diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index f8aef848f..49b0752c7 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -650,7 +650,7 @@ This project uses modern Angular signal-based APIs and patterns. **ALWAYS** use
 **TMDB Metadata Enrichment** (opt-in):
 
 - Enriches Xtream and Stalker VOD/series detail views with TMDB data (plot, cast with avatar chips, director, genres, rating, artwork, YouTube trailers) via a field-level merge — the provider stays authoritative for stream data and any field TMDB can't fill; Cyrillic titles are searched with `ru-RU` so exact-title matching works
-- "Similar" rail in Xtream detail views: TMDB recommendations matched against the provider catalog by normalized title (`libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/tmdb-similar.util.ts`); detail components re-initialize on route param changes since the router reuses them for detail→detail navigation
+- "Similar" rail in Xtream detail views: TMDB recommendations matched against the provider catalog by normalized title, two-tier — exact form first, year-stripped fallback gated on year compatibility (`libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/tmdb-similar.util.ts`, `normalizeTitleKeys`); detail components re-initialize on route param changes since the router reuses them for detail→detail navigation
 - Season/episode enrichment: opening a season lazily fetches `/tv/{id}/season/{n}` and overlays real episode names, overviews and stills via `mergeEpisodesWithTmdb` (Xtream: `XtreamStore.enrichSelectedSerialSeason`; Stalker: overlay in the series view's `mappedSeasons`)
 - Actor pages: cast avatar chips are clickable (TMDB person id) and open `actor/:personId` inside the current portal — TMDB person bio + full filmography; Xtream matches titles against the loaded catalog (direct navigation), unmatched titles and all Stalker titles open the portal search prefilled (`?q=`); shared UI in `libs/ui/shared-portals` (`ActorViewComponent`)
 - Actor page "All portals" scope (Electron only): batched `DB_MATCH_TITLES` worker op (trigram FTS over all imported Xtream playlists, `apps/electron-backend/src/app/database/operations/title-match.operations.ts`); `normalizeTitle` is shared renderer/worker via `libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/title-normalization.util.ts`
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/api/main.preload.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/api/main.preload.ts
index 5692a6a07..743220410 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/api/main.preload.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/api/main.preload.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ import type {
     ResolvedPortalPlayback,
     Settings,
     TmdbCacheEntry,
-    TmdbMediaType,
+    TmdbCacheMediaType,
     XtreamCategory,
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 import {
@@ -759,7 +759,7 @@ const electronApi: ElectronBridgeApi = {
         ipcRenderer.invoke('DB_SET_APP_STATE', key, value),
     // TMDB metadata cache
     dbGetTmdbMetadata: (
-        mediaType: TmdbMediaType,
+        mediaType: TmdbCacheMediaType,
         lookupKey: string,
         language: string
     ) =>
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/database/operations/title-match.operations.spec.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/database/operations/title-match.operations.spec.ts
index 4dbf1340f..dc7988664 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/database/operations/title-match.operations.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/database/operations/title-match.operations.spec.ts
@@ -32,10 +32,44 @@ describe('title-match.operations', () => {
                 categoryId: 7,
                 xtreamId: 42,
                 type: 'movie',
+                trailingYear: null,
             },
         ]);
     });
 
+    it('reports the stripped year tag for base-tier matches', async () => {
+        const { db } = createDbMock([
+            [{ ...matrixRow, title: 'The Matrix 1999' }],
+        ]);
+
+        const matches = await matchTitles(db, ['The Matrix']);
+        expect(matches).toHaveLength(1);
+        expect(matches[0].trailingYear).toBe(1999);
+    });
+
+    it('keeps title-years intact on the exact tier', async () => {
+        const { db } = createDbMock([
+            [{ ...matrixRow, title: 'Blade Runner 2049' }],
+        ]);
+
+        // Exact-tier: the query itself carries the year as part of the title
+        const exact = await matchTitles(db, ['Blade Runner 2049']);
+        expect(exact).toHaveLength(1);
+        expect(exact[0].trailingYear).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it('flags "Blade Runner" matching "Blade Runner 2049" with the year tag', async () => {
+        const { db } = createDbMock([
+            [{ ...matrixRow, title: 'Blade Runner 2049' }],
+        ]);
+
+        // Base-tier hit: the renderer must reject it via the 2049/1982
+        // year incompatibility (trailingYear is surfaced for exactly that)
+        const matches = await matchTitles(db, ['Blade Runner']);
+        expect(matches).toHaveLength(1);
+        expect(matches[0].trailingYear).toBe(2049);
+    });
+
     it('drops FTS candidates whose normalized title differs', async () => {
         const { db } = createDbMock([
             [{ ...matrixRow, title: 'The Matrix Reloaded' }],
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/database/operations/title-match.operations.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/database/operations/title-match.operations.ts
index 7c3937692..f3f5e4c75 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/database/operations/title-match.operations.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/database/operations/title-match.operations.ts
@@ -1,16 +1,18 @@
 import { sql } from 'drizzle-orm';
 import {
     CatalogTitleMatch,
-    normalizeTitle,
+    normalizeTitleKeys,
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 import type { AppDatabase } from '../database.types';
 
 /**
  * Batched cross-playlist title matching for the actor page's "All portals"
  * scope. For every requested title one trigram-FTS lookup runs against
- * `content_title_fts`; candidates count as matches only when their
- * normalized title equals the normalized query — the same confidence rule
- * the renderer uses for portal-scoped matching.
+ * `content_title_fts`. Confirmation is two-tier, mirroring the renderer's
+ * portal-scoped matching: the query (a canonical TMDB title) must equal
+ * either the candidate's exact normalized title, or its year-stripped form
+ * — in which case the stripped year tag is returned so the renderer can
+ * reject year-incompatible matches.
