Do I cite Netflix or the production company in APA 7?

Cite the production company named in the credits. Netflix is a production company only when the credits list it that way, usually for a Netflix original. A licensed movie you happened to stream there still cites the studio (United Artists, Pixar, HBO). APA 7 does not require a Netflix URL.

Is the citation different if I watched the film in a theater, on DVD, or on a streaming app?

No. APA 7 does not name the device or the app. Add a version inside the brackets only when that edition is the one your sentence is about, as in the Jackson four-disc extended Lord of the Rings example or the Fosha educational DVD.

Should I list the screenwriter of a film?

Not in the author position. The director is the author of a film. You may name a writer in your prose. For a TV episode, the writer does belong in the author position, together with the episode director.

How do I cite an entire TV series versus one episode?

A series entry lists executive producers and a year range. An episode entry lists that installment's writer and director, the original air date, the episode title, and the season and episode numbers, then names the executive producers after In. If you quote a scene, cite the episode.

How do I format a timestamp in an APA in-text citation?

Put the starting time after the year. APA 7 §8.28's official sample is (Cuddy, 2012, 2:12) — a TED Talk, not a film, but the clock shape is the same. Use H:MM:SS past the first hour and MM:SS before it. Include only the beginning of the passage. Read the time off the player; do not invent one.

Do I italicize the episode title?

No. The episode title is roman sentence case. The series title that follows is italic. Film titles and whole-series titles are italic.

How do I cite a documentary or a reality series?

A documentary uses the film template and [Film]. A reality series uses the TV-series or TV-episode template. Do not invent [Documentary film] or [Reality TV series] unless your instructor requires a finer label. The short documentary walkthrough is documentary in APA.

What if the director is unknown?

Credit someone in a similar role — a producer, writer, or host — and put that job title in parentheses, as the Fosha guest-expert and host line does. If no contributor can be named, move the title to the author position and keep the year after it.

How is APA 7 different from MLA 9 for a film?

APA 7 always puts the director (or a similar production role) in the author slot and sentence-cases the title. MLA 9 can lead with whichever contributor your sentence is about — director, performer, or screenwriter — and title-cases the film title. If the syllabus names MLA, use How to Cite a Film or TV Show in MLA.

How to Cite a Movie or TV Show in APA 7 (§10.12 Film and Episode) [2026]

How to Cite a Film or TV Show in APA: Quick Answer

Credit the director of a film, the executive producer of a whole series, or the writer and director of one episode. Put (Director), (Executive Producer), or (Writer) after each name. Use the release year for a film, a year range for a series, and the original air date for an episode. Italicize the film or series title in sentence case. After the title, write [Film], [TV series], or [TV series episode]. End with the production company. Pair the reference-list entry with an in-text citation that uses those same names and the year, plus a timestamp when you point at a moment. Start from the APA generator or the movie citation generator when you want the same pattern filled in.

APA 7 §10.12 templates (slots only; not real sources)

Reference, film:

Director, A. A. (Director). (Year). Title of film [Film]. Production Company.

Reference, whole TV series:

Producer, A. A. (Executive Producer). (Year–Year). Title of series [TV series]. Production Company.

Reference, one TV episode:

Writer, A. A. (Writer), & Director, B. B. (Director). (Year, Month Day). Title of episode (Season X, Episode Y) [TV series episode]. In P. P. Producer (Executive Producer), Title of series. Production Company.

Reference, film with a specific version:

Director, A. A. (Director). (Year). Title of film [Film; four-disc special extended ed. on DVD]. Production Company.

Parenthetical citation:

(Director, Year)

Narrative citation:

Director (Year)

Parenthetical citation with a timestamp (template):

(Director, Year, 1:13:20)

Do not list the lead actor as the author. Do not write [Documentary film] or [Reality TV series] unless your instructor asked for a finer label; the official examples use [Film], [TV series], and [TV series episode]. Do not paste a Netflix or IMDb URL just because that is where you pressed play. A punctuation reminder lives on the APA cheat sheet.

