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{{Guideline|naming convention|Television|WP:NCTV|WP:TV-NC|WP:NC-TV|WP:NC:TV|category=]}}
{{guideline}}
{{Naming conventions}}
{{Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Television/Navigation}}


As is the general practice across Misplaced Pages, the ] for any topic related to ] should simply be the most common word or phrase used to describe that topic. In particular, if the title of a television program is sufficiently unambiguous compared to any other topics or is considered to be the ], then let that also be the title of the article; for example, '']'' or '']''.
''For general information on article naming, see ].''


If the common title of the show is ambiguous, an alternate article title will need to be used to distinguish it from other similarly named programs, series, movies, books, terms, or other topics. ] may be used if the show has an alternate title that is also commonly used to refer to it. Failing that, then ] may be needed – use the most appropriate method as described in the sections below.
__TOC__


For guidelines relating to television broadcasting (networks, channels, stations, etc.), see ].
== Convention ==
Often, made-for-television productions share the same name as other programs, series, movies, books or terms. When ] a television production from something else, use the most appropriate method as described below.


== Television programming ==
Disambiguation is only necessary if multiple articles would normally have the same name. If the title of the TV program is the most common usage of the phrase, let it be the title of the article.
===Series television===
{{anchor|Episodic television}}
Episodic, ], or ] television shows are made of ]s which may relate part of an unfolding story, feature recurring settings or characters, or express a unifying narrative theme. These shows are typically aired only part of the year, and are produced as a set or cycle of episodes usually called a "season" or a "series". When ] is required, use '''<code>(TV series)</code>'''.
{{Block indent|1=<nowiki />
'''Examples:'''
*]
*]
*]
}}
Do not disambiguate by genre or format, i.e. "sitcom", "telenovela", "soap opera", etc., unless further disambiguation is required (see ] below). For the special case of episodic television known as "]", when disambiguation is required, use: '''<code>(miniseries)</code>''' or '''<code>(serial)</code>''' according to common usage in reliable sources. Example: ].


=== Articles about television === === Non-series television ===
{{anchor|Non-episodic television}}
Articles which relate to general concepts related to television technology, terminology, and industry (but not programming) should use ].
Non-series television shows tend to be produced on either an on-going basis (airing daily or weekly) or as a one-time event. Each episode of an on-going show is usually self-contained with little connection to other episodes, other than title, format, hosts, and other on-air personalities. These shows generally lack on-going narrative or story elements. For ]s, use '''<code>(game show)</code>''', for ]s, use '''<code>(talk show)</code>''', and for all other ] use '''<code>(TV program)</code>''' or '''<code>(TV programme)</code>''' according to common usage in reliable sources.
:Examples: ], ], ]
{{Block indent|1=<nowiki />
'''Examples:'''
* ] – ] is considered to be the primary topic, so the game show is disambiguated.
* ] – ] is a disambiguation page because there is no primary topic. Disambiguated with the term "talk show".
* ] – ] is a disambiguation page because there is no primary topic. Originated in the United Kingdom and uses the British term "programme".
* ] – ] is a disambiguation page because there is no primary topic. ] redirects to section ] to disambiguate from ] and other topics. Originated in the United States and uses the American term "program".
}}


=== Episodic series === ===Season articles===
{{shortcut|WP:TVSEASON}}
Many TV productions (both broadcast and cable) are typically produced under a single name, with each episode relating to the others in an understandable way. For these, use ]. This should only include series where the typical episode is 1 hour or less.
{{Selfref|Please follow the recommendations at ], ] and ] when creating articles about television seasons.}}


For an article that describes one season of a television show (possibly containing a section for episode summaries), the article should be named first by the name of the show, and then by the season/series number. Alternatively, if each season is referred to by a distinctive name, that should be used instead.
;Specific genres:
{{Block indent|1=<nowiki />
Use these, where appropriate, instead of "TV series", as they are used frequently in common speech and make articles recognizable.
* ], ], ...
* ] (consisting of a short run of movie-length episodes) use ].
* ], ], ...
* ]s use ].
* ], ], ...
* ]s use ].
* ], ], ...
* ]s use ].
* '']'', '']'', ...
}}
A consistent naming scheme should be used for all season articles of a TV show: if one season is named something special, this should be noted through redirects and in the article's ], but the article should be named in the same fashion as the other season pages. For example, "'']''" was known as "'']''", but maintains the naming format as other seasons, the second link being a redirect to the consistently named season page. Navigation to other season pages and to the main show page should be provided by navigation boxes at the bottom of the article, and it is often useful to include preceding and following seasons within the infobox (if one exists) for that season. Redirections should be created for ease of searching by the end user.


