diff --git a/backend/package-lock.json b/backend/package-lock.json
index 454d432..d1a493f 100644
--- a/backend/package-lock.json
+++ b/backend/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "ripster-backend",
-  "version": "0.14.0-2",
+  "version": "0.14.0-3",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "ripster-backend",
-      "version": "0.14.0-2",
+      "version": "0.14.0-3",
       "dependencies": {
         "archiver": "^7.0.1",
         "cors": "^2.8.5",
diff --git a/backend/package.json b/backend/package.json
index f41c324..f8f647e 100644
--- a/backend/package.json
+++ b/backend/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "ripster-backend",
-  "version": "0.14.0-2",
+  "version": "0.14.0-3",
   "private": true,
   "type": "commonjs",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/backend/src/services/pipelineService.js b/backend/src/services/pipelineService.js
index 472913d..727a148 100644
--- a/backend/src/services/pipelineService.js
+++ b/backend/src/services/pipelineService.js
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ const RAW_FOLDER_STATES = Object.freeze({
   RIP_COMPLETE: 'rip_complete',
   COMPLETE: 'complete'
 });
+const RAW_STATE_PREFIX_CLEANUP_PATTERN = /^(?:(?:incomplete|rip[_-]?complete|rip[_-]?incomplete)[_-])+/i;
 const SUBTITLE_CONFIDENCE_SCORES = Object.freeze({
   low: 1,
   medium: 2,
@@ -3960,6 +3961,89 @@ function buildStructuredSeriesAnalysisFromHandBrakeScanJson(scanJson, options =
   };
 }
 
+function buildStructuredSeriesAnalysisFromPlaylistAnalysis(playlistAnalysis, options = {}) {
+  const sourceTitles = Array.isArray(playlistAnalysis?.titles)
+    ? playlistAnalysis.titles
+    : [];
+  if (sourceTitles.length === 0) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const syntheticScanJson = {
+    MainFeature: 0,
+    TitleList: sourceTitles.map((title, index) => ({
+      Index: normalizeScanTrackId(title?.titleId, index),
+      Duration: Number(title?.durationSeconds || 0) || String(title?.durationLabel || '').trim() || 0,
+      AudioList: Array.isArray(title?.audioTracks) ? title.audioTracks : [],
+      SubtitleList: Array.isArray(title?.subtitleTracks) ? title.subtitleTracks : [],
+      Size: {
+        Bytes: Number(title?.sizeBytes || 0) || 0
+      }
+    }))
+  };
+
+  const structured = buildStructuredSeriesAnalysisFromHandBrakeScanJson(syntheticScanJson, options);
+  if (!structured?.summary || typeof structured.summary !== 'object') {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const summary = {
+    ...structured.summary,
+    titleCount: Math.max(
+      Number(structured.summary?.titleCount || 0) || 0,
+      sourceTitles.length
+    )
+  };
+
+  return {
+    source: 'makemkv_analyze_structured',
+    generatedAt: nowIso(),
+    summary
+  };
+}
+
+function hasDiscDecryptWarningInScan(scanAnalysisLines = null) {
+  const lines = Array.isArray(scanAnalysisLines)
+    ? scanAnalysisLines
+    : (String(scanAnalysisLines || '').trim()
+      ? String(scanAnalysisLines || '').split(/\r?\n/)
+      : []);
+  if (lines.length === 0) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  return lines.some((line) =>
+    /(aacs|keydbcfg|no valid aacs|cannot decrypt|can't decrypt|encrypted|libdvdcss|\bcss\b|copy protection|bd\+)/i
+      .test(String(line || ''))
+  );
+}
+
+function shouldRunMakeMkvSeriesSecondChance(seriesAnalysis = null, scanJson = null, scanAnalysisLines = null) {
+  const summary = seriesAnalysis?.summary && typeof seriesAnalysis.summary === 'object'
+    ? seriesAnalysis.summary
+    : null;
+  if (Boolean(summary?.seriesLike)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  const parsedTitles = parseHandBrakeTitleList(scanJson);
+  const durations = parsedTitles
+    .map((title) => Number(title?.durationSeconds || 0))
+    .filter((value) => Number.isFinite(value) && value > 0);
+  const titleCount = Math.max(
+    Number(summary?.titleCount || 0) || 0,
+    parsedTitles.length
+  );
+  const maxDuration = durations.length > 0 ? Math.max(...durations) : 0;
+  const shortOnlyScan = titleCount > 0 && titleCount <= 2 && maxDuration > 0 && maxDuration <= 600;
+  const hasDecryptWarning = hasDiscDecryptWarningInScan(scanAnalysisLines);
+  const noEpisodeSignals = (Number(summary?.episodeCandidateCount || 0) || 0) <= 0
+    && (Number(summary?.playAllCount || 0) || 0) <= 0;
+  const noFeatureExtras = (Number(summary?.extraCount || 0) || 0) <= 0;
+  const lowConfidence = normalizeSeriesDetectionConfidence(summary?.confidence) === 'low';
+  return lowConfidence && noEpisodeSignals && (shortOnlyScan || (hasDecryptWarning && noFeatureExtras));
+}
+
 function mergeSeriesAnalysisWithStructuredFallback(seriesAnalysis = null, structuredSeriesAnalysis = null) {
   const baseSummary = seriesAnalysis?.summary && typeof seriesAnalysis.summary === 'object'
     ? seriesAnalysis.summary
@@ -4183,13 +4267,22 @@ function enrichSeriesAnalyzeContextFromScan(analyzeContext = null, scanLines = n
 