What This Guide Covers (and What It Does Not)

This is an APA 7 source-type guide for theatrical films, documentaries, streaming originals, television series, and single episodes. An earlier draft invented Barbie, Avengers: Endgame, The Social Dilemma, Game of Thrones, Fleabag, and Squid Game citations with marketing URLs. Those fabricated strings stay gone. The 2026-08-23 rewrite then attached invented timestamps to Forman, Jackson, Barris, and Dippold. Those clock times are gone too. The worked set below is the Publication Manual §10.12 set reprinted by Michigan State University Libraries, plus the 3 March 2026 Common Reference Examples Guide Mann and Dippold lines you can still open.

Use this page for a movie, documentary, limited series, or TV episode you discuss as a finished audiovisual work.
Use movie in APA or TV show in APA when you want the short formatted walkthrough; this URL keeps the official strings and the failure modes.
Use How to Cite YouTube Videos in APA when the thing you opened is a user-uploaded video ([Video], uploader as author), a TED Talk, or a webinar — those sit in §10.12 but they are not films.
Use How to Cite Podcasts in APA for audio-only series and episodes.
Use How to Cite Social Media in APA for a clip that exists only as an X, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook post.
Use How to Cite a Film or TV Show in MLA when the syllabus names MLA 9. MLA can lead with a contributor other than the director; APA 7 does not.
Use How to Cite Interviews in APA when you are citing the published interview, not the movie that later dramatized it.

Film, Episode, or Whole Series?

Students often paste one series line and hope it covers every scene they quote. Publication facts change across a run: writers, directors, and even the company that made the episode can differ. APA therefore treats a single episode the way it treats a chapter in an edited book — the episode has its own authors, and the series executive producers sit in the editor position.

Cite the film or episode when you…

Quote or describe a scene, shot, or line of dialogue
Need a timestamp the reader can scrub to
Compare two cuts or editions of the same title
Write about one director's or writer's work in a specific installment

Cite the series as a whole when you…

Discuss the show's premise, run, or creators without close analysis of one episode
Need a single entry because the paper never quotes a scene
Are surveying a completed series as one cultural object

APA 7 film and television at a glance (§10.12 authorship)
What you used	Author element	Date	Bracket after the title
Feature film or documentary	Director	Release year	`[Film]`
Specific cut or educational DVD	Director (or guest expert and host)	Release year of that version	`[Film; four-disc special extended ed. on DVD]` or `[Film; educational DVD]`
Whole TV series	Executive producer(s)	First year–last year, or first year–present	`[TV series]`
One TV episode	Writer and director of that episode	Original air date (Year, Month Day)	`[TV series episode]`
User-uploaded clip on YouTube or Vimeo	The account that uploaded it	The upload date	`[Video]` — use the YouTube guide

The Official APA 7 Rule, from §10.12

Classroom APA in 2026 still means the seventh edition of the Publication Manual, published in 2020. There is no eighth edition to switch to. Section 10.12 is the audiovisual chapter: film, TV series, TV episode, webinar, TED Talk, and YouTube all sit there. The free worked film and episode lines also live on the Common Reference Examples Guide (last updated 3 March 2026). University writing centers restate the same author test. The University of Portland APA film guide, last updated 4 September 2026, puts the rule in two sentences this page follows:

University of Portland restating APA 7 on film authorship and format

The director should be credited as the author of a film. If the director is unknown, someone in a similar role, such as a producer and/or writer, can be credited. To clarify what role the person has in the production, their job title such as Director is put after their name in round brackets if the job title is known.

It is not necessary to specify how you watched a film or video (e.g. motion picture, DVD, streaming online).

Cite the handbook itself only when you quote the rules. Add a version after the semicolon inside the brackets only when the edition matters to your argument — a director's cut, an educational DVD, a four-disc extended edition. Ordinary theatrical, Blu-ray, and streaming copies of the same film share one reference. The official film set below is Miloš Forman's 1975 United Artists release, the 3 March 2026 instructional-aid Inside Out 2 line, and the Publication Manual's own educational-DVD sample.

