> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://api.simkl.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Top-rated TV shows
> Top-rated TV shows. Mirrors the [Simkl Best TV](https://simkl.com/tv/best-shows/) pages. No `access_token` required.
Pick a bucket via the `{filter}` path segment:
| Filter | What you get |
|---|---|
| `all` | All-time top-rated. |
| `year` | Top-rated for the current year. |
| `month` | Top-rated for the current month. |
| `voted` | Most-voted titles (sorted by total IMDB votes). Items also include a `votes` count. |
| `watched` | Most-watched this month. Items also include a `watched` count. |
Unknown filter values fall back to `all`.
Optionally narrow by `type=series`, `documentary`, `entertainment`, or `animation`. Unknown values are ignored.
**60 items, no pagination.** The endpoint always returns up to 60 items in one call. The `page` and `limit` query parameters are accepted but ignored. For paginated browsing use [`GET /tv/genres/...`](/api-reference/simkl/get-tv-genres).
**`type=documentary` can return `null`.** When the type filter doesn't match anything in the top set, the response body is bare `null` rather than an empty array. Handle both shapes in your parser.
#### Errors
| Status | When |
|---|---|
| `412` | Missing or invalid `client_id` |
| `500` | Server error |
Unknown `filter` or `type` values silently fall back — no `400`. The endpoint never returns `404`.
## OpenAPI
````yaml /openapi.json get /tv/best/{filter}
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
title: Simkl API
version: 1.0.0
description: >-
The **Simkl API** lets you build apps that track Movies, TV Shows, and Anime
— scrobble playback, sync watch history, and pull rich metadata.
All requests use HTTPS and return JSON. The base URL is
`https://api.simkl.com`.
**Every request needs three URL parameters and a `User-Agent` header:**
```
/endpoint?client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&app-name=my-app&app-version=1.0
```
See [Headers and required parameters](/conventions/headers) for the full
reference. Endpoints that read or modify a user's data also need an
`Authorization: Bearer ` header — see [OAuth
2.0](/api-reference/oauth) or the [PIN flow](/api-reference/pin).
> ⚠️ **About the auto-rendered cURL examples on each endpoint page:** they
omit `?client_id=…&app-name=…&app-version=…` from the URL for brevity. **You
must add them yourself when copy-pasting**, or use the interactive **"Try
it"** playground (it fills them in for you). This is a Mintlify rendering
convention — every Mintlify-built API doc behaves the same way.
**Get started**
- [Quickstart](/quickstart) — first request in 60 seconds
- [API rules](/api-rules) — what's allowed, what isn't
- [Standard media objects](/conventions/standard-media-objects) — the shapes
every endpoint speaks
- [Errors](/conventions/errors) — every status code Simkl returns
contact:
name: Simkl Developer Support
url: https://support.simkl.com
termsOfService: https://simkl.com/about/policies/terms/
license:
name: Simkl API Terms of Use
url: https://simkl.com/about/policies/terms/
x-logo:
url: https://i.simkl.com/img_tv/apiary_logo_api.png
backgroundColor: '#0E5DAB'
altText: Simkl
servers:
- url: https://api.simkl.com
description: Production API
- url: https://data.simkl.in
description: CDN for static, public data files (Calendar + Trending). No auth required.
security:
- clientId: []
- simklApiKey: []
tags:
- name: OAuth 2.0
description: >-
OAuth 2.0 authorization-code flow for web and mobile apps. The user is
redirected to Simkl, signs in, approves your app, and is redirected back
with a `code` you exchange for an `access_token`. Long-lived tokens — no
refresh-token flow needed.
externalDocs:
description: OAuth 2.0 walkthrough
url: https://api.simkl.org/api-reference/oauth
- name: PIN
description: >-
Device flow for TVs, consoles, smart watches, CLI tools — anywhere typing
a URL is hard. Show a 5-character code; user enters it on simkl.com/pin;
you poll for the access token. **No `client_secret` required.**
externalDocs:
description: PIN flow walkthrough
url: https://api.simkl.org/api-reference/pin
- name: Redirect
description: >-
Helper redirects for one-click "mark as watched", trailers, sharing, and
more.
- name: Search
description: Find shows, movies, and anime by ID, text query, file name, or randomly.
externalDocs:
description: Search guide
url: https://api.simkl.org/guides/search
- name: Movies
description: >-
Browse the Simkl movies catalog: details, premieres, top-of-best, and
genre filters.
