How to Cite a TV Show in APA Style | Format & Examples
To cite an episode of a TV show in APA Style, list the writer(s) and director(s) as authors, the date when the episode aired, the name of the episode, the season and episode number, “TV series episode” in square brackets, the executive producers of the whole series, the title of the series, and the production company or companies.
| APA format | Writer last name, Initials. (Writer), & Director last name, Initials. (Director). (Year, Month Day). Episode name (Season Number, Episode Number) [TV series episode]. In Executive producer initials. Last name (Executive Producer), Series name. Production Company. |
|---|---|
| APA reference entry | Kogen, J. (Writer), Wolodarsky, W. (Writer), & Kirkland, M. (Director). (1993, March 11). Last exit to Springfield (Season 4, Episode 17) [TV series episode]. In J. L. Brooks, M. Groening, A. Jean, M. Reiss, S. Simon (Executive Producers), The Simpsons. Gracie Films; Twentieth Century Fox Film Productions. |
| APA in-text citation | (Kogen et al., 1993) |
Citing an entire TV series in APA Style
The format for citing an entire TV series is more straightforward. The executive producers are listed as authors, and the range of years given is for the series’ entire run.
| APA format | Executive producer last name, Initials. (Executive Producer). (Year range). Series name [TV series]. Production Company. |
|---|---|
| APA reference entry | Chase, D., Grey, B., Green, R., Burgess, M., Landress, I. S., Winter, T., & Weiner, M. (Executive Producers). (1999–2007). The Sopranos [TV series]. Chase Films; Brad Grey Television; HBO Entertainment. |
| APA in-text citation | (Chase et al., 1999–2007) |
Authors and production companies for TV shows
When listing writers and directors for an episode, each person listed should be individually labeled as either “Writer” or “Director.” If one person combined both roles, write “Writer & Director” in the parentheses.
Don’t label them collectively, as it can cause confusion.
- Kogen, J., Wolodarsky, W., & Kirkland, M. (Writers & Director).
- Kogen, J., Wolodarsky, W. (Writers), & Kirkland, M. (Director).
- Kogen, J. (Writer), Wolodarsky, W. (Writer), & Kirkland, M. (Director).
Executive producers are labeled collectively, since they all share the same role.
- J. L. Brooks (Executive Producer), M. Groening (Executive Producer), A. Jean (Executive Producer) …
- J. L. Brooks, M. Groening, A. Jean, M. Reiss, S. Simon (Executive Producers)
No role specifications are included in in-text citations, and “et al.” is used when more than three total contributors are listed.
- (Kogen et al., 1993)
- (Chase et al., 1999–2007)
Finally, note that when a series is produced by multiple production companies, you should list them all, separated by semicolons.
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Caulfield, J. (2022, June 16). How to Cite a TV Show in APA Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/tv-show/