If there are multiple shows of the same name, include the disambiguation, similar to the above for TV series in the season description, for example, "]" and "]". Similar names should continue even if one version of the show has several more seasons than the other; for example, in the case of the above, the British version of ''The Apprentice'' has had three more seasons than the American version, but the naming continues up through all of them, including "]". ] should be used to provide links to the other shows' existing season pages if needed.
=== One-time (non-series) productions ===
* ] - ].
* For all other uses, the most appropriate moniker is ].<br />(''Note: '''programme''' may be substituted for '''program''' if that spelling is more appropriate based on the show's originating region.'')


=== Other methods === === Additional disambiguation ===
{{Shortcut|WP:NCTVUS|WP:NCTVUK|WP:TVYEAR|WP:TVCOUNTRY}}
Consider using these only as a last resort.

* Prefix the country of broadcast - ].
When there are two or more television productions of the same type and name, use one of the following methods:
* Prefix the year of release - ] (For series, use the year of debut.)
* Prefix the singular country of broadcast (]) – '''<code>(American TV series)</code>''',{{Efn|name=UK/US|See ].}} '''<code>(Argentine TV series)</code>''',{{Efn|name=Argentine|See ].}} '''<code>(British TV series)</code>''',{{Efn|name=UK/US}} '''<code>(Canadian TV series)</code>'''. This is the preferred disambiguation method when needed to distinguish shows with the same title from different countries. Only one country should be mentioned in the title.
* Prefix the network identification - ].
* Prefix the year of release or program debut – '''<code>(1997 TV series)</code>'''. This is generally used when there are shows with the same title within the same country.

If the year, country, or a combination of both is still insufficient to disambiguate the topic, an appropriate genre or format word ("animated TV series" or "anime", "telenovela", "soap opera", "sitcom", etc.) can then be considered for use via a ].

Disambiguation using television network identification is deprecated, but in certain cases, when programs air in the same region within a few years of each other, it may be advisable to create redirects in order to aid searching, linking, and prevent duplicate articles from being created (e.g. ] for ] vs. ] for ]).

===Foreign-language shows===
{{shortcut|WP:TVFL}}
{{see also|Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (use English)|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style#National varieties of English}}
Use the title most familiar to viewers in English-speaking countries. Commonly, this will be the title under which the show or series has been released in the English-speaking world; where different English-speaking countries use different titles, use the most common one and give the native ''and'' alternate English title(s) afterwards. If the show has not been widely released in the English-speaking world, the native name is preferred over translated titles from English-language sources.

=== Television films ===
{{shortcut|WP:TVF}}
{{main|Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (films)}}
For ]s with names that conflict with other uses, use '''<code>(film)</code>'''. For those that conflict with other films, use '''<code>(''year'' film)</code>''', where ''year'' corresponds to the year in which the film first aired on TV. If the name of a television film conflicts with a theatrical film in the same year, '''<code>(''year'' TV film)</code>''' / '''<code>(''year'' theatrical film)</code>''' respectively.
{{Block indent|1=<nowiki />
'''Examples:'''
* ] – '']'', the novel, is considered to be the primary topic so the film is disambiguated.
* ] – A short film aired as a television special, disambiguated from the song "]".
* ] (television film) and ], ] – None of the films are the primary topic so they are all disambiguated.
* ] and ] – Neither of the films is the primary topic so they are both disambiguated.
}}

===Episode and character articles===
{{shortcut|WP:NCEPISODE}}
{{Selfref|Please follow the recommendations at ], ] and ] when creating articles about television episodes, characters, or other elements.}}

For disambiguation, add the ''TV show'' or ''franchise'' title in parentheses; e.g. '''<code>Article title (''Show Title'')</code>'''. For characters, typically the full name is used, if known, for the title of the article except when an alias or other name is much more common.
{{Block indent|1=<nowiki />
* ] – episode title, no further disambiguation needed
* ] – episode title, disambiguated from the ]
* ] – full name used frequently, not ], no further disambiguation needed
* ] – alternate name used primarily, not ]
* ] – common name used, disambiguated from ] and ]
}}
If the character's name is the same as the show's title or if the character appears in many different titles, use '''<code>Character name (character)</code>'''.
{{Block indent|1=<nowiki />
* ] – character name same as the TV series title ('']'')
}}
Where the title is the same as an episode, character, or other element from the show,{{Efn|name=element|When the other element does not have its own article, further disambiguation is generally not necessary. However, always use common sense and best judgment to prevent ambiguity, as in ]. See ] for further context.}} disambiguate further using '''<code>Article title (''Show Title'' episode/character/''element'')</code>'''.
{{Block indent|1=<nowiki />
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
Although editors should avoid preemptive disambiguation, they are encouraged to create extra redirects to help with internal linking and avoid creation of duplicate articles. For example, for the ''Lost'' episode, "]", one could create the following redirects:
{{Block indent|1=<nowiki />
* {{no redirect|All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues (Lost)|All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues (''Lost'')}}
* {{no redirect|All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues (Lost episode)|All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues (''Lost'' episode)}}
}}
TV character articles primarily focused on appearances in other media (], ], ], ], etc.) should follow those respective naming conventions.

