Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 06:19, 8 May 2011

This guideline is a part of the English Misplaced Pages's Manual of Style. It is a generally accepted standard that editors should attempt to follow, though occasional exceptions may apply. Any substantive edit to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page.

Shortcuts WP:MOSTV WP:MOS:TV MOS:TV

The following is a style guide for those who edit Television-related articles under Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Television. Remember that Misplaced Pages is foremost an encyclopedia and that articles therefore should try to be prosaïc instead of lists of arbitrary information pulled out of TV.com. Articles should be verifiable and establish notability. Please cite your sources wherever possible. Your articles should be written from an out-of-universe perspective. Remember, this is only a guide, and may change depending on Wikipolicy or participant consensus. For other guidelines:

Naming conventions

• If a non-television article does not already exist with the name of the television show, episode title, or character name that you are trying to create an article for, then simply use the name of the subject as the article title (e.g. Carnivàle, Pauline Fowler or Cape Feare).
• If a non-television article already exists with the name of the television that you are trying to create an article for, disambiguate and use (TV series) in the title: Show Title (TV series) (e.g. Firefly (TV series)).
• If a television article already exists with the name of the show that you are trying to create an article for, use (YEAR TV series) in the title: Show Title (YEAR TV series) (e.g. The Incredible Hulk (1982 animated TV series) and The Incredible Hulk (1996 animated TV series)).
• If you are creating an individual character or episode article, and that name is already in use by another article, then the title of the article should contain the name of the character or episode followed by "(SHOW NAME)" (e.g. Through the Looking Glass (Lost) or Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)).

Parent, season, and episode article structure

The structure of television articles, season/series articles, and episode articles are all relatively identical. The sections below will map out the basic structure for these articles. The basic order of these pages tends to follow: Lead, episode plot, production, and critical reception; with any other miscellaneous sections coming afterward. This is because Misplaced Pages uses plot information as context for understanding the real world information in the article. This is the same setup as followed on WikiProject Film articles, which have the same structure as television articles, have the same setup

Infobox

The table to the bottom right is the Infobox television template. Clicking edit on the right will enable you to view and copy the source text to use on television articles. If you have any questions or problems with this table, you can discuss them at Template talk:Infobox television. Filling the infobox out in its entirety, with all its various optional fields, is not a goal in itself. Many options are simply not relevant to many television shows. If the cast list gets too large you might consider linking to a section of the article instead.

{{Infobox television
| show_name            = 
| image                = 
| caption              = 
| show_name_2          = 
| genre                = 
| format               = 
| creator              = 
| developer            = 
| writer               = 
| director             = 
| creative_director    = 
| presenter            = 
| starring             = 
| judges               = 
| voices               = 
| narrated             = 
| theme_music_composer = 
| opentheme            = 
| endtheme             = 
| composer             = 
| country              = 
| language             = 
| num_seasons          = <!-- or num_series -->
| num_episodes         = 
| list_episodes        = 
| executive_producer   = 
| producer             = 
| editor               = 
| location             = 
| cinematography       = 
| camera               = 
| runtime              = 
| company              = 
| distributor          = 
| channel              = <!-- or network -->
| picture_format       = 
| audio_format         = 
| first_run            = 
| first_aired          = 
| last_aired           = 
| status               = 
| preceded_by          = 
| followed_by          = 
| related              = 
| website              = 
| production_website   = 
}}

Image

The image presented in the infobox of the main article should ideally be an intertitle shot of the show (i.e. A screenshot capture of the show's title) or a promotional poster used to represent the show itself. Failing that, a DVD cover may be used. For episode articles, a screenshot may only be used if it meets the Non-free content criteria, i.e. typically if it is required to illustrate a crucial element of the episode that is the object of explicit, sourced analytical commentary and where that commentary is in need of visual support to be understood. There is no blanket allowance for an image per episode.

Once you have uploaded a suitable image:

• On the file's description page, add a short description of the image (e.g. "This image is the current opening titles for the series."), a source of where you found the image, the copyright holder (CBS, NBC, The CW, etc.), and an image copyright tag:
  • {{Non-free poster}} for posters,
  • {{Non-free DVD cover}} for DVD covers,
  • {{Non-free television screenshot}} for screenshots.
• A fair use rationale must be included or the image will be deleted. The rationale should state why the image should be included on the article. For screenshots and other copyrighted images, a more detailed, individual fair use rationale must be given that explains what particular point of analysis this particular image is meant to illustrate.

