TV Shows Scraper (TVMaze) — Shows, Episodes & Cast

Search TV shows and pull clean, structured JSON from TVMaze: name, genres, network, status, premiere and end dates, rating, IMDb ID, summary — and optionally every episode and the full cast. It runs over the free public TVMaze API, so it's fast and needs no account and no API key. Ideal for building TV databases, powering guides and apps, or running media research.

Features

• 📺 Full show data — genres, network, status, premiered/ended, rating, runtime, imdbId and cleaned summary.
• 🎬 Episode guide — enable includeEpisodes for every episode's season, number, airdate, runtime and rating.
• 🎭 Cast lists — enable includeCast to get actor and character pairs with country, birthday and photo.
• 🆔 Target by ID — pass exact TVMaze showIds alongside or instead of keyword searches.
• 🔗 External IDs — show records include imdbId and tvdbId for easy cross-referencing.
• 🎚️ Volume control — maxShowsPerSearch (1–50) caps matches kept per search term.
• 🧱 Flat, normalized JSON — typed show, episode and cast records with consistent fields.

What you get

One flat JSON record per item. Example show:

{
  "type": "show",
  "id": 169,
  "name": "Breaking Bad",
  "showType": "Scripted",
  "language": "English",
  "genres": ["Drama", "Crime", "Thriller"],
  "status": "Ended",
  "runtime": 60,
  "premiered": "2008-01-20",
  "ended": "2013-09-29",
  "rating": 9.2,
  "network": "AMC",
  "country": "United States",
  "scheduleDays": ["Sunday"],
  "scheduleTime": "22:00",
  "officialSite": "http://www.amc.com/shows/breaking-bad",
  "imdbId": "tt0903747",
  "tvdbId": 81189,
  "image": "https://static.tvmaze.com/uploads/images/original_untouched/0/2400.jpg",
  "summary": "A high school chemistry teacher turned methamphetamine producer.",
  "url": "https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/169/breaking-bad"
}

Output schema

Field	Type	Description
type	string	Record type — show, episode or cast.
id	integer	TVMaze numeric ID for the show.
name	string	Show title.
showType	string	Format of the show, e.g. Scripted.
language	string	Primary language the show is produced in.
genres	array	List of genre labels for the show.
status	string	Airing status, e.g. Running or Ended.
runtime	integer	Typical episode length in minutes.
premiered	string	First air date (YYYY-MM-DD).
ended	string	Last air date, or empty if still running.
rating	number	Average viewer rating out of 10.
network	string	Name of the broadcasting network.
country	string	Country the network is based in.
scheduleDays	array	Days of the week the show airs.
scheduleTime	string	Local air time (HH:MM).
officialSite	string (URL)	Link to the show's official website.
imdbId	string	IMDb identifier for cross-referencing.
tvdbId	integer	TheTVDB numeric identifier.
image	string (URL)	Link to the show's poster image.
summary	string	Plain-text synopsis of the show.
url	string (URL)	TVMaze page URL for the show.

Input

{
  "searches": ["breaking bad", "the office"],
  "showIds": [],
  "includeEpisodes": true,
  "includeCast": true,
  "maxShowsPerSearch": 10
}

Field	Description
searches	TV show titles or keywords, one per line.
showIds	Specific TVMaze show IDs (optional).
includeEpisodes	Also fetch every episode of each show.
includeCast	Also fetch each show's cast (actor and character).
maxShowsPerSearch	How many matches to keep per search term (1–50).

Use cases

• Build a TV database with genres, networks, ratings and IMDb IDs.
• Generate a full episode guide (seasons, airdates, ratings) for any show.
• Map cast and character relationships across shows.
• Cross-reference titles to IMDb/TheTVDB via imdbId and tvdbId.

Pricing

Pay-per-event: you're billed a small amount per run and per item scraped — you only pay for what you get. See the Pricing tab for current rates.

FAQ

Do I need an account or API key? No. The Actor runs over the free public TVMaze API, so there's no account and no API key to set up.

How many shows can I get per run? Set maxShowsPerSearch (1–50) to cap matches kept per search term. Pass multiple titles in searches, or target exact showIds, to scale a single run.

Can I download episodes or video? No. This Actor returns public metadata only — show, episode and cast details. It does not download any video content.

What's the output format? Flat, normalized JSON with typed show, episode and cast records and consistent fields. Export as JSON, CSV or Excel.

Can I get episodes and cast, not just show details? Yes. Enable includeEpisodes for every episode's season, number, airdate, runtime and rating, and includeCast for actor and character pairs with photos.

Can I connect this to other apps and services? The TV Shows Scraper can be connected with almost any cloud service or web app thanks to integrations on the Apify platform. It works with Make, Zapier, Slack, Airbyte, GitHub, Google Drive and many more, plus the Apify API, JavaScript/Python clients and MCP. Or use webhooks to trigger an action whenever a run finishes.

Related Actors

Building a media or entertainment dataset? Pair this with our other entertainment scrapers:

• YouTube Scraper — video metadata, transcripts, comments and channel profiles.
• Steam Games Scraper — game prices, genres, platforms and Metacritic scores.
• Apple Podcasts Scraper — podcast shows and episodes with RSS feeds and artwork.
• Spotify Scraper — tracks, artists, albums and playlists with no login or API key.

Notes

This Actor uses the public TVMaze API and returns public metadata only — no video content. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to TVMaze; all trademarks belong to their respective owners.