# Plex Mixing up TV Shows

**URL:** <https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-mixing-up-tv-shows/516350>\
**Category:** Metadata & Adding Files\
**Tags:** server-windows\
**Created:** [December 28, 2019, 5:54pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-mixing-up-tv-shows/516350 "2019-12-28T17:54:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![xyyx0110](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/13edae/32.png) [@xyyx0110](https://forums.plex.tv/u/xyyx0110)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 5:54pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-mixing-up-tv-shows/516350/1 "2019-12-28T17:54:50Z")

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Server Version#:4.18.1  
Player Version#:N/A

Plex is mixing up my TV Shows. I’ve followed the naming guidelines and even did the [Plex dance](https://forums.plex.tv/t/the-plex-dance/197064) which to me is a code smell indicator if users need to even be wasting time on this known issue that can be automated with a button. I know I may be going overboard, but this is truly frustrating having to move GB’s of data back and forth waiting hours to “fix” and nothing comes of it. Honestly, this is something a competent programmer can get right in one day and never touch it again. Why is everything auto-magic and doesn’t let the user manually fix naming that the code just can’t get right? It’s UX hell.

 ![Spongebob_FS](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/5/e/5ea8d69b18857c01cd0b967b190e34ff894cf971.png) ![Spongsbob_Plex](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/1/9/1981b9a099a8fb7e3315d1fceccff2b762bd2160.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![darcilicious](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/darcilicious/32/3047_2.png) [@darcilicious](https://forums.plex.tv/u/darcilicious)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 5:58pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-mixing-up-tv-shows/516350/2 "2019-12-28T17:58:45Z")

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> [@xyyx0110](#):
>
> I’ve followed the naming guidelines

Well for starters, the name of the show is actually _SpongeBob SquarePants_, not _SPONGEBOB_.

> **[SpongeBob SquarePants - TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/spongebob-squarepants)**

Also, according to that link, Plex is doing it correctly:

 ![Screen Shot 2019-12-28 at 10.04.23 AM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/c/4/c4b1f8c5f6a06d8daa8623416bfdb571bfeb4360.png)

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**Author:** ![xyyx0110](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/13edae/32.png) [@xyyx0110](https://forums.plex.tv/u/xyyx0110)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-mixing-up-tv-shows/516350/3 "2019-12-28T20:59:44Z")

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1. Spongebob or Spongebob Squarepants, it doesn’t make a difference. The episodes are still scrambled and the parent directory is Spongebob Squarepants which was obviously detected correctly, so that’s a void issue and makes me wonder what are you talking about?

2. Plex needs to follow their own guidelines and use what the USER names each episode. Otherwise, why bother with the naming scheme? What’s even more frustrating is we already know it’s Spongebob Squarepants from the main folder, we know it’s Season 01 from the parent folder and thus just numbering each episode file 01, 02, 03 etc… is the reduced form. They don’t do that, so instead it’s a code smell, a confusing system, wasting the user’s time and something that needs simplification. Just let the user name their own stuff, we don’t need broken auto-magic.

3. Expecting the user to waste their time on the “Plex Dance” is moronic.

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**Author:** ![darcilicious](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/darcilicious/32/3047_2.png) [@darcilicious](https://forums.plex.tv/u/darcilicious)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-mixing-up-tv-shows/516350/4 "2019-12-28T21:03:14Z")

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1. You say you’re using the naming guidelines and I simply pointed out you are not 100% in compliance.

2. You say:

> [@xyyx0110](#):
>
> Plex needs to follow their own guidelines and use what the USER names each episode.

But that’s not at all what Plex documents:

> Many of our naming instructions mention having `Optional_Info` at the end of the file name. As the label suggests, it’s optional, but many people like to use it for things such as an episode title; **such optional info is ignored by Plex when matching content.**

In fact, Plex uses (in your case) [thetvdb.com](http://thetvdb.com) to match tv content. This support article may be of interest to you:

[https://support.plex.tv/articles/naming-and-organizing-your-tv-show-files/](https://support.plex.tv/articles/naming-and-organizing-your-tv-show-files/)

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 9:03pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-mixing-up-tv-shows/516350/5 "2020-03-27T21:03:25Z")

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