Official APA 7 film examples (Publication Manual §10.12 and 3 March 2026 instructional aid)

Reference list (Forman, 1975):

Forman, M. (Director). (1975). One flew over the cuckoo's nest [Film]. United Artists.

In-text:

(Forman, 1975)

Reference list (Mann, 2024 instructional aid):

Mann, K. (Director). (2024). Inside out 2 [Film]. Pixar Animation Studios.

In-text:

(Mann, 2024)

Reference list (Fosha & Levenson, 2017):

Fosha, D. (Guest Expert), & Levenson, H. (Host). (2017). Accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy (AEDP) supervision [Film; educational DVD]. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/pubs/videos/4310958

In-text:

(Fosha & Levenson, 2017)

The Fosha line is why the brackets can grow. APA's own training DVD names a guest expert and a host rather than a director, and it adds educational DVD after the semicolon because that copy is not a theatrical release. The Publication Manual's Lord of the Rings line is the same version test for a commercial extended cut:

Official APA 7 example when the edition matters

Reference list (Jackson, 2001):

Jackson, P. (Director). (2001). The lord of the rings: The fellowship of the ring [Film; four-disc special extended ed. on DVD]. WingNut Films; The Saul Zaentz Company.

In-text:

(Jackson, 2001)

A whole series lists executive producers, a year range, [TV series], and every production company the credits name, separated by semicolons. Use an en dash in the range. If the show is still airing, write present after the dash. The Wire is the Publication Manual example. The Twilight Zone is Portland's restatement of the same template with a real completed run:

Official APA 7 whole-series examples

Reference list (Simon et al., 2002–2008):

Simon, D., Colesberry, R. F., & Kostroff Noble, N. (Executive Producers). (2002–2008). The wire [TV series]. Blown Deadline Productions; HBO.

In-text:

(Simon et al., 2002–2008)

Reference list (Serling, 1959–1964):

Serling, R. (Executive Producer). (1959–1964). The twilight zone [TV series]. Cayuga Productions; CBS Productions.

In-text:

(Serling, 1959–1964)

An episode lists the writer and director of that installment, the original air date, the episode title in sentence case (not italic), the season and episode numbers in parentheses, [TV series episode], then In plus the executive producers and the italic series title. If one person wrote and directed, combine the roles: (Writer & Director). The Publication Manual uses black-ish; the current instructional aid uses Parks and Recreation.

Official APA 7 TV-episode examples

Reference list (Barris, 2017):

Barris, K. (Writer & Director). (2017, January 11). Lemons (Season 3, Episode 12) [TV series episode]. In K. Barris, J. Groff, A. Anderson, E. B. Dobbins, L. Fishburne, and H. Sugland (Executive Producers), Black-ish. Wilmore Films; Artists First; Cinema Gypsy Productions; ABC Studios.

In-text:

(Barris, 2017)

Reference list (Dippold & Trim, 2011):

Dippold, K. (Writer), & Trim, M. (Director). (2011, April 14). Fancy party (Season 3, Episode 9) [TV series episode]. In G. Daniels, H. Klein, D. Miner, & M. Schur (Executive Producers), Parks and recreation. Deedle-Dee Productions; Fremulon; 3 Arts Entertainment; Universal Media Studios.

In-text:

(Dippold & Trim, 2011)

Keep a non-English title in the original language. Add an English translation in square brackets after the title and before [Film]. Do not italicize the translation. Louis Malle's 1987 film is the Publication Manual example:

Official APA 7 film in another language

Reference list (Malle, 1987):

Malle, L. (Director). (1987). Au revoir les enfants [Goodbye children] [Film]. Nouvelles Éditions de Films.

In-text:

(Malle, 1987)

Dates, Titles, and Bracketed Descriptions

The date is the date of the work, not the night you streamed it. Film titles and series titles are italic. Episode titles are roman. Everything uses sentence case: capitalize the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns. Inside out 2 is correct in a reference; Inside Out 2 is the marketing title, not the APA title.

