy Days," Todd and Lisa (played on "Saturday Night Live" by Bill Murray and Gilda Radner) were unattractive and socially awkward, which was all that was needed to label them as nerds. But they were nerds in love, which made them cute together. Of course, Todd usually expressed his love for Lisa by giving her noogies, like an elementary schoolkid, but you gotta start somewhere.

The IHP kids, 'Head of the Class'

On the '80s sitcom, "Head of the Class," the Individualized Honors Program school teacher (first Howard Hesseman, then Billy Connolly) wasn't nearly as bright as his roomful of gifted students. Then again, they were all incapable of relating to other teenagers like normal adolescents, so it was up to Hesseman or Connolly to teach them life lessons. The classmates were a motley bunch; some were even attractive, like prospective valedictorian Darlene Merriman (Robin Givens), but most were hopeless dorks like Arvid Engen (Dan Frischman). Really, with a name like Arvid Engen, how could he not be a nerd? Of course, these kids would all probably grow up to be the stars of "The Big Bang Theory."

Screech, 'Saved By the Bell'

If "Saved by the Bell" was basically an updated, live-action Archie comic, then Screech (Dustin Diamond) was Jughead. He was sweet, goofy, obsessive, hopelessly awkward, and cursed with that honking voice that gave him his nickname. Not that being known as Samuel Powers would have given him any more hope of romance with indifferent Lisa Turtle.

Steve Urkel, 'Family Matters'

Jaleel White's Urkel was supposed to be a one-shot guest on "Family Matters," but he became the long-running sitcom's mainstay and most popular character. Give credit to White for playing Urkel as fairly oblivious to how completely he fit the stereotype (glasses, high-pitched nasal voice, suspenders and high-water pants, social awkwardness, unrequited crush on a girl). But he was also one of the first TV nerds who was an African-American brainiac. He was so smart that he even used his gifts to clone a more suave version of himself, a la "The Nutty Professor." But while Stefan Urquelle was a hit with the ladies, it was dorky Urkel who became a nerd icon.

Lisa Simpson, 'The Simpsons'

The smartest member of the Simpson clan, eight-year-old Lisa (Yeardley Smith) is also the shrillest (in defense of, say, feminism or animal rights), which makes her pretty unpopular on the playground. Like a mini-Daria, she's disgusted to be reminded that she is growing up in a world of idiots. Still, she remains an idealist and even an unrequited crush object for the even more socially awkward Milhouse. (As Bart Simpson notes, however, Milhouse isn't a nerd because he's not smart enough.)

Carlton Banks, 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air'

Was Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) just nerdy in contrast to Will Smith? The wealthy, preppy Carlton might have been seen as cool if not for the obvious contrast with the streetwise hip-hop hero of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." But then, eventually, someone would have seen the square, uptight Carlton who belted out "It's Not Unusual" in emulation of his idol, Tom Jones, and his nerdiness would have become all too apparent.

Ross Geller, 'Friends'

Ross (David Schwimmer) may have been a professor of paleontology who composed robotic-sounding synth-pop as a hobby and who was whiny and shy. His first wife left him for another woman, which may have made him question his own masculinity. Still, he was on "Friends," so he managed to date a lot of attractive women, and he did have a long on-again-off-again romance with Jennifer Aniston's Rachel. When they were teens, he'd been too shy to tell her how he felt about her, but eventually, he got her to fulfill the ultimate nerd fantasy and dress up for him in Princess Leia's gold bikini.

Daria Morgendorffer, 'Daria'

The most self-aware and sardonic of all high school nerds, Daria (whose distinctive deadpan was voiced by Tracy Grandstaff) got her start as a minor character on future "Silicon Valley" creator Mike Judge's "Beavis and Butt-head." She was a classmate of the two title cartoon buffoons, a smart girl who served as a contrast to the headbanging duo's idiocy. But MTV soon gave her her own series, where, disgusted by the shallowness of everyone else in her high school, she took refuge in the invisibility afforded her by her spectacles and shaggy mop of hair. True, she had one smart friend (the similarly sarcastic Jane Lane, whose musician brother Trent was the object of Daria's unrequited crush), but even her own petty-minded parents and the rest of the adults she met seemed to confirm her worst fear: it would never get any better.

