title of tv show in an essay

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How to Write the Title of a TV Show Using APA

American Psychological Association, or APA, style establishes rules for writing and formatting social science papers, including how to format the titles of works such as books, websites and TV shows. The format of the title of a work depends on the section of your paper and whether the work stands alone or is part of a greater whole, according to the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

TV Episode Title

The title of an episode of a TV show should be placed inside quotations marks and written in title case within the body of the paper, according to the American Psychological Association. In title case, capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle; nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives; and all words at least four letters long. For example, within the body of your paper, you would write "Chasing the Bus." When you write the title of a TV episode in your reference list, do not put the title in quotation marks or italics and use sentence case. In sentence case, capitalize the first word and proper nouns, as if you were writing a sentence. For example, in your reference list, you would write "Chasing the bus."

TV Series Title

The title of a TV series stands alone, so it should be italicized in both the body of your paper and the reference list, according to the American Psychological Association. The title should be in title case within the body of your paper and in sentence case in the reference list. For example, within the body of your paper you would write "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," while the reference list would say "CSI: Crime scene investigation."

• American Psychological Association: How to Capitalize and Format Reference Titles in APA Style
• American Psychological Association: Title Case and Sentence Case Capitalization in APA Style
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition

Rebekah Richards is a professional writer with work published in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "Brandeis University Law Journal" and online at tolerance.org. She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with bachelor's degrees in creative writing, English/American literature and international studies. Richards earned a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University.

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How to Write a TV Show Title in an Essay: In APA, MLA, and more

Writing TV Show Title in Different Formats

Precision and adherence to formatting styles are paramount in the academic writing arena. One often overlooked aspect is how to write a TV show title within an essay while following specific style guidelines, such as APA, MLA, and more. 

Mostly, this guide will illuminate the importance of proper formatting and how to incorporate captivating TV show titles into your essays seamlessly. It ensures your writing is academically sound and engaging for your readers.

Now, let’s dive into the nuances of formatting TV show titles in different styles, ensuring your essays shine clearly and professionally.

Basic Rules for TV Show Title Formatting

1. capitalization rules.

Regardless of the formatting style (APA, MLA, etc.), always capitalize the first and last words of the TV show title. For example, in the title “Breaking Bad,” both “Breaking” and “Bad” would be capitalized.

Major words within the TV show title should also be capitalized. These include nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. In “Game of Thrones,” “Game” and “Thrones” are major words and should be capitalized.

In most formatting styles, small words like conjunctions (e.g., “and,” “or”), prepositions (e.g., “in,” “on”), and articles (e.g., “the,” “a”) are not capitalized unless they are the first or last words of the title. For example, “The Office” follows this rule.

2. Use of Italics

Using italics correctly for TV show titles in your essays is crucial to distinguish them from the rest of the text. Here’s when and how to use italics:

When to Use Italics:

• Total Titles:  Italicize the full title of a TV show when mentioned in your essay. For example, “Friends” should be written as Friends.
• Episode Titles:  Italicize individual episode titles when discussing specific episodes within the TV show. For example, “The One with the Prom Video” from Friends.
• Series Names:  When you refer to the name of the TV series as a whole, it should also be italicized. For example, “The overarching storyline in Game of Thrones is captivating.”
• Titles within Titles:  If a TV show title appears within the title of another work, italicize both. For example, “The Simpsons parody in Family Guy was hilarious.”

3. Using Quotation Marks

Quotation marks are used for specific instances when referencing TV show titles in your essays. So, when do you use quotation marks? 

Episode Titles: Use double quotation marks to enclose the titles of individual TV show episodes, like “The One with the Prom Video” from “Friends.”

If a character within a TV show quotes something or if you’re discussing dialogue from the show, use single quotation marks inside double quotation marks.

4. Punctuation and TV Show Titles

When it comes to punctuation and TV show titles in your essays, it’s essential to handle them correctly for clarity and consistency:

Punctuation marks that are part of the TV show’s title should be included. For example, “Grey’s Anatomy.”

When using a TV show title at the end of a sentence, the ending punctuation (such as a period or comma) comes after the title. For instance, “I enjoy watching ‘Breaking Bad’.”

Special characters and symbols within TV show titles should be retained as they appear in the original title.

For example, “Law & Order: SVU” should be written exactly as shown, including the ampersand (&).

Tips when Incorporating TV Show Titles in Essay Text

Proper integration.

Properly integrating TV show titles into your essay is essential for a seamless and grammatically correct presentation. To achieve this:

Introduce the title with a clear context, such as “In the popular TV show ‘Breaking Bad,’…”

Ensure that the title is grammatically integrated into your sentence structure. For example, “The characters of ‘Friends’ exhibit various personality traits.”

Verb Tense and TV Show Titles

Matching verb tense with the timing of TV show titles is essential to maintain consistency and clarity in your writing:

Use the present tense when discussing events or actions in the TV show. For example, “In ‘The Office,’ Jim pranks Dwight.”

Use the past tense when referring to events or actions within the show. For instance, “In the last episode of ‘Breaking Bad,’ Walter White faced a crucial decision.”

Citing TV Shows in Different Citation Styles

Structure of the citation:  In an MLA citation , include the TV show’s title in italics, the season and episode number (if applicable), the director’s name, the production company, and the broadcast year. For example: “Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, AMC, 2008-2013.”

In-text citations:  In MLA, parenthetical in-text citations should include the title of the episode or TV show in quotation marks. 

Citing TV shows in APA style: In APA, reference TV shows as part of the broader category of audiovisual materials. Include the title in italics, the production company, and the year. For example: “The Crown, Left Bank Pictures, 2016-present.”

Including TV show titles in the reference list: In your reference list, TV show titles should be italicized, and the format should follow APA guidelines for audiovisual materials.

Chicago Style

In Chicago style, you can use footnotes or endnotes to cite TV shows. Include the title in italics, the episode title (if applicable), the production company, and the year. In your bibliography, list the TV show similarly.

Common Mistakes to Avoid when Writing Film Titles

When writing film titles, there are common mistakes that writers should avoid to maintain clarity and accuracy in their work:

Incorrect Capitalization

One of the most prevalent errors is failing to capitalize words appropriately within film titles. Writers may capitalize minor words like prepositions or articles when they should not be.

For example, writing “The Lord of The Rings” instead of “The Lord of the Rings” is a common mistake.

Misuse of Italics or Quotation Marks

It is essential to use either italics or quotation marks consistently, depending on your style guide. Mixing them or omitting them altogether can lead to confusion.

For instance, writing “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” instead of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” or “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” is incorrect.

Inconsistent Formatting

Ensuring uniformity in formatting is crucial. Writers sometimes use different styles for the same film title throughout their work, which can be distracting. Consistency is key.

Ignoring Special Characters

Some films include special characters or symbols in their titles, such as “&” or “-” (“Men in Black” or “Spider-Man”). Neglecting these characters can result in inaccuracies.

Omitting Necessary Details

Failing to provide additional details like release years or directors for clarity can be a mistake. For example, “The Matrix” could refer to the original 1999 film or its sequels.

Improper Punctuation

Please place punctuation marks within film titles, such as commas or colons, to avoid misunderstandings. Writers should follow the proper punctuation rules for titles.

Incomplete Titles

Abbreviating film titles without clear context can confuse readers. For example, “The Empire Strikes Back” should not be shortened to “Empire Strikes Back” without proper introduction.

Understanding how to format and integrate TV show titles in your essays is vital for precise and consistent writing. Proper capitalization, italics or quotation marks, verb tense, and citation styles are crucial.

Avoiding common mistakes, such as inconsistent formatting or ignoring special characters, ensures accuracy.

As you navigate the world of TV show titles in academic writing, remember to adhere to the style guide you use, whether it’s MLA, APA, or Chicago.

You not only maintain academic integrity but also enhance the readability and professionalism of your essays. So, use TV show titles effectively to elevate the quality of your academic work.

Josh Jasen or JJ as we fondly call him, is a senior academic editor at Grade Bees in charge of the writing department. When not managing complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In his spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

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APA Style (7th Edition) Citation Guide: Films/Videos/TV Shows

• Introduction
• Journal Articles
• Magazine/Newspaper Articles
• Books & Ebooks
• Government & Legal Documents
• Biblical Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Films/Videos/TV Shows
• How to Cite: Other
• Additional Help

Table of Contents

Film or Video

Streaming Video From a Website (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)

Streaming video from a subscription media website (netflix, amazon prime, hulu, etc.), streaming video from a library database, television series episode.

Note: All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

This Microsoft support page contains instructions about how to format a hanging indent in a paper.

Who to Credit - Film or Video

The director should be credited as the author of a film. If the director is unknown, someone in a similar role, such as a producer and/or writer, can be credited. To clarify what role the person has in the production, their job title such as Director is put after their name in round brackets if the job title is known.

Who to Credit - Streaming Video from a Website

For videos from websites such as YouTube or Vimeo, credit the person who posted the content. If a real name is provided, use that followed by the person's user name in square brackets. If the real name of the person who posted the content is not known, just use their user name without brackets.

