The Movie Database Support

Hey TMDB Devs,

I'm running into a problem where my API is throwing errors because TMDB's episode numbering doesn't match other platforms. This makes it hard to sync data with other APIs like AniDB, TheTVDB, and others. A lot of people are having the same issue, as seen here.

The Issue:

  • Some anime get all episodes crammed into one season, while others split them properly.

  • Because of this, apps like Emby and Jellyfin can't match files correctly, leading to missing episodes or broken metadata.

  • Right now, there's no way to fix this automatically. I either have to rename files manually or patch the API response myself.

  • When using TMDB's episode detail api, i get error when i request season/2/episode/1 because the correct episode according to the api is season 1 episode 13

Suggested Feature (Up to You How to Implement It!):

  1. Alternate Season Mapping:
-   Add an `alternate` field in the API response so a series can have multiple season mappings based on different platforms. something like this

    ```
    {
      ...current data,
      "seasons", [...],
      "alternate_seasons": [
        {
          "platform": "AniDB",
          "seasons": [{ 
             number:2, 
             episodes:[{
                  number: 1,
                  mapTo: {season:1, episode: 13}
            },...]
           }]
        }
      ]
    }
    ```
  1. Make the API Smarter:
-   If I request `season/2/episode/1`, the API should recognize this and return `season/1/episode/13` based on TMDB's numbering.

-   Similar to how [this API endpoint](https://developer.themoviedb.org/reference/tv-episode-details) works, but with built-in remapping.

Why This Helps:

  • Fixes API mismatches and prevents errors when syncing data.

  • Makes it easier for apps to use TMDB without hacking together custom fixes.

  • Keeps everyone happy without breaking existing TMDB rules.

Would love to see something like this added! Appreciate all the hard work you guys do. Thanks!

1 reply (on page 1 of 1)

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@fadzbobby said:
Feature Request: Anime Episode Mapping in TMDB API
Hey TMDB Devs,

I'm running into a problem where my API is throwing errors because TMDB's episode numbering doesn't match other platforms. This makes it hard to sync data with other APIs like AniDB, TheTVDB, and others. A lot of people are having the same issue, as seen here.

The Issue:

  • Some anime get all episodes crammed into one season, while others split them properly.

  • Because of this, apps like Emby and Jellyfin can't match files correctly, leading to missing episodes or broken metadata.

  • Right now, there's no way to fix this automatically. I either have to rename files manually or patch the API response myself.

  • When using TMDB's episode detail api, i get error when i request season/2/episode/1 because the correct episode according to the api is season 1 episode 13

Suggested Feature (Up to You How to Implement It!):

  1. Alternate Season Mapping:

I'm not an expert on this subject, but...

Alternate Season Mapping:
There is a feature called "Episode Groups" for all TV series.
Perhaps for the animes you are looking for, some user has already created the group that interests you.
Or you can create a specific group for your case.
You can see an example here:
https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/127532/edit?active_nav_item=episode_groups
The limitation is that you cannot join two episodes into one.
Or divide an episode into two.
You can only change the order of the episodes.

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