Mad Men
Why It’s Smart: Its depiction of the cut-throat brutality of 1960s Madison Avenue educates us on the sins of our fathers. Its probing scripts use key historical events (for example, JFK vs. Nixon and the Bay of Pigs) to anchor discussions about honesty, temptation and patriotism.
How Smart Is It? While the world of Sterling Cooper is at heart an old boys’ club, producers had the wherewithal to flesh out the show’s popular female characters in Season 2.
Battlestar Galactica dvd
Why It’s Smart: Strip away its sci-fi trimmings and
Battlestar is as much about democracy and freedom as
The West Wing was. Until last season’s finale, the 30,000-odd survivors of the destruction of New Caprica were looking for Earth; in a clever reversal, their quest is now much deeper, challenging the very idea of “home.”
How Smart Is It? Forget global warming. As post-apocalyptic scenarios go, this one — as bleak as it is — seems likely.