  */
 
 const MAX_TITLES_PER_REQUEST = 200;
@@ -49,7 +51,8 @@ export async function matchTitles(
     const matches: CatalogTitleMatch[] = [];
 
     for (const queryTitle of uniqueTitles) {
-        const wanted = normalizeTitle(queryTitle);
+        // TMDB titles are canonical — a trailing year is part of the title
+        const wanted = normalizeTitleKeys(queryTitle).exact;
         const matchQuery = buildFtsMatchQuery(wanted);
         if (!wanted || !matchQuery) {
             continue;
@@ -81,7 +84,13 @@ export async function matchTitles(
         }
 
         for (const row of rows) {
-            if (normalizeTitle(row.title) !== wanted) {
+            const rowKeys = normalizeTitleKeys(row.title);
+            const exactMatch = rowKeys.exact === wanted;
+            const baseMatch =
+                !exactMatch &&
+                rowKeys.base !== rowKeys.exact &&
+                rowKeys.base === wanted;
+            if (!exactMatch && !baseMatch) {
                 continue;
             }
             matches.push({
@@ -91,6 +100,7 @@ export async function matchTitles(
                 categoryId: row.category_xtream_id,
                 xtreamId: row.xtream_id,
                 type: row.type,
+                trailingYear: exactMatch ? null : rowKeys.trailingYear,
             });
         }
     }
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/database/operations/tmdb.operations.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/database/operations/tmdb.operations.ts
index ab3e7ffee..75fc67865 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/database/operations/tmdb.operations.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/database/operations/tmdb.operations.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 import { and, eq } from 'drizzle-orm';
 import * as schema from '@iptvnator/shared/database/schema';
-import type { TmdbCacheEntry, TmdbMediaType } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
+import type { TmdbCacheEntry, TmdbCacheMediaType } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 import type { AppDatabase } from '../database.types';
 
 export async function getTmdbMetadata(
     db: AppDatabase,
-    mediaType: TmdbMediaType,
+    mediaType: TmdbCacheMediaType,
     lookupKey: string,
     language: string
 ): Promise<TmdbCacheEntry | null> {
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/tmdb.events.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/tmdb.events.ts
index 7beda920b..19b6b84da 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/tmdb.events.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/tmdb.events.ts
@@ -3,12 +3,12 @@
  * Persists TMDB API responses so detail-view enrichment stays offline-fast
  */
 
-import type { TmdbCacheEntry, TmdbMediaType } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
+import type { TmdbCacheEntry, TmdbCacheMediaType } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 import { handleWorkerRequest } from './worker-events.utils';
 
 handleWorkerRequest(
     'DB_GET_TMDB_METADATA',
-    (mediaType: TmdbMediaType, lookupKey: string, language: string) => ({
+    (mediaType: TmdbCacheMediaType, lookupKey: string, language: string) => ({
         mediaType,
         lookupKey,
         language,
diff --git a/docs/architecture/tmdb-metadata-enrichment.md b/docs/architecture/tmdb-metadata-enrichment.md
index 621e5da79..959086578 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/tmdb-metadata-enrichment.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/tmdb-metadata-enrichment.md
@@ -112,7 +112,12 @@ trailer (official trailer > trailer > teaser, merged into
 `youtube_trailer` / `tmdb_trailer`); recommendations power the "Similar"
 rail. In Xtream detail views the rail shows only recommendations that
 match the provider catalog by normalized title
-(`libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/tmdb-similar.util.ts`) and navigates
+(`libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/tmdb-similar.util.ts`). Matching is
+two-tier (`normalizeTitleKeys`): exact normalized titles compare first
+(a trailing year in a TMDB title is part of the title — "Blade Runner
+2049"); the provider's year-stripped form only counts when its stripped
+year tag is compatible (±1) with the TMDB year, so "Blade Runner" (1982)
+never claims a catalog "Blade Runner 2049". The rail navigates
 to the matched item — the detail components re-initialize on route param
 changes (reactive `routeParams` signal) because the router reuses the
 component for detail→detail navigation. Stalker gets trailers and the
@@ -150,8 +155,7 @@ Cast chips carry the TMDB person id (`tmdbPersonId` on
 `TmdbEnrichedCastMember`) and navigate to `actor/:personId` inside the
 current portal. The page loads `/person/{id}?append_to_response=
 combined_credits` via `TmdbEnrichmentService.getPersonDetails` (cached
-under `person:{id}`; the table's media_type CHECK only allows movie/tv, so
-person rows reuse `movie` as a namespace) and renders the shared
+under `person:{id}` with media_type `person`) and renders the shared
 `ActorViewComponent` (`libs/ui/shared-portals`).
 
 Filmography has two scopes:
@@ -166,7 +170,7 @@ Filmography has two scopes:
   `DB_MATCH_TITLES` worker request runs a trigram-FTS lookup per title
   over ALL imported Xtream playlists
   (`operations/title-match.operations.ts`), confirming candidates with
-  the same normalized-title equality the renderer uses
+  the same two-tier normalized-title matching the renderer uses
   (`normalizeTitle` now lives in `@iptvnator/shared/interfaces` so the
   worker and the renderer share it). Matches carry the playlist name
   (shown in the badge) and navigate into that playlist's detail view.
@@ -179,9 +183,10 @@ Single table with two row kinds discriminated by `lookup_key` prefix:
 
 ```
 tmdb_metadata (
-  media_type  'movie' | 'tv',
+  media_type  'movie' | 'tv' | 'person',
   lookup_key  'id:<tmdbId>'                  -- details payload row
               'title:<normalized>|year:<y>'  -- search resolution row
+              'person:<personId>'            -- person payload row
   language    TEXT,       -- TMDB language code
   tmdb_id     INTEGER,    -- NULL on a search row = negative cache
   payload     TEXT,       -- raw JSON details, NULL for search rows
diff --git a/libs/portal/stalker/data-access/src/lib/stores/stalker-tmdb-enrichment.ts b/libs/portal/stalker/data-access/src/lib/stores/stalker-tmdb-enrichment.ts
index c965c21d2..fb6c5c4fe 100644
--- a/libs/portal/stalker/data-access/src/lib/stores/stalker-tmdb-enrichment.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/stalker/data-access/src/lib/stores/stalker-tmdb-enrichment.ts
@@ -84,8 +84,13 @@ export async function enrichStalkerSelectionWithTmdb(
         return;
     }
 
-    applyEnrichedItem({
-        ...current,
-        info: mergeStalkerInfoWithTmdb(currentInfo, details, mediaType),
-    });
+    try {
+        applyEnrichedItem({
+            ...current,
+            info: mergeStalkerInfoWithTmdb(currentInfo, details, mediaType),
+        });
+    } catch (error) {
+        // Never degrade provider data over a malformed payload shape
+        console.warn('[TMDB] Stalker merge failed:', error);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/libs/portal/stalker/feature/src/lib/stalker-actor-route.component.ts b/libs/portal/stalker/feature/src/lib/stalker-actor-route.component.ts
index 979364bac..0ccf45eeb 100644
--- a/libs/portal/stalker/feature/src/lib/stalker-actor-route.component.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/stalker/feature/src/lib/stalker-actor-route.component.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@ import {
 } from '@iptvnator/services';
 import {
     CatalogTitleMatch,
-    normalizeTitle,
+    normalizeTitleKeys,
+    titleYearsCompatible,
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 import {
     ActorViewComponent,
@@ -155,19 +156,29 @@ export class StalkerActorRouteComponent {
         credit: ActorFilmographyCredit
     ): CatalogTitleMatch | null {
         const type = credit.mediaType === 'movie' ? 'movie' : 'series';
-        return (
-            this.globalIndex().get(`${type}:${normalizeTitle(credit.title)}`) ??