   const scanJson = parseMediainfoJsonOutput(scanText);
   const structuredSeriesAnalysis = buildStructuredSeriesAnalysisFromHandBrakeScanJson(scanJson, options?.seriesOptions || {});
-  const mergedSeriesAnalysis = mergeSeriesAnalysisWithStructuredFallback(
+  const playlistStructuredSeriesAnalysis = buildStructuredSeriesAnalysisFromPlaylistAnalysis(
+    baseAnalyzeContext?.playlistAnalysis || null,
+    options?.seriesOptions || {}
+  );
+  const mergedFromScan = mergeSeriesAnalysisWithStructuredFallback(
     textSeriesAnalysis,
     structuredSeriesAnalysis
   );
+  const mergedSeriesAnalysis = mergeSeriesAnalysisWithStructuredFallback(
+    mergedFromScan,
+    playlistStructuredSeriesAnalysis
+  );
   const derivedFromText = textSeriesTitles.length > 0;
   const derivedFromStructured = Boolean(structuredSeriesAnalysis?.summary?.seriesLike);
-  if (!mergedSeriesAnalysis || (!derivedFromText && !derivedFromStructured)) {
+  const derivedFromPlaylistStructured = Boolean(playlistStructuredSeriesAnalysis?.summary?.seriesLike);
+  if (!mergedSeriesAnalysis || (!derivedFromText && !derivedFromStructured && !derivedFromPlaylistStructured)) {
     return {
       analyzeContext: baseAnalyzeContext,
       derived: false,
@@ -4211,7 +4304,9 @@ function enrichSeriesAnalyzeContextFromScan(analyzeContext = null, scanLines = n
     derived: true,
     reason: derivedFromText
       ? 'scan_classification'
-      : 'scan_json_structural_classification'
+      : (derivedFromStructured
+        ? 'scan_json_structural_classification'
+        : 'playlist_structural_classification')
   };
 }
 
@@ -5258,10 +5353,24 @@ function stripRawStatePrefix(folderName) {
   if (!rawName) {
     return '';
   }
-  return rawName
-    .replace(/^Incomplete_/i, '')
-    .replace(/^Rip_Complete_/i, '')
+  const cleaned = rawName
+    .replace(RAW_STATE_PREFIX_CLEANUP_PATTERN, '')
+    .replace(/^[_-]+/, '')
     .trim();
+  return cleaned;
+}
+
+function extractRawFolderJobId(folderName) {
+  const rawName = stripRawStatePrefix(path.basename(String(folderName || '').trim()));
+  if (!rawName) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  const match = rawName.match(/-\s*RAW\s*-\s*job-(\d+)\s*$/i);
+  const parsed = Number(match?.[1]);
+  if (!Number.isFinite(parsed) || parsed <= 0) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  return Math.trunc(parsed);
 }
 