Note : It is not necessary to specify how you watched a film or video (e.g. motion picture, DVD, streaming online). 

In the Body of a Paper

Books, Journals, Reports, Webpages, etc.: When you refer to titles of a “stand-alone work,” as the APA calls them on their APA Style website, such as books, journals, reports, and webpages, you should italicize them. Capitalize words as you would for an article title in a reference, e.g., In the book Crying in H Mart: A memoir , author Michelle Zauner (2021) describes her biracial origin and its impact on her identity.

Article or Chapter: When you refer to the title of a part of a work, such as an article or a chapter, put quotation marks around the title and capitalize it as you would for a journal title in a reference, e.g., In the chapter “Where’s the Wine,” Zauner (2021) describes how she decided to become a musician.

The APA Sample Paper below has more information about formatting your paper.

• APA 7th ed. Sample Paper

Film or Video

When the Director, Producer and/or Writer is known:

Director/Producer/Writer's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if given. (Job Title). (Year film was produced).  Title of film: Subtitle if any  [Film]. Production Company.

Note: If not produced in the United States, list the city name and the country.

Hallam, J. (Producer, Writer), & Lam, K. (Producer, Director). (2010).  Staff relations in healthcare: Working as a team  [Film]. Insight Media.

• When you have more than one producer, writer and/or writer to credit, separate the names with a comma and put an ampersand (&) before the last person's last name.
• Serling, R. (Executive Producer). (1959–1964). The twilight zone [TV series]. Cayuga Productions; CBS Productions.

In-Text Paraphrase:

(Producer/Director/Writer's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Hallam & Lam, 2010)

Note: This example has two people to credit, so both last names are given)

In-Text Quote:

(Producer/Director/Writer's Last Name, Year, Timestamp)

Example: (Hallam & Lam, 2010, 2:30)

Note: Because the timestamp serves the same purpose in a video as page numbers, paragraph numbers or section headings, you include it in the in-text citation. Include only the beginning timestamp.

When the Director, Producer and/or Writer is not known:  Start the citation with the film title.

Title of film: Subtitle if any  [Film]. (Year film was produced). Production Company if Known.

Era of viruses  [Film]. (2006). Films for the Humanities and Sciences.

( Title of Film , Year)

Example: ( Era of Viruses , 2006)

Note: Italicize the title of the film and capitalize the words for the in-text citation.

( Title of Film , Year, Timestamp)

Example: ( Era of Viruses , 2006, 40:00)

When the Poster's Name is known: 

Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial. of person who posted the video if known. [User name that posted the video]. (Year video was posted, Month Day).  Title of video  [Video]. Website Name. URL

Note: According to APA, for citing purposes the person who posted the video is credited as the author.

Nye, B. [TheRealBillNye]. (2009, April 8).  Bill Nye the science guy on energy  [Video]. YouTube. http://youtu.be/0ASLLiuejAo

(Creator's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Nye, 2009)

(Creator's Last Name, Year, timestamp)

Example: (Nye, 2009, 0:55)

When the Poster's Name is not known: 

User name that posted the video. (Year video was posted, Month Day).  Title of video  [Video]. Website Name. URL

All Aces Media. (2012, January 19).  Often awesome the series  [Video]. Vimeo. http://vimeo.com/35311255

(User name, Year)

Example: (All Aces Media, 2012)

Example: (All Aces Media, 2012, timestamp)

Producer's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Producer). (Year of Publication).  Title of Video  [Video]. Website Name. URL

Note:  When you have one producer (Producer) is used after the producer's name. If you have more than one producer use (Producers) instead.

Allen, T., et. al. (Producers). (2017). The story of Diana  [Video]. Netflix. http://www.netflix.com

(Producer Last name, Year)

Example: (Allen, et. al., 2017)

(Producer Last name, Year, Timestamp)

Example: (Allen, et. al., 2017, 6:45)

Name of Company/Organization that Provided Content or Creator's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial. if known. (Year video was created, Month Day if known).  Title of video  [Video]. Database Name.

National Film Board of Canada. (2014).  Making movie history: The women  [Video]. NFB Campus. 

(Name of Company/Organization, Year)

Example: (National Film Board of Canada, 2014)

(Name of Company/Organization, Year, Timestamp)

Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if given. (Job Title) if known. (Year the episode was originally aired). Title of episode (Season No., Episode No.) [TV series episode]. In Executive Producer's First Initial. Last Name (Executive producer) if known,  Television series name . Production Company.

Note: For other countries, list the city name and the country.

Young, R. (Writer, Producer, Director). (2010). Flying cheap (Season 2010, Episode 2) [TV series episode]. In  Frontline . American University School of Communication's Investigative Reporting Workshop.

(Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Young, 2010)

(Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, Year, Timestamp)

Example: (Young, 2010, 15:38)

Television Series Episode Viewed on a Subscription Media Website 

Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if given. (Job Title) if known. (Year the episode was originally aired). Title of episode (Season No., Episode No.) [TV series episode]. In Executive Producer's First Initial. Last Name (Executive producer) if known,  Television series name . Streaming Video Site. URL

Attenborough, D. (Writer). (2001). Ocean world (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In A. Fothergill (Executive producer),  Blue planet: A natural history of the oceans . Netflix. http://www.netflix.com

Example: (Attenborough, 2001)

 (Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, Year, Timestamp)

Example: (Attenborough, 2001, 10:12)

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, writing about a tv show for college essay—too trivial.

I've had this profound experience related to a TV show and its themes, and I'm contemplating using this as the central theme of my college essay. Is it okay to talk about a TV show, or does it seem trivial to admissions officers?

Absolutely, discussing a TV show in your college essay can be both appropriate and compelling, provided that you tie it back to personal growth, values, or lessons learned. Admissions officers appreciate essays that are reflective and provide insight into your character, not just your academic abilities. If the TV show truly had a profound impact on you and you can write about it in a way that highlights your critical thinking skills, self-awareness, or other positive personal attributes, then it can be a great topic.

For example, if a student were influenced by the themes of justice and community portrayed in a show like 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine,' they could discuss how this interest led them to volunteer at a local non-profit, thereby demonstrating their commitment to these values in real life. It’s important to focus on the depth of the reflection rather than the source. So long as the essay is well-written and reveals something meaningful about you, it won't be seen as trivial. Go for it, but be sure to get some feedback from trusted teachers or mentors to ensure your message comes across clearly!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

How do I style the title of a segment from a television news, talk, or comedy show?

Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook . For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

As the  MLA Handbook notes, “A title is placed in quotation marks if it is part of a larger work” (25). Thus, enclose in quotation marks the title of a segment from a television news, talk, or comedy show, as shown in the following example:

In the final episode of  Saturday Night Live this season, Tina Fey, appearing on the segment “Weekend Update at Home,” poked fun at Zoom virtual backgrounds (“Weekend Update”). Work Cited “Weekend Update at Home.” Saturday Night Live , created by Lorne Michaels, performance by Tina Fey, season 45, episode 18, SNL Studios, 9 May 2020.

MLA Handbook.  8th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2016.

Home / Guides / Citation Guides / How to Cite Sources / How to Cite a TV Show or Movie in MLA

How to Cite a TV Show or Movie in MLA

To cite a TV show or movie you watched on a streaming service, follow the guidelines below. Remember, the key to making good citations is to give credit to the right people or organization. You can apply these MLA 9-style formulas to any TV or movie content you watch on any streaming service, including Netflix, Google Play, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc.

If you’d rather use a citation form, here is the citation generator form for citing a TV show in MLA .

Looking for APA guides? Here is the guide on how to cite a TV show in APA .

Looking for Chicago guides? Here is the guide on how to cite a TV show in Chicago .

Citing a specific TV episode in MLA 9:

“Episode Title.” TV Series Title , created by First Name Last Name, season #, episode #, Production Company Name, Original Air Date Month Year. Website/Streaming Service Name , URL.

“The Library.” Seinfeld , created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, season 3, episode 5, West-Shapiro/Castle Rock Entertainment, 16 Oct. 1991. Netflix , www.netflix.com/browse?jbv=70153373 .

Citing an entire TV series in MLA 9:

Last Name, First Name, creator. Television Series Name . Production Company Name, Series Start Year. Website/Streaming Service Name , URL.

David, Larry and Jerry Seinfeld, creators. Seinfeld . West-Shapiro/Castle Rock Entertainment, 1989. Netflix , www.netflix.com/browse?jbv=70153373 .

Citing a Film in MLA 9:

Include the name of the film, the name of the director, the production company or distributor, and the release year. If relevant, list performer names after the director’s name.

Film Title . Directed by First Name Last Name, Production Company, Year Released. Streaming/Website Name , URL.

The Sea Beast . Directed by Chris Williams, Walt Disney Studios, 2022. Netflix , www.netflix.com/browse/genre/783?bc=34399&jbv=81018682 .

• In-text Citations

When creating an in-text citation, the information in the parentheses should always match the first item in your full Works Cited reference entry. For a TV show or movie, this will likely be the episode name or the show or the movie title. If a title is long, it can be shortened to the first noun phrase in parenthetical citations.

