Research Guides: Television Research: TV Shows

Program Research

Internet Movie Database (IMDB)
General information and production credits to movies and TV shows. Also includes similar programs, links to external critic reviews, company credits (who produced it) and awards.

Statista
Data and statistics database. Search for your show's title to find ratings, award nominations, production costs and more. Information on smaller, lesser-known shows might not be available.
Factiva
Database with press releases, newspaper articles (including the New York Times and Los Angeles Times) and trade publications (including the Hollywood Reporter and Variety). Use to find articles about a show's production history, current production history, awards and critic reviews.
Business Source Complete (EBSCO)
Find articles from scholarly, trade, and news publications, including the trade publications Broadcasting & Cable, Hollywood Reporter, and Advertising Age

The Hollywood Reporter
Trade magazine for the entertainment industry, includes TV show reviews, news articles, biographies, and more. Some articles are also available in Factiva and Business Source Complete.
Variety
Trade magazine for the entertainment industry, includes TV show reviews, news articles, biographies, and more. Some articles are also available in Factiva and Business Source Complete.

Media History Digital Library
Online access to the histories of cinema, broadcasting, and sound. Includes articles from Variety from 1905 to 1949.

Encyclopedia of television pilots, 1937-2012 by Vincent Terrace
Call Number: PN1992.8.P54 T45 2013
Publication Date: 2013
Encyclopedia of television shows, 1925 through 2007 by Vincent Terrace
Call Number: PN1992.3.U5 T463 2008 v.1
Publication Date: 2009
Four-volume set on summaries of TV shows from 1925 to 2007. Located in the Reference section of Norlin Library.

Statista
Search for your show's title to find ratings and other audience statistics. Information on smaller, lesser-known shows might not be available.

TV Series Finale
Website with network tv ratings
The Hollywood Reporter [website]
Trade magazine for the entertainment industry, includes TV show reviews, news articles, biographies, and more. Some articles are also available in Factiva and Business Source Complete. Try searching the name of your program with the word "rating".
ShowBuzzDaily
Network and cable TV ratings

Additional resources for ratings:

Google and other search engines: Try searching for the name of your program and "rating"
Wikipedia: Sometimes your television program's Wikipedia entry has rating information. See if they provide a reference for the rating data, and cite the original source.

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