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13[[quoteright:255:[[WesternAnimation/RobotChicken https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/robot_chicken_genius.jpg]]]]
14[[caption-width-right:255: You can always count on him to solve a [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 practical problem]].]]
15
16->''"I know I don't sound the part. Get raised by brahmin ranchers, and you never lose the twang. Drives Hildern crazy. But I know every inch of the power grid from Hoover Dam to Shady Sands."''
17-->-- '''Dr. Angela Williams''', ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''
18
19An [[StereotypeFlip inversion]] of the "[[HalfWittedHillbilly idiotic redneck]]" stereotype people from the DeepSouth often have attached to them, in a similar mould to BlackAndNerdy.
20
21This character may have the same down-home sensibilities or otherwise act like a [[GoodOlBoy good ol' southerner]], but is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin very, very smart]]. Maybe they exhibit SesquipedalianLoquaciousness alongside their [[SophisticatedAsHell Southern vernacular]], maybe they have a teleporter in their garage, [[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls maybe they're engineering geniuses capable of creating huge automatons]], who knows. The juxtaposition is often helped by a cornpone HayseedName.
22
23The SimpleCountryLawyer exemplifies this trope; he uses his intelligence and accent as a weapon, talking in simple allegories and colloquialisms in order to make people [[ObfuscatingStupidity think he's a moron]], then [[BunnyEarsLawyer brutalizing them with his superior wit]].
24
25May overlap with GoodIsNotDumb and/or SouthernGentleman. See also CountryMouse and SouthernFriedPrivate. Contrast HalfWittedHillbilly.
26
27-----
28!!Examples:
29
30[[foldercontrol]]
31
32[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
33* Terryman from ''Manga/{{Kinnikuman}}'' and [[GenerationXerox his son]] Terry the Kid/Terry Kenyon from ''Anime/UltimateMuscle'' look, dress and (in the localizations) speak like stereotypical Texan ranchers, but also serve as their respective series' MrExposition whenever a scientific explanation is called for.
34* Due to AccentAdaptation, Bill tends to display this in the translation of ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' as a substitute for the original's Kansai-ben -- which was, much like this trope, presumably intended as a subversion of TheIdiotFromOsaka.
35* The students at Yezo High in ''Manga/SilverSpoon'' may not do well in traditional academics, but many of them are prone to going into lengthy, university-level discussions on such subjects as the mechanical specs of farm equipment, food processing chemistry and biotechnology.
36* In ''Star Blazers,'' the English dub of ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato,'' communications officer Eager is given a thick Southern accent, but he's clearly a very technically proficient and deeply competent comm officer.
37[[/folder]]
38
39[[folder:Comedy]]
40* Creator/JeffFoxworthy once joked that most people automatically deduct 100 [=IQ=] points if they hear a southern drawl, and would probably walk out on their brain surgeon if he had an accent. He himself qualifies for a Real Life example, as he attended Georgia Tech and was employed by IBM (and not in a janitorial capacity as he is sometimes wont to [over-modestly] state) before making it in the world of stand-up comedy.
41-->'''Jeff:''' Allrite, now whut we gon' do is... saw the top o' yo head off... root around in there with a stick... and see if we can't find that dag-burn clot. ''[beat]'' Heh, no thanks, [[FateWorseThanDeath I'll just die]].
42* Another stand-up joked that you can basically say any stupid thing with a [[IAmVeryBritish British accent]] and be believed, and how he feels sorry for southern nuclear physicists with the opposite problem.
43** This might have been Creator/TimAllen--in his book ''Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man'', he mentions meeting a Southern engineer when he toured an aircraft carrier (because [[TimTaylorTechnology of course he did]]).
44-->''He was smarter than I'll ever be, but he sounded dumber than a ham hock. "That boat five football feels lawng, nuklar pawr."''
45* Trae Crowder, AKA The Liberal Redneck, is known for this as well, his comedy often comes from the contrast of his thick Tennessee accent and his biting political commentary. As a bonus, he also happens to hold a Masters Degree.
46[[/folder]]
47
48[[folder:Comic Books]]
49* Jim in ''ComicBook/CreatureTech'' is a bumpkin redneck with a heavy Southern drawl who demonstrates rather marvelous skills in particle and quantum physics, electronics, mechanics and alien technology.
50* Flash Forward from the 2001 ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'' revamp is a poor kid from rural Alabama who dropped out of school in the sixth grade. He's also unquestionably the smartest person on the team, and the others aren't exactly morons themselves.
51* ''ComicBook/TheFabulousFurryFreakBrothers'': While hitchhiking to San Francisco, Freewheelin' Franklin meets a friendly redneck who had just learned about "merry-jew-wanna" in Acapulco and had bought a camper full up with him. Franklin offers to sell it, figuring he can scam this guy asking a dirt-cheap price from him, but the guy then matter-of-factly rattles off one potential marketplace town after another, knowing the going price and all the dealing pros and cons at each location. Franklin's grudging admiration is deflated when the guy asks "One thing I was wondering, though - what does that stuff ''do'' to you guys? I never smoked any of it myself..."
52* Samuel "Cannonball" Guthrie from ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' is a former coal miner from Kentucky with the ability to fly through explosive propulsion, as well as secondary force field generation. He's also highly intelligent, extremely intuitive, and incredibly clever and creative when it comes to using his powers.
