What is Showdle?
Showdle is a daily television series guessing game that compares your proposed shows against a hidden target across five metadata columns: year, number of seasons, genre, format, and network. You have sixteen guesses to identify the series of the day. The site uses a retro television aesthetic with pixel fonts and a pixelated TV logo, created by Wilson Cissel.
How to play Showdle
- Type a show title into the "Enter TV show title…" field and submit with the Guess button.
- Read the feedback table that displays six columns: Show Title, Year, Seasons, Genre, Format, and Network. Five columns show an ⓘ icon for additional information.
- Compare each guess against the target series using the metadata provided in the table.
- Watch the "Guesses Remaining" counter decrease with each valid entry, while "Next puzzle in" counts down to the next daily series.
- Submit up to sixteen guesses to identify the correct series before the counter reaches zero.
Understanding the feedback
Each guess appears as a row in the table with six metadata fields compared against the hidden series. The comparison is tabular rather than color-coded. Invalid titles that are not in the database return an "Error: Show not found." message and do not count against your guess limit.
Game modes
Daily Grid: One series per day with sixteen guesses. The countdown timer to the next puzzle displays at the top of the page.
Past Puzzles: Access previous grids through the Past Puzzles button in the bottom bar or the "Play a Past Puzzle" section on the page.
Why the metadata matters
Showdle rewards knowledge of television history. Knowing how many seasons a comedy ran or which network aired a drama depends on familiarity with TV production, while plot recognition alone may not be enough. Its metadata categories give series enthusiasts a distinct challenge.
Tips for efficient guessing
Use early guesses to establish ranges. Submit an older series, a sitcom, and a cable production to bracket the year, format, and network before narrowing your choices.
Typos and unfamiliar titles cost nothing. An unknown show returns an error without deducting from your guess counter, so try the exact spelling instead of second-guessing yourself.
Sixteen guesses leave room to experiment. Eliminate categories systematically rather than trying to make a perfect first guess.