What is The Middle's IQ Score?

The Middle has an IQ Score of 112/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient framework, placing it in the Competent tier. The score breaks down to 30/50 Cognitive Stimulation, 11/50 Educational Value, and 49/50 Craft & Quality.

Is The Middle educational?

The Middle is low on educational value, 11/50 on TVI's rubric. Watch for entertainment, not for learning.

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 Middle , IQ Score 112/200

The Middle has an IQ Score of 112/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Competent tier.

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

sitcomcomedy

112/ 200

Competent

Engages without demanding much, watchable and reasonably crafted

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

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

DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler's ABC sitcom anchored by Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn as the Heck family parents in Orson, Indiana. The structural commitment to letting genuinely working-class Midwestern family-architecture be the actual subject, rather than the suburban-comfortable register Modern Family operated inside, is what separates the property from its comedy peers.

Nine-season run.

Where to Watch

Stream