• Note: Please see the fair-use criteria for specific details on image usage, as it applies to all images in the article, not just in the infobox.

Example images that meet the criteria

• Promotional posters – Image:Smallville poster1.jpg, Image:Lost-Season1.jpg
• DVD covers – Image:DTNG season-1.jpg
• Screenshots – Image:SmallvilleNewOpeningCredits.png
• Other images – Image:Pauline Fowler.jpg

Lead paragraphs

• WP:TVLEAD

The lead paragraphs of an article should serve both as a quick introduction to the television show and a concise overview of the article itself, as per the Lead section style guideline. For television articles, the first paragraph should consist of basic information about the show, such as when the show first premiered, country, setting, genre(s), who created/developed the show, primary broadcasting station (typically the studio that produces the show), and when the show stopped airing. It is not recommended that the phrase "award-winning" be used in the first sentence of the lead: it provides insufficient context to the reader, and subsequent paragraphs in the lead can detail the major awards or nominations received by the television show. A good example:

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a satirical parody of the middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its titular family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield, and it lampoons many aspects of the human condition, as well as American culture, society as a whole, and television itself.

The subsequent paragraphs should summarize the major points of the rest of the article: basic production information (e.g. where the show is filmed), principle cast of the show, critical reception, influences, place in popular culture, major awards, and anything else that made the show unique. References to the show should be in the present tense since shows no longer airing still exist, including in the lead (i.e. Title is a...).

Plot section

• WP:TVPLOT

The main purpose of plot summaries is to provide context for the rest of the information. Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style (writing about fiction) states:

As the Misplaced Pages servers are located in the U.S. state of Florida, Misplaced Pages articles must conform to U.S. copyright laws. It has been held in a number of court cases that any work which re-tells original ideas from a fictional source, in sufficient quantity without adding information about that work, or in some way analysing and explaining it, may be construed as a derivative work or a copyright violation...Information about copyright fictional worlds and plots of works of fiction can be provided only under a claim of fair use, and Misplaced Pages's fair-use policy holds that "the amount of copyrighted work used should be as little as possible".

As a rough guide, summaries for episode articles should be about 200 to 500 words. Complicated plots may take more space to present than simpler plots. For articles on the main work this section should be brief, only discussing the important plot elements for each season (though, if the article is becoming long it may be best to trim it to over-arching plots for the entire series) that steered the course of characters lives, or the course of the show. For season articles, there are a couple ways to present plot information: in a basic prose section that gives season story arcs and main plot points or a tabular format that sections off each individual episode with its own brief plot section (approximately 100–200 words for each, with upwards of 350 words for complex storylines). See the following for examples: "Confirmed Dead", Prison Break, and Smallville (season 1)

Plot summaries do not normally require citations; the television show itself is the source, as the accuracy of the plot description can be verified by watching the episode in question. An exception to this rule may be shows containing plot details that are unclear or open to interpretation, in which case the different interpretations should be sourced to reliable sources.

Background/production

A variety of information can be included in this section depending on the type of article being written. Whether the main article, season or episode article, this section could contain:

• Conception and development
• Format
• Writing
• Casting
• Filming
• Production design
• Filming locations
• Effects
• Music
• Cancellation and future

Note: Not all television shows will have information on each of these elements. For example, most shows today use soundtracks comprised of songs from various performing artists, to fill their episodes, as opposed to an actual score that is created by a single composer for each episode in the series. The same can be said of the effects used in a show; not all shows use any type of effect work. It also may be more pertinent to discuss the writing of a single episode over the writing of an entire show, unless information can be found to discuss over-arching storylines for the entire series.

Cast information

Remember to follow the notability guidelines when creating a cast list: Not every fictional character ever created deserves to be listed and even fewer will deserve an individual article. For the main article of a series, it may be appropriate to split up the cast listing by "Main characters" and "Recurring characters". If the series is long running, and has an overwhelming number of recurring guest stars, it may be appropriate to split those into a separate list of characters articles (see below for style guidelines on "List of ..." pages). When organizing the cast section, please keep in mind that "main" cast status is determined by the series producers, not by popularity or screen time. Furthermore, articles should reflect the entire history of a series, and as such actors remain on the list even after their departure from the series.

