You might have heard that Mensa, the organization for people with very high IQs, has assembled a list of the Smartest TV Shows of All Time. Frasier makes the list at number 8 (aided, no doubt, by the performance of David Hyde Pierce as natty Niles) and four shows known for occasionally tackling gay themes - The West Wing, Boston Legal, Mad About You and All in the Family - are also included.

The full list:

1. M*A*S*H
2. Cosmos with Carl Sagan
3. CSI
4. House
5. West Wing
6. Boston Legal
7. All in the Family
8. Frasier
9. Mad About You
10. Jeopardy

As always with a list like this, a number of omissions come to mind, ones that makes the inclusion of Boston Legal and Mad About You seem even odder. Seeing Mensa chairman Jim Wardell explain the choices doesn't help things, since there doesn't seem to be on over-arching rationale; CSI and House are considered smart for the way they use science in their stories while Frasier and M*A*S*H are praised for their characters and dialouge.

While a list of this always inspires people to think of their favorite deserving shows (I always go with Wonderfalls, myself) there are a couple general omissions that I find interesting. All of these ten shows originally aired on broadcast television, so critical darling cable networks like HBO and fx are not represented.

Animated and science fiction series don't make the cut, nor do any gritty, emotionally exhausting dramas like Homicide or Six Feet Under. One could almost say that Mensa picked shows that were intellectually challenging but not too intellectually challenging.

The most glaring omission is probably The Simpsons, a show that playfully challenged its audience's attention to detail almost constantly. Does the fact that Lisa Simpson is a high-ranking member of Mensa Springfield mean nothing?

But there are plenty of other gay-inclusive TV shows that could fit on the list. Earlier, I mentioned Homicide (which gave us an unflinchingly realistic look at police work and characters who developed over time, including Kyle Secor's Det. Bayliss becoming comfortable with his bisexuality), Six Feet Under and Wonderfalls, and would also think Oz and The Wire would be deserviing nominations.

What are your favorite examples of smart, gay television? Which shows do you think challenged audiences' brains the most? Let us know in the comments!

There's a veritable smorgasboard of campy DVD titles out today that might be of interest
to you, or the perfect stocking stuffer for a friend or pet.

The FX series Dirt returns for its sophomore season in January and just in time for new viewers to catch up is this boxed set release of Season 1. The show itself was a bit uneven last year, but it did offer a few delights. Among them is Grant Show as a closeted movie star getting down and dirty with Leo Spiller (Will McCormack). The boy certainly has come a long way from Melrose Place.

Also out, you can finally get R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet R&B opera — all 22 chapters of it — on one DVD. Collectively the chapters tell the story of a one-night stand that sets off a chain of events "revealing a web of lies and deceit." Some of those lies involve certain characters "on the down low."

The front of the box says, "it's the big package," but that may not in fact be true. Kelly claims to have another 20 chapters written and yet to be released. Oh for goodness sake, come out of the closet already!

Are you a Zac Efron fan? Oh come on admit it. You know you are. Well you can see him gamely returning to the franchise that made him a teen heartthrob and breakout star in High School Musical 2: Extended Edition. And no doubt in a few months Disney will be releasing the "director's cut" of this cash cow franchise.

Of keener interest to me is the DVD release of a 1996 Lifetime original movie, Seduced by Madness...