Shows

Inclusion Policy

Notability

We allow all TV shows from all over the world, in any language. Our definition of a TV show is something that has at least two episodes/parts in a serial format, i.e. the two episodes should correlate to each other, air on the same network, and have an overlap in plot/cast/crew.

A TV show that premieres on a broadcast TV network is (almost) always allowed. For shows that premiere on a web/streaming channel or on DVD, refer to the following section.

Explicitly allowed are:

• Regular TV shows; with a season of two or more episodes
• Shows in development that have the intention of releasing at least 2 episodes/parts
• Shows that were cancelled immediately after the pilot has aired
• Mini-series with at least two parts
• Yearly returning award shows or televised events
• Sports shows that belong to a single primary country and air on the same Network or Web Channel every time (Like WWE Friday Night Smackdown, World Series of Poker, Superbowl)

Explicitly not allowed are:

• One-off documentaries
• One-off made for TV movies
• Shows where development is cancelled and the pilot episode was never aired/released
• Sports events which are not tied to a single specific country, but are simultaneously aired in different countries. (Like FIFA World Cup, UEFA Cup, Formula 1 Racing, Tour de France, Wimbledon, Olympics)
• Sports tournaments that premiere exclusively in a single country, but where the matches within a season/year don't always air on the same Network or Web Channel.

A grey area, consult the forums for a ruling:

• Made for TV movies with at least two parts, airing on the same network, all with a common and continuous plot (like "Sharknado")

Web Channel and DVD Shows

Shows that premiere on curated Web Channels (like Netflix, Hulu) are always allowed for addition. A Web Channel is considered curated when it's a platform that buys or licenses the exclusive premiere rights to multiple shows.

In case of a non-curated Web Channel where anyone can upload content (like Youtube or Vimeo), or when the show was premiered on DVD/Blu-Ray, the following requirements apply in addition to the general policy.

First, the show must adhere to all of the following rules:

• The show must give credit to at least 1 cast member and at least 2 crew members
• The show must provide a sequential numbering for the episodes
• The show's episodes must be released on a fixed schedule (not applicable for DVD premieres)

In addition, the show must adhere to any of the following rules:

• One of the credited cast- or crew members must be credited in another curated show, OR
• The show raised a budget of $25.000 onetime, or $2500 monthly, OR
• After its original run, the show was repeated on a broadcast TV channel or a curated Web Channel

These rules are explained in detail below.

Credits

Cast credits should list the (voice) actor name, and their character's name if applicable. Crew credits must be for a crew type that's available on TVmaze.

These credits must either be listed on-screen in the video itself, or specified in the video description.

Schedule

A fixed schedule is satisfied by either of these two cases:

1. There is a fixed amount of time between each episode. For example; there's always one day, week or month between episode releases or episodes are released every weekday. Or, the entire season of episodes is released simultaneously.
2. The amount of episodes in a season and a rough release schedule are announced in advance.

Occasional (holiday) breaks are permitted and don't disqualify the show.

Numbering

The show must provide a sequential numbering for the show's episode- and season numbers. These designated numbers must either be listed in the video's title, or the show must provide an episode list. A sequential playlist (such as https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=ELsUoi5Pu-0R0) is a permitted form of episode list.

As with regular shows, if there are no formal boundaries between seasons, year numbers are accepted. In that case, an explicit episode list that groups the episodes by year must be available - the mere presence of an "upload date" is not sufficient to be considered a designated season number.

Notable cast or crew

At least one of the cast- or crew members that appear in the show's credits for any episode, must be previously credited in another show. That other show may not be a non-curated Web Channel show by itself, it should be aired on broadcast TV or released on a curated Web Channel.

The credit on the other show must be listed here on TVmaze. If you want to request a non-curated Web Channel show, please make sure that this credit is added to TVmaze first. This allows us to more easily and accurately handle your request.

Budget

The budget must be publicly verifiable on an independent site, which means this rule will primarily apply to crowdfunded projects. The budget must be raised for this specific show, e.g. not for the creators or studio in general.

Duplicates

We don't allow duplicates, each unique show should only be listed in our database once.

Explicitly allowed are:

• Extended versions of a show with a runtime that's at least 25% longer (of actual footage - not commercials) than the original (like "QI XL")

Explicitly not allowed are:

• Subtitled versions of a show
• Dubbed versions of a show
• Versions of a show that shuffle the season numbering or episode order
• Versions of a show with the original episodes split into multiple episodes
• Versions of a show with certain scenes cut/censored

A grey area, consult the forums for a ruling:

• Versions of an original show that have been heavily cut; i.e. cutting a 60-minute episode to 30 minutes

Continuations/reboots

A continuation/reboot is a show with the same name and theme as a previously ended show. Depending on the circumstances, a continuation should be added as a whole new show entry, or as a new season on the existing show entry.