Film date: the original release year, not the streaming-upload year and not the year the DVD was pressed unless you are citing that edition.
Series date: 2011–2019 for a finished run, 2021–present for a show still airing. Use an en dash, not a hyphen you hope the font will stretch.
Episode date: Year, Month Day of the original broadcast. Do not use only the year.
No date: if a student film or unreleased cut truly has no recoverable year, write n.d. See how to cite a source with no date.
Bracketed description: [Film], [TV series], [TV series episode]. Add a semicolon and a version only when the copy you used is not the standard release: [Film; educational DVD], [Film; four-disc special extended ed. on DVD].
What not to invent: [Documentary film], [Limited series], [Web series], [Special], and [Reality TV series] do not appear in the official §10.12 examples. A documentary is still [Film]. A limited series is still [TV series].

Production Company vs Streaming Platform

The source element is the production company, not the app icon you tapped. Several companies are separated with a semicolon. APA 7 does not require a URL for a commercially distributed film or series. You watched The Wire on a subscription service; the reference still ends at HBO. The University of Newcastle APA audiovisual guide restates the same point: you do not name theatre, DVD, Blu-ray, or streaming unless that version is the one your sentence is about. Portland's Netflix examples that end with http://www.netflix.com and [Video] are not the official film pattern — do not copy them.

Netflix original: Netflix can be a production company when the credits name it that way. It is not automatically the author, and a netflix.com/title/... URL is not required.
Licensed catalog title: cite the studio that made the film (United Artists, Pixar, HBO), not the platform that currently licenses it.
Several companies: copy the credit order and join them with semicolons, as in the Jackson and Barris examples.
URL: add one only when the work is retrievable from that address and would be hard to find without it — the Fosha educational DVD is the official case. Do not harvest a marketing URL from the studio homepage.
Database versus URL: if you recovered a film through a library streaming database, you still cite the production company, not the database name, unless your instructor asks for an access note.

In-Text Citations and Timestamps

The in-text citation uses the same names that open the reference. One director is (Forman, 1975). Two names use an ampersand: (Dippold & Trim, 2011). Three or more become et al. from the first citation: (Simon et al., 2002–2008). For a quotation or a close paraphrase of a scene, APA 7 §8.28 treats the timestamp the way it treats a page number. Portland states the locator rule this page follows. Wake Forest reprints the official §8.28 TED Talk sample that shows the clock format — it is a video, not a film, but the locator punctuation is the same:

Timestamp rule and official §8.28 clock format

Because the timestamp serves the same purpose in a video as page numbers, paragraph numbers or section headings, you include it in the in-text citation. Include only the beginning timestamp.

To cite a quotation from a TED Talk, provide a time stamp for the beginning of the quotation in place of a page number.

Official §8.28 example (Cuddy, 2012 — a TED Talk, not a film):

People make "sweeping inferences and judgments from body language" (Cuddy, 2012, 2:12).

Hours:minutes:seconds template (not a real scene):

(Director, Year, 1:13:20)

Minutes:seconds template (not a real scene):

(Writer & Director, Year, 8:41)

Use H:MM:SS when the moment is past the first hour and MM:SS when it is not. Include only the beginning of the passage, not a range. Do not invent a timestamp you did not read off the player. The Cuddy line belongs in a TED Talk paper as (Cuddy, 2012, 2:12); a film paper uses the director and the film year with the same clock shape.

TED Talk, YouTube Upload, or Commercial Film?

Section 10.12 also covers webinars, TED Talks, and YouTube. Those works are still [Video], not [Film]. If you opened ted.com, the speaker is the author and TED Conferences is the source. If you opened the same talk on YouTube, the YouTube account — usually TED — is the author. A classroom webinar you can still retrieve lists the instructor. None of those patterns is a movie citation. The official Giertz TED.com sample and the YouTube-account fork live on How to Cite YouTube Videos in APA. If the object is a user upload of a commercial film, cite the upload as a [Video], not as the studio release.