This section can be listed in several ways. Try to avoid using the section as a repository for further "in-universe" information that really belongs in the plot summary; instead, focus on real world information on the characters and actors. It can sometimes be appropriate to bypass the use of a cast section altogether. To balance this, the relevant in-universe information can be presented in the plot section of the article with actor names listed beside their relevant characters as "(ACTOR)", while the real world information can be presented in a "Casting" subsection under "Production".

Another means of displaying the information would be in a "ACTOR as CHARACTER" format. Here, the actor and character's names are followed by a colon ":". Afterward, a brief description of the character is given—this could include main plot points about the character—followed by any relevant real world information that could include, but is not limited to, casting of the actor or how the character was created and developed over the course of the series. The key is to provide real world context to the character through production information, and without simply re-iterating IMDb. Of course, some television articles will lend themselves to one style better than others so see what works best, and do not be afraid to discuss it on the article's talk page.

Crew

Key crew members for each television show are listed in the infobox and do not need to be listed in the article. Generally, if there are any important people associated with the show they will be mentioned somewhere in the production information.

Themes

Themes are unifying or dominant ideas and motifs in a television show's elements (such as plot, dialogue, photography, and sound) conveying a position or message about life, society, and human nature. Most themes are implied rather than explicitly stated, regardless of whether their presence is the conscious intent of the producer, writer, or director. Inclusion of a treatment of a shows's themes—well-sourced and cited to avoid original research—is encouraged since an article's value to a reader and its real-world context will be enhanced. A separate section is not required if it is more appropriate to place the material in the Production or Reception sections. This information may be more applicable to the main article of a series than to an individual episode, though episode articles may contain such information if available.

Broadcast

When detailing a show's international broadcasting, simply listing every channel the series appears on is discouraged, Misplaced Pages is not a television guide. Apart from the channel of origin for the series, editors are encouraged to instead detail English-speaking countries that the series appears through prose form. Special mentions can be used where a show does something noteworthy for a country/international channel, and are best addressed in the appropriate sections (e.g., Stargate Universe airing the final three episodes of the first season a month before they aired in the U.S. would be added to the "Broadcast" section while The Simpsons breaking the viewership records for ProSieben in Germany on MM DD, YYYY would be addressed in the "Reception" section). This section is best named simply "Broadcast" and also address broadcasting in the country of origin. All information must be verifiable by reliable sources.

Reception

Expanding on the second paragraph of the lead section, you should analyse how the television show was received. The reception information should include broadcast ratings (though it may be easier to maintain seasonal averages for the main page, while the season and episode articles could contain a list of ratings for all the episodes) and critical response. For the main article, it will be best to seek critical reviews that look at the series as a whole, while season and episode articles can use more selective reviews. Reviews should preferably come from the conglomerates (Associated Press, REUTERS, Canadian Press), major newspapers (USA Today, The Toronto Star, The Times ) and major periodicals (TV Guide, TIME, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Entertainment Weekly). These reviews can either critique the show, or comments on its impact. They should not just be descriptions of the episodes, and preferably should not exceed two or three sentences per critic, so as not to apply undue weight to any given reviewer.

Reviews should be paraphrased as much as possible, with editors avoiding vague, non-descriptive claims about an episode (e.g. John Smith felt like Ray Romano was horrible in Everybody Loves Raymond's 50th episode.). Non-descriptive claims do not provide the reader with the context necessary to understand why the reviewer liked or disliked an episode. If a review only contains such claims, without providing any rationale and examples to back up their opinions, then the review, in most circumstances, should not be used in the article. Be careful when searching for reviews, and make sure they are coming from professional reviewers, and not simply a fan of the series. In the case of the general public, we use Nielsen Ratings to determine popularity of a show, as it would be extremely difficult to find an accurate representation of fan opinion. This means that IMDb, TV.com, and the other similar websites that give "fan polls" are not reliable sources of information.

This section can also contain information on how the show has impacted society: If the show created a craze, popularized a word (Seinfeld with "yada, yada, yada", etc.), revolutionized the medium (Sesame Street in children's television, or the mini-series Roots), or something similar (many stores and businesses closed early on Mondays to allow employees to get home in time to watch I Love Lucy). When this resulted in merchandise, movies, books or computer games be sure to name those. Awards and nominations can also go in this section. As Misplaced Pages is not the American Misplaced Pages, it would also be beneficial to the article to find international reception.

