[ep-uh-sohd, -zohd]
For the Stratovarius album, see Episode (album).


Episodes can be part of a larger story arc stretched out over a time period covering one or more seasons, or even an entire series run. This is true for some science fiction series such as Babylon 5, Stargate SG-1, Star Trek and Doctor Who.

Shows usually have numbers or codes (aka, Production codes/numbers) for each episode. The X-Files, for example, assigned a code in the format "sXnn", with 's' identifying the season number and 'nn' being a two-digit number for each show, starting with '01'. Some programs, such as The Simpsons, use numbering systems that are hard for anyone outside the production company to understand.

Many talk shows do not give episodes titles. However, some talk shows have given episodes titles, such as The Jerry Springer Show and The Steve Wilkos Show.

Some series often give episodes their own titles which usually refer to the content of the episode, giving both producers and fans a simple identification, these will usually have a pattern such as being a pun on a known item (such as a phrase or title of a of some other media) or follow some naming convention of the series:

In addition, the word episode can also refer to a portion, or stasimon, of a tragic play; this usually being associated with those of the ancient Greeks.

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