 function extractSeriesSeasonDiscFromRawFolderName(folderName) {
@@ -5302,7 +5411,7 @@ function resolveRawFolderStateFromPath(rawPath) {
     return RAW_FOLDER_STATES.COMPLETE;
   }
   const folderName = path.basename(sourcePath);
-  if (/^Incomplete_/i.test(folderName)) {
+  if (/^(?:Incomplete_|Rip[_-]?Incomplete_)/i.test(folderName)) {
     return RAW_FOLDER_STATES.INCOMPLETE;
   }
   if (/^Rip_Complete_/i.test(folderName)) {
@@ -8045,6 +8154,89 @@ class PipelineService extends EventEmitter {
     };
   }
 
+  async runMakeMkvSeriesSecondChance({
+    jobId,
+    mediaProfile,
+    deviceInfo = null,
+    rawPath = null,
+    silent = true
+  } = {}) {
+    const normalizedJobId = this.normalizeQueueJobId(jobId);
+    const normalizedMediaProfile = normalizeMediaProfile(mediaProfile);
+    if (!normalizedJobId || !isSeriesDiscMediaProfile(normalizedMediaProfile)) {
+      return {
+        runInfo: null,
+        scanLines: [],
+        playlistAnalysis: null,
+        structuredSeriesAnalysis: null,
+        reason: 'invalid_input'
+      };
+    }
+
+    const scanLines = [];
+    let runInfo = null;
+    try {
+      await this.ensureMakeMKVRegistration(normalizedJobId, 'ANALYZING').catch((error) => {
+        logger.warn('dvd-series:makemkv-second-chance:registration-failed', {
+          jobId: normalizedJobId,
+          mediaProfile: normalizedMediaProfile,
+          error: errorToMeta(error)
+        });
+      });
+
+      const settings = await settingsService.getEffectiveSettingsMap(normalizedMediaProfile);
+      const analyzeConfig = rawPath
+        ? await settingsService.buildMakeMKVAnalyzePathConfig(rawPath, {
+          mediaProfile: normalizedMediaProfile,
+          disableMinLengthFilter: true,
+          settingsMap: settings
+        })
+        : await settingsService.buildMakeMKVAnalyzeConfig(deviceInfo, {
+          mediaProfile: normalizedMediaProfile,
+          disableMinLengthFilter: true,
+          settingsMap: settings
+        });
+
+      runInfo = await this.runCommand({
+        jobId: normalizedJobId,
+        stage: 'ANALYZING',
+        source: 'MAKEMKV_ANALYZE_SERIES_SECOND_CHANCE',
+        cmd: analyzeConfig.cmd,
+        args: analyzeConfig.args,
+        parser: parseMakeMkvProgress,
+        collectLines: scanLines,
+        silent: Boolean(silent)
+      });
+    } catch (error) {
+      logger.warn('dvd-series:makemkv-second-chance:failed', {
+        jobId: normalizedJobId,
+        mediaProfile: normalizedMediaProfile,
+        source: rawPath ? 'raw_path' : 'device',
+        error: errorToMeta(error)
+      });
+      return {
+        runInfo: error?.runInfo || runInfo || null,
+        scanLines,
+        playlistAnalysis: null,
+        structuredSeriesAnalysis: null,
+        reason: 'command_failed'
+      };
+    }
+
+    const playlistAnalysis = analyzePlaylistObfuscation(scanLines, 0, {});
+    const structuredSeriesAnalysis = buildStructuredSeriesAnalysisFromPlaylistAnalysis(
+      playlistAnalysis,
+      {}
+    );
+    return {
+      runInfo,
+      scanLines,
+      playlistAnalysis,
+      structuredSeriesAnalysis,
+      reason: structuredSeriesAnalysis ? 'ok' : 'no_structured_signal'
+    };
+  }
+
   isRipSuccessful(job = null) {
     if (Number(job?.rip_successful || 0) === 1) {
       return true;
@@ -8333,15 +8525,53 @@ class PipelineService extends EventEmitter {
         AND (media_type IS NULL OR media_type <> 'converter')
         AND (job_kind IS NULL OR job_kind NOT LIKE 'converter_%')
     `);
-    if (!Array.isArray(rows) || rows.length === 0) {
-      return;
-    }
+    const jobRows = Array.isArray(rows) ? rows : [];
+    const existingJobIdRows = await db.all('SELECT id FROM jobs');
+    const existingJobIdSet = new Set(
+      (Array.isArray(existingJobIdRows) ? existingJobIdRows : [])
+        .map((row) => Number(row?.id))
+        .filter((value) => Number.isFinite(value) && value > 0)
+        .map((value) => Math.trunc(value))
+    );
+
+    const linkedRawPathSet = new Set();
+    const addLinkedRawPath = (candidatePath) => {
+      const normalizedCandidate = normalizeComparablePath(candidatePath);
+      if (!normalizedCandidate) {
+        return;
+      }
+      linkedRawPathSet.add(normalizedCandidate);
+      for (const rawRoot of allRawDirs) {
+        if (!isPathInsideDirectory(rawRoot, normalizedCandidate)) {
+          continue;
+        }
+        const relative = String(path.relative(rawRoot, normalizedCandidate) || '').trim();
+        if (!relative || relative === '.' || relative.startsWith('..')) {
+          continue;
+        }
+        const topSegment = relative
+          .split(path.sep)
+          .find((segment) => String(segment || '').trim() && segment !== '.');
+        if (!topSegment) {
+          continue;
+        }
+        linkedRawPathSet.add(normalizeComparablePath(path.join(rawRoot, topSegment)));
+      }
+    };
 
