diff --git a/sickbeard/helpers.py b/sickbeard/helpers.py
index 035501b454909ae3764c8fc8877007ecdd3e8550..f38bf24849a90f4f2a732dfd97dce1925910864b 100644
--- a/sickbeard/helpers.py
+++ b/sickbeard/helpers.py
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ def remove_non_release_groups(name):
         elif remove_type == 'searchre':
             _name = re.sub(r'(?i)' + remove_string, '', _name)
 
-    return _name.strip('.- []{}')
+    return _name
 
 
 def replaceExtension(filename, newExt):
diff --git a/sickbeard/tv.py b/sickbeard/tv.py
index 54aa8be9b0f73559b82d8e2889bf7006d9dada26..ac9d597d918b0d9eb5fc724c9be37e8452643310 100644
--- a/sickbeard/tv.py
+++ b/sickbeard/tv.py
@@ -2087,7 +2087,7 @@ class TVEpisode(object):
             if name:
                 name = helpers.remove_non_release_groups(helpers.remove_extension(name))
             else:
-                return ""
+                return ''
 
             try:
                 np = NameParser(name, showObj=show, naming_pattern=True)
@@ -2098,7 +2098,7 @@ class TVEpisode(object):
 
             if not parse_result.release_group:
                 return ''
-            return parse_result.release_group
+            return parse_result.release_group.strip('.- []{}')
 
         _, epQual = Quality.splitCompositeStatus(self.status)  # @UnusedVariable
 
@@ -2115,7 +2115,7 @@ class TVEpisode(object):
             if not rel_grp['location']:
                 del rel_grp['location']
         if hasattr(self, '_release_group'):  # from the release group field in db
-            rel_grp['database'] = self._release_group
+            rel_grp['database'] = self._release_group.strip('.- []{}')
             if not rel_grp['database']:
                 del rel_grp['database']
         if hasattr(self, 'release_name'):  # from the release name field in db