TVMaze API

⭐ Beginner's Pick Video / No Auth Required Beginner HTTP
Free to Use Varies (check documentation)

Overview

TVMaze API is a free, no-auth-required source of TV show data including schedules, episode details, cast information, and ratings. It is perfect for beginners because you can start making requests immediately without signing up. The API covers thousands of shows and is updated in real time.

💡

Beginner Tip

Use the /search/shows endpoint with a q parameter to find any TV show instantly -- no API key needed. You can also fetch tonight TV schedule with /schedule?country=US&date=YYYY-MM-DD.

Available Data

Use case: Integrate tv show data data into web and mobile applications
TVMaze data via REST API
JSON-formatted response data
Freely accessible without authentication

Example Response

JSON Response
{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "result": "Data from TVMaze",
    "description": "TV Show Data",
    "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z"
  }
}

Field Reference

id TVMaze unique identifier for the show.
name Name of the TV show.
status Current status of the show: Running, Ended, or In Development.
rating.average Average user rating for the show on a scale of 0 to 10.
network.name Name of the television network that airs the show.
summary HTML-formatted plot summary of the show.

Implementation Example

// ⚠️ Note: This URL may be a documentation page. Check official docs for actual API endpoint.
const url = "http://www.tvmaze.com/api";
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

404 Not Found Requesting a show or episode by an ID that does not exist in TVMaze.
Search for the show first using /search/shows?q=TITLE to retrieve the correct TVMaze ID.
429 Too Many Requests Sending more than 20 requests per 10 seconds from the same IP.
Add a small delay between requests (e.g., 500ms) or cache responses to stay within the rate limit.
null fields in response Some shows have incomplete data and certain fields will be null.
Always check for null before accessing nested fields like show.network or show.rating.average.

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 0/30
⚡ Speed 15/20
🔒 Security 0/15
🛠 Developer XP 15/20
✓ Reliability 7/15
Response Time 332ms

Fully tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth No Auth
HTTPS NO
CORS UNKNOWN
Category Video
Difficulty Beginner
Verified: 2026-04-04

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