     let renamedCount = 0;
     let pathUpdateCount = 0;
     let ripFlagUpdateCount = 0;
     let conflictCount = 0;
     let missingCount = 0;
+    let orphanScanCount = 0;
+    let orphanCandidateCount = 0;
+    let orphanRenamedCount = 0;
+    let orphanConflictCount = 0;
+    let orphanFailedCount = 0;
+    let orphanAlreadyNormalizedCount = 0;
+    let orphanSkippedLinkedCount = 0;
+    let orphanSkippedKnownJobIdCount = 0;
     const discoveredByJobId = new Map();
 
     for (const scanDir of allRawDirs) {
@@ -8351,12 +8581,8 @@ class PipelineService extends EventEmitter {
           if (!entry.isDirectory()) {
             continue;
           }
-          const match = String(entry.name || '').match(/-\s*RAW\s*-\s*job-(\d+)\s*$/i);
-          if (!match) {
-            continue;
-          }
-          const mappedJobId = Number(match[1]);
-          if (!Number.isFinite(mappedJobId) || mappedJobId <= 0) {
+          const mappedJobId = extractRawFolderJobId(entry.name);
+          if (!mappedJobId) {
             continue;
           }
           const candidatePath = path.join(scanDir, entry.name);
@@ -8382,7 +8608,7 @@ class PipelineService extends EventEmitter {
       }
     }
 
-    for (const row of rows) {
+    for (const row of jobRows) {
       const jobId = Number(row?.id);
       if (!Number.isFinite(jobId) || jobId <= 0) {
         continue;
@@ -8412,6 +8638,8 @@ class PipelineService extends EventEmitter {
         missingCount += 1;
         continue;
       }
+      addLinkedRawPath(row.raw_path);
+      addLinkedRawPath(currentRawPath);
 
       // Keep renamed folder in the same base dir as the current path
       const currentBaseDir = path.dirname(currentRawPath);
@@ -8459,6 +8687,7 @@ class PipelineService extends EventEmitter {
             fs.renameSync(currentRawPath, desiredRawPath);
             finalRawPath = desiredRawPath;
             renamedCount += 1;
+            addLinkedRawPath(finalRawPath);
           } catch (renameError) {
             logger.warn('startup:raw-dir-migrate:rename-failed', {
               jobId,
@@ -8475,15 +8704,119 @@ class PipelineService extends EventEmitter {
         await historyService.updateRawPathByOldPath(row.raw_path, finalRawPath);
         pathUpdateCount += 1;
       }
+      addLinkedRawPath(finalRawPath);
     }
 