Only if all of the following are true, the continuation should be part of the existing show entry:

• The new network/web channel refers to the show as a continuation
• The new network/web channel does not refer to the pilot as "season 1"
• At least one of the previous show's creators or executive producers is involved with the continuation
• At least one of the previous show's main cast members is starring in the continuation

In all other cases, a new show entry should be created.

Name

The name must be the original name given by the network or web channel. There must be no suffixes like "(UK)" or "(2013)" that are not part of the original show name. If a show doesn't have a name or working title, it should not yet be added.

Normally, the name's original language and character set should be used, no translations or transliterations. However, some shows are known by multiple names, all of which can be considered official. This mainly happens with - Japanese - anime shows, which can have a name in the Chinese/Kanji character set (like "進撃の巨人"), a transliterated Latin version (like "Shingeki no Kyojin") and sometimes even an English version ("One Piece").

Such a name is only considered official when it's actively used by the Show's original network or producers. Examples of that are when that name is used on the show's official website, or in a DVD release. When this is the case, the English or transliterated name takes precedence over the Kanji version. All other available names should be added as AKA. Unofficial translations or transliterations should not be used.

Network

The network that originally aired this show. This property can change throughout the years, when a show moves to a different network; or perhaps even to a web channel instead of a network. The value should always reflect the current (or when a show is ended, the latest) network that a show aired on. Historical information about the show's network is tracked on the season level.

If a show is co-produced by multiple networks, the network that premieres the episodes first (on a world-wide level) should be used.

Web Channel

A web/streaming channel is used when a show did not premiere on a TV network, but on an online (streaming) outlet such as Netflix. Shows should have either a network or a web channel set; having both is very rare and only correct if episodes premiere exactly simultaneously on a TV network as well as a web channel.

DVD country

When the show premiered on DVD or Blu-Ray, the Network and Web Channel properties must be left empty and the DVD country should be set instead. Set it to the country where the DVD's were first available for sale; if the DVD's were made available in different countries simultaneously, choose the country with the most affinity to the show (for example the country where the production company is headquartered).

Official Site

The official site for this show; either directly from the show creators or from the show's network or web channel. This should never point to a fan site or encyclopedia like wikipedia.

Show Status

Whether new episodes of this show will air.

• In Development: for new shows currently in development, when a pilot has not yet aired
• Running: episodes are currently airing, or will air again in the future
• Ended: no more episodes of this show will air
• To Be Determined: it's unsure whether new episodes of this show will ever air again

Note that shows that have been In Development should be removed if the development ends without a pilot ever having aired.

Show Type

An objective and categorical definition of the show's type.

• Scripted: actors playing pre-written roles
• Animation: characters are puppets or models captured in successive drawings or poses to create an illusion of movement.
• Reality: people portrayed in situations that occurred in real life
• Talk Show: one or more hosts with monologues, guest interviews, and small bits
• Documentary: a description of a real-world topic, in order to transfer knowledge
• Game Show: contestants competing in order to win a prize
• News: describing current real-world events
• Sports: footage of athletes playing a sport
• Variety: shows that don't fall under any of the above classifications; or combine multiple of them
• Award Show: a recurring televised event where awards are handed out
• Panel Show: panels of celebrities engaging in entertainment or contests without a prize involved

Show Schedule

The day(s) when new episodes of this show normally premiere. If episodes don't usually premiere on the same day(s), such as yearly events or Web Channels dumping an entire season at once, this property must be left empty.

Language

The primary language spoken in the show. Only languages that exist in the ISO 639-1 standard are available on TVmaze. If a language is not available, ISO 639 most likely considers it a variant of another language instead of a separate entry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_639_macrolanguage can be used as a reference in those cases. For example, Mandarin is considered part of Chinese, and shows in Mandarin should be listed as Chinese here.

If characters in a show speak in gibberish or not at all then the language field should be left blank.

Default Airtime

If more than 75% of the episodes within the latest season have (or are scheduled to have) the same airtime, that airtime can be set as default airtime for the show. Otherwise, the default airtime should be left empty.

Default Runtime

If more than 75% of the episodes within the latest season have the same scheduled runtime / episode length, that value can be set as default runtime for the show. (Otherwise, we'll automatically calculate and display an average runtime for a show.)

Summary

A brief description of the show. It should be concise, and generally not exceed a length of two paragraphs. Someone who has never watched the show should get a basic sense of what it's about, but should not see any spoilers (major giveaways about the plot details). The summary may be from an official source - like a network's press release -, may be hand-written or may be a combination of the two. If the summary was fully copied from an official source, it should be marked as such by checking the proper checkbox.

A summary should always be in English, regardless of the Show's language.

The summary should not contain any information that's already available elsewhere on the show page. For example, mentioning a character name as part of the summary is OK, but listing the actor alongside each character is not.