(“Episode Name”)

(TV Series Creator(s) Last Name(s))

( Movie Title )

(“The Library”)

(David and Seinfeld)

( The Sea Beast )

*These examples are in MLA 9 format.

Looking for APA or Chicago guides for citing a movie? Here is the guide for citing a movie .

Citation Guides

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• Reference Page
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To cite a movie, TV show, or video in APA and MLA styles, it is important that you know basic information, such as the director’s name, the title of the show, video, or movie, production company, and the publication date. The examples below show how to cite a movie in APA and MLA styles.

APA reference list entry template and example:

Surname, F. M. (Director). (Year). Title of the movie [Film]. Production Company.

Sant, G. V. (Director). (1997). Good will hunting [Film]. Be Gentlemen.

MLA works-cited-list entry template and example:

Title of the Movie . Directed by Name of the Director, Production Company, Publication date.

Good Will Hunting . Directed by Gus Van Sant, Be Gentlemen, 1997.

Use “Directed by” before the director’s name. Give the movie title in italics.

To cite a movie, TV show, or video in APA and MLA styles, it is important that you know basic information, such as the director’s name, the writer’s name, the title of the episode, the title of the TV show, names of executive producers, TV channel, production company, and publication date. The below example shows how to cite a TV show in APA and MLA styles.

Director’s Surname, F. M. (Contributor Roles including writer(s) and director). (Year, Month Day). Title of the episode (Season #, Episode #) [Description]. In Names of Executive Producers (Executive Producers), Title of TV series . Production Company; Production Companies.

Noah, T. (Writer & Director*). (2021, September 16). LeVar Burton (Season 26, Episode 112) [TV series episode]. In T. Noah, J. Stewart, & M. Browning (Executive Producers), The daily show with Trevor Noah . Comedy Central; ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks.

*If one person performed multiple roles, combine the descriptions with an ampersand (&).

Include the writers and directors for the episode in each entry. Include the contributor’s role in parentheses after each name.

When there are multiple production companies, separate their names with a semicolon.

“Title of the Episode.” Title of the TV Series , created by Name of the Director, season #, episode #, Production Company/Production Companies, Publication Day Month Year.

“LeVar Burton.” The Daily Show with Trevor Noah , created by Trevor Noah, season 26, episode 116, Comedy Central/ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, 16 Sept. 1997.

When there are multiple production company names, separate their names with a slash (/).

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• Writing Tips

APA Referencing – Citing a Movie or TV Show

4-minute read

• 12th October 2016

The vast majority of citations in academic writing are for books, journals and other written sources . Sometimes, however, you might need to cite a movie or TV show.

Are there special rules for this, you may be wondering? You bet there are, sonny! Herein, for instance, we take a look at how to cite a motion picture or TV show with APA referencing .

Citing a Motion Picture

You might think this is only relevant if you’re studying film and media, but it can also be crucial in many subject areas (e.g., if you want to quote something from a documentary).

The in-text citation format to use here is similar to that used for print sources, except that you name the producer and director instead of the author, along with the year of release:

René Griffiths eventually found success in South America (Ramasut & Goch, 2010).

This is accompanied by full detail of the source in the reference list , using the following format:

Last Name, Initial(s). (Producer), & Last Name, Initial(s). (Director). (Year). Title [Motion picture]. Studio or distributor.

In the case of the documentary cited above, this would appear as:

Ramasut, C. (Producer), & Goch, D. (Director). (2010). Separado! [Motion picture]. Soda Pictures.

Citing a TV Show

The format for citing a TV show depends on whether it’s a one-off broadcast, a single episode of a series or a complete series. For each, however, in-text citations require you to name an authority (e.g. a director, writer or producer) and a year of broadcast:

The game itself was preceded by a six-hour pre-game show (Esocoff, 2015).

For a one-off broadcast, include the following in the reference list:

Last Name, Initial(s). (Title of Authority). (Year, Month Day). Title of show [Television broadcast]. Broadcasting Company.

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The show cited above would therefore appear as:

Esocoff, D. (Director). (2015, February 1). Super Bowl XLIX [Television broadcast]. NBC Sports.

If you’re citing a series as a whole, the format changes slightly:

Last Name, Initial(s). (Title of Authority). (Year of First Series). Title of series [Television series]. Broadcasting Company.

When citing a particular episode, the details are included before the series information:

Last Name, Initial(s). (Writer), & Last Name, Initial(s). (Director). (Year). Title of episode [Television series episode]. In Name of Producer (Producer), Title of series . Broadcasting Company.

As such, an episode of the show Last Week Tonight would appear in the reference list as:

Avery, K. (Writer), & Perota, J. (Director). (2014). Military translators [Television series episode]. In J. Oliver (Executive Producer), Last week tonight . HBO.

If you’re referencing a particular section of a movie or TV show, you’ll need to include a timestamp in the citation, just as you’d give page numbers when quoting a print source. This involves indicating the time at which the relevant section begins:

Rhys ends his search at the final residence of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Ramasut & Goch, 2010, 1:17:20).

The citation above, for instance, shows that the section in question starts at one hour, seventeen minutes and twenty seconds into the video, making it easier to find the information referenced.

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Film and Television References

This page contains reference examples for film and television, including the following:

• Film or movie
• Film or movie, in another language
• Episode of a TV show

1. Film or movie

Verrette, T. (Director). (2021). Zero gravity [Film]. Skylight Cinema; 20th Digital Studio.

• Parenthetical citation : (Verrette, 2021)
• Narrative citation : Verrette (2021)
• Provide the director in the author element of the reference, followed by the notation “(Director).”
• Provide the production company or companies in the source element of the reference. Separate multiple production companies with a semicolon.

2. Film or movie, in another language

Alfredson, T. (Director). (2008). Låt den rätte komma in [Let the right one in] [Film]. EFTI; Sveriges Television (SVT); Filmpool Nord; Sandrew Metronome; WAG; Fido Film; The Chimney Pot; Ljudligan.

• Parenthetical citation : (Alfredson, 2008)
• Narrative citation : Alfredson (2008)
• As in all references, if the original title of the work is a language different from that of the paper you are writing, provide a translation of the title in square brackets after the title and before the bracketed description and period.

3. TV series

Serling, R. (Executive Producer). (1959–1964). The twilight zone [TV series]. Cayuga Productions; CBS Productions.

• Parenthetical citation : (Serling, 1959–1964)
• Narrative citation : Serling (1959–1964)
• Provide the executive producer(s) in the author element of the reference.
• When there is one executive producer, use the notation “(Executive Producer).” When there are multiple executive producers, provide the notation once after all the producers’ names, the same as you would the notation “(Eds.)” for an edited book: “(Executive Producers).”
• Provide the year(s) during which the series aired in the date element of the reference.
• If the series is still airing at the time you are writing the paper, replace the second year with “present”: (2017–present).

4. Episode of a TV show

Favreau, J. (Writer), & Filoni, D. (Director). (2019, November 12). Chapter 1 (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In J. Favreau, D. Filoni, K. Kennedy, & C. Wilson (Executive Producers), The Mandalorian . Lucasfilm; Golem Creations.

Sherman-Palladino, A. (Writer & Director). (2018, December 5). All alone (Season 2, Episode 10) [TV series episode]. In A. Sherman-Palladino, D. Palladino, D. Gilbert, M. Shapiro, S. Carino, & S. Lawrence (Executive Producers), The marvelous Mrs. Mais el . Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions; Picrow; Amazon Studios.

• Parenthetical citations : (Favreau & Filoni, 2019; Sherman-Palladino, 2018)
• Narrative citations : Favreau and Filoni (2019) and Sherman-Palladino (2018)
• Include the writers and directors for the episode. Include the contributor’s role in parentheses after each name.
• If one person performed multiple roles, combine the descriptions with an ampersand.
• Provide the season number and episode number after the title in parentheses.

Film and television references are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 10.12 and the Concise Guide Section 10.10

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How to Cite TV Shows in Academic Papers

• by Lesley V.
• December 15, 2023

Essays about your favorite TV shows are some of the most exciting papers to write. 

The only thing students dislike about such tasks is the need to cite their sources. 

Luckily, I’m here to help you with the references for the entire show and specific episodes!

How to Cite TV Shows: APA

If your paper is in the APA format, you’ll need to start your bibliography reference by listing the executive producers of the TV series and then mention the dates when it ran (or when it started running). Then, include the italicized title of the show and the production company or companies it’s connected with.

Here’s what the result should look like:

As for specific episodes, you’ll have to start by mentioning the writers and director of that one. If it’s written and directed by the same person, write “(Writer & Director)” after their name. Then, mention the date when it aired, the title of the episode, the season where it’s featured, and end with a brief reference to the TV show itself.

Here’s an example of the result you’re looking for:

How to Cite a TV Show: MLA

If you cite a TV series in MLA, you’ll need to start by finding the page of that show on Netflix or any other streaming service. List the creators mentioned there and include the URL leading to the series page. 

Note that the names of the TV show and the streaming service are italicized.

