What is The Holdovers's IQ Score?

The Holdovers has an IQ Score of 185/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient framework, placing it in the Masterclass tier. The score breaks down to 50/50 Cognitive Stimulation, 47/50 Educational Value, and 39/50 Craft & Quality.

Is The Holdovers educational?

The Holdovers is strong on educational value, 47/50 on TVI's rubric, which covers academic content, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, life skills, and knowledge transfer.

How does TV Intelligentsia calculate IQ Score?

TV Intelligentsia's IQ Score is calculated as round((Cognitive Stimulation × 0.4 + Educational Value × 0.35 + Craft & Quality × 0.25) × 4), scoring titles from 0 to 200 across five tiers: Masterclass (≥160), Stimulating (≥130), Competent (≥100), Passive (≥70), and Numbing (<70). The framework is published at tvintelligentsia.com/methodology/.

The Holdovers , IQ Score 185/200

Name: The Holdovers
Genre: drama
Rating: 9.2

The Holdovers has an IQ Score of 185/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Masterclass tier.

By Jordan Robinson, MPH·Updated 2026-05-21·Methodology

drama

185/ 200

Masterclass

Measurably increases domain knowledge or cognitive capacity

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 →

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Why you should trust this score

Methodology reviewed by Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH

Physician scientist. Master of Public Health, with substantial coursework in research methodology. Reviews the rubric and its application across the adult catalog.

Methodology

Published rubric, v1.2

Formula

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

Database scale

2,282 titles, version-controlled

How we stay independent. We accept no studio money. We pay for our own streaming subscriptions. Our reviewers see no sponsor data, no affiliate revenue, and no screener access in exchange for coverage. More about how we work →

The TVI Take

Alexander Payne's 1970-set chamber drama at a New England boarding school over Christmas break. Paul Giamatti as the unpopular ancient-civilizations teacher left in charge of a single student (Dominic Sessa) and the school's grieving cook (Da'Vine Joy Randolph).

Shot and graded to imitate the look of an actual 1970s film stock, the production design is the period commitment beneath the writing. The grief at the center is Randolph's, the redemption is small and earned rather than imposed.

Where to Watch

Rent