-    if (renamedCount > 0 || pathUpdateCount > 0 || ripFlagUpdateCount > 0 || conflictCount > 0 || missingCount > 0) {
+    for (const scanDir of allRawDirs) {
+      let dirEntries = [];
+      try {
+        dirEntries = fs.readdirSync(scanDir, { withFileTypes: true });
+      } catch (scanError) {
+        logger.warn('startup:raw-orphan-normalize:scan-failed', {
+          scanDir,
+          error: errorToMeta(scanError)
+        });
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      for (const entry of dirEntries) {
+        if (!entry?.isDirectory?.()) {
+          continue;
+        }
+        const rawFolderName = String(entry.name || '').trim();
+        if (!rawFolderName || rawFolderName.startsWith('.')) {
+          continue;
+        }
+        orphanScanCount += 1;
+
+        const currentRawPath = normalizeComparablePath(path.join(scanDir, rawFolderName));
+        if (!currentRawPath) {
+          continue;
+        }
+        if (linkedRawPathSet.has(currentRawPath)) {
+          orphanSkippedLinkedCount += 1;
+          continue;
+        }
+
+        const folderJobId = extractRawFolderJobId(rawFolderName);
+        if (folderJobId && existingJobIdSet.has(folderJobId)) {
+          orphanSkippedKnownJobIdCount += 1;
+          addLinkedRawPath(currentRawPath);
+          continue;
+        }
+
+        orphanCandidateCount += 1;
+        const cleanedBaseName = stripRawStatePrefix(rawFolderName);
+        const targetFolderName = applyRawFolderStateToName(cleanedBaseName, RAW_FOLDER_STATES.RIP_COMPLETE);
+        if (!targetFolderName) {
+          continue;
+        }
+        const targetRawPath = normalizeComparablePath(path.join(scanDir, targetFolderName));
+        if (!targetRawPath || targetRawPath === currentRawPath) {
+          orphanAlreadyNormalizedCount += 1;
+          addLinkedRawPath(currentRawPath);
+          continue;
+        }
+
+        if (fs.existsSync(targetRawPath)) {
+          orphanConflictCount += 1;
+          logger.warn('startup:raw-orphan-normalize:target-exists', {
+            scanDir,
+            currentRawPath,
+            targetRawPath,
+            folderJobId,
+            folderJobIdExists: existingJobIdSet.has(Number(folderJobId || 0))
+          });
+          continue;
+        }
+
+        try {
+          fs.renameSync(currentRawPath, targetRawPath);
+          orphanRenamedCount += 1;
+          addLinkedRawPath(targetRawPath);
+          logger.info('startup:raw-orphan-normalize:renamed', {
+            from: currentRawPath,
+            to: targetRawPath,
+            folderJobId,
+            folderJobIdExists: existingJobIdSet.has(Number(folderJobId || 0))
+          });
+        } catch (renameError) {
+          orphanFailedCount += 1;
+          logger.warn('startup:raw-orphan-normalize:rename-failed', {
+            scanDir,
+            currentRawPath,
+            targetRawPath,
+            error: errorToMeta(renameError)
+          });
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (
+      renamedCount > 0
+      || pathUpdateCount > 0
+      || ripFlagUpdateCount > 0
+      || conflictCount > 0
+      || missingCount > 0
+      || orphanCandidateCount > 0
+      || orphanRenamedCount > 0
+      || orphanConflictCount > 0
+      || orphanFailedCount > 0
+    ) {
       logger.info('startup:raw-dir-migrate:done', {
         renamedCount,
         pathUpdateCount,
         ripFlagUpdateCount,
         conflictCount,
         missingCount,
+        orphanScanCount,
+        orphanCandidateCount,
+        orphanRenamedCount,
+        orphanConflictCount,
+        orphanFailedCount,
+        orphanAlreadyNormalizedCount,
+        orphanSkippedLinkedCount,
+        orphanSkippedKnownJobIdCount,
         scannedDirs: allRawDirs
       });
     }
@@ -12960,6 +13293,31 @@ class PipelineService extends EventEmitter {
               seriesPluginResult?.seriesAnalysis || null,
               structuredSeriesAnalysis
             );
+            if (shouldRunMakeMkvSeriesSecondChance(
+              seriesAnalysis,
+              scanJson,
+              reviewResult?.scanAnalysisLines || reviewResult?.scanLines || null
+            )) {
+              const secondChance = await this.runMakeMkvSeriesSecondChance({
+                jobId: normalizedJobId,
+                mediaProfile,
+                rawPath: seriesScanInputPath,
+                silent: true
+              });
+              if (secondChance?.structuredSeriesAnalysis) {
+                seriesAnalysis = mergeSeriesAnalysisWithStructuredFallback(
+                  seriesAnalysis,
+                  secondChance.structuredSeriesAnalysis
+                );
+                logger.info('dvd-series:analyze:makemkv-second-chance', {
+                  jobId: normalizedJobId,
+                  source: 'raw_import',
+                  titleCount: Number(secondChance?.structuredSeriesAnalysis?.summary?.titleCount || 0) || 0,
+                  episodeCandidateCount: Number(secondChance?.structuredSeriesAnalysis?.summary?.episodeCandidateCount || 0) || 0,
+                  seriesLike: Boolean(secondChance?.structuredSeriesAnalysis?.summary?.seriesLike)
+                });
+              }
+            }
             seriesLookupHint = seriesPluginResult?.seriesLookupHint || null;
             const rawSeriesSummary = seriesAnalysis?.summary && typeof seriesAnalysis.summary === 'object'
               ? seriesAnalysis.summary
@@ -13329,6 +13687,31 @@ class PipelineService extends EventEmitter {
               seriesPluginResult?.seriesAnalysis || null,
               structuredSeriesAnalysis
             );
+            if (shouldRunMakeMkvSeriesSecondChance(
+              seriesAnalysis,
+              scanJson,
+              reviewResult?.scanAnalysisLines || reviewResult?.scanLines || null
+            )) {
+              const secondChance = await this.runMakeMkvSeriesSecondChance({
+                jobId: job.id,
+                mediaProfile,
+                deviceInfo: deviceWithProfile,
+                silent: true
+              });
+              if (secondChance?.structuredSeriesAnalysis) {
+                seriesAnalysis = mergeSeriesAnalysisWithStructuredFallback(
+                  seriesAnalysis,
+                  secondChance.structuredSeriesAnalysis
+                );
+                logger.info('dvd-series:analyze:makemkv-second-chance', {
+                  jobId: job.id,
+                  source: 'drive_analyze',
+                  titleCount: Number(secondChance?.structuredSeriesAnalysis?.summary?.titleCount || 0) || 0,
+                  episodeCandidateCount: Number(secondChance?.structuredSeriesAnalysis?.summary?.episodeCandidateCount || 0) || 0,
+                  seriesLike: Boolean(secondChance?.structuredSeriesAnalysis?.summary?.seriesLike)
+                });
+              }
+            }
             seriesLookupHint = seriesPluginResult?.seriesLookupHint || null;
             const rawSeriesSummary = seriesAnalysis?.summary && typeof seriesAnalysis.summary === 'object'
               ? seriesAnalysis.summary
@@ -13530,15 +13913,17 @@ class PipelineService extends EventEmitter {
     const seasonFilter = String(seasonNumber || '').trim();
     const applySeasonFilter = (rows) => {
       const sourceRows = Array.isArray(rows) ? rows : [];
+      const failureCode = tmdbService.readFailureCode(sourceRows);
       if (!seasonFilter) {
         return sourceRows;
       }
       const seasonFilterLower = seasonFilter.toLowerCase();
-      return sourceRows.filter((row) => {
+      const filteredRows = sourceRows.filter((row) => {
         const rowSeason = String(row?.seasonNumber ?? '').trim().toLowerCase();
         const rowSeasonName = String(row?.seasonName || '').trim().toLowerCase();
         return rowSeason.includes(seasonFilterLower) || rowSeasonName.includes(seasonFilterLower);
       });
+      return tmdbService.attachFailureCode(filteredRows, failureCode);
     };
     logger.info('tmdb:series-search', {
       query: normalizedQuery,
@@ -13576,32 +13961,43 @@ class PipelineService extends EventEmitter {
       language: tmdbLanguage
     });
     normalizedResults = applySeasonFilter(normalizedResults);
+    const firstPassFailureCode = tmdbService.readFailureCode(normalizedResults);
 
