Smartest TV Programs to Watch

[LightParticle]

I'm trying to find smartest TV programs what can I watch on TV (or stream on internet).

 

And I don't have a right term for what I'm really looking but by mean "smartest" I just mean they talk about various serious topics and issues: government, politics, economics, humanitarian questions everything that implies serious talk, knowledge, arguementing, debating with people who have a really smart or intersting thoughts and opinions. And form of these programs can be different: interviews, talk-show or anything else communicating between smart persons. Maybe the term which describes this type of things could be "intelligent".

 

Maybe I don't smart enough by myself but using Google I can't find anything relate to what I'm want to because I have results only smartest TV Shows and Series - like fictional stories like Breaking Bad or whatever or it just gave me the lists of Night Talk-Shows.

 

So, would you help me with this?

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

1 hour ago, LightParticle said:

I'm trying to find smartest TV programs what can I watch on TV.

 

And I have a right term for what I'm really looking but by mean "smartest" I just mean they talk about various serious topics and issues: government, politics, economics, humanitarian questions everything that implies serious talk, knowledge, arguementing, debating with people who have a really smart or intersting though and opinions. And form of there programs can be different: interviews, talk-show or anything else communicating between smart persons.

 

Maybe I don't smart enough by myself but using Google I can't find anything relate to what I'm want to because I have results only smartest TV Shows and Series - like fictional stories or gave me the lists of Night Talk-Shows.

 

So, would you help me with this?

If you want serious open discussions, nothing on TV to be quite frank. You're better off looking for podcasts on YouTube or something. TV stations historically are very biased in terms of the which political side they stand on. As such, I find very little value in terms of their political commentary. And you see this all the time especially in news stations. Many have a political agenda to push which is why they'll often ignore or skew a story to match their narrative. 

[divito]

1 hour ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

If you want serious open discussions, nothing on TV to be quite frank. You're better off looking for podcasts on YouTube or something. TV stations historically are very biased in terms of the which political side they stand on. As such, I find very little value in terms of their political commentary. And you see this all the time especially in news stations. Many have a political agenda to push which is why they'll often ignore or skew a story to match their narrative. 

This. Produced TV programs have a very low intelligence bar by which to appeal to as many potential eyeballs as possible. 

Intelligent, passionate, and thoughtful discussion is far more likely in a blog, Youtube account/series, or podcast form. Even then, those mediums also have political and philosophical leanings that can affect discussion and topic selection.

I'm not sure I've ever come across something like you're describing that is a one-size fits all in terms of scope and coverage. You'll be better off focusing some searches on topics or individuals you'd like to hear about, and perhaps there will be a podcast or channel that consistently appears or produces that type of content.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

6 minutes ago, divito said:

Even then, those mediums also have political and philosophical leanings that can affect discussion and topic selection.

That is true. And even more so when the platforms themselves try to clamp down on what can and cannot be said by creators on their platforms, which is something becoming more of a concern.

[Guest]

I’d say the news and documentary channels like Discovery or History. But in the US the news is garbage. 

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

30 minutes ago, RorzNZ said:

documentary channels like Discovery or History. 

Those have really become reality TV channels at this point though. Same with Animal Planet. 

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Those have really become reality TV channels at this point though. Same with Animal Planet. 

Very true!

[zeusthemoose]

The only educational shows I know of are Adam Ruins Everything (which debunks a bunch of popular myths) and Patriot Act by Hassan Minhaj (which covers news in a comedic way). But Patriot Act just got cancelled, so it would only be good for slightly older news. I think Patriot Act is on Netflix and Adam Ruins Everything is on trutv and Netlfix.

[Intergalacticbits]

"60 Minutes" on CBS can be interesting sometimes.

They cover a wide range of topics.

 

In general I don't think you will find much TV that is really intelligent. It's more about entertainment.

I would suggest reading books for that instead.

 

I've been reading that book about Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow and so far it is a really good read.

I have never been much for history.

So It is pleasantly surprising to me how many things Hamilton wrote about that are pertinent right now.

The guy was really smart.

 

 

[LightParticle]

Wow, Im not from the USA originally and I understand that US media entertainment machine is HUGE but I'm little surprised because I know America have many intelligent people as far as well known and they do put the knowledge and education in a first place. I'm expected at least 3 big shows in that type of format but eventually there is no one?

 

For example, coronavirus. No open televised discussion talk-shows between educated people?

 

Anyway thanks for the replies. I assume that internet offers more than TV does in terms of knowledge, smart discussion and variety of people. But, to tell the truth, only reason I ask TV is because the TV (no matter how awful TV could go far) offers "official" mature/grown type of  personalites with legitemite knowledge and authority. And the result discussion a lot more quality as the result.

 

I don't mean entertainment figures but people who are gain their authority, trust, knowledge if front of society, they are well known and they speak no bullshit (to compare what internet personality goes far).

 

I don't put the TV over Internet. Of course digital communication is A LOT better and honest and broadened. But in a lot of times they are just so off the road in terns of a legitimate discussion of facts, really full knowledgable opinions and so on.

 

But OK.

 

What you may suggest to watch YouTube Shows / Podcast / Web TV shows what covers such of topics what but have that kind of people what I describe?

 

And if you can name such shows or podcast please prefer the that one that have multiple people in the discussion, because It's really good that discussion include other peoples mind, opinions, knowledge, vision etc rather than just Interviewer<>Interviewed because often in this type of model most of the time there is no actual discussion and debating.

 

I'm really interested into the knowledgable debates / cooperative and joint discussion problems and things in a human science topics.

[LightParticle]

Any guesses, hints, advice?

[SpaceGhostC2C]

On 9/11/2020 at 5:53 PM, LightParticle said:

 

And I don't have a right term for what I'm really looking but by mean "smartest" I just mean they talk about various serious topics and issues: government, politics, economics, humanitarian questions everything that implies serious talk, knowledge, arguementing, debating with people who have a really smart or intersting thoughts and opinions. 

It doesn't exist. 

You may found a show covering "various serious topics and issues: government, politics, economics, humanitarian questions", but there wouldn't be much intelligent discussion in them, because no one is in a position to thoroughly discuss more than a couple of them. Hence, any "catch-all" show will be more pretense, regurgitation, and shallow comment then intelligent discussion. They just can't become experts in something else every week or whatever. 

Interviews may work because the guest changes each time, but again, there is little the interviewer can contribute most of the time, other then allowing the other person to speak. Joe Rogan cork for the bill with the right guests. 

 

In my opinion, you're better off searching a topic of your interest on youtube, and tediously going through the results to find good sources,and they won't be the same for every topic. And from there, follow the rabbit hole as you detect loose ends or mentions you want to know more about in what you hear. 

 

Also, the deeper you want to go, the less relevant novelty becomes: some recordings of great, defunct minds will equip you better to understand current events than a couple of bozos solving the pandemic in front of a mic, after solving the economic crisis last week... 

 

 

 

[Guest]

Some PBS stuff is informative. Pretty good secondary source stuff. More so science iirc. 

 

There are also government news like i think CNET. Afaik they only broadcast actual talks from politicians. primary source. 

 

I think books might be more up your alley.