diff --git a/frontend/src/components/UpNextCard.dom.test.tsx b/frontend/src/components/UpNextCard.dom.test.tsx
index fe4912b1..0de4ed02 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/UpNextCard.dom.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/UpNextCard.dom.test.tsx
@@ -81,7 +81,9 @@ describe("UpNextCard", () => {
     expect(onAdvance).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
-  it("an episode heading falls back to S?·E? when season/episode are null", async () => {
+  // An episode Plex has no number for (a special) is named by its title alone everywhere — a "?"
+  // told the viewer nothing, and the player's own header already shows the title alone.
+  it("an episode heading drops the numbers when Plex has none for it", async () => {
     (api.plexItem as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mockResolvedValue({
       id: "e7",
       kind: "episode",
@@ -91,6 +93,8 @@ describe("UpNextCard", () => {
       episode_number: null,
     });
     renderCard();
-    expect(await screen.findByText("Westworld · S?·E?")).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(await screen.findByText("Westworld")).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.getByText("The Adversary")).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/\?/)).toBeNull();
   });
 });
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/UpNextCard.tsx b/frontend/src/components/UpNextCard.tsx
index 72d15ece..9e03daa1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/UpNextCard.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/UpNextCard.tsx
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { api } from "../lib/api";
 import { plexLang } from "../i18n";
 import { qk } from "../lib/queryKeys";
 import { cardImage } from "../lib/plexImage";
+import { episodeNumbers } from "../lib/plexDetail";
 import { Button } from "./ui/Button";
 import { IconButton } from "./ui/IconButton";
 
@@ -55,10 +56,14 @@ export function UpNextCard({
   const R = 10;
   const C = 2 * Math.PI * R;
 
-  // Title: "Show · S2·E5" over the episode title for episodes; the plain title for movies/queue items.
+  // Title: "Show · S2·E5" over the episode title for episodes (the show alone when Plex has no
+  // number for the episode); the plain title for movies/queue items.
+  const nums = next ? episodeNumbers(next) : null;
   const heading =
     next?.kind === "episode" && next.show_title
-      ? `${next.show_title} · S${next.season_number ?? "?"}·E${next.episode_number ?? "?"}`
+      ? nums
+        ? `${next.show_title} · S${nums.season}·E${nums.episode}`
+        : next.show_title
       : (next?.title ?? "");
   const sub = next?.kind === "episode" ? next.title : null;
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/plexCards.dom.test.tsx b/frontend/src/components/plexCards.dom.test.tsx
index 6f508f8c..cd7b6df7 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/plexCards.dom.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/plexCards.dom.test.tsx
@@ -11,7 +11,11 @@ vi.mock("react-i18next", async (importOriginal) => {
   const actual = await importOriginal<typeof import("react-i18next")>();
   return {
     ...actual,
-    useTranslation: () => ({ i18n: { language: "en" }, t: (key: string) => key }),
+    // The key, and the episode a "next" line names after a colon (`{ name }`).
+    useTranslation: () => ({
+      i18n: { language: "en" },
+      t: (key: string, o?: { name?: string }) => (o?.name ? `${key}:${o.name}` : key),
+    }),
   };
 });
 
@@ -155,8 +159,8 @@ describe("PlexPosterCard with a next episode", () => {
       />,
     );
     expect(playGlyph(container)).not.toBeNull();
-    expect(screen.getByText("plex.nextUp")).toBeTruthy();
-    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "plex.markNextWatched" }));
+    expect(screen.getByText("plex.nextUp:S6·E16")).toBeTruthy();
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "plex.markNextWatched:S6·E16" }));
     expect(onToggleWatched).toHaveBeenCalledWith(next);
     // The episode's own add ("Add episode"), not the show's.
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "plex.playlist.addEpisode" }));
@@ -370,6 +374,34 @@ describe("PlexPosterCard on a shelf", () => {
   });
 });
 