53* ''ComicBook/PS238'':
54** Herschel Clay in is more or less a redneck Tony Stark, with a business empire, power armor -- and a gimme cap.
55** [[http://ps238.nodwick.com/comic/04062009/ This guy]] is at least smarter than the protagonists gave him credit for.
56--->'''Redneck:''' Just 'cuz I live out in th' ''sticks'' with piles of ''junk'' 'round my trailer don't mean I'm ''ignorant of history''.
57* One issue of ''ComicBook/TheTick'' had the characters run into this, when a town full of hillbillies got their hands on TheMonolith from ''[[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey]]''.
58* Veronica Cale is a MadScientist CorruptCorporateExecutive from Texas, introduced in the pages of ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987''.
59* Dr. Billy Joe Robidoux from ''ComicBook/WynonnaEarp'' is a MadScientist version of this. To quote Wynonna: "He's a southern-fried gumbo of Dr. Josef Mengele, [[Literature/{{Frankenstein}} Dr. Frankenstein]] and runs a real-life version of ''Literature/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau''."
60[[/folder]]
61
62[[folder:Fan Works]]
63* Podcast/TheCodotVerse version of [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Jonathan Crane]] speaks in a pretty thick Georgian accent (which has a basis in canon believe or not), but is no less intelligent than his canon counterparts in terms of medical and chemistry knowledge.
64[[/folder]]
65
66[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
67* Mater from ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'', whose friendly and outgoing nature is coupled with an encyclopedic knowledge of obscure car parts. [[spoiler:Later, he's the one who figures out the plot to sabotage and discredit the World Grand Prix.]]
68[[/folder]]
69
70[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
71* In ''Film/TheATeam,'' BunnyEarsLawyer Murdock has a southern accent. Given that he's insane and can change his voice on a whim, though, it's entirely possible that he's faking it.
72* John Nash from ''Film/ABeautifulMind'' and RealLife.
73* ''Film/TheBlindSide'' features a version of Tennessee where college education is the norm and there's no condescension to the intelligence of football players in the Southern town.
74* Creator/TheCoenBrothers movies often feature Southern characters who either are very smart, or [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness talk like it]].
75* Samuel Gerard from ''Film/TheFugitive'' has a distinctly Southern accent, wears jeans to work, isn't afraid of the occasional [[PrecisionFStrike well-placed profanity]], and is a high-ranking law enforcement officer whose specialty is hunting down dangerous criminals. He earns the trust of the title character by basically being a badass, and independently and near-singlehandedly solves the mystery of the film.
76* Budd in ''Film/KillBill'', played by Creator/MichaelMadsen doing his best Southern drawl, may live in a trailer and work as a bouncer and janitor at a trashy strip club, but he's a lot cleverer than he initially seems. His CombatPragmatist tactics make him one of the Bride's more effective opponents, and he's also a surprisingly philosophical NobleDemon.
77* Benoit Blanc of ''Film/KnivesOut'' is a genius detective with a strong but nonspecific Southern accent. It stands out against the WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant cast of the first film and the celebrities in the sequel with neutral American accents. In the sequel, he suggests that he will occasionally play up his Southernness to distract people.
78* Brad Whitaker from ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'' is something of a whiz at both history and military technology.
79* ''Film/LoganLucky'' has a whole cast of these, organising the robbery of a NASCAR event. They pull off a very elaborate scam that involves a great deal of misdirection not just of their targets and law enforcement, [[spoiler: but even some of their fellow thieves]], and the crew includes genius mechanics and an incarcerated explosives expert. Most are portrayed as {{Genius Ditz}}es, being brilliant in their respective fields but often clueless in others or showing an utter lack of common sense at times, and much of the comedy comes from them being very smart on some occasions and ridiculously dumb on others.
80* Judge Haller and DA Jim Trotter III in ''Film/MyCousinVinny''. Vinny thinks he can run roughshod over them when defending his cousin in an Alabama courtroom, but they turn out to be a lot more intelligent than he suspects. Fortunately for his cousin, so is Vinny.
81* In the Creator/RobinWilliams movie ''Film/{{RV}}'', the family spends a good chunk of the movie thinking that the RV full of friendly Southern people were redneck hick stalkers. They were two for three. Near the end of the movie, the kids witness the redneck's kids doing home-school work out of an advanced Calculus book. Cue the daughter saying in complete astonishment, "So... you guys are smart."
82* Cade Yeager from ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'', the Texan inventor.
83* Dale from ''Film/TuckerAndDaleVsEvil'' is a variation; he never finished grade school, but he's got a great mind for trivia.
84* Bobby Boucher in ''Film/TheWaterboy'' only seems dumb due to [[MyBelovedSmother years of excessive sheltering by his mother]] who taught him [[MadLibsCatchPhrase everything "is the Devil!"]] He has practical knowledge about water filtration, and later does well with every college class, even having a near-perfect score on his high school-equivalency exam.
85* William Stryker from ''Film/X2XMenUnited''. He has a slight Southern accent, and he's also a talented scientist and military strategist.
