Hello,
I’ve got a new NAS recently and installed Plex on it.
Upon configuring, I tried adding all the series and movies I have on it.
However, these 2 series keep colliding for me and I can’t seem to fix it;
The 80s – http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/the-80s-the-decade-that-made-us/
The 90s – http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/the-90s-the-last-great-decade/episodes/great-expectations/
For some reason it keeps throwing in ‘The 90s’ as the 80s.
I’ve tried adding them separately and editing them but they still get put together as The 80s, ending up where in the ‘info’ it says that there’s 2 files for 1 episode and I can’t seem to split them or anything.
Does anybody know what I can do to fix this? It’d be nice to have these properly separated!
PS: I couldn’t find a generic support forum so I thought I’d post it here. My apologies if it’s the wrong location!
There is a https://forums.plex.tv/categories/general-discussions-public to post these type discussions.
To help with your problem it would help to know how you set up your files on the NAS with a couple of examples.
Example: NASPATH\TV Shows\National Geographic\The 90s\file name of show
Your paths and naming of the files is critical - see the FAQ https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/sections/200059498-Naming-and-Organizing-TV-Shows
Since you’ve already added the show, perhaps more than once you should probably do the “PLEX Dance” on these files to clean up your database and clear out incorrect metadata.
@JuiceWSA gave a nice explanation of the Dance:
The Plex Dance®:
- remove both movies from library
- update library
- empty trash
- clean bundles
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200392106-Library-Actions <— update library, empty trash, clean bundles
- bring names and structures into compliance
- replace corrected movies into library
- update library
All Steps. In Order. No Shortcuts.
@grhiner said:
Example: NASPATH\TV Shows\National Geographic\The 90s\file name of show
Please don’t advise non-conforming folder structures. Even if it works for you, it is not guaranteed to work for everyone under all circumstances and in future software versions.
TV show structures require a ‘season’ folder.
@OttoKerner said:
@grhiner said:
Example: NASPATH\TV Shows\National Geographic\The 90s\file name of show
Please don’t advise non-conforming folder structures. Even if it works for you, it is not guaranteed to work for everyone under all circumstances and in future software versions.
TV show structures require a ‘season’ folder.
Thank you Otto, my oversight in typing- it was in my mind but not my fingers
@grhiner said:
Thank you Otto, my oversight in typing- it was in my mind but not my fingers
Happens to all of us 
Unfortunately I haven’t found the above show on TheTVDB.
This may present a problem, because then you’d have to input the episode titles by hand.
(Unless your files are all mp4, then you could embed them as meta data into the files.)
TVDB has landed - at least temporarily - they were engulfed in flames on the pad a moment ago.
http://thetvdb.com/?tab=series&id=283195&lid=7
The '90s The Last Great Decade
A TV Show Library/
…The 90s The Last Great Decade/
…Season 01/
…The '90s The Last Great Decade - S01E01.xxx
…etc…
http://thetvdb.com/?tab=series&id=268450&lid=7 <— won’t work if TVDB has taken a cruise missile to the control tower.
The 80’s The Decade That Made Us
A TV Show Library/
…The 80s The Decade That Made Us/
…Season 01/
…The 80s The Decade That Made Us - S01E01.xxx
…etc…
would be the correct names and structures to attain a perfect match at TVDB (when they’re not in flames). I would advise to check those links above BEFORE attempting to match these shows. If TVDB is dead, nothing will happen, of course.
The episodes for these shows may be scattered among the usual debris in National Geographic Documentaries (one of these guys):
http://thetvdb.com/?string=national+geographic&tab=listseries&function=Search
I have to believe the more direct approach would be my initial suggestions as opposed to a willy-nilly shotgun-blast listing, the data of which bearing little resemblance to the contents therein.
Logic dictates ‘National Geographic - 100 Years’ would be the place to look… so much for logic. Those episodes have nothing to do with the shows above. Move the rig 'cause we’d be drilling down a dry well there.
As has been demonstrated here and many times before - the ONLY way to find out what’s going to happen is to go to TVDB and find out what’s happening. Logic Plays no part in this process. You either find what you’re looking for, or you don’t, but in this case we struck pay dirt.
FileBot (link in my signature) can take a LOT of the leg work out of this process if your file names are ‘close’ to the target area. Sometimes however, nothing beats shoe leather when tracking down a Wiley suspect.
@MrWaxWeazle
Try to use the following names. It should match without issues.
The 80’s - The Decade That Made Us (2013)
http://thetvdb.com/?tab=series&id=268450
The '90s - The Last Great Decade (2014)
http://thetvdb.com/?tab=series&id=283195
(YEAR) is not necessary - and actually may do more harm than good in this case. As your links clearly show there is no (YEAR) in either name at TVDB.