+// An episode Plex has no number for (a special) is named by its title alone, as the player's own
+// header names it — the cards printed a question mark where the number was missing.
+describe("an episode card with no number for the episode", () => {
+  const special: PlexCard = {
+    ...episode(),
+    title: "The Special",
+    show_id: "sh",
+    show_title: "Show",
+    season_number: 0,
+    episode_number: null,
+  };
+
+  it("names a show's episode by its title alone", () => {
+    render(<PlexPosterCard card={special} onOpen={vi.fn()} />);
+    expect(screen.queryByText("plex.episodeLine")).toBeNull();
+    expect(screen.getByText("The Special")).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+
+  it("names the next episode by its title alone", () => {
+    const show: PlexCard = { id: "sh", type: "show", title: "Show", thumb: "", season_count: 6 };
+    render(
+      <PlexPosterCard card={show} next={special} onOpen={vi.fn()} onToggleWatched={vi.fn()} />,
+    );
+    expect(screen.getByText("plex.nextUp:The Special")).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "plex.markNextWatched:The Special" })).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+});
+
 // A card fetched the detail page's 400px poster for its ~144px picture. It offers the
 // proxy's small cut too and lets the browser pick by its width.
 describe("a Plex card's picture", () => {
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/plexCards.tsx b/frontend/src/components/plexCards.tsx
index 8ab9c281..8fdfaeb5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/plexCards.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/plexCards.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { type ReactNode, useRef } from "react";
 import { formatDecimal, formatRuntime } from "../lib/format";
 import { Carousel } from "./ui/Carousel";
 import type { PlexCard, PlexCastMember, PlexFilters, PlexSeasonDetail } from "../lib/api";
-import { seasonTitle } from "../lib/plexDetail";
+import { episodeName, episodeNumbers, seasonTitle } from "../lib/plexDetail";
 import { navItemAttrs } from "../lib/listNav";
 import { endsTextSelection, movedPastSlop } from "../lib/textSelection";
 import { plexAddLabelKey, plexStarted } from "./usePlexCardActions";
@@ -318,7 +318,8 @@ export function PlexPosterCard({
   const m = more(card, menuButtonProps, menuOpen);
   const toggle = isPlayable && onToggleWatched ? () => onToggleWatched(acted) : undefined;
   const add = isPlayable && onAdd ? () => onAdd(acted) : undefined;
-  const epCode = ep && { season: ep.season_number ?? "?", episode: ep.episode_number ?? "?" };
+  // The next episode by name: its numbers, or its title when Plex has none for it.
+  const nextName = ep && episodeName(ep);
   // A show has no length: its corner says how many seasons it has instead, so the corner alone tells
   // a movie from a show (the film/TV glyph it replaces said the same thing a second time).
   const corner =
@@ -361,8 +362,10 @@ export function PlexPosterCard({
               <HoverBar
                 watched={actedWatched}
                 watchedLabel={
-                  epCode
-                    ? t(actedWatched ? "plex.markNextUnwatched" : "plex.markNextWatched", epCode)
+                  nextName
+                    ? t(actedWatched ? "plex.markNextUnwatched" : "plex.markNextWatched", {
+                        name: nextName,
+                      })
                     : actedWatched
                       ? t("plex.markUnwatched")
                       : t("plex.markWatched")
@@ -389,14 +392,14 @@ export function PlexPosterCard({
         meta={
           asShow ? (
             <div className="truncate text-xs leading-6 text-muted">
-              {t("plex.episodeLine", {
-                season: card.season_number ?? "?",
-                episode: card.episode_number ?? "?",
-                title: card.title,
-              })}
+              {episodeNumbers(card)
+                ? t("plex.episodeLine", { ...episodeNumbers(card)!, title: card.title })
+                : card.title}
+            </div>
+          ) : nextName ? (
+            <div className="truncate text-xs leading-6 text-muted">
+              {t("plex.nextUp", { name: nextName })}
             </div>
-          ) : epCode ? (
-            <div className="truncate text-xs leading-6 text-muted">{t("plex.nextUp", epCode)}</div>
           ) : (
             (!!card.year || card.rating != null) && (
               <div className="flex items-center gap-1.5 text-xs leading-6 text-muted">
@@ -741,8 +744,8 @@ export function EpisodeCard({
         ep.show_title && (
           <div className="truncate text-xs text-muted">
             {ep.show_title}
-            {ep.season_number != null && ep.episode_number != null
-              ? ` · S${ep.season_number}·E${ep.episode_number}`
+            {episodeNumbers(ep)
+              ? ` · S${episodeNumbers(ep)!.season}·E${episodeNumbers(ep)!.episode}`
               : ""}
           </div>
         )
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/plex.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/plex.json
index 721b4ac9..81a520f1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/plex.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/plex.json
@@ -121,9 +121,9 @@
   "menu": "Media",
   "markWatched": "Mark watched",
   "markUnwatched": "Mark unwatched",
-  "markNextWatched": "Mark S{{season}}·E{{episode}} watched",
-  "markNextUnwatched": "Mark S{{season}}·E{{episode}} unwatched",
-  "nextUp": "Next: S{{season}}·E{{episode}}",
+  "markNextWatched": "Mark {{name}} watched",
+  "markNextUnwatched": "Mark {{name}} unwatched",
+  "nextUp": "Next: {{name}}",
   "episodeLine": "S{{season}}·E{{episode}} · {{title}}",
   "seasonTitle": "Season {{n}}",
   "specials": "Specials",
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/plex.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/plex.json
index eeb79d5f..d6a081e4 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/plex.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/plex.json
@@ -121,9 +121,9 @@
   "menu": "Média",
   "markWatched": "Megnézettnek jelöl",
   "markUnwatched": "Nem-nézettnek jelöl",
-  "markNextWatched": "S{{season}}·E{{episode}} megnézettnek jelöl",
-  "markNextUnwatched": "S{{season}}·E{{episode}} nem-nézettnek jelöl",
-  "nextUp": "Következik: S{{season}}·E{{episode}}",
+  "markNextWatched": "{{name}} megnézettnek jelöl",
+  "markNextUnwatched": "{{name}} nem-nézettnek jelöl",
+  "nextUp": "Következik: {{name}}",
   "episodeLine": "S{{season}}·E{{episode}} · {{title}}",
   "seasonTitle": "{{n}}. évad",
   "specials": "Különkiadások",
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/plexDetail.ts b/frontend/src/lib/plexDetail.ts
index 002e068a..3e6cac85 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/plexDetail.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/plexDetail.ts
@@ -205,20 +205,31 @@ export function useCrossfadeBackdrop(
 // Series detail pages (show + season subpage): the S·E label under a resume/next-up episode.
 export function epLabel(ep?: PlexCard | null): string | undefined {
   if (!ep) return undefined;
-  if (ep.season_number != null && ep.episode_number != null)
-    return `S${ep.season_number} · E${ep.episode_number}`;
-  return ep.title;
+  const n = episodeNumbers(ep);
+  return n ? `S${n.season} · E${n.episode}` : ep.title;
 }
 