86[[/folder]]
87
88[[folder:Literature]]
89* ''Literature/AgentPendergast'': The title character is reminiscent of [[Literature/ToKillAMockingbird Atticus Finch]] (see below). He sports a strong New Orleans accent paired with a razor-sharp wit and legal mind.
90* ''Franchise/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In ''Mortal Fear'', newly-turned vampire Billy Bob is a fat, bearded southerner who is a former computer repairman who can hack into cable channels to watch his favorite shows without paying. He is also a decently tactical leader.
91* ''Literature/{{Bunnicula}}'': In ''Nighty-Nightmare'' (Book 4), Bud and Spud come across as dumb hicks, but are later revealed to have graduated cum laude from college -- Bud (real name Buford) is an architect, and Spud (real name Spalding) practices law.
92-->'''Bud''': And one of these days, he'll get it right! \
93'''Spud''': ''[=[=][[DopeSlap whacks him]]]''
94* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', Ebenezar [=McCoy=] is acknowledged as one of the most powerful and dangerous wizards in the world. He has centuries of experience and knowledge to draw on, and ''literally'' wrote the book on practical entry-level spellcasting. He lives on a farm in rural Missouri, speaks with a rural accent, and has typical rural values. His {{Vitriolic Best Bud|s}} and fellow wizard Listens-to-Wind jokingly calls him an "inbred hillbilly redneck."
95%%* Calvin Whitlock from ''Literature/FalkenbergsLegion''.
96* Creator/RobertAHeinlein's "Future History" series:
97** Andrew Jackson Libby from is a boy from the Ozarks who, among other things, discovers artificial gravity and hyperspace travel. Even a thousand years later, Lazarus Long comments that Libby was the only man who ''ever'' understood the mathematics of hyperspace: not only is every other pilot who claims to understand Libby's "imperial numbers" a liar and a menace to his passengers, but every single computer that can navigate through hyperspace is ''[[BrainUploading a copy of Libby's unique mind]]''.
98** Lazarus Long probably qualifies as well, though his is a more general kind of Renaissance genius, capable of doing anything (Libby was a capable mechanic, and at home in greasy overalls, but happier with pure numbers) and anyone. When not deliberately speaking another language or putting on polish, Lazarus reverts to the rusty Missouri saw he spoke in his youth.
99** Note well that Heinlein himself was from rural "Bible Belt" Missouri, and that Long at least was an AuthorAvatar.
100%%* Cy Ogle from ''[[Creator/NealStephenson Interface]]''.
101%%* The main character of ''The Killer Inside Me''. Too bad he's AxCrazy.
102%%* The main character of the Literature/MorganvilleVampires.
103* ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}'': Dixie Flatline, a former "cowboy" (hacker) is written as being from near Atlanta, and is written with an "GoodOlBoy" accent and mannerisms. He's renowned as a clever hacker and has the ability to cleverly explain concepts to the main character.
104* ''Literature/{{Patternist}}'': Asa Elias "Eli" Doyle is a BlackAndNerdy geologist and astronaut. His friends note that he's very good at code-switching and at playing up his accent when he wants to be underestimated.
105* The minor character Bud in Creator/KurtVonnegut's debut ''Player Piano'' is a Georgian smart enough (maybe not) to create a machine that makes his job unnecessary.
106* Military science fiction authors Creator/JohnRingo and Creator/TravisSTaylor have made good use of this trope more than once.
107** In ''Von Neumann's War'', Earth is invaded by a horde of Von Neumann Machines. New weapons capable of fighting the machines are developed by two of the smartest people in the world who both are Southerners. One is a [=PhD=] physicist and the other is a graduate student working as a Hooter's waitress from Alabama.
108** In the ''Literature/IntoTheLookingGlass'' series, one of the protagonists is a genius Southerner OmnidisciplinaryScientist working as a scientist for a fictional defense contractor. Ringo modeled Dr. Weaver on Taylor, who was uninvolved in the initial book of the series.
109* ''Literature/SergeStorms'' :
110** Story Long from ''Nuclear Jellyfish'' is a stripper from Jacksonville who enjoys drinking cold beer, wearing cutoff jeans, and in-depth discussions of Supreme Court rulings, Senate filibusters, Florida history, and the Code of UsefulNotes/{{Hammurabi}}.
111** Jasper from ''Clownfish Blues'' is an Apalachicola fisherman who digs up his own bait and whose appearance prompts a ''Film/{{Deliverance}}'' joke, only for Jasper to reveal that, unlike most people Serge knows, he's read the original book by James Dickey, along with the works of Creator/JamesJoyce and Creator/WilliamFaulkner
112--> '''Jasper''': Dad-gum right I know Dickey, Southern literary lion, and poet loreee-''ate''.
113** Darby Pope from ''The Pope of Palm Beach'' may look and sometimes act like just a Florida beach hippie but is one of the best-read people in town.
114** Benmont Pinsch from ''No Sunscreen for the Dead'' is a brilliant data analyst who previously worked for a company converting textbooks into digital materials for online classes. He hails from a Tennessee coal mining town that is implied to have had a lot of bright kids in it, as his high school girlfriend and ex-wife won a pi-memorizing competition at their school.
