If you have ever been halfway through a sentence about Stranger Things or The Bear and suddenly frozen with your finger over the “Control+I” keys, you are not alone. Punctuating titles is one of the most common stumbling blocks in writing, mostly because the rules change depending on which “style guide” you are following.
In this guide, we will clear up the confusion once and for all. We’ll look at why we distinguish between “whole works” and “parts of works,” and specifically how to handle TV show titles in the three most common academic and professional formats: MLA, APA, and Chicago.
The Golden Rule: Containers vs. Contents
Before we dive into the specific style guides, there is one universal concept that helps make sense of all these rules: the Container vs. Contents principle.
Think of a TV show as a “container.” It is a large, freestanding piece of work. Within that container, you have “contents”—the individual episodes.
- Large containers (books, albums, TV series, movies) are almost always italicized.
- Small contents (chapters, songs, TV episodes, articles) are almost always placed in quotation marks.
If you keep this hierarchy in mind, you will naturally get the formatting right about 90% of the time.
1. MLA Style (Modern Language Association)
MLA style is most commonly used in the humanities, such as English literature, cultural studies, and media arts. It is very strict about the distinction between the series and the episode.
The TV Series Title
In MLA, the title of an entire television series is always italicized. This applies whether you are writing the title in the body of your essay or in your Works Cited list.
Example: Many critics argue that The Sopranos ushered in the “Golden Age” of television.
The Episode Title
Individual episodes are considered “parts of a whole.”4 Therefore, they are placed in quotation marks and are not italicized.
Example: The most controversial ending in TV history occurred in “Made in America,” the final episode of The Sopranos.
In the Works Cited List
When you cite a specific episode in MLA, you start with the episode title in quotes, followed by the series title in italics.
-
Format: “Title of Episode.” Title of TV Show, created by Creator Name, season #, episode #, Production Company, Year.
-
Example: “The One with the Embryos.” Friends, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, season 4, episode 12, Warner Bros., 1998.
2. APA Style (American Psychological Association)
APA style is the standard for the social sciences, education, and sciences. While its rules for titles in the body of the paper are similar to MLA, its rules for the Reference List are unique.
In the Body of the Paper
If you are mentioning a TV show in the middle of a paragraph, APA follows the standard rule: italicize the show title and use quotation marks for the episode.
Example: In the series Grey’s Anatomy, the episode “Sound of Silence” explores the physical and emotional recovery of the protagonist.
In the Reference List
This is where APA gets tricky. APA uses Sentence Case for titles in the reference list (meaning you only capitalize the first word and proper nouns).
For a whole series: The title is italicized.
- Example: Benioff, D., & Weiss, D. B. (Executive Producers). (2011–2019). Game of thrones [TV series]. HBO.
For a specific episode: APA 7th Edition requires you to italicize the episode title in the reference list, but keep the series title in plain text.
- Example: Favreau, J. (Writer), & Filoni, D. (Director). (2019, November 12). Chapter 1 (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In J. Favreau (Executive Producer), The Mandalorian. Lucasfilm.
Note: This is a rare instance where the episode title gets more “styling” than the series title, but only within the specific Reference List entry.
3. Chicago Style (CMOS)
The Chicago Manual of Style is the go-to for history, business, and fine arts. It is often considered the most formal of the style guides.
The TV Series Title
Like the others, Chicago requires italics for the series title.
Example: The historical accuracy of The Crown has been a subject of much debate among royal biographers.
The Episode Title
Chicago uses quotation marks for episodes. If you are using the “Notes and Bibliography” system (footnotes), the formatting looks like this:
- Footnote Example: 1. The Crown, season 3, episode 3, “Aberfan,” directed by Benjamin Caron, aired November 17, 2019, on Netflix.
Special Case: Recurring Segments
If a TV show has a recurring segment that isn’t quite a standalone episode (like “Weekend Update” on Saturday Night Live), Chicago usually recommends quotation marks for that segment as well.
Formatting Comparison Table
| Style Guide | TV Series Title (In-Text) | Episode Title (In-Text) | Capitalization Style |
| MLA | Italicized | “Quotation Marks” | Title Case |
| APA | Italicized | “Quotation Marks” | Title Case (In-text) |
| Chicago | Italicized | “Quotation Marks” | Title Case |
What About “The”?
A common question is whether the word “The” at the beginning of a title should be italicized.
- If “The” is part of the official title (e.g., The Office), it should be italicized and capitalized.
- If you are using “the” as a generic descriptor (e.g., the Succession finale), it stays in plain text and lowercase.
Why Do We Even Use Italics?
You might wonder why we don’t just use bold or underline. Historically, underlining was used by writers on typewriters to tell a printer, “Hey, put this in italics!” Now that we have word processors, underlining is considered outdated and is generally reserved for hyperlinks.
Italics provide a visual cue to the reader. When a reader sees an italicized word, their brain instantly categorizes it as a major work. This helps distinguish between a show called The Bear and an actual bear in the woods.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
1. Mixing Up Italics and Quotes
The most frequent mistake is “over-italicizing.” Don’t italicize the episode title just because it feels important. Reserve italics for the “container” (the series) and quotes for the “content” (the episode).
2. Using Both at the Same Time
Never put a title in both italics and quotation marks. It’s one or the other.
- Wrong: “The Bear“
- Right: The Bear
3. Forgetting Punctuation Placement
In American English (which most of these styles follow), commas and periods go inside the quotation marks for episode titles.
- Right: I just watched “The Long Night,” an episode of Game of Thrones.
- Wrong: I just watched “The Long Night”, an episode of Game of Thrones.
Summary Checklist
Before you hit “submit” on your paper or publish your blog post, run through this quick checklist:
- Is it the name of the whole show? Use Italics.
- Is it the name of a specific episode? Use “Quotation Marks”.
- Are you using APA References? Double-check the sentence case and specific episode rules.
- Are you using MLA? Ensure the series title follows the episode in your Works Cited.
- Is your “The” correctly styled? Only italicize it if it’s part of the official title.
Mastering these small details might seem tedious, but they are the hallmark of a professional writer. When your formatting is consistent, your reader can focus on your ideas rather than your punctuation.
