YouTube Shows: Turn Playlists into Seasons & Episodes

tl;dr – Turning YouTube playlists into a Show

• YouTube Shows turn connected playlists into seasons and numbered episodes.
• Add Show features from a playlist’s three-dot menu in YouTube Studio.
• Choose serial for sequential content and non-serial for standalone episodes.

You’ve already made the videos. You’ve even put them in a playlist. But when someone finishes one video, how do you get them to go onto the next?

YouTube’s Shows feature gives creators another way to connect those videos. A Show turns a series-style playlist into a collection with seasons and numbered episodes. Episodes can play one after another without requiring another click, creating a more continuous experience for people who want to keep exploring a topic. Or people who fell asleep in front of the TV. Whatever, watch time is watch time.

Here’s what a Show does, how to set one up in YouTube Studio, and one setting you’ll want to get right.

What is a YouTube Show?

Think about finishing an episode of a series and having the next one start automatically. It’s not a new idea — Netflix has been doing it for years — but it’s new to YouTube. On YouTube it’s called “Show.” It makes it easier for your viewers to go straight from one of your videos to the next without having to click on your next video or go searching your channel.

Shows add a series structure to a playlist, including seasons and episode numbers. The YouTube Show feature also lets creators add custom artwork and gives Shows a place in the viewer’s Continue Watching list. The feature is rolling out to creators in the YouTube Partner Program, so it may not yet appear on every channel.

The potential payoff is more watch time when people choose to continue through a series. It’s an opportunity to get extra views and watch time. It’s not a guarantee of either but if you make content people want to watch and put it into a format that makes it easy for them to watch more, the views follow.

How to create a Show in YouTube Studio

You don’t need to start with an empty series. Look for an existing playlist whose videos already share a clear thread. A course, a documentary series, or a recurring format could all fit; a collection of unrelated uploads won’t.

1. Open YouTube Studio and go to Content.
2. Select the Playlists tab.
3. Find the playlist you want to turn into a Show.
4. Click the three-dot menu beside it and select Add show features.
5. Choose the Show structure that matches how the episodes should be presented.

Once you add Show features, YouTube organizes the playlist into a season and assigns episode numbers based on the videos’ original upload order. You can manually reorder the episodes afterward if that sequence doesn’t tell the story you want it to tell.

If your videos aren’t organized yet, start by grouping ones that belong together in an order that makes sense. Our guide to YouTube playlist best practices can help you build a collection worth continuing.

Choose serial or non-serial

This is the decision that shapes how your Show works. YouTube offers two structures: serial and non-serial. It really comes down to one question: Do viewers need to see the previous episode in your Show to understand the current episode? If so, that’s serial, like a TV show. If not, it’s non-serial.

Serial YouTube shows: episodic content that builds

A serial Show presents episodes in sequence, oldest to newest. It’s the better fit for a course, documentary series, or story in which understanding episode three relies on viewers having watched episodes one and two.

Before choosing serial, check the episode order. Upload history might not match your intended lesson plan or story arc. Reorder the videos if needed.

Non-serial YouTube shows: episodes that can stand alone

A non-serial Show lets people start with any episode and lists them newest first. It’s the default option and a natural fit for a recurring format where each installment makes sense on its own.

Imagine a series of independent videos on the same subject. Someone might arrive for the newest topic, then decide to explore older episodes. They don’t need to start at episode one to follow along or get value from the Show.

Make the Show worth continuing

The setup is quick. The more important question is whether the playlist feels like a series once it’s set up. Do the videos share a recognizable subject or format? Does their order make sense? If they’re serial, does each episode lead naturally into the next?

Shows can make that path between videos easier to follow, particularly as YouTube develops more ways to present content for living-room viewing. But autoplay can’t fix a collection that doesn’t belong together. Start with your strongest connected playlist, choose the right structure, and give people a good reason to continue.

If building watch time is part of a larger monetization goal, see the YouTube monetization requirements. For announcements as YouTube updates creator features, check the official YouTube blog.

FAQ: YouTube Show