115* ''Literature/SilverJohn'': The titular character is a wandering singer from the Ozarks, who also happens to have an almost encyclopedic knowledge of American mythology and folklore and knows hundreds of folk songs. It's stated that he could easily have gotten [=Ph.D.s=] in both anthropology and musicology if he'd bothered with formal education, and he notes that he was the Library of Congress' second choice for gathering and recording American folk songs (though he secretly admits that Bascom Lamar Lunsford was the better choice).
116* Atticus Finch from ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'', though he certainly doesn't exhibit any real southern stereotypes, at least no negative stereotypes. He's sort of the genteel southern elite, an erudite, upper class Southern gentleman. Fortunately for his children and his client, he also displays an educated, liberal tolerance and gentility as well. (Let's not get into his portrayal in Lee's original draft[[note]]it only looks like a sequel because Scout is an adult in this version[[/note]] ''Literature/GoSetAWatchman'', although as strange as it is, it doesn't detract from the man's intelligence.) He ''is'' a crack shot with a rifle, though he tries to keep that fact away from his children.
117* From the Literature/WhateleyUniverse: Multiple {{Gadgeteer Genius}}es:
118** Loophole is a southern belle with an accent as thick as creamed corn, who also happens to be an inventor and GadgeteerGenius who built her own space-worthy suit of PowerArmor in three days. She got her code name by [[RulesLawyer knowing the rulebook]] inside and out, and [[LoopholeAbuse exploiting them ruthlessly]].
119** 'Shine is [[MadScientist devisor]] from the Appalachias; [[HillbillyMoonshiner you can probably guess what he builds just from his codename]]. Despite having left school at the age of nine, by fourteen he is canny enough not only to cut some sweetheart deals with several distilleries, but ''also'' to recognize the value of going to Whateley to hone his talents.
120* The hero of ''Literature/WayStation'' is a rural mountaineer who is befriended by an alien and becomes the caretaker of an interstellar teleportation waystation, with all the technical know-how that the job title implies.
121[[/folder]]
122
123[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
124* ''Series/{{Angel}}'':
125** Lindsey [=MacDonald=] is a skilled lawyer who also knows a thing or two about magic. His exact origin is ambiguous, though he has an Oklahoma license plate on his pickup truck. Angel dismissively calls him a "tiny Texan" at one point; this could be an in-joke directed at Christian Kane, who hails from Dallas.
126** Not to mention Fred, who's basically a FarmersDaughter turned borderline-MadScientist.
127* Sheldon from ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' is originally from UsefulNotes/{{Texas}}, but this trope is [[DoubleSubversion subverted]] in that he does a lot of SesquipedalianLoquaciousness and he doesn't have the stereotypical Texan/southern accent. However, it's implied that he adopted his curt way of speaking to distance himself from his southern background. Whenever he is distressed, upset, angry or occasionally drunk, he reverts to his native Texan accent, including even using country-styled idioms (the actor also has a natural Southern twang, being a native of Houston). Furthermore, he is surprisingly very knowledgeable about American football (it was inescapable where he lived after all and his dad would make him watch and come to games as a bonding activity), [[DeepFriedWhatever frying meats that aren't chicken as if they were chicken]], and some stuff on firearms (he offered to teach Leonard on "how to shoot close enough to a raccoon that it craps itself").
128* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Finn Abernathy, the squintern introduced in Season 7, is initially teased by Hodgins for his Southern drawl (and [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech calls him out on it]]), and manages to impress Temperance Brennan with his forensic skills when they first meet (no mean feat there).
129* A non-heroic version appears on ''Series/BostonLegal'' in the form of the sleazy Southern defense lawyer Alan would occasionally cross swords with.
130* LAPD Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson of ''Series/TheCloser'', who is a CIA-trained interrogator, is phenomenally skilled at obtaining confessions... and sounds like she just took the train up from Georgia. Which, y'know, she did.
131* Ballistics expert Calleigh Duquesne of ''Series/CSIMiami'' is from Georgia.
132* Former FBI Agent Jo Danville who joins the ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' team in Season 7 is an expert profiler/scientist from Alabama who tells Mac people, be they suspects or superior officers, open up to her because they don't quite know what to do with her Southern charm.
133* J.R. Ewing of ''Series/{{Dallas}}'' is a folksy ten-gallon hat wearing Texas good old boy and yet arguably the most famous TV villain of TheEighties. Every inch TheChessmaster and MagnificentBastard.
134* Daisy Duke of ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard''. Despite quite a few Awesome moments when she proved to be made of both stern and smart stuff, in the series proper she's still best known for being one of the famous MsFanservice of the twentieth century. In the 1997 telemovie ''Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion'', it's revealed that Daisy is well on the way to getting a Ph.D in Ecology. During that movie, despite being kidnapped by the BigBad, she [[TheCharmer scams the Big Bad]] into helping Daisy plan her wedding ''while being held hostage'', AND tips off her cousins as to where she is from the pattern of the purchases the Big Bad is suddenly making.
135* In ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', astronaut scientist John Crichton hails from [[OnlyInFlorida Florida]]. Beyond the general intelligence and scientific education required for all astronauts, Crichton ''invented his own space shuttle'' and discovered how to create wormholes, while still having a stereotypically "Southern" personality. This trope is taken even further with his "super-evolved" version who speaks with a clear [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texan]] drawl. Ben Browder himself was born in Tennessee, raised in North Carolina, and went to college in South Carolina.