===Media franchise===
{{see also|Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (films)#Media franchise|Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (video games)#Media franchise}}

When the content presented in a TV program or series spans other ] formats such as radio, film, video game, or print, then an associated overview page (an article describing and summarizing the items of the ]) should occupy the primary article title (e.g. '']''), but may be disambiguated as '''<code>''Series name'' (franchise)</code>''' when required.
{{Block indent|1=<nowiki />
*]
*]
}}

=== List articles ===
Disambiguation for list articles related to television productions should be used where necessary to make clear which title is being discussed. If the main TV series page title was disambiguated from other entertainment properties (e.g. other TV series, films, novels, etc.), related list pages may or may not need to be further disambiguated, depending on whether other list articles exist. Otherwise, the series title is sufficient.
{{Block indent|1=<nowiki />
* '']'' and ]
* ] and ]
* ] vs. ] and ] and ] (as no list articles exist for the 1990 series)
* ] and ] vs. ] and ]
* ] and ] vs. ] and ]
* ] vs. ]
* ]
}}

== Articles about television ==
Articles which relate to general concepts related to television technology, terminology, and industry (but not programming) should use '''<code>(television)</code>'''.

*]
*]

== See also ==
* ], for additional guidelines relating to television broadcasting (networks, channels, stations, etc.)
* {{slink|Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (geographic names)|Fictional cities}}
* {{slink|Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (films)|Upcoming films}}, for guidance on redirects to series that are no longer upcoming or untitled

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

]

Latest revision as of 09:37, 12 December 2024

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    view · edit · changes

    As is the general practice across Misplaced Pages, the article title for any topic related to television should simply be the most common word or phrase used to describe that topic. In particular, if the title of a television program is sufficiently unambiguous compared to any other topics or is considered to be the primary topic, then let that also be the title of the article; for example, The Prisoner or Guiding Light.

    If the common title of the show is ambiguous, an alternate article title will need to be used to distinguish it from other similarly named programs, series, movies, books, terms, or other topics. Natural disambiguation may be used if the show has an alternate title that is also commonly used to refer to it. Failing that, then parenthetical disambiguation may be needed – use the most appropriate method as described in the sections below.

    For guidelines relating to television broadcasting (networks, channels, stations, etc.), see Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (broadcasting).

    Television programming

    Series television

    Episodic, serial, or limited series television shows are made of episodes which may relate part of an unfolding story, feature recurring settings or characters, or express a unifying narrative theme. These shows are typically aired only part of the year, and are produced as a set or cycle of episodes usually called a "season" or a "series". When disambiguation is required, use (TV series).

    Examples:

    Do not disambiguate by genre or format, i.e. "sitcom", "telenovela", "soap opera", etc., unless further disambiguation is required (see Additional disambiguation below). For the special case of episodic television known as "miniseries", when disambiguation is required, use: (miniseries) or (serial) according to common usage in reliable sources. Example: Taken (miniseries).

    Non-series television

    Non-series television shows tend to be produced on either an on-going basis (airing daily or weekly) or as a one-time event. Each episode of an on-going show is usually self-contained with little connection to other episodes, other than title, format, hosts, and other on-air personalities. These shows generally lack on-going narrative or story elements. For game shows, use (game show), for talk shows, use (talk show), and for all other programs use (TV program) or (TV programme) according to common usage in reliable sources.

    Examples:

    Season articles

    Shortcut Please follow the recommendations at WikiProject Television episodes, notability of fiction and MoS writing about fiction when creating articles about television seasons.

    For an article that describes one season of a television show (possibly containing a section for episode summaries), the article should be named first by the name of the show, and then by the season/series number. Alternatively, if each season is referred to by a distinctive name, that should be used instead.

