What is Mad Men's IQ Score?

Mad Men has an IQ Score of 174/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient framework, placing it in the Masterclass tier. The score breaks down to 45/50 Cognitive Stimulation, 40/50 Educational Value, and 46/50 Craft & Quality.

Is Mad Men educational?

Mad Men is strong on educational value, 40/50 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/.

Mad Men , IQ Score 174/200

Name: Mad Men
Genre: drama
Rating: 174

Mad Men has an IQ Score of 174/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Masterclass tier.

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

drama

174/ 200

Masterclass TVI Essential

Measurably increases domain knowledge or cognitive capacity

Mad Men poster, IQ Score 174/200, 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

Mad Men scores 174/200 on the TVI IQ Score, placing it in the Masterclass tier. Matthew Weiner's series charts how Don Draper's constructed identity mirrors America's advertising culture across the 1960s, earning Cultural Impact, Rewatch Value, and Lasting Significance. TVI Essential is an editorial designation; IQ Score is a content rating, not an intelligence measurement.

The TVI Take

Set in Manhattan's Sterling Cooper advertising agency, the show charts how Don Draper's constructed identity mirrors America's advertising culture. Cognitive engagement from understanding how the 1960s social upheaval disrupts the old consensus.

Educational about advertising strategy and gender/sexuality of the period.

Characters Scored Here

People search for these characters by name. TVI doesn't invent fictional-character IQ numbers, but Mad Men's score is the honest answer to how seriously the work treats each mind.

Don DraperIQ →

Where to Watch

Stream