If you’re citing some dialogue from one specific episode, it’s better to cite that exact one. In such cases, you’ll need a link to the episode you’re citing, its air date, and the season. The rest will be just the citation of the TV show in a different order,  like this:

How to Cite TV Shows: In-Text

The in-text citation is a parenthetical reference you use after the end of each direct or indirect quotation to indicate the source. With TV shows, you don’t have page numbers to mention there, but you have time codes. Let’s see how that works.

APA in-text citations

While MLA has a different system, please treat TV series like any other sources in APA (1). That means you must include the name of its creator and the years when the show started and ended. 

For example, an in-text for “Black Mirror” will look  like this:

• (Brooker et al., 2011-present).

If the TV series you’re citing has been only running for one year, you should include that information. 

MLA in-text citations

Since MLA treats the titles of TV shows the same way it treats the titles of movies, you’ll need to italicize it in your in-text citation, including the time codes for relevant sections.  For example:

• ( Black Mirror  01:34-01:55).

You’ll have to cite a specific episode to make sure that your readers understand where your quotes are from. However, you don’t need to mention the season or the series name for a specific episode in your in-text citation. Just go with the title of that episode, as well as the start and end time of the quoted section.

For example:

• (“Fifteen Million Merits” 52:00-54:30).

Over to You

Now that you know how to insert a quote from any TV series in your essay, it’s time to try citing what you need! Don’t worry: 

You can always use this article as a guide and double-check all the necessary parameters, including italics and parentheses.

Although people use streaming services instead of television nowadays, the formatting for the shows from Netflix, Amazon, and other platforms is the same. All you need to do is understand the basics of creating a bibliography citation and not forget about the in-text mentions after every quote.

References:

• https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_audiovisual_media.html

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Are TV Shows Italicized? (APA, AP, MLA, and Chicago)

Choosing whether to use italics or not when citing a TV show in formal writing can be difficult. This page explains how to write a TV show in a paper and provides examples for you to see the different style formats.

Are TV Shows Italicized?

If you are citing a TV show in an essay that follows APA, MLA, or Chicago Style formatting, the names of TV shows should be in italics. For MLA and Chicago styles, the episodes are in quotation marks. Furthermore, in AP Style, TV shows appear in quotation marks, not italics.

For MLA and Chicago styles, when making an in-text citation, you should mention the name of the TV show. As shown in the examples below:

Chicago Style

• The TV series Black Mirror first aired in 2011, and the first episode was about a member of the British Royal family being kidnapped (“The National Anthem” 2011).
• The TV series Black Mirror first aired in 2011, and the first episode was about a member of the British Royal family being kidnapped (“The National Anthem”).

For APA Style, you should list the writer of the show rather than the show itself for an in-text citation.

• The TV series Black Mirror first aired in 2011, and the first episode was written and conceived by former journalist Charlie Brooker (Brooker, 2011).

For AP Style, you should use quotation marks instead of italics.

• The TV series “Black Mirror” first aired in 2011 and is about to enter its sixth season.

Are TV Shows Quoted?

When citing TV shows in formal writing, you do not need to use quotation marks for APA, MLA, or Chicago styles for the primary name of the show. However, in MLA and Chicago, the individual episodes of a TV series are in quotation marks.

Also, in AP Style, the name of the show or the individual episodes should be in quotation marks.

Here are some examples of TV show in-text citations:

• The TV series “Black Mirror”, created by Charlie Brooker, has been bought by Netflix.
• “Bandersnatch” was an episode of “Black Mirror” in which viewers could choose from different scenarios.

Are TV Shows Italicized in APA Style?

When citing a TV show in APA Style, the show’s main title should be in italics, and the individual episodes should be in quotation marks.

Also, when making an in-text citation, you should list the author rather than the show, which would be listed in the references.

Here are some examples of APA Style citations for TV shows:

• In-text – The second episode of Black Mirror , “15 Million Merits”, highlighted the materialistic nature of modern-day society (Brooker & Huq, 2011).
• Reference: “15 Million Merits.” Black Mirror , created by Charlie Brooker, season 1, episode 2, Zeppotron, 2011.

Are TV Shows Italicized in AP Style?

In AP Style, it is not common practice to use italics for any part of the text, and instead, quotation marks are used for works such as films and TV shows.

Quotation marks should be used when mentioning the main title of the series and the episodes in AP Style.

 As shown in the examples below:

• Charlie Brooker was the sole writer of the second series of “Black Mirror.”
• The Christmas special of Black Mirror, which aired in 2014, was called “White Christmas.”

Are TV Shows Italicized in Chicago Style?

In Chicago Style, it is necessary to use italics for the main title of TV shows, and any specific episodes should appear in quotation marks .

Also, when making an in-text citation, you can list the whole show and date if that is what you are referring to, or you can list the individual episode if that is more suitable.

Here are some examples of citations for a TV show in Chicago Style:

• In-text – Some TV shows try to highlight the dangers of social media and technology to society ( Black Mirror , 2011).
• In-text – The concept of a system where people rate each other based on their looks and actions, first popularized in the TV Black Mirror , is not a million miles away from reality (“Nosedive”, 2014).
• Reference: Black Mirror, “Nosedive,” Netflix video, 63m, October 21 st 2016, https://www.netflix.com/watch/80104627?trackId=255824129

Are TV Shows Italicized in MLA Style?

In MLA Style, you should use italics for citing TV shows and quotation marks for individual episodes .

 It is not necessary to insert the date for an in-text reference. Also, you can either include the TV show as a whole, or individual episodes, as shown in the examples below:

• In-text – Channel 4 in the UK has always been a leader in promoting new and innovative shows that deal with societal issues ( Black Mirror ).
• In-text – The concept of a system where people rate each other based on their behaviour, now being actioned in China, is frighteningly similar to an episode of Black Mirror (“Nosedive”).
• Reference – “Nosedive.” Black Mirror , created by Charlie Brooker, Rashida Jones, & Michael Schur, season 3, episode 1, House of Tomorrow, 2014.

Final Thoughts

When inserting a TV show reference into formal writing, you should use italics in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles. The show’s episodes should be in quotes for Chicago and MLA, and for AP Style, the TV show and the episodes are both in quotation marks instead of italics.

Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here .

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Answered By: Erin McDaniel Last Updated: Aug 03, 2024     Views: 3119

You will italicize the title of television shows in the body of your paper.

For more details and examples, view the link below. It's to Purdue Owl's Punctuation guide. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the italics information. 

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Quotes or Italics? Citing Titles of Books, Movies & TV Shows

When citing titles of songs, books, movies or tv shows, should you place them in italics or quotation marks? The answer is, ‘It depends.’

There are certain things you need to know if you’re writing about your favorite song, novel, film or television series. Some people insist that when citing titles, you should use italics. Others get bent out of shape and insist that’s wrong and that you should put quotes around them instead. There’s an easy way to know which to use when you cite book, movie and TV show titles.

But the fact that there’s an easy way doesn’t mean it’s one you’ll like.

In fact, it all boils down to the style guide you use. If you’re in school, there’s almost certainly a style guide your school prefers. Professionally, you don’t necessarily have to be a journalist to face the quirks of a style guide.

Unfortunately, different style guides offer different rules. So here’s a sampling of how a few of them differ.

I’m going to start with the Associated Press Style Book because that’s the one I use in my professional job. It’s also the one I mostly rely on for this blog, although here I may deviate occasionally.

AP makes everything simple when it comes to citing such titles. But you may not agree with their simplicity.

Don’t feel bad: A lot of us who use AP Style don’t always agree with everything they come up with. I could make a list.

The Perdue Writing Lab says you use quotation marks in AP Style. You’ll note in that last sentence I listed that source in bold. That’s not AP Style, but I think for a blog, it’s nice when you make bold a source that you’re actually hyperlinking to. So if you follow AP Style and can’t deviate, don’t use bold, either.

AP Style dictates that you should put quotation marks around books, songs, television shows, computer games, articles, poems, lectures, speeches and works of art. Don’t put quotation marks around titles of magazines, newspapers, books that are catalogs of reference materials or the Bible.

AP’s dislike of italics dates back to the old printing presses. It was impractical to stock more letters for italics. I doubt that any newspapers still rely on old-fashioned linotype machines. In this computer age, why can’t we just italicize?

Hey, that’s not up to me. So until AP changes that rule, stick with quotes: forget you even have the option of italics… if AP Style is your style guide.

If you’re in academia, you probably rely on the Modern Language Association’s style guide, which you’ve probably only ever heard of as “MLA Style.”

Like most guides other than AP, MLA mixes it up a bit. Northern Arizona University sums it up nicely in their MLA resource page.

But let me give you a snapshot: Book, movie and TV show titles go in italics. Individual episodes of TV shows go in quotation marks:

• My favorite episode of The Andy Griffith Show is “Man in a Hurry.”

Newspaper and magazine names go in italics. But names of broadcast networks are merely capitalized.

Albums and musicals are set in italics. Individual song titles go in quotes.

The one I find most curious is the style guide of the American Psychological Association. Since I doubt most of you have to deal with this one, which is more often used in academic medical papers, I won’t spend a lot of time on this one.

