A television program, television programme, or television show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on television, other than a commercial, channel ident, trailer, or any other segment of content not serving as attraction for viewership. It may be a single production, or more commonly, a series of related productions (also called a television series).
A television series that is intended to comprise a limited number of episodes may be called a miniseries or serial. Series without a fixed length are usually divided into seasons or series, yearly or semiannual sets of new episodes. While there is no defined length, US industry practice tends to favor longer seasons than those of some other countries.
A one-time broadcast may be called a "special." A television film ("made-for-TV movie" or television movie", is a film that is initially broadcast on television rather than released in theaters or direct-to-video.
A program can be either recorded, as on video tape or other various electronic media forms, or considered live television.
Formats
Television programming may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas), or non-fictional (as in documentary, news, and reality television). It may be topical (as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television movies), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional series). They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows.
Scripted entertainment
Animated
Award shows (partially scripted)
Drama, which includes:
Action-adventure or Thriller
Comedy-drama
Legal drama
Medical drama
Police procedural
Political drama
Science-fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural drama
Serial drama
Soap opera
Teen drama
Miniseries and Television movies
Comedy
Mockumentary
Satire
Sitcom
Sketch comedy
Unscripted entertainment
Game shows
Reality
Talk shows
Talent shows
Sport
Informational
Infomercials – Paid advertising spots that are up to an hour long
News programs
Documentaries
Television news magazine – Dealing with current affairs