Willow Rosenberg, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'

Eventually, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) upped her cool quotient considerably by becoming a lesbian witch, but initially, Buffy's pal on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was a shy computer geek, one who could be counted on to unearth arcane information about whatever age-old demon Buffy had to fight.

The Geeks, 'Freaks and Geeks'

On "Freaks and Geeks," the title's second group of high school misfits includes Sam Weir (John Francis Daley), Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine), and Bill Haverchuck (future "Silicon Valley" co-star Martin Starr). All three love sci-fi and Dungeons & Dragons, but Sam at least looks like he'll grow out of his awkward phase (he even gets to date his cheerleader dream girl, only to discover that she's shallow and has nothing in common with him). Neal, who thinks of himself as class clown and is a comedy geek, is probably doomed forever to make wisecracks from the corner of the room. And Bill is a nerd supreme, with his glasses, his mouth-breathing, his obliviousness to his own humiliation, and his Bionic Woman Halloween costume. After high school, he'll either be still living in his mother's basement or becoming an app tycoon.

Malcolm, 'Malcolm in the Middle'

On "Malcolm in the Middle," Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) is the adoliecent third child, one of five brothers. He's also a genius, which causes him no end of social anxiety, especially since he has a bully for an older brother and is stuck in a class full of fellow nerds, whom he dismissively refers to as "Krelboynes" (a refeence to Seymour Krelborn, the nerdy botanist played by Rick Moranis in "Little Shop of Horrors"). The scheming craftiness he picks up from his brothers and his parents make him more streetwise and capable of regular human interaction than his friends, but there's no prestige or perks in being king of the Krelboynes. Bonus points to the 2000-2006 sitcom for having a theme song by nerd rockers They Might Be Giants.

Chloe O"Brian, '24'

On every procedural drama on TV, behind every heroic law enforcement agent in the field, there's a team of nerds back at HQ, doing forensic lab work or hacking computer databases. (Think Abby on "NCIS," Garcia and Reid on "Criminal Minds," Fitz and Simmons on "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," or everyone on "Scorpion.") But our favorite is Chloe from "24," the counter-terrorist computer geek who remotely saved Jack Bauer's bacon countless times and turned out to be pretty much the only person he could trust. On the page, she may not have had much personality, but Mary Lynn Rajskub made her wry, intense, and deeply human.

Dwight Schrute, 'The Office'

Rainn Wilson once described his "Office" character as a "fascist nerd." He certainly has a dorky haircut, an ugly shirt (that mustard-colored one he always wears), a weird background (growing up on that creepy beet farm), a humorless nature, and a Machiavellian hunger for power that's pretty funny given how low the stakes are on the Scranton-set sitcom. He has a passion for "Battlestar Galactica" and a love for martial arts that's not backed by actual hand-to-hand combat skills. Still, he's a competent paper salesman, and there are those (notably, co-worker Angela) who find his unnerving intensity oddly attractive.

Liz Lemon, '30 Rock'

Having made librarian glasses sexy as the Weekend Update anchor on "Saturday Night Live," Tina Fey brought geek chic to her "30 Rock" alter ego. While Fey played up Liz Lemon's awkwardness -- her physical gracelessness, her fondness for giant sandwiches, her facility with "Star Wars" and "Batman" references, and her occasional power-tripping as the showrunner of a n NBC sketch comedy series. Yet she still managed to date a lot of cute guys, played by the likes of Jason Sudeikis, Jon Hamm, and younger guy James Marsden. Not too shabby.

Chuck Bartowski, 'Chuck'

"Nerd" was actually in Chuck's (Zachary Levi) job description, as part of the "nerd herd" of tech-help advisors at a big-box electronics store. Of course, an accident turned Chuck's brain into an actual computer database, which in turn transformed him into a spy with a hot partner, Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski). The absurdity of Chuck's complete wish-fulfillment was the series "Chuck"'s grandest joke, one that Levi carried off with deadpan aplomb.

