Why is TVDB better for TV shows than TMDB?

TVDB is better suited for TV shows than TMDB, and why SIMKL prioritizes TVDB as its primary TV data source

When it comes to tracking, organizing, and maintaining accurate TV show data, the choice of metadata provider plays a critical role.

SIMKL relies on external databases to ensure episode accuracy, season structure consistency, and long-term reliability. For TV shows, TheTVDB consistently outperforms TMDB in areas that matter most for episodic television.

This decision is based on data structure, moderation philosophy, industry standards, and long-term consistency, not convenience or popularity.

TVDB - For TV ShowsTMDB - For MoviesAniDB - For Anime

What happened to TVDB?Medium

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1. TVDB Was Built for TV, Long Before TMDB Supported It

TVDB was designed from the ground up with TV series as its primary focus. Its entire data model revolves around:

• Seasons and episodes as first-class entities

• Air dates, production order, and broadcast order

• Multi-season longevity and continuity

TMDB, by contrast, is a movie-first platform. While it does support TV shows, episodic handling is not its core priority. This difference in philosophy directly affects data quality.

Why this matters on SIMKL:

• Accurate season counts

• Correct episode numbering

• Reliable long-running series tracking

TVDB’s schema aligns far more closely with how TV shows are actually produced and aired. For a tracker like SIMKL, this historical foundation matters.

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2. Superior Episode Numbering and Season Accuracy

One of the most common issues users face with TV tracking platforms is incorrect episode numbering. This is especially common with:

• Long-running network shows

• Anime-style split cours

• British series with irregular season structures

• Specials and holiday episodes

TVDB moderation emphasizes:

• Fewer duplicate or fragmented shows

• Stable season and episode numbering

• Clear separation of specials, regular episodes, and bonus content

• Editorial decisions based on production and narrative continuity

TMDB’s open editing model means:

• Shows may be split or merged inconsistently

• Episode orders can change retroactively

• Anthologies, miniseries, and reboots are handled differently depending on who edits them

• Marketing titles often override production intent

For a tracking platform, consistency matters more than flexibility. Watch history should not change because someone edited a listing last week.

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3. Better Handling of Specials, OVAs, and Bonus Episodes

Special episodes are one of the biggest pain points in TV metadata.

TVDB provides:

• A dedicated Season 0 (Specials) structure

• Explicit tagging for:

  • Holiday specials

  • Web episodes

  • Behind-the-scenes content

  • Recaps and featurettes

TMDB often:

• Mixes specials into regular seasons

• Labels bonus content inconsistently

• Changes placement based on user votes

For SIMKL, TVDB’s approach ensures:

• Specials do not disrupt main season progress

• Users can track or ignore specials intentionally

• Episode timelines remain predictable

Specials

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4. Long-Running and Legacy Shows Are More Stable on TVDB

Shows that span 10–20+ years require extreme metadata discipline.

Examples include:

• Daily soaps

• Anime franchises

• Reality competition series

• Procedural TV shows

TVDB is widely regarded as the most stable source for these cases because:

• Episode IDs are rarely deleted or re-assigned

• Season splits follow broadcast logic

• Community moderation favors long-term consistency

TMDB, due to its broader scope and voting-based edits, is more susceptible to:

• Retroactive restructuring

• Episode removals or merges

• Inconsistent historical data

This stability is critical for SIMKL users with years of watch history.

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5. TVDB Is the Industry Standard for TV Tracking

TVDB is not just used by SIMKL, is widely used across the TV tracking ecosystem.

It is also relied upon by:

• Media centers

• TV tracking applications

• Home server software

• Automation tools

Its widespread adoption has created:

• Established conventions for episode ordering

• Predictable update cycles

• Community norms focused on TV accuracy

TMDB, while excellent for:

• Movies

• Cast & crew discovery

• Posters and artwork

…does not maintain the same reputation for episode-level precision.

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6. Cleaner Integration with SIMKL’s TV-First Features

SIMKL offers advanced TV tracking capabilities such as:

• Episode-level history

• Smart progress syncing

• Calendar-based air tracking

These features depend on:

• Immutable episode IDs

• Consistent season mapping

• Predictable metadata updates

TVDB integrates cleanly with these systems, minimizing:

• Data conflicts

• Manual corrections

• User confusion

Using TMDB as a primary TV source would significantly increase:

• Sync errors

• Incorrect watch states

• Ongoing maintenance overhead

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7. TMDB Is Still Valuable, Just Not as the Primary TV Source

It is important to clarify that TMDB is not a bad database.

TMDB excels at:

• Movies

• Actor filmographies

• Artwork and posters

• Discovery and popularity metrics

SIMKL may still reference TMDB data where appropriate. However, for episodic television, TVDB remains the more reliable foundation.

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8. SIMKL Uses the Best Database for Each Medium

SIMKL intentionally uses different databases for different types of media, based on which data model is best suited:

• TV shows → TheTVDB

• Movies → TMDB

• Anime → AniDB

This approach ensures that:

• TV behaves like TV

• Movies behave like movies

• Anime follows anime-specific structure

Rather than forcing one database to handle everything, SIMKL prioritizes accuracy and structural integrity.

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9. Series Continuity vs Marketing-Based Splitting (Anthology Case Studies)

Anthology series clearly demonstrate the philosophical difference between TVDB and TMDB.

Example: The Haunting

• TVDB treats The Haunting as one anthology series

  • Season 1: Hill House

  • Season 2: Bly Manor

TVDB’s official reasoning:

The Haunting is an anthology series where each season tells a different story. Netflix’s decision to present Bly Manor separately does not make it a distinct series.

This is the same logic used for American Horror Story.

TMDB instead splits these into separate shows based on branding and storefront presentation. While this may look cleaner initially, it creates long-term problems for tracking:

• Watch history becomes fragmented

• Stats are split across multiple entries

• There is no clear “same show, new season” relationship

Example: Monster

• TVDB treats Monster as a single anthology

  • Each season focuses on a different case (Dahmer, Menendez, etc.)

TVDB prioritizes narrative and production continuity, not marketing titles. This approach is far more reliable for long-term tracking.

Parts vs Seasons: TV Show Formats

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Why SIMKL Prefers TVDB for TV Shows

TVDB is better for TV shows than TMDB because it offers:

• A TV-first data model

• Superior episode and season accuracy

• Stable long-term identifiers

• Proper handling of specials and irregular content

• Proven reliability for long-running series

• Seamless compatibility with SIMKL’s tracking features

For users who care about accurate progress tracking, clean episode histories, and long-term data stability, TVDB is the clear choice and that is why SIMKL relies on it as the primary source for TV shows.