(YEAR) is ONLY necessary when dealing with shows that have ‘remakes’, and then ONLY ABSOLUTELY necessary when targeting the first editions - until Plex decides we’ve gotten used to doing it that way and changes the game again.
@MrWaxWeazle said:
I’ve tried adding them separately and editing them but they still get put together as The 80s, ending up where in the ‘info’ it says that there’s 2 files for 1 episode and I can’t seem to split them or anything.
Also, if you have 2 files THAT are infact part1/part2 then you will have to name them
Episode Name Here -PART1.ext
Episode Name Here -PART2.ext
But take a moment and look at the examples @JuiceWSA provided. It’s a wealth of information.
@NewPlaza said:
@MrWaxWeazle said:
I’ve tried adding them separately and editing them but they still get put together as The 80s, ending up where in the ‘info’ it says that there’s 2 files for 1 episode and I can’t seem to split them or anything.
Also, if you have 2 files THAT are infact part1/part2 then you will have to name them
Episode Name Here -PART1.ext
Episode Name Here -PART2.ext
In the case of two episodes and one file I strongly advise listing the first episode as it’s shown at TVDB, skipping an episode and then naming the next episode. Plex doesn’t play well with it’s ‘SXXEXX-EXX’ dealing of ‘conjoined’ episodes - two episodes in one file.
If you have two files for one episode Plex deals with those equally as bad - I suggest joining them into one file:
https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/178888/howto-joining-multi-part-movies-files-with-mkvtoolnix-gui
The idea here is to take Plex OUT of as much of this process as is possible. You’ll be happier in the end.
LOL! Ya I was trying to make it easy. Or require anything other then typing the names on a keyboard.
Joining them may be a bit hard if the the segments did not come from a single file. They would have to be re-encoded.
But I agree, get Plex out of the process.
I’ve joined quite a few items with MKVToolNix. I guess I’ve been lucky or they have to be pretty screwed up not to ‘meld’ properly. I’ve not had any issues… yet.
But… just in case… here’s a Bulletproof Handbrake Guide:
https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/comment/1335697/#Comment_1335697
That won’t join two items, but it will create two identical items that can be joined.
Only earlier this very day a user was looking for the solution when none of his devices or clients supported Stacked episodes or Movies. The only thing left is ‘reconstruction efforts’.
There is the ‘Nuclear Option’ if all this seems ridiculous:
Throw everything into an ‘Other Videos’ library. Plex won’t try to match any of them, they’ll all show up, as is, without artwork, totally nekked. Watch and Delete. Problem solved.
Thanks for all the responses guys!
To clarify; The episodes are 1 file per episode. What I meant with them being 2 files for 1 episode is that in Plex it recognises both episodes 1 of the 90s and 80s as the pilot for the 80s. The 80s works out nicely, but it recognises the 80s as the 90s as well.
All my series are written as show – seasons – episode (named accordingly). As are these 2. They kept getting taken wrongly though by Plex, hence my question! I didn’t understand what I could do to try and fix this as I tried changing the data myself in Plex but that didn’t work out. And seeing as the 80s and the 2000s were recognised properly, I couldn’t follow anymore 
Thanks to you guys I realised that the show was wrongly named on my end as TVDB says
“The '90s: The Last Great Decade and I had the name”
and I had it named as
“The 90s - The Decade That Connected Us”
So thanks all!
Changed the name and let it search for tha right match and it works! 
@JuiceWSA said:
(YEAR) is not necessary - and actually may do more harm than good in this case. As your links clearly show there is no (YEAR) in either name at TVDB.
(YEAR) is ONLY necessary when dealing with shows that have ‘remakes’, and then ONLY ABSOLUTELY necessary when targeting the first editions - until Plex decides we’ve gotten used to doing it that way and changes the game again.
You are absolutely correct. Plex doesn’t need them. But from my own experience, the year added has been a proven method and I never leave home without it.
Until Plex finally decides whether they’re going to fix what they destroyed, or write some documentation regarding their ‘brave new world’ method of dealing with their ONLY TV Show database, or TVDB is convinced to climb on board this Plex-Express elevator to Hades - I’m going to stick with traditional methods.
I use the name TVDB uses - unless I have to match an original version of a Show. It at least saves me some typing. When Plex has borked the process so badly that FileBot can’t even get it right - that’s pretty bad and stands as a testament to poor design.
There’s a Database for TV Shows your software matches against - and it is your company’s claim to fame and one of it’s major selling points - but your developers have it so messed up it can’t match with that database… there’s something seriously wrong somewhere. It’s either in development or management or both, but Huston? We DO have a problem.