     if (normalizedResults.length === 0) {
-      logger.warn('tmdb:series-search:empty:first-pass', {
-        query: normalizedQuery,
-        seasonNumber: seasonFilter || null
-      });
-      let retryResults = [];
-      try {
-        retryResults = await tmdbService.searchSeriesWithSeasons(normalizedQuery, {
-          language: tmdbLanguage
-        });
-      } catch (retryError) {
-        logger.warn('tmdb:series-search:retry:failed', {
+      if (firstPassFailureCode) {
+        logger.warn('tmdb:series-search:empty:first-pass:skip-retry', {
           query: normalizedQuery,
           seasonNumber: seasonFilter || null,
-          error: errorToMeta(retryError)
+          failureCode: firstPassFailureCode
         });
+      } else {
+        logger.warn('tmdb:series-search:empty:first-pass', {
+          query: normalizedQuery,
+          seasonNumber: seasonFilter || null
+        });
+        let retryResults = [];
+        try {
+          retryResults = await tmdbService.searchSeriesWithSeasons(normalizedQuery, {
+            language: tmdbLanguage
+          });
+        } catch (retryError) {
+          logger.warn('tmdb:series-search:retry:failed', {
+            query: normalizedQuery,
+            seasonNumber: seasonFilter || null,
+            error: errorToMeta(retryError)
+          });
+        }
+        normalizedResults = applySeasonFilter(retryResults);
       }
-      normalizedResults = applySeasonFilter(retryResults);
     }
 