136* ''Series/GoodEats'' star[=/=]creator Alton Brown, emphatically so: Brown started off a cinematographer (most notably doing camera work for music videos for bands like Music/{{REM}}), he studied science (of which he had been a poor student in school) to excel at culinary school, and built his show around his science-based cooking and general erudition.
137* ''Series/{{Justified}}'', being set in rural Kentucky, is chock-full of these. Perhaps the best example is Boyd Crowder, a highly articulate and charismatic criminal who has knowledge of explosives and thinks faster than almost anyone else in the cast. Also worth mentioning is Bo Crowder, his father, a crime lord who lampshades this trope to the out-of-town gangster who underestimates him.
138-->'''Bo:''' You know, I may not own a private plane or a fancy car, and when you look at me, you probably just see some dumb redneck who likes to eat roadkill for breakfast and have sex with his cousins. I don't eat roadkill, I don't screw my relatives, and I didn't just get off of no short bus. So for you to bring me all the way down here to threaten me, as if I didn't already fully understand the stakes of our business agreement? Hoss, that's just downright insulting.
139* ''Series/LawAndOrder'':
140** Abbie Carmichael, of the ''Law & Order'' Mother Ship, was a Southern-Fried Legal Genius, with a dash of BlondeRepublicanSexKitten (OK, ''brunette'' Republican Sex Kitten, but really, does it matter?) and a bucket of HelloAttorney.
141** Also DA Arthur Branch, a smart man, whom the writers made no attempt to hide was simply his actor (the actually excellent lawyer[[note]]Before elected office, he had been chief counsel for the Republican side of the Senate investigation into [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon Watergate]]; he had a role in the creation of the famous line "What did the President know, and when did he know it?"[[/note]] and former US Senator from Tennessee Fred Dalton Thompson) in the form of a fictional character.
142** One of [=McCoy's=] opponents deliberately invoked this trope to appear simultaneously a down-home country boy, just one of us chickens to pair with his rapier wit and encyclopedic knowledge of the law.
143* Jake Stone in ''Series/TheLibrarians2014'' has spent much of his life working on an oil rig in Oklahoma, spending his evenings in a bar with his friends. His favorite Christmas pastime is getting into bar fights. Secretly, he has an IQ of 190, knows seven languages, and is one of the world's foremost experts on art history, writing well-known papers under different (well-established) names. He's the guy most museums will call on to authenticate a new find, and he's the guy they're ''afraid'' to call on, since he'll spot a fake easily. Why doesn't he reveal the truth to his family? In his own words, "family ain't easy."
144* Overton the handyman on ''Series/LivingSingle''; he knows Hebrew for one.
145* Sawyer of ''Series/{{Lost}}''. He's a very successful con man, after all, and is commonly seen reading a wide variety of literature.
146* In the ''Series/{{MASH}}'' episode "Temporary Duty", Hawkeye is traded to the 8063 for Cpt. Roy Dupree who is equal parts chicken-fried hillbilly and incredibly brilliant surgeon.
147* Dwight Hendricks of ''Series/MemphisBeat'' (with a side of DefectiveDetective).
148* ''Series/MyWorldAndWelcomeToIt'': The character of [[HayseedName Zeph Leggin]] appears in two episodes, "A Friend of the Earth" and "Native Wit." He's essentially a transplanted hayseed sage from the South or Midwest who hangs around Westbury's version of a general store, dispensing homespun witticisms to his circle of admirers. John crosses his path soon enough and spends both episodes matching wits with him.
149* Chris [=LaSalle=] of ''Series/NCISNewOrleans'' has a very thick 'Bama accent, courtesy of being played by Lucas Black. He's also a highly skilled NCIS agent.
150* This concept was {{discussed|Trope}} in an early ''Series/{{QI}}'', where Creator/StephenFry said that it's difficult to imagine someone from the American South becoming a professor of fine art, and Rich Hall agreed, saying that if you come from the south, it's difficult to have any credibility if you do anything other than play a washboard with spoons.
151* A ''Series/SoRandom'' sketch revolved around a "simple country boy" who can instruct others on intricate things like heart surgery and bomb disarming.
152* Ben Browder's natural drawl comes through more with his character in ''Series/StargateSG1''. It's adorable.
153* Steven Sharpe/the Gambler from ''Series/Stargirl2020'' is the Injustice Society's master hacker who speaks with a thick Southern drawl.
154* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
155** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': Dr. Leonard "Bones" [=McCoy=] did his undergraduate studies in Mississippi (although his accent wasn't quite so noticeable as Trip's). His birthplace is only defined as "somewhere in the South." Common {{Fanon}} puts it in Georgia [[ActorSharedBackground like his actor]] Creator/DeForestKelley. The series occasionally has him referencing his heritage, such as in ''Film/StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier'', where he boasts about his recipe for beaked beans which he claims is a secret southern recipe (which even Spock admits is surprisingly good).
156** Trip Tucker of ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''. [[DependingOnTheWriter This depends on the episode though]], sometimes he's presented as an engineering genius and other times [[BookDumb he can't do grade-school math]].
157* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
158** Ash drinks like a fish, lives in a Roadhouse bar, and can be found sleeping on the pool table. But, he is a genius who was kicked out of MIT for reasons he won't specify, and in Season 5 is able to hack [[spoiler:Heaven itself]].
159** Bobby Singer looks and sounds like a Midwestern trucker but is a CoolOldGuy who's a walking talking compendium of demonic lore.
160* Phil Harding of ''Series/TimeTeam'' proves that the U.S. is not the only country with a rural South and people subverting the stereotype. While he has less ''formal'' education than the rest of the team (his doctorate is honourary and he only has a high-school education), he's a field archaeologist with over forty years of experience, a trained scuba diver and President of the Nautical Archaeological Society as well as an expert flint knapper. And plays a mean guitar in his spare time. All concealed in the body and accent of a cider-fueled West Country Owl/Man-hybrid.
161* Rust Cohle from ''Series/TrueDetective'' is a genius detective with a thick Texan drawl.
162* Daryl from ''Series/TheWalkingDead2010'' appears to be a bad tempered, redneck hick. He's also an excellent tracker, has knowledge of Native American history, and is quite possibly the best all around survivalist in the group.
163* ''Series/TheWestWing'' has Ainsley Hayes, the {{Trope Namer|s}} for BlondeRepublicanSexKitten, who trounces one of the main characters in a televised debate in her EstablishingCharacterMoment. There are other, lesser examples throughout the series.
164[[/folder]]
165
166[[folder:Podcasts]]
167* ''Podcast/STown'' centers on John B. [=McLemore=], an antiquarian horologist (read: restorer of historical clocks) and all-around self-educated polymath who lives in the small town of Woodstock, Alabama (on the outer fringes of Greater Birmingham). He calls it "Shit Town" and invites Yankee journalist Brian Reed to investigate corruption and a possible murder in Woodstock. And then the plot thickens...
168* In ''Podcast/TrialsAndTrebuchets'', the gnome wizard Winsler Wallaby is a humble farm boy who speaks with a southern accent, and is one of the smartest students in his class, receiving the third-highest score on his first year exams.
169* One of the hosts of ''Podcast/WellTheresYourProblem'' is civil engineer Justin Roczniak, who uses a very notable southern accent (UsefulNotes/{{Appalachia}}n) and a lot of LaymansTerms to get across the engineering terms.
170[[/folder]]
171
172[[folder:Video Games]]
173%%* Pey'j from ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'', a NonHumanSidekick who is also an inventor.
174* Augustus Sinclair from ''VideoGame/BioShock2''. He's a cunning businessman, clever manipulator and by some accounts a great scientist.
175* Beethro from ''VideoGame/DeadlyRoomsOfDeath''. He's more medieval than southern, but he has to be smart when his line of work involves getting past booby traps while killing monsters.
176* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':
177** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' has Dr. Angela Williams, an [[TheFederation NCR]] scientist who was born and raised on a cattle farm, and {{lampshade|Hanging}}s how her country twang doesn't fit with her occupation.
178** Sturges from ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' is the only character in the game with a Southern accent and he fits the trope to a tee. Investigating his old home shows that he was highly skilled at fixing and maintaining power armour, and he can also build you a very complicated teleportation device should you ask him to. Unlike the other people you can ask he has absolutely ''no'' prior experience with similar technology, making it all the more impressive. [[spoiler:Though he ''is'' ([[TomatoInTheMirror unknowingly]]) [[ArtificialHuman a Synth]], so he might have some innate understanding of Institute tech.]]
179* Cid Highwind is ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'''s version of a rocket scientist -- and the first man in space, to boot. His accent was spotty in the original game, but comes through loud and clear in ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]'' and ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''.
180* Donnel in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', being from a remote corner of Ylisse with a very noticeable southern drawl, but quickly picks up on almost any subject he tries to learn. This is most noticeable in his supports with Miriel.
181* Ellis from ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' seems to be a lot smarter than he lets on. [[GeniusDitz Even if he did think the Mona Lisa was a sculpture.]]
182* Cecil in ''VideoGame/{{Obduction}}'', better known as C.W., was just a regular guy from somewhere in the South during the Civil War era, until he was abducted by an alien seed to the town of Hunrath, along with hundreds of others from various places and times. Once there, he managed to not only get grips on the pieces of modern technology some people had brought with them, but also the tech of other aliens that had been abducted to the same place. For instance, he managed to splice a video recorder into an alien force-field generator, making it possible to record a person's image and project it as a [[{{Hologram}} volumetric display]]. He also found out how to artificially trigger the swapper seeds, allowing quick transportation between Hunrath and the other alien towns, and was working on a plan to reverse the original abduction and send everyone back to their home planets.
183* [[PunnyName Eugene Ius]] from ''VideoGame/OddworldStrangersWrath'' is a very nerdy Clakker who studies ancient ruins and has a laptop that controls Buzzardton's power grid. Though he has a very negative opinion on the native Grubbs, considering them idiots, and destroys an ancient statue for a quick exit from the ruins.