If you do use APA Style, I appreciate you. You make me realize that my gripes with AP Style may not be so bad after all.

What bothers me about APA Style is its rule of using sentence case for show titles in citations . AP Style would call Rod Serling’s famous program “The Twilight Zone.” MLA would style it as The Twilight Zone . But in citations, APA styles it as The twilight zone . Only the first word is capitalized.

Your mileage (and style guide) may vary.

The best advice I can give you here is to check the style guide that you use.

If you don’t use a style guide, the one that makes the most sense to me in the 21st century would be MLA, in which you italicize book, newspaper, magazine, album, movie and TV shows and put episode and song titles in quotes.

That practice, I think, makes the most sense to most readers without being distracting. I don’t think AP’s rule about putting everything in quotes confuses anyone, but I think italics look better.

As for APA, well, if the sentence case TV show titles rule makes sense to you, more power to you. I can’t see that as anything but a mistake!

But again, you should either consult the style guide you’re required to use or codify your own policy for such instances. That way, you remain consistent whenever you write.

That’s always a good thing.

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Home > Blog > Tips for Online Students > Tips for Students > Knowing When To Underline Or Italicize: Your Go-To Guide

Tips for Online Students , Tips for Students

Knowing When To Underline Or Italicize: Your Go-To Guide

Updated: June 19, 2024

Published: May 27, 2021

Knowing when to underline or italicize can be confusing. But it doesn’t have to be! In this article, we’ll lay out all the basics, plus a few common difficulties that confuse many writers, so you’ll be an expert in no time.

At the end of the article, you’ll get the chance to practice your hand at some sample sentences, so you’ll be sure that you know the ins and outs of using italics and underlines.

Italics Vs Underline: Clarifying The Confusion

In the past (before computers and MLA handbooks), italics and underlines were used to emphasize certain words or titles within the text. It let the reader know what was important, or what was separate from the rest of the sentence. They were both used interchangeably, as long as they were consistent.

Now, with the ability to change formatting with the click of a button, italics are generally used to indicate titles, and only sometimes for emphasis. Meanwhile, underlining is mostly reserved to replace italics in handwritten papers. Manuals and guidebooks, such as the MLA handbook, are now widely used in large institutions or according to the country’s standards, so that specific writing conventions, grammar rules, and formatting styles have become uniform.

With that said, the general rule is that italics are used for titles of books, movies, TV and radio shows, magazines, works of art, and long poems. As mentioned before, underlining is a substitute for italics when writing titles by hand.

Proper formatting in an essay can be confusing for many students: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-blue-blazer-holding-white-paper-3727468/

Titles of long works.

Titles that should be italicized are longer works. These include titles of books, movies, TV and radio shows, journals and magazines, and long poems. In the next section, we’ll see how these works differ from titles of shorter works which are put in quotations instead.

• The novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, was published in 1847 under the pen name of Currer Bell.
• The movie Home Alone , released in 1990, made a worldwide total of $476,684,675 in box office revenue.

Titles Of Smaller Works

The titles of smaller works are put in “quotations” in order to differentiate them from longer works. These smaller works include titles of chapters, short stories, TV or radio show episodes, articles, and short poems.

In the examples below, note how you can recognize the difference between the shorter works and larger works just by seeing how they are emphasized in the sentence. This makes it impossible to confuse the title of a chapter with the book that it belongs to, or the episode from its TV show.

• The chapter entitled “The Castaway” in Moby Dick describes the near-death experience of a character named Pip.
• Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” was originally published in a Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine.
• The pilot episode of Friends , which was released on September 22, 1994, is called “The One Where Monica Gets A Roommate.”

Punctuation In Titles: Common Confusions

Question marks.

Confusion can come up when a title includes a question mark or an exclamation mark in the title itself. For example, the book Who Has Seen the Wind? includes a question mark in it.

The way to deal with these titles is to italicize the question mark as well, just as it is above. By doing so, you can differentiate this title from an actual question, such as writing: Have you read Gone With the Wind ?

The same idea applies to exclamation marks — for example, the movie Mamma Mia! , which includes an exclamation mark in the title. Note the italicization, and the difference between writing Mamma Mia! , the movie, and writing: I can’t believe that you never watched The Parent Trap !

Commas and periods

The confusion of commas and periods when it comes to quotations is a debate between different handbooks and countries. According to the MLA (Modern Language Association) handbook, commas and periods are placed inside of quotation marks.

• “The Seinfeld Chronicles , ” the first episode of Seinfeld , had 15.4 million viewers in America.
• Among the short stories of James Joyce included in the collection Dubliners are “Araby , ” “The Sisters , ” and “The Encounter.”

Solidify your new skills by completing practice sentences: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-wearing-black-and-white-stripe-shirt-looking-at-white-printer-papers-on-the-wall-212286/

Let’s practice.

Try your hand at your new skills! Below are five sentences without any italics or quotations. Italicize the longer works and put the shorter works in quotations. If you get stuck, check back in the article, and you’ll be an expert in no time. Be sure to pay attention to tricky commas, periods, and question marks.

• The Lazy Controller, chapter two of Thinking Fast and Slow, talks about multitasking and its effect on thinking.
• The Yellow Wallpaper, a short story by Catherine Perkins Gilman, was originally published in The New England Magazine in January 1892.
• John Lennon’s album Imagine included favorites such as Gimme Some Truth, How Do You Sleep?, and, of course, Imagine.
• The premiere episode of Family Matters is called The Mama Who Came To Dinner, and relays the drama of Carl’s mother coming to live with him.
• The short story Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway was first published in a magazine called Transition, and was only later published in his book Men Without Women.

Why Is Proper Indentation Important?

College essays  .

No matter what you study in college, most students write a lot of essays during their school years. While some degrees may put more of an emphasis on writing proper essays , most teachers and professors will expect a certain level of basic grammar and formatting knowledge. Before you even step foot into college, you’ll most likely be expected to write an application essay . It’s important to put your best foot forward, and small formatting rules can go a long way in making a good first impression.

Landing your dream job  

In addition to college essays, prospective employers and job positions will require and look for basic (or advanced, depending on the position) writing skills. Whether you think your dream job requires writing skills or not, writing is a part of everyday life and work, from emails and text messages, to presentations and reports. Having good writing skills will help you make a good first impression, land your dream job, and do your best work.

Proper writing is an important skill for any job: https://www.pexels.com/photo/writing-notes-idea-class-7103/

Having a successful career.

Though different students earn a degree for different reasons, many are hoping to work toward a successful career. In order to do this, the right preparation is key. Preparation may be earning a degree, gaining specific skills, or having the right guidance along the way.

University of the People prepares our students for successful careers by providing program advising , mentorship , and an emphasis on career development . We know that these extra details, much like formatting in an essay, make a big difference for the future success of our students. University of the People is a tuition-free online university that offers degree programs in business administration, computer science, health science, and education.

Wrapping Up

Now you know when to underline or italicize, and much more. To wrap up, italics should be used for the titles of longer works such as movies, books, and TV shows, and underlining for handwritten papers.

In addition, we hope you’ve learned the more tricky rules such as question marks and commas, and that you’ve given some thought to the importance of writing for your future education and success.

In this article

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What is the proper punctuation when typing/writing tv show titles? Italicized, underlined, quotation, etc

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Frequently asked questions

Who is listed as the author of a tv show in mla.

MLA doesn’t require you to list an author for a TV show . If your citation doesn’t focus on a particular contributor, just start your Works Cited entry with the title of the episode or series, and use this (shortened if necessary) in your MLA in-text citation .

If you focus on a particular contributor (e.g. the writer or director, a particular actor), you can list them in the author position , along with a label identifying their role.

Frequently asked questions: MLA Style

In MLA style , footnotes or endnotes can be used to provide additional information that would interrupt the flow of your text.

This can be further examples or developments of ideas you only briefly discuss in the text. You can also use notes to provide additional sources or explain your citation practice.

You don’t have to use any notes at all; only use them to provide relevant information that complements your arguments or helps the reader to understand them.

No, you should use parenthetical MLA in-text citations to cite sources. Footnotes or endnotes can be used to add extra information that doesn’t fit into your main text, but they’re not needed for citations.

If you need to cite a lot of sources at the same point in the text, though, placing these citations in a note can be a good way to avoid cluttering your text.

According to MLA format guidelines, the Works Cited page(s) should look like this:

• Running head containing your surname and the page number.
• The title, Works Cited, centered and in plain text.
• List of sources alphabetized by the author’s surname.
• Left-aligned.
• Double-spaced.
• 1-inch margins.
• Hanging indent applied to all entries.

The MLA Works Cited lists every source that you cited in your paper. Each entry contains the author , title , and publication details of the source.

No, in an MLA annotated bibliography , you can write short phrases instead of full sentences to keep your annotations concise. You can still choose to use full sentences instead, though.

Use full sentences in your annotations if your instructor requires you to, and always use full sentences in the main text of your paper .

If you’re working on a group project and therefore need to list multiple authors for your paper , MLA recommends against including a normal header . Instead, create a separate title page .

