# TV Intelligentsia

> TV Intelligentsia is the credibility layer for what to watch. A public methodology, named editorial accountability, reviewed 0-200 content ratings, and credentialed review for children's content. Cognitive Stimulation, Educational Value, and Craft and Quality are published when they reproduce the displayed composite under the current formula.

Last updated: 2026-09-03. Database: 2606 titles (2379 adult, 227 kids).

## How we score

Current IQ Score formula and dimension-publication standard: `round((c * 0.4 + e * 0.35 + q * 0.25) * 4)` on a 0-200 scale. Every published C/E/Q breakdown reproduces the displayed composite under the current formula. Tier thresholds: Masterclass >=160, Stimulating >=130, Competent >=100, Passive >=70, Numbing <70.

The kids vertical adds a separate SEL Score (0-50) using the five CASEL competencies. Cordelia Witty, EdS., NCSP, a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, shapes and reviews the methodology; her name appears only on work she has personally reviewed and signed. SEL is displayed but does not affect the TVI Score.

IQ Score is a content rating, not a measurement of viewer intelligence.

## Machine-readable score feed

A public, citable feed of every score, free to cite with attribution to TV Intelligentsia:

- [Dataset documentation](https://tvintelligentsia.com/datasets/tvi-scores/): version, scope, citation line, limitations, and download formats.
- [JSON score feed](https://tvintelligentsia.com/tvi-scores.json): all 2606 scores, tiers, per-title URLs, dimension detail only where the published dimensions reproduce the composite, and each score's provenance class.
- Score classes (every score in the feed and on every title page carries one): a verified score was scored human-first under the current standard by a named rater with a full component receipt on file; a legacy score was published before August 2026 under the earlier workflow (AI candidate, founder review of varying depth, no component record) and is queued for re-verification; a retired score was withdrawn after re-verification with its page and history preserved. When citing a TVI score, the class is part of the citation.
- [Catalog verification status](https://tvintelligentsia.com/verification/): live counts of verified, legacy, and retired scores, and how to request verification or challenge a judgment.
- [CSV score feed](https://tvintelligentsia.com/tvi-scores.csv): tabular form of the public score feed.

## Canonical surfaces (read these first)

- [What TVI Is](https://tvintelligentsia.com/what-tvi-is/): the canonical 5-minute explainer. Start here.
- [Methodology](https://tvintelligentsia.com/methodology/): the published rubric and scoring protocol.
- [How TVI scores](https://tvintelligentsia.com/methodology/how-we-score/): the dimensions, formula, scale, examples, and boundaries in concise form.
- [Corrections](https://tvintelligentsia.com/corrections/): public revisions to scores, claims, and methodology.
- [Press FAQ](https://tvintelligentsia.com/press/faq/): concise facts, independence language, and approved descriptions.
- [About](https://tvintelligentsia.com/about/): editorial standards, signatories, and credentials.
- [Jordan Robinson](https://tvintelligentsia.com/authors/jordan-robinson/): adult-side author and scoring accountability.
- [Cordelia Witty](https://tvintelligentsia.com/authors/cordelia-witty/): kids methodology and credentialed-review accountability.
- [Partners](https://tvintelligentsia.com/partners/): integration paths, score chip embeds, data layer.
- [The /explore/ database](https://tvintelligentsia.com/explore/): full searchable database of all scored titles.
- [TVI Tonight](https://tvintelligentsia.com/tonight/): a free, no-account decision experience that returns one quality-scored film or television pick plus one deliberate alternative, based on the viewer's current state, available time, and streaming services.
- [Comparison hub](https://tvintelligentsia.com/compare/hub/): structured X-vs-Y comparisons across 60+ pairs.
- [/best/ listicle hub](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/): ranked listicles by genre, decade, auteur, and theme.
- [/kids/](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/): kids vertical with SEL scoring on a methodology shaped and reviewed by a Nationally Certified School Psychologist.