-/** An episode's line under its show's name: "S1·E4 — Title" — or the title alone when Plex has no
- *  number for it (a special): a template literal printed the missing one as "Enull", JSX as "E". */
-export function episodeLine(ep: {
-  season_number?: number | null;
-  episode_number?: number | null;
-  title: string;
-}): string {
-  if (ep.season_number == null || ep.episode_number == null) return ep.title;
-  return `S${ep.season_number}·E${ep.episode_number} — ${ep.title}`;
+type Numbered = { season_number?: number | null; episode_number?: number | null };
+
+/** An episode's season and episode number, or null when Plex has no number for one of them (a
+ *  special). Every place that names an episode asks this, so a numberless one is named by its title
+ *  alone everywhere: a template literal printed the missing number as "Enull", JSX as "E", and a
+ *  `?? "?"` as "E?", which told the viewer nothing. */
+export function episodeNumbers(ep: Numbered): { season: number; episode: number } | null {
+  if (ep.season_number == null || ep.episode_number == null) return null;
+  return { season: ep.season_number, episode: ep.episode_number };
+}
+
+/** An episode named in a line of its own ("Next: …", "Mark … watched"): "S1·E4", or its title. */
+export function episodeName(ep: Numbered & { title: string }): string {
+  const n = episodeNumbers(ep);
+  return n ? `S${n.season}·E${n.episode}` : ep.title;
+}
+
+/** An episode's line under its show's name: "S1·E4 — Title", or the title alone (see above). */
+export function episodeLine(ep: Numbered & { title: string }): string {
+  const n = episodeNumbers(ep);
+  return n ? `S${n.season}·E${n.episode} — ${ep.title}` : ep.title;
 }
 
 // Plex names seasons in the library's language ("Season 1", "Specials"), so a Hungarian reader got