What is Secrets & Lies's IQ Score?

Secrets & Lies has an IQ Score of 153/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient framework, placing it in the Stimulating tier. The score breaks down to 43/50 Cognitive Stimulation, 29/50 Educational Value, and 44/50 Craft & Quality.

Is Secrets & Lies educational?

Secrets & Lies is moderate on educational value, 29/50 on TVI's rubric. Some learning happens, but it isn't the show's primary work.

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/.

Secrets & Lies , IQ Score 153/200

Name: Secrets & Lies
Genre: drama
Rating: 153

Secrets & Lies has an IQ Score of 153/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Stimulating tier.

By Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH·Updated 2026-06-17·Methodology

drama

153/ 200

Stimulating

Consistently challenges the viewer and rewards attention

Score Breakdown

Cognitive Stimulation/50

Educational Value/50

Craft & Quality/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

TVI Canon

Mike Leigh →

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

1996 Best Picture nominee. Mike Leigh's improvisational drama about a Black optometrist who discovers her birth mother is a white working-class woman.

High cognitive demands from Leigh's long-take confrontational style. Some educational value from the British class and race dynamics. Brenda Blethyn's emotional breakdown scene is among the most raw in cinema history.

Where to Watch

Stream