Such disrespect is but the tip of an iceberg of ignominy heaped upon geeks in Chris Carter's new TV series "The Lone Gunmen," a show that triumphantly insults the very constituency it's supposedly trying to target. Any true geek will watch this show and wince. But fortunately for today's techies, "The Lone Gunmen" is far from the only place on the TV dial where they can find their own kind: In accordance with the cultural rise of all things nerdish -- the Internet, digital culture, hackers -- we are also being blessed by the emergence of what can only be called geek TV. On Comedy Central and the Learning Channel, programs such as "BattleBots," "Junkyard Wars" and the upcoming "Robotica" feature geeks in their home habitats, wielding power tools and wreaking mechanical havoc.

The rising stars of geek TV are perhaps best described as reality TV for those with a passion for hardware tinkering (or, at least, a fascination with the way things work). "BattleBots" and "Junkyard Wars" are a gallery of the geek imagination: smoke-belching flotation devices, careening robots with enormous spinning saws, contraptions welded together with soldering irons and lots of tech savvy. The shows are not only an homage to the geek brain -- witnesses of a world in which a programmer like Linus Torvalds can become a hero to millions and coding is considered cool -- but are terrific entertainment to boot. Together, they manage to make up for any insults that "The Lone Gunmen" and its Hollywood ilk convey.

Geeks have long suffered at the hands of Hollywood. "Revenge of the Nerds" codified the stereotype in the 1980s -- geeks as social misfits more comfortable with computers than other humans. And though the look may have changed slightly over the years -- pocket protectors and ill-fitting button-down shirts giving way to baggy T-shirts and shaggy hair (the coke-bottle glasses endure) -- the social stigma has remained. Think greasy pizza, Jolt cola, all-night coding and gaming sessions, science fiction conventions and a juvenile fascination with the untouchable female: As far as most TV shows and movies are concerned, these traits still define the geek character.

At least, they did until recently. Although "The X-Files" hinted at a fulfilling world of geekdom (Mulder may not have programmed, but any true geek could recognize his monomaniacal obsessiveness), it was "Freaks and Geeks" that first embraced the idea that the weirdos are more interesting than the normal people and worth a prime-time TV show. Now, in retrospect, the attraction of geek TV seems obvious. Who do you identify with more: brainy Lindsay Weir, one of the misfit stars of "Freaks and Geeks," or the oh-so-perky Jennifer Aniston, she of the flippy hair and the micromini skirt? Unfortunately, "Freaks and Geeks" was canceled when it failed to garner a large-enough viewership.

But it was inevitable that new TV shows would arise to take its place: We now live in an era when a programmer like Napster's Shawn Fanning is a virtual rock star, über-nerd Bill Gates is a cultural icon and hackers are turned into subculture heroes. If the meteoric rise of the Net over the last six years has changed our social hierarchy in any way, it's been through the revolution of geek status. People who are smart with computers and machines are in high demand: They make money, command magazine covers, revolutionize entire industries and become famous. Yes, geeks are now cool countercultural figures, and it seems about time for TV to sit up and give them their due.

The Free Software Project
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