     if (normalizedResults.length === 0) {
+      const failureCode = tmdbService.readFailureCode(normalizedResults);
       logger.info('tmdb:series-search:done', {
         query: normalizedQuery,
         count: 0,
-        empty: true
+        empty: true,
+        failureCode
       });
       return [];
     }
diff --git a/backend/src/services/tmdbService.js b/backend/src/services/tmdbService.js
index bfb9b90..bb7db70 100644
--- a/backend/src/services/tmdbService.js
+++ b/backend/src/services/tmdbService.js
@@ -5,9 +5,58 @@ const logger = require('./logger').child('TMDB');
 
 const TMDB_BASE_URL = 'https://api.themoviedb.org/3';
 const TMDB_IMAGE_BASE_URL = 'https://image.tmdb.org/t/p';
-const TMDB_TIMEOUT_MS = 10000;
+const TMDB_TIMEOUT_MS = 15000;
 
 class TmdbService {
+  isAbortError(error) {
+    const name = String(error?.name || '').trim().toLowerCase();
+    const message = String(error?.message || '').trim().toLowerCase();
+    return name === 'aborterror' || message.includes('aborted');
+  }
+
+  classifyRequestError(error) {
+    if (this.isAbortError(error)) {
+      return 'timeout';
+    }
+    const statusCode = Number(error?.statusCode || 0) || null;
+    if (statusCode === 401 || statusCode === 403) {
+      return 'auth';
+    }
+    if (statusCode >= 500) {
+      return 'upstream';
+    }
+    if (statusCode >= 400) {
+      return 'request_failed';
+    }
+    return 'network';
+  }
+
+  readFailureCode(rows) {
+    const value = rows && typeof rows.tmdbFailureCode === 'string'
+      ? rows.tmdbFailureCode
+      : '';
+    const normalized = String(value || '').trim().toLowerCase();
+    return normalized || null;
+  }
+
+  attachFailureCode(rows, failureCode = null) {
+    const output = Array.isArray(rows) ? rows : [];
+    const normalized = String(failureCode || '').trim().toLowerCase();
+    if (!normalized) {
+      return output;
+    }
+    try {
+      Object.defineProperty(output, 'tmdbFailureCode', {
+        value: normalized,
+        enumerable: false,
+        configurable: true
+      });
+    } catch (_error) {
+      output.tmdbFailureCode = normalized;
+    }
+    return output;
+  }
+
   normalizeNameList(values = [], options = {}) {
     const maxItems = Math.max(1, Number(options.maxItems || 10));
     const source = Array.isArray(values) ? values : [];
@@ -130,24 +179,30 @@ class TmdbService {
     }
     const language = await this.resolveLanguage(options.language);
 