On the title page, list each author on a separate line, followed by the other usual information from the header: Instructor, course name and number, and submission date. Then write the title halfway down the page, centered, and start the text of the paper itself on the next page.

Usually, no title page is needed in an MLA paper . A header is generally included at the top of the first page instead. The exceptions are when:

• Your instructor requires one, or
• Your paper is a group project

In those cases, you should use a title page instead of a header, listing the same information but on a separate page.

When an online source (e.g. web page , blog post) doesn’t list a publication date , you should instead list an access date .

Unlike a publication date, this appears at the end of your MLA Works Cited entry, after the URL, e.g. “A Complete Guide to MLA Style.” Scribbr , www.scribbr.com/category/mla/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2021 .

For offline sources with no publication date shown, don’t use an access date—just leave out the date.

The level of detail you provide in a publication date in your Works Cited list depends on the type of source and the information available. Generally, follow the lead of the source—if it gives the full date, give the full date; if it gives just the year, so should you.

Books usually list the year, whereas web pages tend to give a full date. For journal articles , give the year, month and year, or season and year, depending on what information is available. Check our citation examples if you’re unsure about a particular source type.

In an MLA Works Cited list , the names of months with five or more letters are abbreviated to the first three letters, followed by a period. For example, abbreviate Feb., Mar., Apr., but not June, July.

In the main text, month names should never be abbreviated.

In your MLA Works Cited list , dates are always written in day-month-year order, with the month abbreviated if it’s five or more letters long, e.g. 5 Mar. 2018.

In the main text, you’re free to use either day-month-year or month-day-year order, as long as you use one or the other consistently. Don’t abbreviate months in the main text, and use numerals for dates, e.g. 5 March 2018 or March 5, 2018.

In most standard dictionaries , no author is given for either the overall dictionary or the individual entries, so no author should be listed in your MLA citations.

Instead, start your Works Cited entry and your MLA in-text citation with the title of the entry you’re citing (i.e. the word that’s being defined), in quotation marks.

If you cite a specialist dictionary that does list an author and/or overall editor, these should be listed in the same way as they would for other citations of books or book chapters .

Some source types, such as books and journal articles , may contain footnotes (or endnotes) with additional information. The following rules apply when citing information from a note in an MLA in-text citation :

• To cite information from a single numbered note, write “n” after the page number, and then write the note number, e.g. (Smith 105n2)
• To cite information from multiple numbered notes, write “nn” and include a range, e.g. (Smith 77nn1–2)
• To cite information from an unnumbered note, write “un” after the page number, with a space in between, e.g. (Jones 250 un)

If you cite multiple Shakespeare plays throughout your paper, the MLA in-text citation begins with an abbreviated version of the title (as shown here ), e.g. ( Oth. 1.2.4). Each play should have its own  Works Cited entry (even if they all come from the same collection).

If you cite only one Shakespeare play in your paper, you should include a Works Cited entry for that play, and your in-text citations should start with the author’s name , e.g. (Shakespeare 1.1.4).

No, do not use page numbers in your MLA in-text citations of Shakespeare plays . Instead, specify the act, scene, and line numbers of the quoted material, separated by periods, e.g. (Shakespeare 3.2.20–25).

This makes it easier for the reader to find the relevant passage in any edition of the text.

When an article (e.g. in a newspaper ) appears on non-consecutive pages (e.g. starting on page 1 and continuing on page 6), you should use “pp.” in your Works Cited entry, since it’s on multiple pages, but MLA recommends just listing the first page followed by a plus sign, e.g. pp. 1+.

In an MLA style Works Cited entry for a newspaper , you can cite a local newspaper in the same way as you would a national one, except that you may have to add the name of the city in square brackets to clarify what newspaper you mean, e.g. The Gazette [Montreal].

Do not add the city name in brackets if it’s already part of the newspaper’s name, e.g. Dallas Observer .

It’s standard to list the podcast’s host in the author position , accompanied by the label “host,” in an MLA Works Cited entry. It’s sometimes more appropriate to use the label “narrator,” when the podcast just tells a story without any guests.

If your citation of the podcast focuses more on the contribution of someone else (e.g. a guest, the producer), they can be listed in the author position instead, with an appropriate label.

MLA recommends citing the original source wherever possible, rather than the source in which it is quoted or reproduced.

If this isn’t possible, cite the secondary source and use “qtd. in” (quoted in) in your MLA in-text citation . For example: (qtd. in Smith 233)

If a source is reproduced in full within another source (e.g. an image within a PowerPoint  or a poem in an article ), give details of the original source first, then include details of the secondary source as a container. For example:

When you want to cite a PowerPoint or lecture notes from a lecture you viewed in person in MLA , check whether they can also be accessed online ; if so, this is the best version to cite, as it allows the reader to access the source.

If the material is not available online, use the details of where and when the presentation took place.

In an MLA song citation , you need to give some sort of container to indicate how you accessed the song. If this is a physical or downloaded album, the Works Cited entry should list the album name, distributor, year, and format.

However, if you listened to the song on a streaming service, you can just list the site as a container, including a URL. In this case, including the album details is optional; you may add this information if it is relevant to your discussion or if it will help the reader access the song.

When citing a song in MLA style , the author is usually the main artist or group that released the song.

However, if your discussion focuses on the contributions of a specific performer, e.g. a guitarist or singer, you may list them as author, even if they are not the main artist. If you’re discussing the lyrics or composition, you may cite the songwriter or composer rather than a performer.

When a source has no title , this part of your MLA reference is replaced with a description of the source, in plain text (no italics or quotation marks, sentence-case capitalization).

Whenever you refer to an image created by someone else in your text, you should include a citation leading the reader to the image you’re discussing.

If you include the image directly in your text as a figure , the details of the source appear in the figure’s caption. If you don’t, just include an MLA in-text citation wherever you mention the image, and an entry in the Works Cited list giving full details.

In MLA Style , you should cite a specific chapter or work within a book in two situations:

• When each of the book’s chapters is written by a different author.
• When the book is a collection of self-contained works (such as poems , plays , or short stories ), even if they are all written by the same author.

If you cite multiple chapters or works from the same book, include a separate Works Cited entry for each chapter.

If a source has no author, start the MLA Works Cited entry with the source title . Use a shortened version of the title in your MLA in-text citation .

If a source has no page numbers, you can use an alternative locator (e.g. a chapter number, or a timestamp for a video or audio source) to identify the relevant passage in your in-text citation. If the source has no numbered divisions, cite only the author’s name (or the title).

If you already named the author or title in your sentence, and there is no locator available, you don’t need a parenthetical citation:

• Rajaram  argues that representations of migration are shaped by “cultural, political, and ideological interests.”
• The homepage of The Correspondent describes it as “a movement for radically different news.”

If a source has two authors, name both authors in your MLA in-text citation and Works Cited entry. If there are three or more authors, name only the first author, followed by et al.

Number of authors	In-text citation	Works Cited entry
1 author	(Moore 37)	Moore, Jason W.
2 authors	(Moore and Patel 37)	Moore, Jason W., and Raj Patel.
3+ authors	(Moore et al. 37)	Moore, Jason W., et al.

You must include an MLA in-text citation every time you quote or paraphrase from a source (e.g. a book , movie , website , or article ).

MLA Style  is the second most used citation style (after APA ). It is mainly used by students and researchers in humanities fields such as literature, languages, and philosophy.

If information about your source is not available, you can either leave it out of the MLA citation or replace it with something else, depending on the type of information.

• No author : Start with the source title.
• No title : Provide a description of the source.
• No date : Provide an access date for online sources; omit for other sources.

A standard MLA Works Cited entry  is structured as follows:

Only include information that is available for and relevant to your source.

Yes. MLA style uses title case, which means that all principal words (nouns, pronouns , verbs, adjectives , adverbs , and some conjunctions ) are capitalized.

This applies to titles of sources as well as the title of, and subheadings in, your paper. Use MLA capitalization style even when the original source title uses different capitalization .

The title of an article is not italicized in MLA style , but placed in quotation marks. This applies to articles from journals , newspapers , websites , or any other publication. Use italics for the title of the source where the article was published. For example:

Use the same formatting in the Works Cited entry and when referring to the article in the text itself.

In MLA style , book titles appear in italics, with all major words capitalized. If there is a subtitle, separate it from the main title with a colon and a space (even if no colon appears in the source). For example:

The format is the same in the Works Cited list and in the text itself. However, when you mention the book title in the text, you don’t have to include the subtitle.

The title of a part of a book—such as a chapter, or a short story or poem in a collection—is not italicized, but instead placed in quotation marks.

In MLA style citations , format a DOI as a link, including “https://doi.org/” at the start and then the unique numerical code of the article.

DOIs are used mainly when citing journal articles in MLA .

The MLA Handbook is currently in its 9th edition , published in 2021.

This quick guide to MLA style  explains the latest guidelines for citing sources and formatting papers according to MLA.

The fastest and most accurate way to create MLA citations is by using Scribbr’s MLA Citation Generator .

Search by book title, page URL, or journal DOI to automatically generate flawless citations, or cite manually using the simple citation forms.

