Naming Series with Multiple

[Zoundz007]

Server Version#: 1.22.1.4275
Player Version#: 1.29.0.1885-67668ec3
How do you name files where there is a master name and then there are sub series so that Plex will find the appropriate episodes.
i.e. for the following TV Series

• Law & Order
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent
• Law & Order: Organized Crime

For the Windows File name I have;
“Law and Order Criminal Intent - s01e01 - [720p].mkv”

On Plex, it is showing the episode for the first Law & Order episode “Prescription for Death” from 1990 instead of the Criminal Intent episode “One” from 2001.

As you can’t use the colon character or the ampersand character in the filename, how do you set it up so that Plex captures the correct episode information?

I have also tried variations of the filename without success.

• “Law and Order - Criminal Intent - s01e01.mkv”
• “Criminal Intent - s01e01.mkv”
• “Law and Order CI - s01e01 - [720p].mkv”

[Dan_Bev]

What is the folder name?

Should be;
Law & Order- Criminsl Intent

It’s & not and.

I don’t put the show name in the file name but I believe Plex does recommend it though.

I use S01E01 - One.mkv

[Zoundz007]

Dan_Bev, thanks for the note, I stand corrected that the use of the ‘&’ character is permitted on Windows OS.

The folder\file naming format I have used is:
T:\TV\Scheduled Shows\Law & Order Criminal Intent\Law & Order - Criminal Intent - s01e01.mkv

I have also tried;
T:\TV\Scheduled Shows\Law & Order Criminal Intent\Season 01\Law & Order Criminal Intent - s01e01.mkv
T:\TV\Scheduled Shows\Law & Order Criminal Intent\Season 01\s01e01.mkv

I have looked at TheTVDB.com site for how it names them and they have it as
‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’

As I have noted, use of the ‘:’ character is not permitted in file or folder names on the Windows OS, so how would I get Plex to recognize this series correctly?

[leelynds]

If the episode or series has been mismatched on the first try, you will likely need to do the Plex Dance to clear out all of the incorrect stuff that Plex likes to hold onto. Instructions available here:

The Plex Dance ™

The purpose of this is to remove all cached metadata and xml data for an item that Plex usually keeps. This helps when you want to “start from scratch” for particular item move all files for the media item out of the directory your Library is looking at, so Plex will not “see” it anymore scan the library library (to detect changes) empty trash clean bundles (in menu next to server name, when accessed under ‘More’) double check naming schema and move files back scan the library Support articl…

When it comes to those characters that Windows won’t let you use in a file name or folder, I just pretend the character doesn’t exist, and ignore it. So “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” becomes “Law & Order Criminal Intent” It’s always worked for me, so it should work for you.

[Dan_Bev]

I replace : with -.

M:\TV Shows\Law & Order- Criminal Intent\Season 1\S01E01 - One.mp4

@Zoundz007 You do need the /Season 01/ folder.

Are you adding \TV\ or \Scheduled Shows\ as your base folder for the library? It should be \Sheduled Shows\

[JuiceWSA]

@Dan_Bev

I replace : with -.

As has been suggested by Veteran/Ninja/Employee - since the beginning of Plextime…

Do NOT replace illegal characters with other characters. Simply Leave them out.

FileBot leaves them out.
I name every file with Filebot.
I also get about a 98% success rate when Matching.

Like this one, yesterday:

Instant, Natural, First Time Match…

[SE56]

Exactly everyone, simply omit special characters. Matched perfectly first attempt.

Man, is Elliot looking old or what?

[JuiceWSA]

It’s all those years hanging out with ‘Shovel Face’ - then spending a lot of drunk weekends with a Flying, Purple, Cartoon Horse…

It’s been a hard life, Man…lol

[Zoundz007]

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!
Especially the combined information from Dan_Bev, leelynds & JuiceWSA, all is well now in the world of PLEX.
The PLEX Dance by leelynds was the final magic that fixed the renaming suggestions from Dan_Bev and JuiceWSA.
This has been a great learning experience and a great forum for help!!
Thanks again!!

[Dan_Bev]

@JuiceWSA

I also get about a 98% success rate

I have 100% success by replacing them. Just kidding.

It’s not something I thought about. I use Sonarr. I just checked and see it has a setting to either replace or remove illegal characters. It’s worded as though it would only be for episodes though. I’ll change it to remove to see what happens.

[SE56]

That is hard to believe, 100% success. I believe Juice is closer to the mark, kidding or not.

[Dan_Bev]

I have 11 shows where : is replaced with -. I didn’t have a problem with any of them matching in Plex. 100% success.
It may not last.

[JuiceWSA]

That’s the thing, isn’t it?

Poor naming ‘May’ work - ‘May’ work for a while - and ‘May’ work right up until the day it doesn’t work.

Perfect FileBot Naming - the EXACT name the database is using, matched to be perfectly in line with the database API - works Today, Tomorrow and the next day.

I’m not sure (or care) what everybody else it doing, but here in Juicetown we eliminate as many Pain Points as possible - 'cause in about 5 minutes Plex is going to introduce Pain Giver 9000 Medicine to everybody (does December 2020 ring any bells) - and the more Pain Relief I’ve already taken, means less Pain in the long run.

Roll the bones…
I’m going for what I know to be a sure bet.

[Dan_Bev]

@JuiceWSA

I’m going for what I know to be a sure bet.

Good luck. With Plex nothing is a sure bet.
I follow Plex naming conventions 99% of the time. In the unlikely event that I do have a problem I know how to fix it.