-    const data = await this.request('/search/tv', {
-      query: {
-        query: normalizedQuery,
-        first_air_date_year: options.year || undefined,
-        language,
-        page: options.page || 1,
-        include_adult: false
-      }
-    }).catch((error) => {
+    let data = null;
+    try {
+      data = await this.request('/search/tv', {
+        query: {
+          query: normalizedQuery,
+          first_air_date_year: options.year || undefined,
+          language,
+          page: options.page || 1,
+          include_adult: false
+        }
+      });
+    } catch (error) {
+      const failureCode = this.classifyRequestError(error);
       logger.warn('search:failed', {
         query: normalizedQuery,
-        error: error?.message || String(error)
+        error: error?.message || String(error),
+        failureCode,
+        statusCode: Number(error?.statusCode || 0) || null
       });
-      return null;
-    });
+      return this.attachFailureCode([], failureCode);
+    }
 
     const rows = Array.isArray(data?.results) ? data.results : [];
-    return rows
+    const normalizedRows = rows
       .map((row) => ({
         id: Number(row?.id || 0) || null,
         title: String(row?.name || row?.original_name || '').trim() || null,
@@ -162,6 +217,7 @@ class TmdbService {
         popularity: Number(row?.popularity || 0) || 0
       }))
       .filter((row) => row.id && row.title);
+    return this.attachFailureCode(normalizedRows, null);
   }
 
   async getSeriesDetails(seriesId, options = {}) {
@@ -366,8 +422,9 @@ class TmdbService {
 
   async searchSeriesWithSeasons(query, options = {}) {
     const candidates = await this.searchSeries(query, options);
+    const failureCode = this.readFailureCode(candidates);
     if (candidates.length === 0) {
-      return [];
+      return this.attachFailureCode([], failureCode);
     }
 
     const limit = Math.max(1, Math.min(10, Number(options.limit || 5)));
@@ -387,7 +444,8 @@ class TmdbService {
       }));
     }));
 
-    return expanded.flat().filter((item) => item?.tmdbId && item?.title);
+    const normalized = expanded.flat().filter((item) => item?.tmdbId && item?.title);
+    return this.attachFailureCode(normalized, failureCode);
   }
 
   async searchSeriesWithSeason(query, seasonNumber, options = {}) {
@@ -397,8 +455,9 @@ class TmdbService {
     }
 
     const candidates = await this.searchSeries(query, options);
+    const failureCode = this.readFailureCode(candidates);
     if (candidates.length === 0) {
-      return [];
+      return this.attachFailureCode([], failureCode);
     }
 
     const limit = Math.max(1, Math.min(10, Number(options.limit || 5)));
@@ -417,11 +476,12 @@ class TmdbService {
       };
     }));
 
-    return withSeasons
+    const normalized = withSeasons
       .filter((candidate) => candidate.season && candidate.season.episodeCount > 0)
       .map((candidate) => this.buildSeriesMetadataCandidate(candidate, {
         seasonNumber: normalizedSeason
       }));
+    return this.attachFailureCode(normalized, failureCode);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/frontend/package-lock.json b/frontend/package-lock.json
index cb77d86..994030a 100644
--- a/frontend/package-lock.json
+++ b/frontend/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "ripster-frontend",
-  "version": "0.14.0-2",
+  "version": "0.14.0-3",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "ripster-frontend",
-      "version": "0.14.0-2",
+      "version": "0.14.0-3",
       "dependencies": {
         "primeicons": "^7.0.0",
         "primereact": "^10.9.2",
diff --git a/frontend/package.json b/frontend/package.json
index abc614e..aa26075 100644
--- a/frontend/package.json
+++ b/frontend/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "ripster-frontend",
-  "version": "0.14.0-2",
+  "version": "0.14.0-3",
   "private": true,
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index e8523b1..6c6ad29 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "ripster",
-  "version": "0.14.0-2",
+  "version": "0.14.0-3",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "ripster",
-      "version": "0.14.0-2",
+      "version": "0.14.0-3",
       "devDependencies": {
         "concurrently": "^9.1.2"
       }
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 79f4c09..46a5f31 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "ripster",
   "private": true,
-  "version": "0.14.0-2",
+  "version": "0.14.0-3",
   "scripts": {
     "dev": "concurrently \"npm run dev --prefix backend\" \"npm run dev --prefix frontend\"",
     "dev:backend": "npm run dev --prefix backend",