TMDB API

The Movie Database movies, TV shows, cast and trending lists as JSON, with no TMDB key to request.

The API.SH TMDB API returns data from The Movie Database pages. Look up a movie or TV series by id or link for scores, genres, cast, keywords and certification, pull full cast and crew, get person biographies and credits, list every episode of a season, and search or browse popular and trending titles with the site's filters.

Get a free API key Try it in the playground

8 endpoints
from $1 / 1,000 calls
1,000 free credits / month
failed calls free

TMDB search

GET https://api.api.sh/tmdb/v1/search

{ "success": true }

1 credit · $1 per 1,000 calls

What you can build with the TMDB API

Movie and TV apps

Fill a watchlist or discovery app with titles, posters, overviews, genres and user scores.

/movie /tv /search

Trending and popular tracking

Record what is trending today or this week and what is popular for streaming, on TV, for rent or in theatres.

/trending /popular

Cast and crew research

Get the full cast and crew of a film and each person's biography and credits.

/movie/credits /person

Episode guides

List every episode of a season with air date, runtime, overview and user rating.

/tv/season /tv

Catalog building with filters

Browse films or series by genre, language, rating, vote count and release date range, page by page.

/popular /search

AI assistants

Let an agent answer questions about a film, its cast or what to watch next.

/search /movie

TMDB data you get

Field names from real responses. Numbers come parsed, URLs absolute, dates in ISO 8601.

TMDB API endpoints and prices

Every TMDB endpoint costs 1 credit per call: credits are $1 per 1,000 on a monthly plan, $2 pay-as-you-go. Pricing

Search and discovery3

TMDB popular /tmdb/v1/popular	$1 · $2 PAYG 1 credit
TMDB search /tmdb/v1/search	$1 · $2 PAYG 1 credit
TMDB trending /tmdb/v1/trending	$1 · $2 PAYG 1 credit

Profiles and accounts1

TMDB person

/tmdb/v1/person

$1 · $2 PAYG

1 credit

Posts and media1

TMDB TV season and episodes

/tmdb/v1/tv/season

$1 · $2 PAYG

1 credit

More data3

TMDB movie /tmdb/v1/movie	$1 · $2 PAYG 1 credit
TMDB movie cast and crew /tmdb/v1/movie/credits	$1 · $2 PAYG 1 credit
TMDB TV series /tmdb/v1/tv	$1 · $2 PAYG 1 credit

Call the TMDB API

TMDB search: GET https://api.api.sh/tmdb/v1/search

curl "https://api.api.sh/tmdb/v1/search?q=parasite" \
  -H "x-api-key: $APISH_KEY"

import os, requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.api.sh/tmdb/v1/search",
    params={"q": "parasite"},
    headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["APISH_KEY"]},
    timeout=120,
)
res.raise_for_status()
data = res.json()

const url = new URL("https://api.api.sh/tmdb/v1/search");
url.searchParams.set("q", "parasite");

const res = await fetch(url, { headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.APISH_KEY } });
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
const data = await res.json();

# Google Sheets (API.SH add-on)
=APISH("/tmdb/v1/search", "q", "parasite")

# Zapier, Make, n8n (verified node): pick the API.SH app,
# choose "TMDB" and "TMDB search".

# AI agents (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor): add the
# API.SH MCP server https://api.sh/mcp

Create a free accountConfirm your email and get 1,000 free credits every month. No card needed.
Create an API keyOne key works for all 483 platforms.
Send the requestJSON back in one call. Add output=csv or output=ndjson for files.

Why API.SH for TMDB data

Public data only: no TMDB login, cookies or account needed
One key and one response shape for TMDB and 482 other platforms
Built and maintained by API.SH, not third-party publishers
Pay per call; errors on our side cost nothing
Live status for every endpoint

API.SH vs the official TMDB API

TMDB has an official API that is free to use with an API key you request, and it has a separate business route for commercial products. API.SH needs no TMDB key request and returns what the public TMDB pages show, such as user score, certification, keywords and the current season, in the same JSON format as other sites.

For a single app on TMDB's own API, that is a fine route. If you want TMDB beside data from other sites under one key, API.SH saves you from running a scraper or hunting for a RapidAPI or Apify listing.

TMDB API questions

What TMDB data can I get?+

Movies (/tmdb/v1/movie), movie cast and crew (/tmdb/v1/movie/credits), people (/tmdb/v1/person), popular lists with filters (/tmdb/v1/popular), search (/tmdb/v1/search), trending (/tmdb/v1/trending), TV series (/tmdb/v1/tv) and TV seasons with episodes (/tmdb/v1/tv/season).

How much does the TMDB API cost?+

Every TMDB endpoint costs 1 credit per call. On a monthly plan 1,000 credits cost $1 (Starter is $50/month for 50,000 credits). Pay-as-you-go is $2 per 1,000 credits, with top-ups from $15 that never expire.

Is there a free trial?+

Yes. Every account gets 1,000 free credits every month. That is 1,000 calls to /tmdb/v1/movie at 1 credit each.

Is there an official TMDB API and is it free?+

Yes. TMDB offers an API with a free tier for approved use, and you request an API key from your TMDB account. Commercial use goes through a separate business arrangement. API.SH is a different route: one API.SH key, no TMDB application, public page data.

Do I need a TMDB account or login?+

No. API.SH reads public TMDB pages only. No endpoint uses a login, cookies or anyone's account. You do not need a TMDB API key or read access token.

Can I use the TMDB API from Python?+

Yes. Send a request to API.SH from requests or the Python SDK, for example to /tmdb/v1/search with q set to a title. Responses are JSON, so they load straight into pandas or a database.

How does paging work for search and lists?+

Search returns 20 results a page and a next_page value to pass back as page; you can narrow movies or TV by release year. Popular and trending lists take type, language and filters such as sort_by and with_genres.

How do I get started?+

1. Sign up at api.sh. 2. Copy your API key from the dashboard. 3. Call /tmdb/v1/search with q set to a film title, then pass the id to /tmdb/v1/movie. Docs and every parameter are at https://api.sh/docs. You can also use the JS or Python SDK, Google Sheets, Zapier, Make, n8n or the MCP server at https://api.sh/mcp.