- name: TV
description: >-
Browse the Simkl TV catalog: details, episodes, what's airing, premieres,
top-of-best, and genre filters.
- name: Anime
description: >-
Browse the Simkl anime catalog: details, episodes, what's airing,
premieres, top-of-best, and genre filters.
- name: Ratings
description: >-
Read Simkl's average community rating, rank, drop rate, and external
ratings (IMDB, MAL) for any item, or for every item in a user's lists.
- name: Scrobble
description: >-
Report real-time playback to Simkl with `start`, `pause`, and `stop`. At ≥
80 % progress Simkl marks the item as watched automatically; below 80 %
the session is saved as a paused playback the user can resume from any
device.
See [Standard media objects](/conventions/standard-media-objects) for the
supported ID keys.
### Supported ID keys
Inside any `ids` object, pass as many of these as you have. Simkl resolves
to the canonical record.
| ID key | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| `simkl` | integer | `49108`. Simkl's canonical ID. Most reliable. |
| `imdb` | string | `tt1520211` |
| `tmdb` | integer | `76757` (for TV, specify `type`) |
| `tvdb` | int / string | `153021` or `the-walking-dead` |
| `mal` | integer | `4246` (MyAnimeList) |
| `anidb` | integer | `10846`. Specifying just this is enough for anime
lookups. |
| `anilist` | integer | `21` |
| `kitsu` | integer | `12` |
| `anisearch` | integer | `2227` |
| `animeplanet` | string | `one-piece` |
| `livechart` | integer | `321` |
| `letterboxd` | string | `the-truman-show` |
| `netflix` | integer | `70210890` (movie ID) |
| `traktslug` | string | `john-wick-chapter-4-2023` |
> 📖 Full reference: [Standard media
objects](/conventions/standard-media-objects)
externalDocs:
description: Scrobble guide
url: https://api.simkl.org/guides/scrobble
- name: Sync
description: >-
Use Simkl as a cloud backup for the user's watch history and lists
(Watching, Plan to Watch, On Hold, Dropped, Completed). **Always check
[`/sync/activities`](/api-reference/simkl/get-activities) first** and sync
only the lists that have moved.
All write endpoints accept arrays — batch aggressively. See [Standard
media objects](/conventions/standard-media-objects) for the supported ID
keys.
### Supported ID keys
Inside any `ids` object, pass as many of these as you have. Simkl resolves
to the canonical record.
| ID key | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| `simkl` | integer | `49108`. Simkl's canonical ID. Most reliable. |
| `imdb` | string | `tt1520211` |
| `tmdb` | integer | `76757` (for TV, specify `type`) |
| `tvdb` | int / string | `153021` or `the-walking-dead` |
| `mal` | integer | `4246` (MyAnimeList) |
| `anidb` | integer | `10846`. Specifying just this is enough for anime
lookups. |
| `anilist` | integer | `21` |
| `kitsu` | integer | `12` |
| `anisearch` | integer | `2227` |
| `animeplanet` | string | `one-piece` |
| `livechart` | integer | `321` |
| `letterboxd` | string | `the-truman-show` |
| `netflix` | integer | `70210890` (movie ID) |
| `traktslug` | string | `john-wick-chapter-4-2023` |
> 📖 Full reference: [Standard media
objects](/conventions/standard-media-objects)
externalDocs:
description: Sync guide
url: https://api.simkl.org/guides/sync
- name: Users
description: User profile, settings, and watch statistics.
externalDocs:
description: Simkl API documentation
url: https://api.simkl.org
paths:
/tv/best/{filter}:
get:
tags:
- TV
summary: Top-rated TV shows
description: >
Top-rated TV shows. Mirrors the [Simkl Best
TV](https://simkl.com/tv/best-shows/) pages. No `access_token` required.
Pick a bucket via the `{filter}` path segment:
| Filter | What you get |
|---|---|
| `all` | All-time top-rated. |
| `year` | Top-rated for the current year. |
| `month` | Top-rated for the current month. |
| `voted` | Most-voted titles (sorted by total IMDB votes). Items also
include a `votes` count. |
| `watched` | Most-watched this month. Items also include a `watched`
count. |
Unknown filter values fall back to `all`.
Optionally narrow by `type=series`, `documentary`, `entertainment`, or
`animation`. Unknown values are ignored.
**60 items, no pagination.** The endpoint always returns up to 60 items
in one call. The `page` and `limit` query parameters are accepted but
ignored. For paginated browsing use [`GET
/tv/genres/...`](/api-reference/simkl/get-tv-genres).
