Who’s the smartest TV character of all time (based on what we actually see, not just what the show claims)?

[deleted]

I mean it’s gotta be Data.

The Doctor

Jackson Lamb in Slow Horses, every time he has to clean up messes that his team makes each season

For me, it’s "**Michael Scofield**" from "Prison Break" and it’s not even a debate. Dude was always 5 steps ahead, no matter what went wrong. Second I’d say, "**The Professor**" from "Money Heist", but there’s a pretty big gap.

Walter White - pure evil genius when it comes to a lot of things, and like many geniuses completely inept when it comes to basic human relations and emotional logic.

Jimmy Neutron

Monk is up there. His deduction skills and sixth sense for details were put to good use.

Sheldon Cooper won a Nobel Prize with his wife so he might be up there. Mike from Suits has an eidetic memory so he was overpowered in law technicalities, not so much dealing with the people side though. Technically Janet from the Good Place is omniscient so might be #1

Michael Scofield hands down

Definitely Michael Scott

Imma throw a curveball and say MacGyver.

That one henchman from the old Batman animated series who walked into a room, saw Batman, closed the door, and went home for the day.

The Thinker from The Flash or Brainiac from Supergirl. I mean, unless you're going to restrict the choice to human characters, ultra-intelligent beings from the realm of science fiction will always be the smartest. Data was a great choice.

Data from Star Trek.

one of the many iterations of sherlock holmes probably

Hannibal Lecter

Walter White if he was real is probably top 5 smartest people who ever lived.

I’m going with Batman from the Animated Series from the 90s. He always was one step ahead.

Columbo was a genius who used observation to solve homicides, McGuyver, the female lead in High Potential, House.

Rust Cole

Benjamin Linus - LOST

Murray Greshler.

Some variation of God, being omniscient and all.

Guys, what are you even writing here? XD Neither Michael Scofield nor Walter White can hold a candle to one character in particular: Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal could outsmart them all at once without breaking a sweat. He can manipulate literally anyone however he pleases, and no one can match him. Hannibal has mastered emotional and social intelligence to perfection. On top of that, he is educated in many fields such as philosophy, art, cooking, music, languages, and drawing. Hannibal possesses incredible and almost unreal knowledge about practically everything. He combines expertise in many highly specialized fields such as neurosurgery, psychiatry, and psychology—which in itself is practically impossible for a normal person. Literally no one can match Hannibal.