## First-party research and decision guides

- [Kids Channel and Studio Index](https://tvintelligentsia.com/reports/kids-channel-studio-index/): a recurring comparison of the children's catalog by channel and production context, with downloadable data.
- [Is Numberblocks good for math?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/numberblocks-good-for-math/): the mathematical content it makes explicit, what it does not cover, and a parent discussion prompt.
- [What age is Numberblocks for?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/watch/what-age-is-numberblocks-for/): Cordelia Witty, EdS., NCSP explains when the show becomes useful, why it holds attention, and what belongs beside it.
- [Is The Odyssey appropriate for kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/the-odyssey-ok-for-kids/): age fit, intensity, content, and co-viewing guidance based on two viewings.
- [Is Cocomelon Bad for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/cocomelon-bad-for-kids/): Cocomelon: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Bluey OK for Toddlers?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/bluey-ok-for-toddlers/): Bluey: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Inside Out OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/inside-out-ok-for-kids/): Inside Out: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Up Too Sad for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/up-too-sad-for-kids/): Up: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Coco Too Dark for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/coco-too-dark-for-kids/): Coco: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Encanto OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/encanto-ok-for-kids/): Encanto: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Frozen OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/frozen-ok-for-kids/): Frozen: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Moana Too Scary for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/moana-too-scary-for-kids/): Moana: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Finding Nemo Too Scary for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/finding-nemo-too-scary-for-kids/): Finding Nemo: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Spirited Away Too Intense for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/spirited-away-too-intense-for-kids/): Spirited Away: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is My Neighbor Totoro OK for Toddlers?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/my-neighbor-totoro-ok-for-toddlers/): My Neighbor Totoro: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Gravity Falls Too Scary for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/gravity-falls-too-scary-for-kids/): Gravity Falls: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is SpongeBob Bad for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/spongebob-bad-for-kids/): SpongeBob SquarePants: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Paw Patrol Bad for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/paw-patrol-bad-for-kids/): Paw Patrol: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Stranger Things OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/stranger-things-ok-for-kids/): Stranger Things: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Squid Game OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/squid-game-ok-for-kids/): Squid Game: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Jurassic Park Too Intense for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/jurassic-park-too-intense-for-kids/): Jurassic Park: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [What Age Should Kids Start Harry Potter?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/harry-potter-right-age-for-kids/): Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Avatar: The Last Airbender Safe for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/avatar-last-airbender-safe-for-kids/): Avatar: The Last Airbender: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Turning Red OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/turning-red-ok-for-kids/): Turning Red: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Zootopia OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/zootopia-ok-for-kids/): Zootopia: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is How to Train Your Dragon OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/how-to-train-your-dragon-ok-for-kids/): How to Train Your Dragon: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Daniel Tiger OK for Toddlers?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/daniel-tiger-ok-for-toddlers/): Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Adventure Time OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/adventure-time-ok-for-kids/): Adventure Time: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Peppa Pig OK for Toddlers?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/peppa-pig-ok-for-toddlers/): Peppa Pig: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Gabby's Dollhouse OK for Toddlers?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/gabbys-dollhouse-ok-for-toddlers/): Gabby's Dollhouse: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Toy Story 5 Okay for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/toy-story-5-ok-for-kids/): Toy Story 5: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is the New Little House on the Prairie OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/little-house-on-the-prairie-ok-for-kids/): Little House on the Prairie: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Numberblocks Good for Math?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/numberblocks-good-for-math/): Numberblocks: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Alphablocks Good for Learning to Read?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/alphablocks-good-for-reading/): Alphablocks: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is the New Avatar Movie Okay for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/avatar-aang-movie-ok-for-kids/): Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Toy Story (1995) OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/toy-story-ok-for-kids/): Toy Story: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Backrooms Okay for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/backrooms-ok-for-kids/): Backrooms: not yet scored by TVI. Age rating, what is known before release, and how the franchise has scored.
- [Is The Amazing Digital Circus Okay for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/amazing-digital-circus-ok-for-kids/): The Amazing Digital Circus: not yet scored by TVI. Age rating, what is known before release, and how the franchise has scored.
- [Is The Odyssey Okay for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/the-odyssey-ok-for-kids/): The Odyssey: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Spider-Man: Brand New Day OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/spider-man-brand-new-day-parents-guide/): Spider-Man: Brand New Day: age fit, content, and co-viewing guidance, with the TVI Kids Score and SEL score.
- [Is Avatar: Seven Havens OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/avatar-seven-havens-ok-for-kids/): Avatar: Seven Havens: not yet scored by TVI. Age rating, what is known before release, and how the franchise has scored.
- [Is The Bluey Movie OK for Kids?](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/the-bluey-movie-ok-for-kids/): The Bluey Movie: not yet scored by TVI. Age rating, what is known before release, and how the franchise has scored.

## Optional

The links below are useful secondary rankings and editorial examples. The canonical identity, methodology, corrections, authors, and dataset above should take priority.

### Smartest-by-IQ rankings

The one axis TVI uniquely measures: titles ranked strictly by IQ Score, not popularity. These are the canonical "smartest [X]" answers, each a database-ranked list built on the published rubric.