-            null
-        );
+        const key = `${type}:${normalizeTitleKeys(credit.title).exact}`;
+        const match = this.globalIndex().get(key) ?? null;
+        return match &&
+            titleYearsCompatible(credit.year, match.trailingYear)
+            ? match
+            : null;
     }
 
     private async loadGlobalMatches(): Promise<void> {
+        // Guard against actor→actor navigation: a slow match for the
+        // previous person must not overwrite the current one's results
+        const requestedPersonId = this.personId();
         const titles = this.filmography().map((credit) => credit.title);
         this.isMatchingGlobal.set(true);
         try {
-            this.globalMatches.set(await this.titleMatch.matchTitles(titles));
+            const matches = await this.titleMatch.matchTitles(titles);
+            if (this.personId() === requestedPersonId) {
+                this.globalMatches.set(matches);
+            }
         } finally {
-            this.isMatchingGlobal.set(false);
+            if (this.personId() === requestedPersonId) {
+                this.isMatchingGlobal.set(false);
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/libs/portal/stalker/feature/src/lib/stalker-search/stalker-search.component.ts b/libs/portal/stalker/feature/src/lib/stalker-search/stalker-search.component.ts
index 5b0d6c4cf..5cbdf6b74 100644
--- a/libs/portal/stalker/feature/src/lib/stalker-search/stalker-search.component.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/stalker/feature/src/lib/stalker-search/stalker-search.component.ts
@@ -300,21 +300,28 @@ export class StalkerSearchComponent {
 
     selectItem(item: StalkerVodSource) {
         this.closeInlinePlayer();
+        const filterType = this.selectedFilterType();
         const hasEmbeddedSeries = (item.series?.length ?? 0) > 0;
         const needsSeriesFetch =
-            this.selectedFilterType() === 'vod' &&
+            filterType === 'vod' &&
             !hasEmbeddedSeries &&
             isStalkerSeriesFlag(item.is_series);
 
+        // The setSelectedItem hook gates TMDB enrichment on the CURRENT
+        // content type — it must be up to date before the item is set,
+        // otherwise the type of the previously open tab leaks in.
+        if (filterType === 'vod' || filterType === 'series') {
+            this.stalkerStore.setSelectedContentType(filterType);
+        }
+
         this.itemDetails.set(
             buildStalkerSelectedVodItem(item, needsSeriesFetch)
         );
 
         this.stalkerStore.setSelectedItem(this.itemDetails());
 
-        switch (this.selectedFilterType()) {
+        switch (filterType) {
             case 'vod':
-                this.stalkerStore.setSelectedContentType('vod');
                 if (!hasEmbeddedSeries && !needsSeriesFetch) {
                     const detailViewState = createStalkerDetailViewState(
                         this.itemDetails()!,
@@ -334,9 +341,6 @@ export class StalkerSearchComponent {
                     this.selectedVodPosition.set(null);
                 }
                 break;
-            case 'series':
-                this.stalkerStore.setSelectedContentType('series');
-                break;
             default:
                 break;
         }
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-tmdb-enrichment.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-tmdb-enrichment.ts
index 5852f682d..79bc4de43 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-tmdb-enrichment.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-tmdb-enrichment.ts
@@ -70,10 +70,15 @@ export async function enrichVodSelectionWithTmdb<TItem extends SelectionRecord>(
         return;
     }
 
-    store.setSelectedItem({
-        ...current,
-        info: mergeVodInfoWithTmdb(currentInfo, details),
-    } as unknown as TItem);
+    try {
+        store.setSelectedItem({
+            ...current,
+            info: mergeVodInfoWithTmdb(currentInfo, details),
+        } as unknown as TItem);
+    } catch (error) {
+        // Never degrade provider data over a malformed payload shape
+        console.warn('[TMDB] VOD merge failed:', error);
+    }
 }
 
 export async function enrichSerialSelectionWithTmdb<
@@ -114,10 +119,14 @@ export async function enrichSerialSelectionWithTmdb<
         return;
     }
 
-    store.setSelectedItem({
-        ...current,
-        info: mergeSerieInfoWithTmdb(currentInfo, details),
-    } as unknown as TItem);
+    try {
+        store.setSelectedItem({
+            ...current,
+            info: mergeSerieInfoWithTmdb(currentInfo, details),
+        } as unknown as TItem);
+    } catch (error) {
+        console.warn('[TMDB] series merge failed:', error);
+    }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -178,11 +187,18 @@ export async function enrichSerialSeasonWithTmdb<
         return;
     }
 
-    store.setSelectedItem({
-        ...current,
-        episodes: {
-            ...current.episodes,
-            [seasonKey]: mergeEpisodesWithTmdb(currentEpisodes, tmdbEpisodes),
-        },
-    } as unknown as TItem);
+    try {
+        store.setSelectedItem({
+            ...current,
+            episodes: {
+                ...current.episodes,
+                [seasonKey]: mergeEpisodesWithTmdb(
+                    currentEpisodes,
+                    tmdbEpisodes
+                ),
+            },
+        } as unknown as TItem);
+    } catch (error) {
+        console.warn('[TMDB] season merge failed:', error);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/actor/xtream-actor-route.component.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/actor/xtream-actor-route.component.ts
index 6783ec0ac..84c6fd211 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/actor/xtream-actor-route.component.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/actor/xtream-actor-route.component.ts
@@ -21,14 +21,18 @@ import {
 } from '@iptvnator/services';
 import {
     CatalogTitleMatch,
-    normalizeTitle,
+    normalizeTitleKeys,
+    titleYearsCompatible,
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 import {
     ActorViewComponent,
     ActorViewItem,
     ActorViewScope,
 } from '@iptvnator/ui/shared-portals';
-import { buildCatalogTitleIndex } from '../tmdb-similar.util';
+import {
+    buildCatalogTitleIndex,
+    lookupCatalogTitle,
+} from '../tmdb-similar.util';
 
 /**
  * Actor page inside an Xtream portal: TMDB person + full filmography.
@@ -173,26 +177,36 @@ export class XtreamActorRouteComponent {
     private portalMatchFor(credit: ActorFilmographyCredit) {
         const index =
             credit.mediaType === 'movie' ? this.vodIndex() : this.serialIndex();
-        return index.get(normalizeTitle(credit.title)) ?? null;
+        return lookupCatalogTitle(index, credit.title, credit.year);
     }
 
     private globalMatchFor(
         credit: ActorFilmographyCredit
     ): CatalogTitleMatch | null {
         const type = credit.mediaType === 'movie' ? 'movie' : 'series';
-        return (
-            this.globalIndex().get(`${type}:${normalizeTitle(credit.title)}`) ??
-            null
-        );
+        const key = `${type}:${normalizeTitleKeys(credit.title).exact}`;
+        const match = this.globalIndex().get(key) ?? null;
+        return match &&
+            titleYearsCompatible(credit.year, match.trailingYear)
+            ? match
+            : null;
     }
 
     private async loadGlobalMatches(): Promise<void> {
+        // Guard against actor→actor navigation: a slow match for the
+        // previous person must not overwrite the current one's results
+        const requestedPersonId = this.personId();
         const titles = this.filmography().map((credit) => credit.title);
         this.isMatchingGlobal.set(true);
         try {
-            this.globalMatches.set(await this.titleMatch.matchTitles(titles));
+            const matches = await this.titleMatch.matchTitles(titles);
+            if (this.personId() === requestedPersonId) {
+                this.globalMatches.set(matches);
+            }
         } finally {
-            this.isMatchingGlobal.set(false);
+            if (this.personId() === requestedPersonId) {
+                this.isMatchingGlobal.set(false);
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/tmdb-similar.util.spec.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/tmdb-similar.util.spec.ts
index 821ce5161..8f1badc7c 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/tmdb-similar.util.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/tmdb-similar.util.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 import { TmdbRecommendation } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
-import { matchRecommendationsToCatalog } from './tmdb-similar.util';
+import {
+    buildCatalogTitleIndex,
+    lookupCatalogTitle,
+    matchRecommendationsToCatalog,
+} from './tmdb-similar.util';
 
 describe('matchRecommendationsToCatalog', () => {
     const rec = (
@@ -87,3 +91,66 @@ describe('matchRecommendationsToCatalog', () => {
         ).toEqual([]);
     });
 });
+
+describe('two-tier year handling', () => {
+    const rec = (
+        tmdbId: number,
+        title: string,
+        year: number | null = null
+    ): TmdbRecommendation => ({ tmdbId, title, year, posterUrl: null });
+
+    const catalog = [
+        { stream_id: 1, name: 'Blade Runner 2049', category_id: '9' },
+        { stream_id: 2, name: 'The Matrix 1999', category_id: '9' },
+    ];
+
+    it('matches a title-year recommendation on the exact tier', () => {
+        const matched = matchRecommendationsToCatalog(
+            [rec(335984, 'Blade Runner 2049', 2017)],
+            catalog
+        );
+        expect(matched.map((m) => m.id)).toEqual([1]);
+    });
+
+    it('rejects a year-incompatible base-tier match', () => {
+        // "Blade Runner" (1982) must NOT claim the catalog's "Blade Runner 2049"
+        const matched = matchRecommendationsToCatalog(
+            [rec(78, 'Blade Runner', 1982)],
+            catalog
+        );
+        expect(matched).toEqual([]);
+    });
+
+    it('accepts a year-compatible base-tier match', () => {
+        const matched = matchRecommendationsToCatalog(
+            [rec(603, 'The Matrix', 1999)],
+            catalog
+        );
+        expect(matched.map((m) => m.id)).toEqual([2]);
+    });
+});
+
+describe('buildCatalogTitleIndex / lookupCatalogTitle', () => {
+    const index = buildCatalogTitleIndex([
+        { stream_id: 1, name: 'Blade Runner 2049', category_id: '9' },
+        { stream_id: 2, name: 'The Matrix 1999', category_id: '9' },
+        { stream_id: 3, name: 'Heat', category_id: '9' },
+    ]);
+
+    it('resolves exact titles including title-years', () => {
+        expect(lookupCatalogTitle(index, 'Blade Runner 2049', 2017)?.id).toBe(1);
+        expect(lookupCatalogTitle(index, 'Heat', 1995)?.id).toBe(3);
+    });
+
+    it('resolves year-tagged provider titles when years agree', () => {
+        expect(lookupCatalogTitle(index, 'The Matrix', 1999)?.id).toBe(2);
+    });
+
+    it('rejects contradicting years on the stripped tier', () => {
+        expect(lookupCatalogTitle(index, 'Blade Runner', 1982)).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it('is lenient when the credit year is unknown', () => {
+        expect(lookupCatalogTitle(index, 'The Matrix', null)?.id).toBe(2);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/tmdb-similar.util.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/tmdb-similar.util.ts
index 89d055bc8..c18f59e6b 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/tmdb-similar.util.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/tmdb-similar.util.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,18 @@
-import { normalizeTitle } from '@iptvnator/services';
-import { TmdbRecommendation } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
+import {
+    TmdbRecommendation,
+    normalizeTitleKeys,
+    titleYearsCompatible,
+} from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 
 /**
  * Matches TMDB recommendations against the provider catalog so the
- * "Similar" rail only shows titles the user can actually play. Matching is
- * by normalized title (same normalization as the enrichment matcher);
- * recommendations without a catalog hit are dropped.
+ * "Similar" rail only shows titles the user can actually play.
+ *
+ * Matching is two-tier: TMDB titles are canonical (a trailing year is part
+ * of the title — "Blade Runner 2049"), provider titles are dirty (a
+ * trailing year is usually a release tag — "The Matrix 1999"). The exact
+ * normalized forms are compared first; the provider's year-stripped form
+ * only counts when the stripped year does not contradict the TMDB year.
  */
 
 export interface SimilarCatalogItem {
@@ -50,17 +57,28 @@ export interface CatalogMatch {
     categoryId: string;
 }
 
+interface IndexedCatalogEntry extends CatalogMatch {
+    /** Year tag stripped from the provider title (base-tier entries only) */
+    trailingYear: number | null;
+}
+
 /**
- * Normalized-title → catalog entry index for per-title availability checks
- * (actor page filmography). First occurrence of a title wins.
+ * Two-tier catalog index for per-title availability checks (actor page
+ * filmography). First occurrence of a title wins per tier.
  */
+export interface CatalogTitleIndex {
+    exact: Map<string, IndexedCatalogEntry>;
+    base: Map<string, IndexedCatalogEntry>;
+}
+
 export function buildCatalogTitleIndex(
     streams: readonly CatalogStream[]
-): Map<string, CatalogMatch> {
-    const index = new Map<string, CatalogMatch>();
+): CatalogTitleIndex {
+    const exact = new Map<string, IndexedCatalogEntry>();
+    const base = new Map<string, IndexedCatalogEntry>();
     for (const stream of streams) {
-        const key = normalizeTitle(streamTitle(stream));
-        if (!key || index.has(key)) {
+        const keys = normalizeTitleKeys(streamTitle(stream));
+        if (!keys.exact) {
             continue;
         }
         const id = streamId(stream);
@@ -69,9 +87,45 @@ export function buildCatalogTitleIndex(
         if (id === null || categoryId === undefined || categoryId === null) {
             continue;
         }
-        index.set(key, { id, categoryId: String(categoryId) });
+        const entry: IndexedCatalogEntry = {
+            id,
+            categoryId: String(categoryId),
+            trailingYear: keys.trailingYear,
+        };
+        if (!exact.has(keys.exact)) {
+            exact.set(keys.exact, { ...entry, trailingYear: null });
+        }
+        // The base tier only exists for titles that carried a year tag
+        if (keys.base !== keys.exact && !base.has(keys.base)) {
+            base.set(keys.base, entry);
+        }
     }
-    return index;
+    return { exact, base };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Looks up a TMDB title (canonical — never year-stripped) in the catalog
+ * index. Base-tier hits require the provider's stripped year tag to be
+ * compatible with the TMDB year, so "Blade Runner" (1982) never claims the
+ * catalog's "Blade Runner 2049".
+ */
+export function lookupCatalogTitle(
+    index: CatalogTitleIndex,
+    title: string,
+    year?: number | null
+): CatalogMatch | null {
+    const wanted = normalizeTitleKeys(title).exact;
+    if (!wanted) {
+        return null;
+    }
+    const exactHit = index.exact.get(wanted);
+    if (exactHit) {
+        return exactHit;
+    }
+    const baseHit = index.base.get(wanted);
+    return baseHit && titleYearsCompatible(year, baseHit.trailingYear)
+        ? baseHit
+        : null;
 }
 
 export function matchRecommendationsToCatalog(
@@ -83,9 +137,10 @@ export function matchRecommendationsToCatalog(
         return [];
     }
 
+    // Wanted keys are the EXACT normalized TMDB titles
     const wanted = new Map<string, TmdbRecommendation>();
     for (const recommendation of recommendations) {
-        const key = normalizeTitle(recommendation.title);
+        const key = normalizeTitleKeys(recommendation.title).exact;
         if (key && !wanted.has(key)) {
             wanted.set(key, recommendation);
         }
@@ -98,11 +153,26 @@ export function matchRecommendationsToCatalog(
         if (catalogHits.size >= wanted.size) {
             break;
         }
-        const key = normalizeTitle(streamTitle(stream));
-        if (!key || !wanted.has(key) || catalogHits.has(key)) {
+        const keys = normalizeTitleKeys(streamTitle(stream));
+        if (!keys.exact) {
             continue;
         }
-        catalogHits.set(key, stream);
+        if (wanted.has(keys.exact) && !catalogHits.has(keys.exact)) {
+            catalogHits.set(keys.exact, stream);
+            continue;
+        }
+        // Base tier: provider title carried a year tag — only match when
+        // that year does not contradict the recommendation's year
+        if (keys.base === keys.exact || catalogHits.has(keys.base)) {
+            continue;
+        }
+        const recommendation = wanted.get(keys.base);
+        if (
+            recommendation &&
+            titleYearsCompatible(recommendation.year, keys.trailingYear)
+        ) {
+            catalogHits.set(keys.base, stream);
+        }
     }
 
     const limit = options.limit ?? 12;
diff --git a/libs/services/src/lib/catalog-title-match.service.ts b/libs/services/src/lib/catalog-title-match.service.ts
index 7cd0ca505..a7cfa90c3 100644
--- a/libs/services/src/lib/catalog-title-match.service.ts
+++ b/libs/services/src/lib/catalog-title-match.service.ts
@@ -1,20 +1,25 @@
 import { Injectable } from '@angular/core';
 import {
     CatalogTitleMatch,
-    normalizeTitle,
+    normalizeTitleKeys,
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 
 /**
- * Index of matches keyed by `type:normalizedTitle` for O(1) lookups when
- * mapping a filmography onto the match list. First match per title wins.
+ * Index of matches keyed by `type:exactNormalizedTitle` for O(1) lookups
+ * when mapping a filmography onto the match list. Exact-title matches
+ * (trailingYear === null) win over year-stripped ones for the same key.
  */
 export function buildTitleMatchIndex(
     matches: readonly CatalogTitleMatch[]
 ): Map<string, CatalogTitleMatch> {
     const index = new Map<string, CatalogTitleMatch>();
     for (const match of matches) {
-        const key = `${match.type}:${normalizeTitle(match.queryTitle)}`;
-        if (!index.has(key)) {
+        const key = `${match.type}:${normalizeTitleKeys(match.queryTitle).exact}`;
+        const existing = index.get(key);
+        if (
+            !existing ||
+            (existing.trailingYear !== null && match.trailingYear === null)
+        ) {
             index.set(key, match);
         }
     }
diff --git a/libs/services/src/lib/tmdb/tmdb-cache.service.ts b/libs/services/src/lib/tmdb/tmdb-cache.service.ts
index 0ec3c9988..a1ea1394a 100644
--- a/libs/services/src/lib/tmdb/tmdb-cache.service.ts
+++ b/libs/services/src/lib/tmdb/tmdb-cache.service.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { Injectable } from '@angular/core';
-import { TmdbCacheEntry, TmdbMediaType } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
+import { TmdbCacheEntry, TmdbCacheMediaType } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 
 /**
  * Environment-aware cache for TMDB lookups.
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ export class TmdbCacheService {
     }
 
     async get(
-        mediaType: TmdbMediaType,
+        mediaType: TmdbCacheMediaType,
         lookupKey: string,
         language: string
     ): Promise<TmdbCacheEntry | null> {
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ export class TmdbCacheService {
     }
 
     private memoryKey(
-        mediaType: TmdbMediaType,
+        mediaType: TmdbCacheMediaType,
         lookupKey: string,
         language: string
     ): string {
diff --git a/libs/services/src/lib/tmdb/tmdb-enrichment.service.ts b/libs/services/src/lib/tmdb/tmdb-enrichment.service.ts
index 4c6d51e95..a2b4ecd49 100644
--- a/libs/services/src/lib/tmdb/tmdb-enrichment.service.ts
+++ b/libs/services/src/lib/tmdb/tmdb-enrichment.service.ts
@@ -112,9 +112,8 @@ export class TmdbEnrichmentService {
 
     /**
      * Person details with the full combined filmography, in the app
-     * language. Cached like details payloads; the `person:` lookup-key
-     * prefix namespaces the rows (the table's media_type CHECK only allows
-     * 'movie'/'tv', so person rows reuse 'movie').
+     * language. Cached like details payloads under the 'person' media
+     * type.
      */
     async getPersonDetails(
         personId: number
@@ -127,7 +126,7 @@ export class TmdbEnrichmentService {
             const language = this.language();
             const lookupKey = `person:${personId}`;
 
-            const cached = await this.cache.get('movie', lookupKey, language);
+            const cached = await this.cache.get('person', lookupKey, language);
             if (
                 this.cache.isFresh(cached, TMDB_DETAILS_CACHE_TTL_MS) &&
                 cached?.payload
@@ -146,7 +145,7 @@ export class TmdbEnrichmentService {
             );
 
             await this.cache.set({
-                mediaType: 'movie',
+                mediaType: 'person',
                 lookupKey,
                 language,
                 tmdbId: personId,
diff --git a/libs/services/src/lib/tmdb/tmdb-merge.ts b/libs/services/src/lib/tmdb/tmdb-merge.ts
index 24a84b626..f583d6482 100644
--- a/libs/services/src/lib/tmdb/tmdb-merge.ts
+++ b/libs/services/src/lib/tmdb/tmdb-merge.ts
@@ -107,10 +107,15 @@ function tmdbRating(details: TmdbDetails): number | null {
 /** TMDB backdrop first, then the provider's own entries (deduplicated) */
 function mergedBackdrops(
     details: TmdbDetails,
-    providerBackdrops: string[] | undefined
+    // Some panels send backdrop_path as a plain string despite the typing
+    providerBackdrops: string[] | string | undefined
 ): string[] {
     const tmdbUrl = tmdbBackdropUrl(details.backdrop_path);
-    const provider = (providerBackdrops ?? []).filter(Boolean);
+    const provider = (
+        Array.isArray(providerBackdrops)
+            ? providerBackdrops
+            : [providerBackdrops]
+    ).filter((value): value is string => typeof value === 'string' && !!value);
     return tmdbUrl
         ? [tmdbUrl, ...provider.filter((url) => url !== tmdbUrl)]
         : provider;
diff --git a/libs/shared/database/src/lib/connection.ts b/libs/shared/database/src/lib/connection.ts
index c63bfc5c1..642ecfcfc 100644
--- a/libs/shared/database/src/lib/connection.ts
+++ b/libs/shared/database/src/lib/connection.ts
@@ -73,6 +73,17 @@ export function getDatabasePath(): string {
 /**
  * SQL statements for creating all tables
  */
+const TMDB_METADATA_TABLE_SQL = `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS tmdb_metadata (
+      id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+      media_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (media_type IN ('movie', 'tv', 'person')),
+      lookup_key TEXT NOT NULL,
+      language TEXT NOT NULL,
+      tmdb_id INTEGER,
+      payload TEXT,
+      fetched_at TEXT DEFAULT (datetime('now'))
+  )`;
+const TMDB_METADATA_INDEX_SQL = `CREATE UNIQUE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS tmdb_metadata_lookup_unique ON tmdb_metadata(media_type, lookup_key, language)`;
+
 const CREATE_TABLE_STATEMENTS = [
     `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS playlists (
       id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
@@ -295,16 +306,8 @@ const CREATE_TABLE_STATEMENTS = [
     `CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS downloads_playlist_idx ON downloads(playlist_id)`,
     `CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS downloads_status_idx ON downloads(status)`,
     // TMDB metadata cache (details payloads + search match resolutions)
-    `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS tmdb_metadata (
-      id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-      media_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (media_type IN ('movie', 'tv')),
-      lookup_key TEXT NOT NULL,
-      language TEXT NOT NULL,
-      tmdb_id INTEGER,
-      payload TEXT,
-      fetched_at TEXT DEFAULT (datetime('now'))
-  )`,
-    `CREATE UNIQUE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS tmdb_metadata_lookup_unique ON tmdb_metadata(media_type, lookup_key, language)`,
+    TMDB_METADATA_TABLE_SQL,
+    TMDB_METADATA_INDEX_SQL,
 ];
 
 /**
@@ -724,10 +727,41 @@ function runMigrationStatements(
     }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Pre-release installs created tmdb_metadata with a CHECK that only
+ * allowed 'movie'/'tv'; person rows need 'person'. The table is a pure
+ * cache, so the cheapest "migration" is a drop-and-recreate with the
+ * widened constraint. Self-healing via sqlite_master — no app_state key.
+ */
+function widenTmdbMetadataMediaTypeCheck(sqliteDb: Database.Database): void {
+    try {
+        const row = sqliteDb
+            .prepare(
+                `SELECT sql FROM sqlite_master WHERE type = 'table' AND name = 'tmdb_metadata'`
+            )
+            .get() as { sql?: string } | undefined;
+        if (!row?.sql || row.sql.includes(`'person'`)) {
+            return;
+        }
+        const rebuild = sqliteDb.transaction(() => {
+            sqliteDb.prepare(`DROP TABLE IF EXISTS tmdb_metadata`).run();
+            sqliteDb.prepare(TMDB_METADATA_TABLE_SQL).run();
+            sqliteDb.prepare(TMDB_METADATA_INDEX_SQL).run();
+        });
+        rebuild();
+        console.log(
+            '[DB] Rebuilt tmdb_metadata cache with widened media_type CHECK'
+        );
+    } catch (error) {
+        console.warn('[DB] tmdb_metadata CHECK widening failed:', error);
+    }
+}
+
 /**
  * Run migrations that may fail if already applied
  */
 function runMigrations(sqliteDb: Database.Database): void {
+    widenTmdbMetadataMediaTypeCheck(sqliteDb);
     runMigrationStatements(sqliteDb, COLUMN_MIGRATION_STATEMENTS);
     ensureContentTitleFts(sqliteDb);
     deduplicateXtreamCache(sqliteDb);
diff --git a/libs/shared/database/src/lib/schema.ts b/libs/shared/database/src/lib/schema.ts
index e2705e20b..0093dab99 100644
--- a/libs/shared/database/src/lib/schema.ts
+++ b/libs/shared/database/src/lib/schema.ts
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ export const tmdbMetadata = sqliteTable(
     'tmdb_metadata',
     {
         id: integer('id').primaryKey({ autoIncrement: true }),
-        mediaType: text('media_type', { enum: ['movie', 'tv'] }).notNull(),
+        mediaType: text('media_type', { enum: ['movie', 'tv', 'person'] }).notNull(),
         lookupKey: text('lookup_key').notNull(),
         language: text('language').notNull(),
         tmdbId: integer('tmdb_id'),
diff --git a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/catalog-title-match.interface.ts b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/catalog-title-match.interface.ts
index 4fb6414d8..b2547e7cc 100644
--- a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/catalog-title-match.interface.ts
+++ b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/catalog-title-match.interface.ts
@@ -13,4 +13,12 @@ export interface CatalogTitleMatch {
     categoryId: number;
     xtreamId: number;
     type: 'movie' | 'series';
+    /**
+     * Release-year tag stripped from the matched catalog title when the
+     * match happened on the year-stripped tier ("The Matrix 1999" matching
+     * the query "The Matrix"), null for exact-title matches. Consumers
+     * with a known query year must reject incompatible years — this keeps
+     * "Blade Runner" from claiming a catalog "Blade Runner 2049".
+     */
+    trailingYear: number | null;
 }
diff --git a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/electron-api.interface.ts b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/electron-api.interface.ts
index 26e516864..73d222fcb 100644
--- a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/electron-api.interface.ts
+++ b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/electron-api.interface.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import {
 import { PortalDebugEvent } from './portal-debug.interface';
 import { CatalogTitleMatch } from './catalog-title-match.interface';
 import { Settings } from './settings.interface';
-import { TmdbCacheEntry, TmdbMediaType } from './tmdb.interface';
+import { TmdbCacheEntry, TmdbCacheMediaType } from './tmdb.interface';
 import { XtreamCategory } from './xtream-category.interface';
 
 export const ELECTRON_BRIDGE_CONTENT_TYPES = {
@@ -780,7 +780,7 @@ export interface ElectronBridgeApi {
     ) => Promise<ElectronBridgeResult>;
     // TMDB metadata cache
     dbGetTmdbMetadata: (
-        mediaType: TmdbMediaType,
+        mediaType: TmdbCacheMediaType,
         lookupKey: string,
         language: string
     ) => Promise<TmdbCacheEntry | null>;
diff --git a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/title-normalization.util.spec.ts b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/title-normalization.util.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3c60b3d8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/title-normalization.util.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+import {
+    normalizeTitle,
+    normalizeTitleKeys,
+    titleYearsCompatible,
+} from './title-normalization.util';
+
+describe('normalizeTitleKeys', () => {
+    it('keeps a trailing year in the exact form and strips it in base', () => {
+        expect(normalizeTitleKeys('Blade Runner 2049')).toEqual({
+            exact: 'blade runner 2049',
+            base: 'blade runner',
+            trailingYear: 2049,
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('returns identical tiers when there is no trailing year', () => {
+        expect(normalizeTitleKeys('Blade Runner')).toEqual({
+            exact: 'blade runner',
+            base: 'blade runner',
+            trailingYear: null,
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('strips quality tags and bracket groups on both tiers', () => {
+        expect(normalizeTitleKeys('The Matrix 1999 [4K] (Remastered)')).toEqual(
+            {
+                exact: 'the matrix 1999',
+                base: 'the matrix',
+                trailingYear: 1999,
+            }
+        );
+    });
+
+    it('never strips a year that IS the whole title', () => {
+        expect(normalizeTitleKeys('2012')).toEqual({
+            exact: '2012',
+            base: '2012',
+            trailingYear: null,
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('keeps leading/mid-title years (only trailing years are tags)', () => {
+        expect(normalizeTitle('2001: A Space Odyssey')).toBe(
+            '2001 a space odyssey'
+        );
+    });
+
+    it('only strips UPPERCASE language prefixes', () => {
+        expect(normalizeTitle('EN - The Boys s05')).toBe('the boys');
+        expect(normalizeTitle('It: Chapter Two')).toBe('it chapter two');
+    });
+
+    it('strips season suffixes on both tiers', () => {
+        expect(normalizeTitleKeys('The Boys s05').exact).toBe('the boys');
+        expect(normalizeTitleKeys('Пацаны сезон 2').base).toBe('пацаны');
+    });
+});
+
+describe('titleYearsCompatible', () => {
+    it('accepts unknown years and ±1 tolerance', () => {
+        expect(titleYearsCompatible(null, 2049)).toBe(true);
+        expect(titleYearsCompatible(1999, undefined)).toBe(true);
+        expect(titleYearsCompatible(1999, 2000)).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it('rejects contradicting years', () => {
+        expect(titleYearsCompatible(1982, 2049)).toBe(false);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/title-normalization.util.ts b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/title-normalization.util.ts
index c7629fc95..3b746683b 100644
--- a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/title-normalization.util.ts
+++ b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/title-normalization.util.ts
@@ -27,11 +27,22 @@ const QUALITY_TAGS = new Set([
     'dubbed',
 ]);
 
-/** Leading channel/language prefix like "EN - ", "DE| ", "FR: " */
-const LANGUAGE_PREFIX = /^[a-z]{2,3}\s*[-|:]\s+/i;
+/**
+ * Leading channel/language prefix like "EN - ", "DE| ", "FR: ".
+ * UPPERCASE-only on purpose: a case-insensitive match would amputate real
+ * title words ("It: Chapter Two" → "Chapter Two").
+ */
+const LANGUAGE_PREFIX = /^[A-Z]{2,3}\s*[-|:]\s+/;
 
 const YEAR_PATTERN = /\b(19\d{2}|20\d{2})\b/;
 
+/**
+ * Release-year tag at the very end of a title ("The Matrix 1999"). Only
+ * trailing years are stripped — an unanchored pattern would eat years that
+ * are part of the title ("2001: A Space Odyssey" → "a space odyssey").
+ */
+const TRAILING_YEAR_PATTERN = /(?:^|\s)(19\d{2}|20\d{2})$/;
+
 /**
  * Trailing season markers on series titles: "The Boys s05", "сезон 2".
  * Uses (?:^|\s) instead of \b — JS word boundaries are ASCII-only and
@@ -40,14 +51,32 @@ const YEAR_PATTERN = /\b(19\d{2}|20\d{2})\b/;
 const SEASON_SUFFIX_PATTERN =
     /(?:^|\s)(?:s\d{1,2}|season\s*\d{1,2}|сезон\s*\d{1,2}|staffel\s*\d{1,2}|temporada\s*\d{1,2})$/i;
 
-export function normalizeTitle(raw: string | null | undefined): string {
+/**
+ * A provider title normalized on two tiers. Trailing years on provider
+ * titles are ambiguous — usually a release tag ("The Matrix 1999") but
+ * sometimes part of the title itself ("Blade Runner 2049") — so matching
+ * must try the exact form first and only fall back to the year-stripped
+ * form when the stripped year does not contradict the other side's year.
+ */
+export interface NormalizedTitleKeys {
+    /** Fully normalized, trailing year KEPT ("blade runner 2049") */
+    exact: string;
+    /** Trailing year stripped ("blade runner"); equals `exact` if none */
+    base: string;
+    /** The trailing year removed in `base`, when there was one */
+    trailingYear: number | null;
+}
+
+export function normalizeTitleKeys(
+    raw: string | null | undefined
+): NormalizedTitleKeys {
     if (!raw) {
-        return '';
+        return { exact: '', base: '', trailingYear: null };
     }
 
     const cleaned = raw
         // Inner classes exclude the opening delimiter too, so runaway
-        // inputs like "[[[[[…" backtrack linearly (CodeQL js/polynomial-redos)
+        // inputs like "[[[[[..." backtrack linearly (CodeQL js/polynomial-redos)
         .replace(/\[[^\][]*\]|\([^()]*\)|\{[^{}]*\}/g, ' ')
         .replace(LANGUAGE_PREFIX, '')
         .normalize('NFD')
@@ -56,23 +85,53 @@ export function normalizeTitle(raw: string | null | undefined): string {
         .replace(/[^\p{L}\p{N}]+/gu, ' ')
         .split(' ')
         .filter((token) => token !== '' && !QUALITY_TAGS.has(token))
-        .join(' ');
-
-    // Trailing years are release tags ("The Matrix 1999"), but a year can
-    // also BE the title ("2012") — never normalize down to an empty string.
-    let result = cleaned.trim();
-    const withoutYear = result
-        .replace(YEAR_PATTERN, '')
-        .replace(/\s+/g, ' ')
+        .join(' ')
         .trim();
-    if (withoutYear) {
-        result = withoutYear;
-    }
 
     // Portal series list titles carry season suffixes ("The Boys s05");
     // TMDB knows only the show title.
-    const withoutSeason = result.replace(SEASON_SUFFIX_PATTERN, '').trim();
-    return withoutSeason || result;
+    const stripSeason = (value: string) =>
+        value.replace(SEASON_SUFFIX_PATTERN, '').trim() || value;
+
+    const exact = stripSeason(cleaned);
+
+    // Trailing years are release tags ("The Matrix 1999"), but a year can
+    // also BE the title ("2012") — never normalize down to an empty string.
+    const yearMatch = cleaned.match(TRAILING_YEAR_PATTERN);
+    const withoutYear = cleaned
+        .replace(TRAILING_YEAR_PATTERN, '')
+        .replace(/\s+/g, ' ')
+        .trim();
+    if (!yearMatch || !withoutYear) {
+        return { exact, base: exact, trailingYear: null };
+    }
+
+    return {
+        exact,
+        base: stripSeason(withoutYear),
+        trailingYear: Number(yearMatch[1]),
+    };
+}
+
+export function normalizeTitle(raw: string | null | undefined): string {
+    return normalizeTitleKeys(raw).base;
+}
+
+/**
+ * True when a base-tier (year-stripped) title match is not contradicted by
+ * the known years of both sides. Unknown years never block a match.
+ */
+export function titleYearsCompatible(
+    a: number | null | undefined,
+    b: number | null | undefined
+): boolean {
+    return (
+        a === null ||
+        a === undefined ||
+        b === null ||
+        b === undefined ||
+        Math.abs(a - b) <= 1
+    );
 }
 
 /** Extract a release year from a date string or from tags in a raw title */
diff --git a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/tmdb.interface.ts b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/tmdb.interface.ts
index 142328a90..ce0e4bd9d 100644
--- a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/tmdb.interface.ts
+++ b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/tmdb.interface.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,12 @@
 
 export type TmdbMediaType = 'movie' | 'tv';
 
+/**
+ * Row namespace in the shared metadata cache table. Besides movie/tv
+ * details it also stores person payloads (`person:<id>` lookup keys).
+ */
+export type TmdbCacheMediaType = TmdbMediaType | 'person';
+
 /**
  * Opt-in TMDB enrichment settings. Enrichment sends movie/series titles to
  * TMDB, so it is disabled by default for privacy.
@@ -56,7 +62,7 @@ export interface TmdbRecommendation {
  *   `tmdbId` is a cached "no confident match" verdict (negative cache)
  */
 export interface TmdbCacheEntry {
-    mediaType: TmdbMediaType;
+    mediaType: TmdbCacheMediaType;
     lookupKey: string;
     /** TMDB language code the payload was fetched with, e.g. `en-US` */
     language: string;