EW Declares Seth MacFarlane The Smartest Guy In TV

By Tom Rose
Fancast.com

Andy Rooney once suggested that the person with the highest IQ in America should automatically be elected President. Makes perfect sense. So how come it’s never happened?

The theory holds true for a lot of things, but since we like TV here, it’s a pleasure to report that somebody finally got it right. Entertainment Weekly just came out with their list of The 25 Smartest People In TV and “Family Guy” guru Seth MacFarlane landed in the top spot.

Agree or disagree, there’s a strong case to be made for the 35-year old scatological wunderkind. He’s turned a late-night college dorm hobby into a culturally iconic cash cow; For the first time ever (because of his many talents) the show, when cancelled thoughtlessly by execs at FOX, was resurrected by unprecedented viewer outcry; And he’s become the highest paid writer on the tube.

But does that mean he’s smart? Who cares? He’s fabulously rich and probably won’t show up for the award anyway. Still, he did have to beat out some stiff competition:

Tina Fey ran a close second. She would have gotten my vote for her work on “30 Rock” this year, but apparently the clincher is signing a $100 Million dollar production deal. Tina is smart, but she ain’t that smart. Wait ’til next year!

How about Tina’s personal Goddess, Oprah. She came in a respectable sixth. That’ll probably just make her mad. And if making money is the litmus test for TV smarts, Oprah’s already in the Hall of Fame.

Let’s face it, it’s all a popularity contest anyway. And there are plenty of good reasons to pick Seth MacFarlane other than wallet size. But it doesn’t hurt.

And by the way Andy Rooney, as far as the presidency goes, if by highest IQ you meant the smartest, then your theory just may have proved correct this time around.

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