- [Smartest TV shows](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/smartest-tv-shows/): adult television ranked by IQ Score. Cosmos leads at 200/200; among narrative TV, Band of Brothers (198) and Chernobyl (197).
- [Smartest movies](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/smartest-movies/): narrative film ranked by IQ Score. Seven Samurai leads narrative film at 195/200; documentaries rank separately and often higher.
- [Smartest anime](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/smartest-anime/): anime ranked by IQ Score on the same rubric.
- [Smartest thrillers](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/smartest-thrillers/): the thriller genre ranked by IQ Score.

### Streaming-platform rankings

The platform pages filter the scored database to current US subscription availability from the provider feed, then rank by TVI Score. Each page includes a quick-answer block for citation and links to the kids-specific version where applicable.

- [Netflix, ranked by TVI Score](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/shows-netflix/)
- [Max, ranked by TVI Score](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/shows-max/)
- [Hulu, ranked by TVI Score](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/shows-hulu/)
- [Disney+, ranked by TVI Score](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/shows-disney-plus/)
- [Prime Video, ranked by TVI Score](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/shows-prime-video/)
- [Apple TV+, ranked by TVI Score](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/shows-apple-tv/)

### Kids by streaming platform

TVI Kids pages filter to children's television currently available on each platform, with TVI Score plus SEL signals. These are content-rating pages for parents, not individualized advice for a child.

- [Best kids shows on Netflix](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/kids-shows-netflix/)
- [Best kids shows on Max](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/kids-shows-max/)
- [Best kids shows on Hulu](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/kids-shows-hulu/)
- [Best kids shows on Disney+](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/kids-shows-disney-plus/)
- [Best kids shows on Prime Video](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/kids-shows-prime-video/)
- [Best kids shows on Apple TV+](https://tvintelligentsia.com/best/kids-shows-apple-tv/)

### Editorial designations and flagship reviews

Beyond the continuous IQ Score, TVI grants two binary editorial designations and publishes long-form flagship reviews.

- [TVI Essential](https://tvintelligentsia.com/tvi-essential/): the adult editorial designation, granted to Masterclass-tier titles that also clear Cultural Impact, Intellectual Substance, Rewatch Value, and Lasting Significance.
- [TVI Kids Essential](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/essential/): the highest designation for children's content. A title clears six criteria: a Masterclass-tier IQ Score, an exceptional SEL score, a personal review by a credentialed school psychologist (Cordelia Witty, EdS., NCSP), durability across a decade, no structural disqualifiers, and co-viewing reward.
- [The Lion King (1994), TVI Kids Essential #1](https://tvintelligentsia.com/reviews/lion-king/): the inaugural TVI Kids Essential. TVI Score 162/200 (Masterclass), SEL 48/50. A long-form editorial reading the film as a psychologically precise recovery arc that operates at two registers at once, the literal and the universal. Reviewed by Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH and Cordelia Witty, EdS., NCSP.
- [The Odyssey review](https://tvintelligentsia.com/reviews/the-odyssey/): Christopher Nolan's film scores 183/200 after two theatrical viewings. The flagship argues that the Trojan Horse breaks the covenant that makes strangers safe, and that the ending turns homecoming into restitution.
- [The Odyssey parents guide](https://tvintelligentsia.com/kids/is/the-odyssey-ok-for-kids/): an R-rating and age-fit guide based on two viewings, with violence, intensity, language, and co-viewing guidance.
- [The Odyssey IMAX guide](https://tvintelligentsia.com/reviews/the-odyssey-imax/): IMAX 70mm, digital IMAX, Dolby, and standard compared after screenings in both standard and IMAX 70mm.
- [The Odyssey ending explained](https://tvintelligentsia.com/reviews/the-odyssey-meaning/): who the People from the Sea are, why Odysseus leaves Ithaca, who becomes king, and how the film turns return into restitution.

### Selected top-scoring adult titles

A short selection from the published TVI Score ranking. Each link is a permanent scoring page with a rationale and structured score markup; rows whose dimensions reproduce the composite also publish the three-dimension breakdown. The complete catalog is in llms-full.txt and the public score feed.