**`type=documentary` can return `null`.** When the type filter doesn't
match anything in the top set, the response body is bare `null` rather
than an empty array. Handle both shapes in your parser.
#### Errors
| Status | When |
|---|---|
| `412` | Missing or invalid `client_id` |
| `500` | Server error |
Unknown `filter` or `type` values silently fall back — no `400`. The
endpoint never returns `404`.
operationId: get-best-tv
parameters:
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/BestFilterParam'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/BestTVTypeParam'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/ClientIdQuery'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/AppNameQuery'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/AppVersionQuery'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/UserAgentHeader'
responses:
'200':
description: >-
OK — array of items, or bare `null` when a `?type=` filter zeroes
the result set.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/BestResponse'
examples:
All-time top:
summary: All-time top
value:
- title: Red Dead Redemption II
year: 2018
poster: 14/146907490ae959e0ac
url: /tv/2276947/red-dead-redemption-ii
ids:
simkl_id: 2276947
slug: red-dead-redemption-ii
ratings:
simkl:
rating: 8.8
votes: 95
imdb:
rating: 9.8
votes: 80062
Most voted:
summary: Most voted
value:
- title: Breaking Bad
year: 2008
poster: 97/978343d5161a724
url: /tv/11121/breaking-bad
votes: 2615298
ids:
simkl_id: 11121
slug: breaking-bad
ratings:
simkl:
rating: 9.2
votes: 11657
imdb:
rating: 9.5
votes: 2615298
Most watched this month:
summary: Most watched this month
value:
- title: The Boys
year: 2019
poster: 19/196289114d7f60aa05
url: /tv/967226/the-boys
watched: 6412
ids:
simkl_id: 967226
slug: the-boys
ratings:
simkl:
rating: 8.3
votes: 6051
imdb:
rating: 8.6
votes: 870349
Documentary filter — empty result returns null:
summary: Documentary filter — empty result returns null
value: null
'412':
$ref: '#/components/responses/ClientIdFailed'
'429':
$ref: '#/components/responses/RateLimited'
'500':
$ref: '#/components/responses/ServerError'
security:
- clientId: []
x-codeSamples:
- lang: curl
label: All-time top
source: |-
curl -H "User-Agent: my-app-name/1.0" \
"https://api.simkl.com/tv/best/all?client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&app-name=my-app-name&app-version=1.0"
- lang: curl
label: Most voted
source: |-
curl -H "User-Agent: my-app-name/1.0" \
"https://api.simkl.com/tv/best/voted?client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&app-name=my-app-name&app-version=1.0"
- lang: curl
label: Most watched this month
source: |-
curl -H "User-Agent: my-app-name/1.0" \
"https://api.simkl.com/tv/best/watched?client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&app-name=my-app-name&app-version=1.0"
- lang: curl
label: Documentary filter — empty result returns null
source: |-
curl -H "User-Agent: my-app-name/1.0" \
"https://api.simkl.com/tv/best/all?type=documentary&client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&app-name=my-app-name&app-version=1.0"
components:
parameters:
BestFilterParam:
name: filter
in: path
required: true
schema:
type: string
enum:
- month
- all
- year
- voted
- watched
example: all
description: Which top-rated bucket to return. Unknown values fall back to `all`.
BestTVTypeParam:
name: type
in: query
required: false
schema:
type: string
enum:
- series
- documentary
- entertainment
- animation
example: series
description: >-
Optional. Narrow by show type. Unknown values are ignored. Watch out:
`type=documentary` can return a bare `null` body when no documentaries
are in the top 60.
ClientIdQuery:
name: client_id
in: query
required: true
description: >-
Your **`client_id`** from your [Simkl developer
settings](https://simkl.com/settings/developer/). Required on every
request.
schema:
type: string
example: YOUR_CLIENT_ID
AppNameQuery:
name: app-name
in: query
required: true
description: >-
Short, lowercase identifier for your app (e.g. `plex-scrobbler`,
`kodi-bridge`). Helps Simkl identify which apps are using the API.
schema:
type: string
example: my-app
AppVersionQuery:
name: app-version
in: query
required: true
description: >-
Your app's current version (e.g. `1.0`, `2.4.1`). Helps Simkl debug
issues you report.
schema:
type: string
example: '1.0'
UserAgentHeader:
name: User-Agent
in: header
required: true
description: >-
Descriptive identifier for your app, ideally `name/version`. Examples:
`PlexMediaServer/1.43.1.10540`, `kodi-simkl/0.9.2`, `MyApp/2.4.1
(https://myapp.com)`.
schema:
type: string
example: my-app/1.0
schemas:
BestResponse:
title: Best-of response
oneOf:
- type: array
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/BestItem'
title: Array of items
- type: 'null'
title: No match
description: >-
Returned (status 200) when a `?type=` filter narrows the top 60
results to zero matches — most commonly
`/tv/best/all?type=documentary`.