The "Big Bang Theory" Gang

Except for poor Penny, the Nebraska-born waitress who seems to have beamed down onto a strange planet of brainiacs, the other six characters on the show are nerds writ large. Especially the four guys, who can hole up for days playing Warcraft or binge-watching Star Wars movies and TV shows. But the two nerd women, like the guys, are brilliant scientists and social misfits. (Bonus points for having real-life brainiac Mayim Bialik play Amy.) The initial joke was how socially inept and sexually unappealing these geniuses were (especially in contrast to Penny), but they've evolved into relatable human beings who are capable of romance. Well, all except Sheldon (Jim Parsons), the nerd king who is still utterly incapable of interacting with others and doesn't care to learn how, since he's perfectly happy with his scholarly pursuits, his Green Lantern comic books, and his online friendship with Stephen Hawking. That their show has become TV's most popular comedy suggests that we're no longer just laughing at the nerds; we're laughing with them. Like Penny, we have to recognize that they've taken over our planet, and that we have to learn to live among them. Resistance is futile.

Walter White, 'Breaking Bad'

Deadliest. Nerd. Ever. But while the "Breaking Bad" protagonist was a badass meth kingpin by the final season of the series, when we first saw him, he was a nerdy high school chemistry teacher, with pasty skin and tighty whities. Even his street name, "Heisenberg," was taken from a scientist famous primarily among other scientists. Still, his nerd skills proved surprisingly effective in the world of illegal drugs. His obsessiveness and laboratory skills resulted in a product of superior purity, and his resourceful inventiveness helped him MacGyver his way out of trouble many times. And for the street smarts he lacked, he had partner Jesse (Aaron Paul.)

New Directions, 'Glee'

Proof of the high school singers' nerd status on "Glee" is often tossed in their face, in the form of a colorful, clothes-staining slushie. Then again, shrill obsessiveness is the hallmark of many a member of New Directions. Give the show credit for introducing types of nerds who were new to TV. No wonder the shows fans called themselves "Gleeks."

Abed Nadir, 'Community'

"Community"'s most fascinating character is pop culture sponge Abed (Danny Pudi), who has an uncanny awareness that his life plays out according to sitcom conventions. He seems to have all the emotional warmth and empathy of a Vulcan, though he is capable of friendship and loyalty to his fellow Greendale Community College study group pals. He's a huge sci-fi geek, though he also has an inexplicable fondness for "Cougar Town." Indeed, as an aspiring filmmaker, he's the driving force behind all of "Community"'s memorable pop culture parodies, whether the show is making fun of "Doctor Who" or "GoodFellas."

Jess Day, 'New Girl'

In movies, Zooey Deschanel is often an ethereal and charming romantic lead; on TV's "New Girl," she's an awkward schoolteacher with glasses, a honking voice, and a disastrous love life. She's also pretty much just one of the guys (she rooms with several of them), and if that's not enough, she has a smoking hot friend (TK), to whom she inevitably suffers by comparison. The marketers at Fox described Deschanel's character by coining the word "adorkable," which is painfully dorky itself but also apt.

The Pied Piper Team, 'Silicon Valley'

In just one season, the aspiring software moguls of "Silicon Valley" have already climbed to the top of the nerd pile. Richard (Thomas Middleditch) is the earnest and naive genius who comes up with the app idea; Erich (T.J. Miller) is the aggressive incubator who lets the team live in his house in return for an ownership stake; Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani) grumbles about being the token Southeast Asian Guy; Bertram (Martin Starr) is the cynic who thinks he's selling his own brilliance too cheaply; and Jared is the meek accountant who tries to cobble all that unfocused tech brilliance into a coherent business plan. It's a lot funnier than it sounds, especially in the Season 1 finale, when a desultory joke about masturbation turns into an obsessive engineering discussion that gives Richard the inspiration he needs for his breakthrough idea. Imagine the "Big Bang Theory" guys, if they had less success with women, filthier vocabularies, and ulcers over the high stakes of their enterprise.