---
title: "Import a Series"
description: "Create a series with TMDB details, then add its episodes one by one or a whole season from a folder on your server."
---

You have a season of a show on your server and you want your clients to browse it by season and episode. A series works in two steps: first you create the **series** (poster, plot, categories, bouquets), then you add its **episodes**. A series without episodes shows up in the apps, but there is nothing to play.

To add many series at once from a provider or a playlist, use [Mass Import Series](/docs/mass-import-movies-series). To have a folder import new episodes by itself, use a [Watch Folder](/docs/watch-folder).

## Before you start

- A series category. See [Categories and Ordering](/docs/categories-and-ordering).
- A bouquet that your clients have. See [Packages and Bouquets](/docs/packages-and-bouquets).
- The episode files on one of your servers, ideally one folder per season (for example `/home/media/series/Glass Orchard/Season 01/`).

## Step 1: Create the series

1. In the menu, open **Series** > **Add Serie**.
2. Choose the language of the details in **TMDb Language** (English, Español, Português, Français, Italiano, Deutsch or Türkçe).
3. In **Serie Name**, type the title and click outside the field. The panel searches TMDB and fills **TMDb Results**.
4. Pick the right show in **TMDb Results**. The panel fills **Poster URL**, **Backdrop URL**, **Plot**, **Cast**, **Director**, **Genres**, **Release Date**, **Episode Runtime**, **YouTube Trailer** and **Rating**. You can edit any of them.
5. In **Categories Associated**, choose one or more series categories.
6. In **Add To Bouquets**, choose the bouquets that should include this series.
7. Click **Save**. You return to the series list.

> [!TIP]
> If you still need a category or a bouquet, use the **Create a new category** or **Create a new bouquet** link under the field. It opens in a new tab.

## Step 2: Add the episodes

In **Series** > **Overview**, find the series and click the **+** button in its row. You get two choices.

### Add a whole season at once

Use **Add multiple episodes** when the files of one season are in one folder.

1. Type the season in **Season #** (next to the series name).
2. Choose the **TMDb Language** for the episode details.
3. Click the folder button next to **Season Folder**, pick the server in **Server Name**, open the season folder and click **Add This Directory**. The panel lists every video file in it.
4. Type the episode number next to each file, or click **Auto-number (1, 2, 3...)** to number them in order. Leave the number empty for files you do not want to add, for example episodes you already uploaded.
5. Optional: on the **ADVANCED** tab, set **Convert Movie for Web (Recommended)**, **Create Symlink**, **Direct Source** or **Remove Existing Subtitles**. They work the same as for a movie. See [Import a Movie](/docs/import-a-movie).
6. Click **Save Episodes**.

The panel creates each episode, takes its name and details from TMDB when it can, and starts processing the files. At the end you see how many episodes were added and how many failed.

### Add one episode

Use **Add one episode** for a single file.

1. Fill in **Season Number** and **Episode Number**.
2. Pick the episode in **TMDb Results** to fill **Episode Name**, poster and plot, or type them yourself.
3. On the **SOURCES** tab, set **Episode Path / URL** (the folder button lets you browse the server).
4. On the **ADVANCED** tab, choose how the file is published, and turn on **Encode on Save** if you want processing to start right away.
5. On the **SERVERS** tab, check the server that hosts the episode.
6. Click the **Save** button (the disk icon) under **Actions**.

## What happens next

- In the series row, **View Episodes** opens the episode list, where the **Status** column shows the progress of each file.
- **Reorder Episodes** lets you change the order of the episodes inside the series.
- **Edit** opens the series details again.

## Common problems

- **"Serie name already exists"**: another series already uses this exact name. For a remake or a different country version, add the year or the country, for example "Glass Orchard (2021)" or "Glass Orchard (US)".
- **TMDb Results finds nothing**: try the original or the English title, without the season number or quality in the name.
- **The series shows in the app but has no episodes**: you have not added episodes yet, or they are still processing. Check **View Episodes**.
- **The series is in the catalog but a client does not see it**: the series is not in any bouquet, or the bouquet is not assigned to that client.
- **"A valid season number is required"**: fill in **Season #** before you save.
- **"Duplicate episode number"**: two files have the same number. Each episode in a season needs its own number.
- **The poster does not load**: the image URL must be public. Pick the TMDB result again or paste another public URL.
- **An episode appears twice**: use the **Duplicates** filter in **Series** > **Episodes**. It lists episodes that use the same season and episode number in the same series. See [Catalog Tools](/docs/catalog-tools).

## Related

- [Import Movies and Series in Bulk](/docs/mass-import-movies-series)
- [Watch Folder](/docs/watch-folder)
- [Import a Movie](/docs/import-a-movie)
- [Catalog Tools](/docs/catalog-tools)
- [Packages and Bouquets](/docs/packages-and-bouquets)
- [Categories and Ordering](/docs/categories-and-ordering)