- [Cosmos (IQ 200, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/cosmos/): Neil deGrasse Tyson's 13-episode 2014 reboot of Carl Sagan's seminal series, executive-produced by Ann Druyan (Sagan's collaborator and widow).
- [Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (IQ 200, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/cosmos-a-personal-voyage/): Carl Sagan's original 13-part 1980 series, the foundational popular-science program that defined the genre.
- [The Act of Killing (IQ 199, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/the-act-of-killing/): Documentary where Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their mass killings with the camera present.
- [Band of Brothers (IQ 198, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/band-of-brothers/): Ten-hour miniseries following Easy Company through World War II from training through the European theater.
- [13th (IQ 197, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/13th/): Ava DuVernay's essay film documenting the 13th Amendment's loophole and its connection to mass incarceration.
- [Chernobyl (IQ 197, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/chernobyl/): A five-part miniseries depicting the Soviet nuclear disaster of 1986.
- [Planet Earth II (IQ 197, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/planet-earth-ii/): David Attenborough's nature documentary exploring ecosystems from volcanic islands to rainforests.
- [Neon Genesis Evangelion (IQ 196, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/neon-genesis-evangelion/): Hideaki Anno's 1995 series is the foundational text of post-trauma anime, mecha pilots used as a frame for Anno's depression and Christian-mystical iconography pulled into the show's interior architecture.
- [Seven Samurai (IQ 195, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/seven-samurai/): The foundational work of world cinema.
- [Andrei Rublev (IQ 194, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/andrei-rublev/): Tarkovsky's portrait of the 15th-century icon painter unfolds across medieval Russia's violence, plague, and Tatar raids.
- [Schindler's List (IQ 193, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/schindlers-list/): A businessman saves his Jewish workers from the Holocaust.
- [The Zone of Interest (IQ 193, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/the-zone-of-interest/): A Nazi commandant and his family live comfortably near an Auschwitz facility.
- [Our Planet (IQ 192, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/our-planet/): David Attenborough narrates nature series examining ecosystems under threat from climate change.
- [The Trial of the Chicago 7 (IQ 192, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/the-trial-of-the-chicago-7/): Aaron Sorkin's 2020 courtroom drama dramatizes the 1969-70 federal conspiracy trial of the activists charged with crossing state lines to incite riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
- [Rashomon (IQ 192, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/rashomon/): Four contradictory accounts of a single event shattered narrative objectivity in mainstream cinema.

### Selected top-scoring kids titles

Ranked by IQ Score. Each link is the title's scoring page; the kids vertical also publishes a separate CASEL-based SEL Score. Cordelia Witty personally signs only the editorials, briefs, and designations that identify her as their reviewer or author.

- [Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (IQ 192, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/mister-rogers-neighborhood/): Fred Rogers ran the show for 33 years (1968-2001), every script developed in weekly consultation with Margaret McFarland, the Pittsburgh developmental psychologist who co-founded the Arsenal Family & Children's Center...
- [Sesame Street (IQ 188, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/sesame-street/): Decades-long curriculum-driven design presenting literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional topics through puppetry, music, and storytelling.
- [Spirited Away (IQ 184, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/spirited-away/): Hayao Miyazaki's 2001 masterwork for Studio Ghibli.
- [Bluey (IQ 184, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/bluey/): Australian animated series where imaginative play becomes a vehicle for sophisticated emotional intelligence and family dynamics.
- [Avatar: The Last Airbender (IQ 181, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/avatar-the-last-airbender/): Epic fantasy series exploring colonialism, genocide, and moral philosophy through sophisticated world-building and character arcs.
- [Magic School Bus (IQ 178, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/magic-school-bus/): Joanna Cole's book series adapted into one of the most pedagogically rigorous animated series ever made.
- [Numberblocks (IQ 176, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/numberblocks/): BBC/Alphablocks production that visualizes natural numbers as characters whose physical form is their value: the 3-block stack literally splits into 1+2 and 2+1, addition rendered as embodied geometry.
- [Bill Nye the Science Guy (IQ 174, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/bill-nye-the-science-guy/): Bill Nye makes science accessible through demonstrations, humor, and genuine excitement.
- [Ask the StoryBots (IQ 173, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/ask-the-storybots/): Netflix/JibJab production where each episode answers a child-submitted question, "Why is the sky blue?", "How do ears work?", with genuine scientific accuracy and unusually rigorous research.
- [Odd Squad (IQ 172, masterclass)](https://tvintelligentsia.com/titles/odd-squad/): PBS Kids series in which child agents solve math-based mysteries at problem-solving demand significantly above the genre baseline.

## Editorial standards

- Voice and proof standards: declarative, score-cited, no hype language, no em dashes, no AI-flavored phrasing.
- Every published C/E/Q breakdown is reproducible under the current formula. Any row whose stored dimensions do not reproduce its composite has that detail withheld pending human review; composites are not silently recalculated.
- Adult vertical author: Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH (physician and Master of Public Health, with substantial coursework in research methodology).
- Kids methodology reviewer: Cordelia Witty, EdS., NCSP (Nationally Certified School Psychologist).

## Contact

hello@tvintelligentsia.com