Common Mistakes When Citing Films and TV in APA

Listing the star as the author. A lead actor does not write the film reference. The director does. MLA can lead with a performer; APA 7 cannot.
Dropping `(Director)` or `(Executive Producer)`. The role in parentheses is part of the author element, not optional color.
Title case in the reference. APA sentence-cases film and series titles. The wire, not The Wire, in the reference list. In your prose you may still write the marketing title.
Italic episode titles. The episode is roman; the series is italic.
Year-only episode dates. Lemons is (2017, January 11), not (2017).
Invented medium labels. [Documentary film] and [Reality TV series] are not the official descriptors.
A streaming URL on every line. Commercially available films do not need https://www.netflix.com/title/....
Copying Portland's Netflix `[Video]` lines. Those teaching examples are not the official film template.
Runtime, aspect ratio, or IMDb ID. Those belong in a filmography appendix, not in an APA reference.
Citing a deleted scene as a separate work. Mention the special feature in your sentence; the reference is still the film unless you used a distinct edition such as Jackson's four-disc set.
Using a YouTube upload of a commercial film as if it were the studio release. If the object is a user upload, it is a [Video] on the YouTube page.

Format the APA film or TV citation

The APA generator and the movie citation generator will ask for the director or executive producer, the date, the title, the bracketed format, and the production company. Use this page to decide which names and which date belong in those fields, then paste the result into your reference list. The short formatted walkthroughs are movie in APA and TV show in APA.

Open the APA citation generator Open the movie citation generator

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I cite Netflix or the production company in APA 7?: Cite the production company named in the credits. Netflix is a production company only when the credits list it that way, usually for a Netflix original. A licensed movie you happened to stream there still cites the studio (United Artists, Pixar, HBO). APA 7 does not require a Netflix URL.
Is the citation different if I watched the film in a theater, on DVD, or on a streaming app?: No. APA 7 does not name the device or the app. Add a version inside the brackets only when that edition is the one your sentence is about, as in the Jackson four-disc extended Lord of the Rings example or the Fosha educational DVD.
Should I list the screenwriter of a film?: Not in the author position. The director is the author of a film. You may name a writer in your prose. For a TV episode, the writer does belong in the author position, together with the episode director.
How do I cite an entire TV series versus one episode?: A series entry lists executive producers and a year range. An episode entry lists that installment's writer and director, the original air date, the episode title, and the season and episode numbers, then names the executive producers after In. If you quote a scene, cite the episode.
How do I format a timestamp in an APA in-text citation?: Put the starting time after the year. APA 7 §8.28's official sample is (Cuddy, 2012, 2:12) — a TED Talk, not a film, but the clock shape is the same. Use H:MM:SS past the first hour and MM:SS before it. Include only the beginning of the passage. Read the time off the player; do not invent one.
Do I italicize the episode title?: No. The episode title is roman sentence case. The series title that follows is italic. Film titles and whole-series titles are italic.
How do I cite a documentary or a reality series?: A documentary uses the film template and [Film]. A reality series uses the TV-series or TV-episode template. Do not invent [Documentary film] or [Reality TV series] unless your instructor requires a finer label. The short documentary walkthrough is documentary in APA.
What if the director is unknown?: Credit someone in a similar role — a producer, writer, or host — and put that job title in parentheses, as the Fosha guest-expert and host line does. If no contributor can be named, move the title to the author position and keep the year after it.
How is APA 7 different from MLA 9 for a film?: APA 7 always puts the director (or a similar production role) in the author slot and sentence-cases the title. MLA 9 can lead with whichever contributor your sentence is about — director, performer, or screenwriter — and title-cases the film title. If the syllabus names MLA, use How to Cite a Film or TV Show in MLA.

How to Cite a Film or TV Show in APA: Quick Answer

What This Guide Covers (and What It Does Not)

Film, Episode, or Whole Series?

The Official APA 7 Rule, from §10.12

Dates, Titles, and Bracketed Descriptions

Production Company vs Streaming Platform

In-Text Citations and Timestamps

TED Talk, YouTube Upload, or Commercial Film?

Common Mistakes When Citing Films and TV in APA

Format the APA film or TV citation

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Guides