    A consistent naming scheme should be used for all season articles of a TV show: if one season is named something special, this should be noted through redirects and in the article's WP:LEAD, but the article should be named in the same fashion as the other season pages. For example, "The Amazing Race 8" was known as "The Amazing Race: Family Edition", but maintains the naming format as other seasons, the second link being a redirect to the consistently named season page. Navigation to other season pages and to the main show page should be provided by navigation boxes at the bottom of the article, and it is often useful to include preceding and following seasons within the infobox (if one exists) for that season. Redirections should be created for ease of searching by the end user.

    If there are multiple shows of the same name, include the disambiguation, similar to the above for TV series in the season description, for example, "The Apprentice (American TV series) season 1" and "The Apprentice (British TV series) series 1". Similar names should continue even if one version of the show has several more seasons than the other; for example, in the case of the above, the British version of The Apprentice has had three more seasons than the American version, but the naming continues up through all of them, including "The Apprentice (British TV series) series 17". Hatnotes should be used to provide links to the other shows' existing season pages if needed.

    Additional disambiguation

    Shortcuts

    When there are two or more television productions of the same type and name, use one of the following methods:

    • Prefix the singular country of broadcast (adjective) – (American TV series), (Argentine TV series), (British TV series), (Canadian TV series). This is the preferred disambiguation method when needed to distinguish shows with the same title from different countries. Only one country should be mentioned in the title.
    • Prefix the year of release or program debut – (1997 TV series). This is generally used when there are shows with the same title within the same country.

    If the year, country, or a combination of both is still insufficient to disambiguate the topic, an appropriate genre or format word ("animated TV series" or "anime", "telenovela", "soap opera", "sitcom", etc.) can then be considered for use via a page move request.

    Disambiguation using television network identification is deprecated, but in certain cases, when programs air in the same region within a few years of each other, it may be advisable to create redirects in order to aid searching, linking, and prevent duplicate articles from being created (e.g. The Frank Sinatra Show (CBS TV series) for The Frank Sinatra Show (1950 TV series) vs. The Frank Sinatra Show (ABC TV series) for The Frank Sinatra Show (1957 TV series)).

    Foreign-language shows

    Shortcut See also: Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (use English) and Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style § National varieties of English

    Use the title most familiar to viewers in English-speaking countries. Commonly, this will be the title under which the show or series has been released in the English-speaking world; where different English-speaking countries use different titles, use the most common one and give the native and alternate English title(s) afterwards. If the show has not been widely released in the English-speaking world, the native name is preferred over translated titles from English-language sources.

    Television films

    Shortcut Main page: Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (films)

    For television films with names that conflict with other uses, use (film). For those that conflict with other films, use (year film), where year corresponds to the year in which the film first aired on TV. If the name of a television film conflicts with a theatrical film in the same year, (year TV film) / (year theatrical film) respectively.

    Examples:

    Episode and character articles

    Shortcut Please follow the recommendations at WikiProject Television episodes, notability of fiction and MoS writing about fiction when creating articles about television episodes, characters, or other elements.

    For disambiguation, add the TV show or franchise title in parentheses; e.g. Article title (Show Title). For characters, typically the full name is used, if known, for the title of the article except when an alias or other name is much more common.

    If the character's name is the same as the show's title or if the character appears in many different titles, use Character name (character).

    Where the title is the same as an episode, character, or other element from the show, disambiguate further using Article title (Show Title episode/character/element).

    Although editors should avoid preemptive disambiguation, they are encouraged to create extra redirects to help with internal linking and avoid creation of duplicate articles. For example, for the Lost episode, "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues", one could create the following redirects:

    TV character articles primarily focused on appearances in other media (film, books, comics, video games, etc.) should follow those respective naming conventions.

    Media franchise

    See also: Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (films) § Media franchise, and Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (video games) § Media franchise

    When the content presented in a TV program or series spans other media formats such as radio, film, video game, or print, then an associated overview page (an article describing and summarizing the items of the franchise) should occupy the primary article title (e.g. Star Trek), but may be disambiguated as Series name (franchise) when required.

    List articles

    Disambiguation for list articles related to television productions should be used where necessary to make clear which title is being discussed. If the main TV series page title was disambiguated from other entertainment properties (e.g. other TV series, films, novels, etc.), related list pages may or may not need to be further disambiguated, depending on whether other list articles exist. Otherwise, the series title is sufficient.

    Articles about television

    Articles which relate to general concepts related to television technology, terminology, and industry (but not programming) should use (television).

    See also

    Notes

    1. ^ See this discussion.
    2. See this discussion.
    3. When the other element does not have its own article, further disambiguation is generally not necessary. However, always use common sense and best judgment to prevent ambiguity, as in Talk:Winterfell (Game of Thrones episode)#Requested move 15 April 2019. See this discussion for further context.
    Categories: