Project Zomboid TV Schedule: Every Life and Living Broadcast
Last verified: July 19, 2026, against the Build 42 broadcast data (42.17). Build 41 used the same Life and Living lineup; exact XP values below are the B42 numbers.
The one fact that changes how you play: the TV schedule runs on the calendar, not on your spawn. Life and Living broadcasts air from July 9 to July 17, 1993 (in-game) at fixed hours - 6:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM, plus one midnight show on the first day. If you start a later-spawn run, the early shows have already aired and are gone. Watching a show live grants free skill XP (scaled by Fast/Slow Learner) and a few shows permanently teach recipes. After July 17 the channel goes to static - from then on, VHS tapes are the only televised XP left.
The full schedule (all nine days)
Base XP assumes no learner traits; Fast Learner gets 1.3× and Slow Learner 0.7× these values. You must be in earshot of a powered TV tuned to Life and Living for the whole segment to collect every XP tick.
| Day (date) | Time | Skill | Base XP | Recipe taught |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 (July 9) | 12:00 AM | Fishing | 75 | - |
| 6:00 AM | Cooking | 112.5 | - | |
| 12:00 PM | Carpentry | 75 | - | |
| 6:00 PM | Fishing | 62.5 | - | |
| Day 2 (July 10) | 6:00 AM | Cooking | 75 | - |
| 12:00 PM | Carpentry | 75 | - | |
| 6:00 PM | Farming | 75 | - | |
| Day 3 (July 11) | 6:00 AM | Cooking | 62.5 | - |
| 12:00 PM | Carpentry | 100 | - | |
| 6:00 PM | Fishing | 75 | Fishing Rod | |
| Day 4 (July 12) | 6:00 AM | Cooking | 87.5 | - |
| 12:00 PM | Carpentry | 75 | - | |
| Day 5 (July 13) | 6:00 AM | Cooking | 75 | - |
| 12:00 PM | Carpentry | 100 | - | |
| 6:00 PM | Foraging | 50 | - | |
| Day 6 (July 14) | 6:00 AM | Cooking | 62.5 | Pie Dough |
| 12:00 PM | Carpentry | 75 | - | |
| 6:00 PM | Trapping | 100 | Trap Crate | |
| Day 7 (July 15) | 6:00 AM | Cooking | 87.5 | Cake Batter |
| 12:00 PM | Carpentry | 112.5 | - | |
| 6:00 PM | Foraging | 100 | - | |
| Day 8 (July 16) | 6:00 AM | Cooking | 125 | - |
| 6:00 PM | Carpentry | 37.5 | - | |
| Day 9 (July 17) | 6:00 AM | Cooking | 75 | - |
Totals if you catch every broadcast: roughly 762.5 Cooking XP, 650 Carpentry, 212.5 Fishing, 150 Foraging, 100 Trapping and 75 Farming - before trait multipliers. That is several early levels in Cooking and Carpentry for standing safely indoors. Full per-tick data is on the PZwiki Life and Living page.
The rules the game never explains
- Calendar-based, not run-based. The dates above are in-game calendar dates. On the default July 9 start you get the whole run; a later spawn (or a long sleep) permanently misses whatever already aired.
- XP arrives in ticks while the show airs. Arrive mid-broadcast and you collect only the remaining ticks. Be seated before the hour.
- The Day 1 midnight Fishing slot is an edge case - it airs at 00:00 on the start date, before a standard morning spawn is awake. Do not plan around it; the 6:00 AM Cooking premiere is your practical first show.
- Recipes are the real prizes. The four taught recipes (Fishing Rod, Pie Dough, Trap Crate, Cake Batter) unlock permanently - Day 3's Fishing Rod and Day 6's Trap Crate replace skill books you may not find for weeks.
- Volume matters. A TV at volume attracts zombies through walls and windows. Watch on low volume in a secured interior room; never in a house with open sightlines.
- Multiplayer servers: the schedule follows the server's world clock. On a fresh server everyone can gather for the broadcasts; on an established one, new joiners have missed them - plan loot priorities accordingly.
- Sandbox can change the numbers. XP-gain multipliers and the broadcast options in sandbox settings scale or move these values - the table assumes defaults.
After July 17: VHS tapes
Once Life and Living signs off (final broadcast: Day 9, 6:00 AM Cooking), televised XP continues only through VHS tapes played on a TV with a built-in VCR slot. Tapes drop in homes and the video store, are watchable any time, and each character collects a tape's XP once. If you missed the live window, tapes plus skill books are the catch-up path.
How to use the window well
- Plan loot trips around the 6:00 AM / 12:00 PM / 6:00 PM slots - out after breakfast TV, back before the noon Carpentry block.
- Keep books, food and repair supplies by the TV so indoor time stays productive between shows.
- Do not risk a character to catch one episode; missing a show beats dying in a parking lot.
- Once the window closes, transition fully into books, tapes and deliberate skill training.
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