184* [[WrenchWench Parvati]] in ''VideoGame/TheOuterWorlds'' is the crew's mechanic and is one of the smartest persons on the Unreliable alongside [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Ellie]] and possibly [[PlayerCharacter the Unplanned Variable]], and speaks with a noticeable southern accent.
185* Lucas Baker, eldest child of the [[HillbillyHorrors Baker family]] in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'', is a rural Louisiana native with a strong Deep South accent and dialect, and has a prowess with machinery that's been winning him amateur inventor/engineering contest prizes since he was elementary school age. Since the Bakers fell under the influence of the installment's particular horror illness and became a hostile CannibalClan, he started using that knack for tinkering to become a TrapMaster who treats violence as a toy (mind you, [[spoiler:he [[LackOfEmpathy always had that kind of mentality by nature]]; he chafed under having GoodParents who wanted to keep him in line growing up, is cured, and is using his parents' affliction as leeway to fully "be himself"]]) and executes trespassers on the family's property via ''Franchise/{{Saw}}''-style "games". A homebrew grenade launcher and flamethrower can also be found and used over the course of the game that are implied via the rough looks and [[PsychopathicManchild colored-pencil-y and doodled-on maps leading toward their locations]] to have been made by him. [[spoiler:The post-main game ''Not a Hero'' DLC also reveals that since he was cured, in true ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' tradition, he's been dabbling in full-on MadScientist work on the sly.]]
186* ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'': While Edgar initially appears to be somewhat "slow", a look at his notebooks reveals that, in his own way, he's actually quite familiar with quantum physics.
187* Irving from ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney''. Uses multiple euphemisms in his everyday talk.
188* The Novakid in ''VideoGame/{{Starbound}}'' are, to a man, super-geniuses in any field they put their mind to, but are possessed of such [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny legendarily short attention spans]] that they never bother to preserve any records of what they built, as well as focusing primarily on things that are [[RuleOfCool "cool"]] rather than practical. The end result is that despite the fact that any given Novakid can build a functioning spaceship after merely observing one in action, the race as a whole is still developmentally stuck in a version of the Wild West, only with [[SpaceWestern laser revolvers and spaceships that look like trains]].
189%%* Clem from ''VideoGame/TheSuffering.''
190%%** Ranse Truman, as discovered when you finally meet him close to the end of the second game.
191* The Engineer from ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2,'' a brilliant inventor from Bee Cave, Texas. [[note]]Interesting because Bee Cave is an upscale suburb of Austin.[[/note]] [[http://www.teamfortress.com/engineer.htm His profile]] on the ''[=TF2=]'' [[AllThereInTheManual website]] indicates he likes "[[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking barbeque, guns, and higher education]]," and has ''[[OmnidisciplinaryScientist eleven]]'' [[HardOnSoftScience hard-science]] [=PhDs=]. Make of that what you will.
192-->'''The Engineer:''' Look, buddy. Ah'm an engineer. That means Ah solve problems. Not problems like "what is beauty?" because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. Ah solve ''practical'' problems. Fer instance, how'm Ah gonna stop some big, mean mother-hubbard from tearin' me a structurally superfluous new bee-hind? The answer? Use a gun. And if that don't work, [[MoreDakka use more gun]].
193* T-Bone Grady from ''VideoGame/WatchDogs''. Speaks in a vague Southern accent, builds scrap metal sculptures, loves torching stuff, and is a genius hacker on top of that.
194* ''VideoGame/TheWonderful101'': Professor James Shirogane, chief scientist of the Centinels. Creator of the superpowered Centinel-Suits, the Shirogane Comet, and owner of the orneriest southern accent around.
195[[/folder]]
196
197[[folder:Webcomics]]
198* Brilliant biologist Dr. Jean Poule of ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' was raised on a farm, and has described herself as descended from "Scotch-Irish hillfolk" (which implies Appalachia). Her Uncle Cess who helped raise her certainly has the accent. She was the first in her family to attend college, where she got her [=PhD=].
199* From ''Blog/SliceOfLife,'' Pinkie Pie's parents become this after the family discovers molasses on their farm -- Pinkie's dad becomes the CEO of Equestria's largest molasses company, while Pinkie's mom becomes their head attorney and negotiator.
200%%* Clem from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance''.
201* All of the mages in ''Webcomic/WhatsShakin'' speak with a southern accent, but are also highly intelligent.
202[[/folder]]
203
204[[folder:Web Original]]
205* The [[MadScientist Director of Project Freelancer]] from ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', a genius with {{Artificial Intelligence}} with a thick Southern accent.
206* Destin Sandlin from ''[[https://www.youtube.com/user/destinws2 Smarter Every Day]]'' is a rocket engineer from Alabama and, as of 2018, pursuing a doctorate in mechanical engineering.
207[[/folder]]
208
209[[folder:Western Animation]]
210* ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' gives us Ray Gillette, the top-notch intelligence analyst and, while [[CampGay quite flamboyantly gay]], [[AgentPeacock actually pretty badass]]. He is from a family of West Virginia backwoods rednecks. They don't seem to know all that much about his life.
211* One-shot villain Enoch "Farmer" Brown from the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "[[Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE14Critters Critters]]". Despite talking and acting like Old [=MacDonald=], he's an incredibly skilled microbiologist who has developed a way to cause massive growth in animal species as diverse as cattle and insects, which he tried to market as a way to end world hunger. He can even engineer programmed genetic defects into his monsters and grants superhuman attributes to [[FarmersDaughter his daughter]] through a special application of beef steroids.
212* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainSimianAndTheSpaceMonkeys'': Dr. Splitz's... well, split personality, Splitzy, embodies this trope. Interestingly, Dr. Splitz is a highbrow, conceptual scientist, while Splitzy leans more towards a practical mechanic.
213* Wrestling/SteveAustin is like this on ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch''; personality-wise, he's much like his wrestling personality, but he also invents miraculous technology like the Deathmatch Time Machine and the Super-Freaks.
214* ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'': Dr. Gerbil from the episode "Human Habitrail" has the accent and mannerisms of a typical SouthernGentleman, but is secretly a MadScientist.
215* The Hyper-Chicken of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' is a parody of this. He's really a horribly incompetent BunnyEarsLawyer, but he somehow manages to win most of his cases and clients keep hiring him. They seem oblivious to his incompetence and charmed by his southern accent.
216* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'':
217** [[CrazyHomelessPeople Old Man McGucket]] is a crazy hillbilly with a raccoon wife, who also happens to be an engineering genius. [[spoiler:It turns out years of LaserGuidedAmnesia trying to erase the strange things he's seen in Gravity Falls has warped his mind.]] A flashback to a younger, sane [=McGucket=] has him follow up some {{Technobabble}} with "Why, [[SophisticatedAsHell that's mathematically feasible, I reckon]]!" Which is then followed by him spitting into a spittoon.
218** [[BitchInSheepsClothing Gideon Gleeful]] speaks with a Southern accent ([[UnexplainedAccent despite being born in Oregon]]) and is an EvilGenius EnfanteTerrible. His father Bud has a more pronounced drawl, so it's possible he's from the South, and Gideon picked it up from him.
219* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' had Jackie and Co. meet an entire family of these, including two brothers who were a nuclear physicist and an archeologist, respectively, yet still worked on their father's farm.
220-->"''Doctor'' Buford [=McDonald=]? Your books are very insightful!"\
221"Thank yee." ''*punch*''
222* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' has some DownOnTheFarm relatives who live on a ranch in Montana (which is a northern state and not a southern state). Their ranch horses are all fully functioning robots that nonetheless move like real horses, invented and built by Kim's uncle. In fact, considering he's her ''paternal'' uncle (her dad's brother), this could [[AccidentalPun possibly]] apply to her rocket scientist father as well, since we don't know whether Slim Possible acquired the accent after moving to the farm, or Mr. Dr. P. lost the accent after leaving the farm (though he doesn't have an accent in the flashback to his college days).
223* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/KungFuDinoPosse'' features a family of identical-looking cross-eyed buck-toothed idiot yokels... the last of whom speaks in a perfect Shakespearean accent, deplores the family business, and wishes he'd been an actor.
224* Fuzzy Lumpkins is like this in the pilot episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'', having invented a RayGun that can turn things into meat. (Yeah, that's what it is. After the Girls defeat him, Townsville cleans up the damage with a barbecue.) This was changed when regular episodes started, turning him into a hillbilly with a HairTriggerTemper who isn't all too smart.
225* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'', there's a parody of Paris Hilton's reality show ''The Simple Life'' called ''Country Folk R Morons.'' A toothless redneck in overalls is standing in front of a chalkboard covered in equations.
226-->'''Hick:''' And this is how Quantum-Chromo-Dynamics theorizes how Quarks interact by changing particles on the subatomic level.\
227'''[[Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse Teela]]:''' ''[{{Beat}}]'' You're [[[SoundEffectBleep bleep]]]ing stupid.
228* An evil MadScientist version appeared in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretSaturdays'', using his technology to temporarily [[FusionDance merge]] Zak and his two cryptid companions, Komodo and Fisk, into one creature.
229* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
230** Sandy the Squirrel is a proud Texas native and is easily one of the most intelligent in the series.
231** Plankton is a subversion -- he himself is an academic genius (though he nearly always slips up someway) who comes from a family of rednecks. However, he shares no traits with them and actually ''forgets'' what his family is like because he's been away for so long, assuming them to all be would-be supervillains like him.
232*** [[DoubleSubversion Double subverted]] with one of his cousins, who says he'd like some more memory for his laptop.
233* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'''s [[ButtMonkey Ezekiel]] seems to be this, [[AllThereInTheManual according to his online bio]]. A typical TV {{Homeschooled Kid|s}}, he can apparently speak eight languages and was a National Spelling Bee champion. [[InformedAttribute We never see this in the show]], though, because the writers [[OutOfFocus have never given him enough screen time]].
234* Bulkhead from ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' -- really. He's lost the accent by the time the series starts, and he's not the sharpest tool in the shed most of the time, but he ''was'' raised on a farm (for Energon) and he's an expert in space bridge technology. Basically, he's a Southern-Fried GeniusDitz.
235* One of the shorts of ''WesternAnimation/WhatACartoon'', "Hillbilly Blue", has Eustace the crawdad, who acts like any other of the hillbilly characters, but has a non-nonsense attitude and likes to talk about physics.
236[[/folder]]

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