I don’t think it was ever aimed at nerds. I think it was always aimed at nerd-adjacent audiences that liked nerds (or maybe a stereotypical idea of nerds) but weren’t nerds themselves.
The nerds in the show were the spectacle, not the heroes. I always got the impression they were laughing at them rather than with them, though not really in a malicious way, but in a way that still involves contempt.
Contrast it with The IT Crowd, which was absolutely aimed at nerds. Or the Office, which is an example of a show that was able to laugh both at and with its office worker audience.
I don’t think it was ever aimed at nerds. I think it was always aimed at nerd-adjacent audiences that liked nerds (or maybe a stereotypical idea of nerds) but weren’t nerds themselves.
The nerds in the show were the spectacle, not the heroes. I always got the impression they were laughing at them rather than with them, though not really in a malicious way, but in a way that still involves contempt.
Contrast it with The IT Crowd, which was absolutely aimed at nerds. Or the Office, which is an example of a show that was able to laugh both at and with its office worker audience.