MLA recommends using 12-point Times New Roman , since it’s easy to read and installed on every computer. Other standard fonts such as Arial or Georgia are also acceptable. If in doubt, check with your supervisor which font you should be using.

To create a correctly formatted block quote in Microsoft Word, follow these steps:

• Hit Enter at the beginning and end of the quote.
• Highlight the quote and select the Layout menu.
• On the Indent tab, change the left indent to 0.5″.

Do not put quotation marks around the quote, and make sure to include an MLA in-text citation after the period at the end.

To format a block quote in MLA:

• Introduce the quote with a colon and set it on a new line.
• Indent the whole quote 0.5 inches from the left margin.
• Place the MLA in-text citation after the period at the end of the block quote.

Then continue your text on a new line (not indented).

In MLA style , if you quote more than four lines from a source, use MLA block quote formatting .

If you are quoting poetry , use block quote formatting for any quote longer than three lines.

An MLA in-text citation should always include the author’s last name, either in the introductory text or in parentheses after a quote .

If line numbers or page numbers are included in the original source, add these to the citation.

If you are discussing multiple poems by the same author, make sure to also mention the title of the poem (shortened if necessary). The title goes in quotation marks .

In the list of Works Cited , start with the poet’s name and the poem’s title in quotation marks. The rest of the citation depends on where the poem was published.

If you read the poem in a book or anthology, follow the format of an MLA book chapter citation . If you accessed the poem online, follow the format of an MLA website citation .

Only use line numbers in an MLA in-text citation if the lines are numbered in the original source. If so, write “lines” in the first citation of the poem , and only the numbers in subsequent citations.

If there are no line numbers in the source, you can use page numbers instead. If the poem appears on only one page of a book (or on a website ), don’t include a number in the citation.

To quote poetry in MLA style , introduce the quote and use quotation marks as you would for any other source quotation .

If the quote includes line breaks, mark these using a forward slash with a space on either side. Use two slashes to indicate a stanza break.

If the quote is longer than three lines, set them off from the main text as an MLA block quote . Reproduce the line breaks, punctuation, and formatting of the original.

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Screen Rant

10 tv shows that kept repeating the same story over & over.

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8 TV Shows That Recycle The Same Storyline Every Season

10 tv shows that abandoned major storylines & were better for it, 15 funniest r-rated comedies of all time.

When a TV show is on the air for long enough, it's unsurprising when certain stories come back several times throughout the series. This differs from a procedural show that follows the same formula in every episode, as these projects are digestible for a wide variety of audiences and allow viewers to jump into the action. However, there have been plenty of instances when a serialized show retreads the same dynamics and character arcs throughout the seasons. There's nothing worse than when a TV show abandons a major storyline , but seeing the same storyline over and over is also frustrating.

It makes sense that TV shows would want to keep the quality and tone consistent, and retreading past plot points is an easy way to do this.

It makes sense that TV shows would want to keep the quality and tone consistent, and retreading past plot points is an easy way to do this. While some TV shows include divisive storylines that split the fanbase in half , others reuse the same tried and true plot points so many times that audiences take notice. Seeing a character make the same mistakes many times or making the central conflict of each season revolve around a similar premise won't keep viewers engaged and could be detrimental to the show's reception.

While there are plenty of formulaic TV shows, there are also examples of shows that just recycled their storylines by simply changing a few details.

10 Supernatural (2005–2020)

Sam and dean do everything to save each other in every season.

Supernatural

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Created by Eric Kripke, Supernatural is a fantasy/drama series that premiered in 2005. The series follows the adventures of Dean and Sam Winchester - two men wronged by supernatural beings as children who now spend their days investigating and hunting demons, ghosts, and monsters across the United States. 

The dynamic between Sam and Dean in Supernatural was one of the most enduring parts of the series, but the way the brothers interacted throughout the show rarely changed. Though the first few seasons saw the respect and trust between the siblings grow and the wounds from their family trauma started to heal, Sam and Dean's actions are informed by the legacy of their parents. Their self-sacrificing tendencies would lead to one of the brothers going too far and the other one having to bring them back to reality.

Before too long, one of them will snap and turn to the dark side because of their personal demons or because they think they have to save the world.

How far Sam and Dean will go for each other is apparent in certain plot lines. When Dean has the Mark of Cain or Sam starts drinking demon blood, they both have to save the other. For a little while after this, all is peaceful, and the pair are back on the same side, preventing the end of the world. However, before too long, one of them will snap and turn to the dark side because of their personal demons or because they think they have to save the world.

9 The Walking Dead Franchise

Characters constantly go missing or are kidnapped in the walking dead.

The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead is a massive multimedia franchise that began with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the television series The Walking Dead in 2010 on AMC, which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, referred to as "walkers." The success of the original show has led to numerous spin-offs, web series, video games, novels, and other media. The franchise explores themes of survival, human nature, and the breakdown of society in the face of an existential threat, making it one of the most successful and influential horror series of the 21st century.

Though the Walkers are framed as the villains in The Walking Dead , it's the other surviving humans that the characters have to watch out for. Whenever the core group comes into contact with another rival faction, violence and bloodshed are sure to follow, as well as constant abduction. As a post-apocalyptic show, The Walking Dead is all about staying alive. However, the emotional bonds the characters make lead them to act in the best interest of others, not just themselves. In every installment of the franchise, characters are abducted, and it's up to their friends to find them.

In Dead City , the thrust of the show is about Maggie and Negan finding Hershel. In the other spinoffs, Daryl Dixon and The Ones Who Live , Carol attempts to find Daryl while Michonne spends the story looking for Rick . These recurrences make it easy to guess what will happen next. Conversely, The Walking Dead is a TV show that never recovered from a character's death , as Glenn's passing was a major misstep for the series. However, this was a shocking departure from the usual formula of the show, creating an intense reaction from critics and the audience.

8 The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017)

While elena is on the show, every moment is spent trying to cater to her.

The Vampire Diaries

Based on the novels by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries is a story about the developing love triangle between Elena Gilbert and two vampiric brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Set in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, the show follows the trio from high school through college as they battle for one another's affection.

The love triangle between Elena, Damon, and Stefan fuels the drama for most of the first half of The Vampire Diaries . This makes it easy for both handsome vampire love interests to drop everything and ensure Elena's safety and comfort throughout the series. There's no question that Elena goes through a lot and loses her loved ones in devastating moments, but her importance to the plot and everyone's desire to protect her grows repetitive. Every time a new villain enters the picture, their scheme revolves around Elena and her doppelgänger blood.

Outside of Elena's damsel in distress arcs, The Vampire Diaries frequently used the plot lines of characters being brought back from the dead.

Outside of Elena's damsel in distress arcs, The Vampire Diaries frequently used the plot lines of characters being brought back from the dead. This happens early in the series with Jeremy and Alaric using the Gilbert rings and later when Damon and Bonnie are trapped on the Other Side but find a way to return to the real world. The series even went so far as to create a cure for vampirism, so not only could Elena be saved but brought back from the dead in every sense.

7 Grey’s Anatomy (2005–Present)

Characters keep monumental secrets and get involved with the wrong people on grey's anatomy.

Grey's Anatomy

A high-intensity medical drama which follows Meredith Grey and the team of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial, who are faced with life-or-death decisions on a daily basis. They seek comfort from one another, and, at times, more than just friendship. Together they discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white.

In the Grey's Anatomy season 1 finale, Meredith discovers that Derek has had a secret wife the entire time she's been in love with him, but this is far from the last time a character keeps a past love interest a secret. Owen's previous connection with Teddy gets in the way of his relationship with Cristina, and Richard's clandestine affair with Ellis Grey comes back to haunt him many times. Additionally , the doctors in Grey's Anatomy have a terrible habit of falling in love with their patients, as Alex, Izzie, and Teddy all fall victim to this.

Many of the worst Grey's Anatomy storylines that almost ruined the show were mistimed and poorly handled romantic relationships. However, there's also rampant illegal activity going on in the hospital every season. Though the doctors try to convince themselves that their actions are for the greater good, Izzie puts the hospital in jeopardy trying to save Denny. Or, in season 5, Lexi's intern class starts performing surgery on each other. Between this and the interdepartmental dating, it's a wonder that the hospital stays in business.

6 Glee (2009–2015)

Love triangles, betrayals, and competition over solos are the tenets of glee.

In order to escape the stressful reality of high school, a group of misfits decides to join William McKinley’s glee club. Fox’s Glee was created by Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk , and Ryan Murphy, with Leah Michele, Jane Lynch, and Matthew Morrison leading the cast. The series ran for six seasons between 2009 and 2015 and won six Primetime Emmys.

Glee is one of the more controversial teen dramedies of its time, but even at its most unbelievable, a few aspects of the show are retreaded many times. Romance is a huge part of the conflict and drama on Glee , and the characters are partnered up in seemingly every partnership imaginable. A budding love story on Glee is almost always accompanied by a love triangle so that there's a consistent obstacle keeping people apart. More often than not, this coincides with who will get the solo at the latest competition.

