What is Deadwood's IQ Score?

Deadwood has an IQ Score of 179/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient framework, placing it in the Masterclass tier. The score breaks down to 43/50 Cognitive Stimulation, 48/50 Educational Value, and 43/50 Craft & Quality.

Is Deadwood educational?

Deadwood is strong on Educational Value, 48/50 on TVI's rubric, which rates the density and integration of substantive information within the work.

How does TV Intelligentsia calculate IQ Score?

TV Intelligentsia's current published formula is round((Cognitive Stimulation × 0.4 + Educational Value × 0.35 + Craft & Quality × 0.25) × 4), scoring titles from 0 to 200 across five tiers. TVI publishes a three-dimension breakdown only when those values reproduce the displayed composite. The framework is published at tvintelligentsia.com/methodology/.

Deadwood IQ Score 179/200

Deadwood has an IQ Score of 179/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Masterclass tier.

By Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH·Updated 2026-08-19·Methodology

westerndrama

179/ 200

Masterclass TVI Essential

Exceptional cognitive and educational substance, delivered with craft that sustains close attention

Deadwood poster, IQ Score 179/200, Masterclass tier on TV Intelligentsia

Score Breakdown

Cognitive Stimulation/50

Educational Value/50

Craft & Quality/50

Cinematic Score/50

IQ = round((Cognitive × 0.4 + Educational × 0.35 + Craft × 0.25) × 4) · How we score →

What these dimensions mean

Cognitive Stimulation: observable narrative complexity, conceptual density, ambiguity, inference, and sustained intellectual demands in the work.
Educational Value: the density and integration of substantive academic, historical, scientific, cultural, ethical, or practical information in the work.
Craft & Quality: production excellence in service of the work, its direction, writing, performance, and aesthetic intent.
Cinematic Score: composition quality, emotional impact, and how the music integrates with the work. Does not affect the IQ Score.

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Why you should trust this score

Scored under Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH

Physician and founding editor. Maintains the adult catalog against the published rubric and reviews the rubric application.

Methodology

Published rubric, v1.3.1

Formula

round((C × 0.40 + E × 0.35 + Q × 0.25) × 4)

Database scale

2,605 titles, version-controlled

How we stay independent. Editorial scores are not for sale. TVI may take on paid advisory or research work, but no commercial relationship buys coverage, advance access to scores, favorable treatment, or a change to a published finding. We pay for our own streaming subscriptions, and no reviewer sees sponsor data or affiliate revenue tied to a score. More about how we work →

TVI Essential · Consensus

Deadwood scores 179/200 on the TVI IQ Score, placing it in the Masterclass tier. A town of thieves, gamblers, and gunfighters form a tenuous civilization. Educational about the frontier and language, earning Cultural Impact, Intellectual Substance, and Lasting Significance. TVI Essential is an editorial designation; IQ Score is a content rating, not an intelligence measurement.

The TVI Take

A town of thieves, gamblers, and gunfighters form a tenuous civilization. Educational about the frontier and language.

Cognitive engagement from the Shakespearean dialogue and the political maneuvering. Entertainment from the character work.

People & Production David Milch · Ed Bianchi · HBO 24 connections