An episode is a narrative unit within a larger

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

tic work or

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

production, such as a

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

intended for

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

consumption.

Etymology

The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (). It is abbreviated as '' ep'' (''plural'' eps).

Taxonomy

An episode is also a narrative unit within a ''continuous'' larger

tic work. It is frequently used to describe units of television or radio

that are broadcast separately in order to form one longer series. An episode is to a sequence as a chapter is to a

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

. Modern series episodes typically last 20 to 50 minutes in length.

Narrative sub-units

Narrative sub-units of episodes are called segments, bounded by interstitials, such as commercials (

Radio advertisement In the United States, commercial radio stations make most of their revenue by selling airtime to be used for running radio advertisements. These advertisements are the result of a business or a service providing a valuable consideration, usuall ...

s and

Television advertisement A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

s), continuity announcements, or other segments not direct continuations of the prior segment. Carpool Karaoke is a television show segment that is now a spin-off television series. ''Stacking a show'' is a phrase newscast broadcasters use to describe putting segments together for a newscast episode.

Other contexts

The noun ''episode'' can also refer to a part of a subject, such as an "episode of life" or an "episode of drama".

References

{{Reflist Ancient Greek theatre Television terminology

Etymology

Taxonomy

Narrative sub-units

Other contexts

See also

References