# TV Shows API — search, episodes & schedule (no key) (`synthetic.ia/tvmaze-shows`) Actor

TV show data from TVMaze: search shows, full details (genres, network, rating, image, IMDb), episode lists by season, and the daily TV schedule by country. Clean HTTP API + MCP, no key. Pay per query.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/synthetic.ia/tvmaze-shows.md
- **Developed by:** [Synthetic](https://apify.com/synthetic.ia) (community)
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 tv queries

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## TV Shows API — search, episodes & schedule (no key)

TV show data from **TVMaze**, behind a clean HTTP API (and MCP tool): **search** shows, get **full details** (genres, network, status, rating, image, IMDb id, summary), pull an **episode list** (all or one season), and see the **daily TV schedule** by country. Great for streaming apps, TV guides, trackers and agents. **No API key.** Pay per query.

- 📺 **Search** — find shows by name with score-ranked results.
- ℹ️ **Details** — genres, network/web channel, status, runtime, premiere/end, rating, poster, IMDb id, summary.
- 🎬 **Episodes** — full episode list with airdates, runtimes, ratings and summaries; filter by season.
- 🗓️ **Schedule** — what's airing today (or any date) in a given country.
- 💵 Pay per query · no key.

### The use case it was built for

Build a "what's on tonight" guide, a show tracker, or enrich a watchlist with posters and ratings. Let an agent answer "when did Breaking Bad premiere?" or "what airs on the US on Friday?" — with clean, typed data.

### Sample output (`search`, "breaking bad")

```json
{
  "ok": true, "query": "breaking bad", "count": 1,
  "shows": [
    { "id": 169, "name": "Breaking Bad", "type": "Scripted", "genres": ["Drama", "Crime", "Thriller"],
      "status": "Ended", "premiered": "2008-01-20", "network": "AMC", "rating": 9.2,
      "image": "https://…", "imdb": "tt0903747", "url": "https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/169/breaking-bad" }
  ]
}
```

### How to use

- **HTTP API (Standby):** POST or GET `/search`, `/show`, `/episodes`, `/schedule`. `GET /` returns help. Example: `GET /episodes?id=169&season=1`.
- **Normal run:** pass `{ operation, ... }`; results land in the dataset + key-value store.
- **MCP tool:** expose it to your agent via Apify's MCP server.

### Input

- **operation** — `search` · `show` · `episodes` · `schedule`.
- **q** — search text. **id** — TVMaze show id. **season** — filter episodes. **country / date** — for the schedule. **limit** — cap results.

### Pricing

**Per query** from **$0.004** (down to $0.0015 on higher tiers). One call = one query (episodes/schedule can return many rows at once).

### Related Actors

- **[iTunes / Apple Search](https://apify.com/synthetic.ia/itunes-search)** — music, podcasts and movie metadata.

### FAQ

**Do I need a key?** No — TVMaze is keyless.

**Where do I get a show id?** From `search` — each result includes the `id` to pass to `show`/`episodes`.

**Which countries for the schedule?** Any 2-letter country code TVMaze covers (US, GB, CA…).

### Notes & limits

Data from TVMaze (api.tvmaze.com). Soft rate limits apply. Summaries are plain-text (HTML stripped).

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/synthetic.ia/tvmaze-shows/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `operation` (type: `string`):

What to do.

## `q` (type: `string`):

Show name to search.

## `id` (type: `integer`):

TVMaze show id.

## `season` (type: `integer`):

Filter episodes to one season.

## `country` (type: `string`):

2-letter country for the schedule, e.g. US, GB.

## `date` (type: `string`):

YYYY-MM-DD (empty = today).

## `limit` (type: `integer`):

Max results.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "operation": "search",
  "q": "breaking bad",
  "country": "US",
  "limit": 20
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `result` (type: `string`):

No description

## `runs` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "q": "breaking bad"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("synthetic.ia/tvmaze-shows").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "q": "breaking bad" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("synthetic.ia/tvmaze-shows").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "q": "breaking bad"
}' |
apify call synthetic.ia/tvmaze-shows --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,synthetic.ia/tvmaze-shows"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/alKH8IUhcoiCCK8PW/builds/7oGP8aaoxmxGa3gvt/openapi.json