There are few seasons when the Glee club isn't on the brink of being disbanded entirely, and the success of the program is determined by how well the group performs at Sectionals, Regionals, or Nationals.

There are few seasons when the Glee club isn't on the brink of being disbanded entirely, and the success of the program is determined by how well the group performs at Sectionals, Regionals, or Nationals. This makes the fight between characters all the more fierce when they get into fight after fight about who will perform the solos at the events. Each character is a diva in their own way, and the show takes full advantage of the fact that this means no one will be content, no matter who gets the lead part.

5 Gossip Girl (2007–2012)

Every upper east sider fell into familiar patterns throughout gossip girl's run.

Gossip Girl (2007)

Gossip Girl is a teen drama series that aired from 2007 to 2012, created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Set in New York City's Upper East Side, the show follows privileged high school students navigating relationships and betrayals. At the heart of their tumultuous lives is the anonymous blogger 'Gossip Girl,' who reveals their secrets. The ensemble cast includes Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, and Penn Badgley.

Besides the fact that every episode of Gossip Girl saw the anonymous website create chaos and division between its characters, there were plenty of recurring dynamics and plot points throughout the teen drama. Gossip Girl followed the lives of a group of wealthy teenagers who later became young adults and would do scandalous, terrible things to each other. One of the most vindictive of the group is Blair Waldorf, but Gossip Girl lets Blair feel the consequences of her actions.

Throughout the show, Blair goes too far and hurts those around her beyond repair, only for it to blow up in her face. This happens when she applies to Yale but gets rejected over her treatment of a teacher and when her marriage to Louis blows up because she's lying about her feelings for Chuck. Each character has an equivalent to Blair's pattern, with Serena throwing her life away for the wrong man or Dan making destructive decisions so he can feel included in his classmates' lives.

4 Suits (2011–2019)

Mike, harvey, and the gang come up with a last-second loophole that saves the day.

Suits follows Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), who, despite never attending law school, is able to use his photographic memory to become a lawyer. The legal drama ran from 2011 to 2019 for a total of nine seasons and also starred Gabriel Macht, Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty, and Rick Hoffman.

Mike and Harvey are two sides of the same coin, and when Harvey takes Mike under his wing and turns him into a brilliant lawyer, their lives are never the same. Suits was an interesting show as some episodes were more episodic and followed a similar structure, while other seasons were completely dedicated to a serialized arc. Regardless, almost every conflict came down to Harvey and Mike teaming up to find a loophole that no one else spotted with Mike's incredible mind and Harvey's creativity.

Every season until the finale of season 5 sees Mike come within inches of having his secret exposed, only to be saved at the last minute.

Additionally, the show's premise was always destined to come to a head, as Mike couldn't live as a fraud forever, and his evasion of the consequences couldn't last forever. Every season until the finale of season 5 sees Mike come within inches of having his secret exposed, only to be saved at the last minute. It was almost a relief when Mike went on trial for his deception, and Suits was forced to switch up its narrative and have Mike take accountability.

3 Shameless (2011–2021)

Each member of the gallagher family faces similar issues and destructive tendencies.

Shameless is a Black Comedy, Family Drama created by Paul Abbott and starring William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, and Justin Chatwin. The premise follows the Gallagher family and their closest friends as they deal with a not-so-helpful father, Frank Gallagher. His children each find their own path, growing into their own flawed people without much guidance or help from the family patriarch.

Though Frank starts as the primary antagonist of Shameless , no one in the Gallagher family fails to make plenty of the same mistakes their father did. Shameless always attempts to push boundaries and comment on contemporary social and political issues through the lens of the imperfect but scrappy Gallaghers. One of the most consistent parts of the show is that as soon as something starts going right for someone in the family, they find a way to ruin it. Fiona consistently cheats on almost every love interest, and Lip throws away every academic and career opportunity that comes his way.

This behavior trickles down to the younger generations, but Fiona and Lip's plot points rise to the top of the most repetitive. The consequences of the family's actions always bring them to the edge of Fiona losing custody of the kids, losing the house, or being sent to prison. At first, Shameless spread out these conflicts to give them a bigger impact, but by the end of the show, it seemed that each character was on the brink of losing everything.

2 Once Upon A Time (2011–2018)

Though the identity of the savior may change, they always have a similar goal.

Once Upon A Time

Once Upon a Time is an adventure fantasy-drama series created for ABC that features fairy tale characters and their Disney incarnations in a modern setting. When Emma Swan and her son Henry accidentally drive into the town of Storybrooke, they soon discover the inhabitants are those from fairy tales, and they have no knowledge of the modern world inhabited by Emma and Henry. Robbed of their pasts and given new identities by the Evil Queen known as Regina, the hope of the town's residents lie solely in the hands of Emma, who has stronger connections to the town than she knows.

World-ending events are part of a day's work for the fairytale characters in Once Upon A Time , meaning life-threatening danger is a frequent occurrence. Most of the show revolves around Emma's desire to establish a family and build a connection with her son, Henry, but the show always puts obstacles in the way. More often than not, Emma's character development hinged on sacrificing things for Henry or being transported to a different realm and trying to find her way back to him. These are the central conflicts in the first three seasons.

Saving Henry, finding Henry, or preventing Henry from getting hurt were the primary aims of almost everyone in the show.

The Once Upon A Time family tree only gets more confusing throughout the show, but almost everyone is connected to Henry in one way or another. Saving Henry, finding Henry, or preventing Henry from getting hurt were the primary aims of almost everyone in the show. Family is one of the most important themes in Once Upon A Time , and so being separated from family, only to find them again, happens practically every season.

There were a few occasions where a television show was actually better off for abandoning certain storylines before they were resolved.

1 One Tree Hill (2003–2012)

Like any good teen soap opera, one tree hill used dramatic plot points.

One Tree Hill

Set in the fictional town of Tree Hill, North Carolina, One Tree Hill chronicles the complicated and intertwined lives of its residents. Following half-brothers and rivals Lucas and Nathan Scott as they compete both for positions on their school basketball team and for the affection of their fellow students, Tree Hill's community is built around community spirit and the complex workings of the ever-growing Scott family.

Though One Tree Hill gained recognition within the teen drama genre for its outlandish storylines as the seasons progressed, it began similarly to its contemporaries. One defining factor of the early seasons of One Tree Hill was the never-ending love triangle between Brooke, Lucas, and Peyton. While it seemed obvious from the beginning that Lucas and Peyton were meant to be, the audience slowly warmed up to Brooke. It started to feel terrible that she was consistently caught in the crossfire of the will-they-won't-they dynamic between Lucas and Peyton.

However, the true common denominator was how many times the series had Lucas attempt to be with anyone other than Peyton, only for him to realize he was in love with her at the last second. This happens over and over with Brooke in high school and then with Lindsey, who he almost marries before he remembers that Peyton is his one true love. Additionally, Nathan and Haley have similar marital problems throughout the show, with many of their conflicts boiling down to the pair's different ambitions that take them in separate directions.

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At least Concord will still arrive to TV this fall

Amazon’s game-inspired anthology series Secret Level has an episode dedicated to the hero shooter

by Matt Patches

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Concord , Sony’s new hero shooter, may be DOA, but its spirit will survive. Launched on PlayStation 5 and Windows PC on Aug. 23 only to be removed from storefronts on Sept. 3, with servers set to be fully shut down on Sept. 6, Concord will have one last splash in mainstream culture when its characters take the small screen in Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming animated anthology series Secret Level . Polygon has confirmed with sources close to production that, despite Sony’s decision to completely remove the game from existence, an episode inspired by Concord ’s lore and design will roll out when Secret Level premieres in December.

The sci-fi setting of Concord was one of the theoretical main draws of the game, with Sony and Firewalk Studios investing heavily in weekly cinematic lore drops that would introduce prospective players to the the Freegunner crew of the Northstar, a space pirate ship that would travel between planets in the game’s galaxy. The animated content produced for Concord was… pretty snazzy ? But the attempt to hype up the unknown characters with as much emphasis as the play didn’t click with audiences, and the game debuted to dismal player counts .

The cold response led Sony to ultimately pull Concord offline, and promise refunds to players who bought in early. The company also said it would “explore options” for what the pay-to-play game “including those that will better reach our players.”

Anyone mourning the loss of Concord — and t here are a few players still leveling up in the final hours of its existence — should get even more excited for Secret Level . Created by Blur Studio’s Tim Miller, who has experience with genre-bending, animation-stretching anthology series after producing Netflix’s Love, Death + Robots , Secret Level brings cinematic-quality production to one-off adventures in various games. Concord is on the docket, along with episodes inspired by Armored Core, Crossfire , Dungeons & Dragons, Exodus , Honor of Kings , Mega Man, New World: Aeternum , PAC-MAN, Sifu , Spelunky , The Outer Worlds , Unreal Tournament , Warhammer 40,000 , and an episode devoted to PlayStation characters, which damn well better include Astro Bot .

Concord did not work for the masses as a game. If the lore was a priority enough to pump out animated episode updates each week, could it work better as TV?

Secret Level premieres on Dec. 10 on Prime Video.

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