What is Cosmos's IQ Score?

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

Is Cosmos educational?

Cosmos is strong on educational value, 50/50 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/.

Cosmos , IQ Score 200/200

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

By Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH·Updated 2026-06-19·Methodology

documentaryscience

200/ 200

Masterclass TVI Essential

Measurably increases domain knowledge or cognitive capacity

Cosmos poster, IQ Score 200/200, 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 →

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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, v1.2

Formula

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

Database scale

2,338 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 →

TVI Essential · Consensus

Cosmos scores 200/200 on the TVI IQ Score, the highest in the catalog. Tyson's thirteen-episode 2014 reboot sustains cognitive density across the structure of the universe without sacrificing accessibility, earning Cultural Impact, Intellectual Substance, and Lasting Significance for what popular-science programming can be. TVI Essential is an editorial designation; IQ Score is a content rating, not an intelligence measurement.

The TVI Take

Neil deGrasse Tyson's 13-episode 2014 reboot of Carl Sagan's seminal series, executive-produced by Ann Druyan (Sagan's collaborator and widow). Cinematic visualizations through the Ship of the Imagination, the Cosmic Calendar episode, and accessible explanations of evolution, gravity, and cosmology.

Exceptionally high educational value, the rare popular-science series that holds scientific rigor while reaching mass audiences.

Where to Watch

Buy