How to Quote a Show in an Essay
To quote a TV show, put the dialogue in quotation marks, name the show and episode in your sentence, and cite it with a timestamp instead of a page number. In MLA the in-text citation is the episode title in quotation marks plus the time: (“Ozymandias” 00:41:20). The Works Cited entry lists the episode title, the show in italics, the season and episode number, the network, and the year. Quoting dialogue that runs back and forth between characters uses a specific block format.
How to Cite a TV Show in MLA
MLA cites the episode, not the whole series, when you quote a specific line. The in-text citation uses the episode title (shortened if long) and a timestamp.
In-text: The line “I am the one who knocks” lands late in the episode (“Cornered” 00:37:15).
Works Cited: “Cornered.” Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, season 4, episode 6, AMC, 2011.
If you discuss the series as a whole rather than one line, you can cite the show itself: Breaking Bad. Created by Vince Gilligan, AMC, 2008–2013.
How to Cite a TV Show in APA
APA lists the episode writer and director as authors and treats the episode as part of a series.
In-text: (Gilligan, 2011, 37:15).
References: Gilligan, V. (Writer), & Johnson, R. (Director). (2011). Cornered (Season 4, Episode 6) [TV series episode]. In V. Gilligan (Executive Producer), Breaking Bad. AMC.
How to Quote Dialogue Between Characters
For a single line, quote it inline with quotation marks. For an exchange between two or more speakers, format it as a block quote and put each speaker’s name in capital letters, followed by a period, then the line.
WALTER. I am not in danger. I am the danger.
SKYLER. Who are you talking to right now?
Indent the whole block half an inch, drop the surrounding quotation marks, and add the timestamp citation after the final line. This is the drama-dialogue format MLA uses for plays and scripts. The general block-quote mechanics are in how to block quote.
Name the Show Before the Quote
Set up the quote so the reader knows it is dialogue from a specific episode. “In the Breaking Bad episode ‘Cornered,’ Walter tells Skylar…” gives the show, the episode, and the speaker before the words arrive. Dropping a line of TV dialogue in with no lead-in leaves the reader without a source. See how to introduce a quote for signal-phrase options, and how to integrate quotes for weaving short lines into your own sentences.
Citing a Streaming Show
For a show you watched on Netflix, Hulu, or another service, add the platform to the Works Cited entry. The rest of the citation is unchanged.
MLA: “Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers.” Stranger Things, created by the Duffer Brothers, season 1, episode 1, Netflix, 2016.
You do not need the streaming URL in MLA for a subscription service, but naming the platform tells the reader where the version you cite lives. Episode numbering and even titles can vary between a broadcast release and a streaming cut, so cite the version you actually watched. The in-text citation stays the episode title plus timestamp regardless of platform.
Timestamp Instead of a Page Number
A TV show has no pages, so the timestamp does the locating. Use hours:minutes:seconds from your player, and give a range for anything longer than one line. Cite the episode title in-text, not the series name, so the reader can find the right episode. For how timestamps fit alongside page-based citations, see how to cite a quote.
FAQ
How do you quote a TV show in an essay?
Put the dialogue in quotation marks, name the show and episode, and cite it with a timestamp. In MLA the citation is the episode title plus the time, like (“Cornered” 00:37:15).
How do you cite a TV show in MLA?
Works Cited: “Episode Title.” Show Name, created by [Creator], season #, episode #, Network, Year. In-text: (“Episode Title” timestamp).
How do you quote dialogue between two characters?
Format it as a block quote. Put each speaker’s name in capital letters followed by a period, indent the block half an inch, and add the timestamp after the last line.
Do you cite the episode or the whole series?
Cite the specific episode when you quote a line from it. Cite the series as a whole only when you are discussing the show broadly rather than a single moment.