BestItem:
title: Best-of item
type: object
description: >-
One entry from `/tv/best/{filter}` or `/anime/best/{filter}`. All
filters share the base shape. The `votes` field is only there when
`filter=voted`; the `watched` field is only there when `filter=watched`.
properties:
title:
type: string
description: Display title.
year:
type: integer
description: Premiere year.
poster:
type:
- string
- 'null'
description: >-
Type 4 null — no poster on file. See [Null and missing
values](/conventions/null-values#type-4). When present, it's an
image path fragment — build the full URL using the patterns in
[Image conventions](/conventions/images) (e.g.
`https://wsrv.nl/?url=https://simkl.in/posters/{poster}_m.webp&q=90`).
url:
type: string
description: simkl.com URL relative to the root, with the slug appended.
example: /tv/11121/breaking-bad
ids:
type: object
description: '`simkl_id` and `slug` are always present.'
properties:
simkl_id:
type: integer
slug:
type: string
required:
- simkl_id
- slug
ratings:
type: object
description: >-
Aggregate ratings. Always carries `simkl`. TV items carry `imdb`;
anime items carry `mal` (the other key isn't present at all).
properties:
simkl:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/ExternalRating'
imdb:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/ExternalRating'
mal:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/ExternalRating'
votes:
type: integer
description: >-
Total IMDB / MAL vote count (whichever applies). Only present when
you call with `filter=voted` — absent from items on other filters.
watched:
type: integer
description: >-
Number of Simkl users who watched this title this month. Only
present when you call with `filter=watched` — absent from items on
other filters.
required:
- title
- year
- url
- ids
- ratings
ErrorResponse:
type: object
description: >-
Standard error envelope for 4xx and 5xx responses. Branch on `error`
(machine-readable identifier) — `message`, when present, is
human-readable guidance and is **not stable across releases**.
properties:
error:
type: string
description: >-
Machine-readable error identifier. Stable across responses — use
this for programmatic branching in client code. Examples:
`user_token_failed`, `client_id_failed`, `empty_field`,
`wrong_parameter`, `id_err`, `rate_limit`.
example: user_token_failed
code:
type: integer
description: >-
HTTP status code echoed in the body for convenience — same value as
the response status line. Always an integer.
example: 401
message:
type: string
description: >-
Human-readable error guidance. Optional — present on most errors,
but not guaranteed. May reference the specific field or value that
triggered the error. NOT stable; do not parse.
example: Your client_id is wrong. Try another one
required:
- error
- code
ExternalRating:
type: object
description: External-source rating.
properties:
rating:
type: number
minimum: 0
maximum: 10
description: Rating value (0–10).
votes:
type: integer
description: Number of votes contributing to the rating.
responses:
ClientIdFailed:
description: >-
Your `client_id` is missing, wrong, disabled, or has hit a request
limit. Verify in your [developer
settings](https://simkl.com/settings/developer/).
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
example:
error: client_id_failed
code: 412
message: Your client_id is wrong. Try another one
RateLimited:
description: >-
Too many requests in too short a window. Back off and retry with
exponential backoff — see [Rate limits](/resources/rate-limits) for the
playbook.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
example:
error: rate_limit
code: 429
ServerError:
description: >-
Something is broken on Simkl's side. Retry after a short delay. If it
persists, report on the [Simkl Discord](https://discord.gg/MJsWNE4).
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
example:
error: internal
code: 500
securitySchemes:
clientId:
type: apiKey
in: query
name: client_id
description: >-
Preferred form: your `client_id` as a URL query parameter on every
request. Self-describing in logs and curl commands. See [Headers and
required parameters](/conventions/headers).
x-default: YOUR_CLIENT_ID
simklApiKey:
type: apiKey
in: header
name: simkl-api-key
description: >-
Optional alias for the `client_id` query parameter. Simkl accepts your
`client_id` either as the `simkl-api-key` request header **or** as the
`?client_id=…` query parameter — pick one. The query-parameter form is
preferred because it makes the request fully self-describing in URL
form.
x-default: YOUR_CLIENT_ID
````