Media information

This section can be broken up into individual sections if need be. It typically consists of the broadcast history of a show (to keep neutrality and make sure that Misplaced Pages is not seen as the American Misplaced Pages, it would be beneficial to the article to have any international broadcasters listed as well), a home video release summary (VHS, DVD, etc.; written as prose) and other general distribution, marketing and merchandising, adaptations, or spin-off series.

Features listed about a DVD should be presented in prose format, with focus only going to unique features. Listing of every episode with a commentary track or deleted scenes is discouraged--this is typically found on every television DVD set--this type of information can be readily provided by any sales vendor. Instead, focusing on special featurettes that discuss something unique about the season would be appropriate. Ideally this section also includes reviews about the DVD (e.g., special features, sound and video quality, price/quality-quantity, etc.)

Character article structure

When creating an article on a single character of a television show, note that the section headers below are not mandatory, and several featured articles on fictional characters have different section headers (and placement) than one another. Find the structure that works best for the article in question; regardless of whether you use these headers, the information that they discuss is important to establishing an article with real world context.

Infobox

General character infoboxes can be found at Template:Infobox character, though editors should see if the character article they are creating is part of a larger Misplaced Pages community (e.g. Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Buffyverse or Misplaced Pages:WikiProject The Simpsons) as those respective communities may have a special infobox already created.

When filling in the infobox, useful infobox data might include the creators or actors, first appearance, an image, and in-universe information essential to understanding the entity's context in the overall fiction. What qualifies as essential varies based on the nature of the work. Where facts change at different points in a story or series, there may be no appropriate in-universe information at all to add. By contrast, the average reader is probably not going to know who every member of Chloe Sullivan's family is, so it would not be essential to list them all. On the other hand, the average reader probably knows who Lois Lane is, and listing her as Chloe's cousin would be essential to understanding the character.

The same can be said for information that is rather obvious to the reader. If the image in the infobox clearly shows a black female, then listing the race and sex of the character would be redundant; this is regardless of the fact that the show the character appears on happens to contain characters that appear female but are really male. Now, if the character image is of a black female, but in fact the sex of the character is "male", then it would be essential to indicate this in the infobox – be sure to cite a source for this type of information.

Lead paragraphs

Like any article, the first paragraph should consist of basic information about the character: who created the character, where they first appeared, who portrayed the character (if applicable), a general overview of where the character has appeared (no specific episodes). The subsequent paragraphs should be filled with generalized information on the character itself: characteristics, influences in popular culture, and anything else that summarizes the character's importance.

As an example of lead paragraphs:

Professor Bernard Quatermass is a fictional character, originally created by the writer Nigel Kneale for BBC Television. Quatermass appeared in three influential BBC science fiction serials of the 1950s, and returned in a final serial for Thames Television in 1979. A remake of the first serial appeared on BBC Four in 2005.
The character also appeared in films, on the radio and in print over a fifty-year period. Kneale picked the character's unusual surname from a London telephone directory, while the first name was in honour of the astronomer Bernard Lovell. Quatermass is an intelligent and highly moral British scientist, who continually finds himself confronting sinister alien forces that threaten to destroy humanity. In the initial three serials he is a pioneer of the British space programme, heading up the British Experimental Rocket Group.
The character of Quatermass has been described by BBC News Online as Britain's first television hero, and by The Independent newspaper as "A brilliantly conceived and finely crafted creation... remained a modern 'Mr Standfast', the one fixed point in an increasingly dreadful and ever-shifting universe." In 2005, an article in The Daily Telegraph suggested that "You can see a line running through him and many other British heroes. He shares elements with both Sherlock Holmes and Ellen MacArthur."

Images

Like every article, the use of non-free images must comply with Misplaced Pages's policy on fair-use images. When looking for images for the character infobox, it would be best to find images that best represent the character in question – this can sometimes be promotional images, which provide better lighting on the character. Images in the body of the article could consist of concept designs for the character, behind-the-scenes images, and any other image that has critical commentary adjacent to the image, which requires an image to better understand what is being said.

Role in "SHOW NAME"

This section should chronicle the characters appearances on their respective show, and any other appearances on other programs, or media. If the character has only appeared on the one television show, and no other media, then the section of the title could be what is represented above, or something similar (e.g. Character storyline). If the character has appeared in media outside of the television show, like a comic book based on the show, or a film adaptation, then it may be better to subdivided by medium (e.g. "Television", "Film", "Literature", etc.) and label the section "Appearances". Regardless of the title of the header, this section is not a characer's biography and should not be a detailed recording of the character's every move, as this can create an overly long section devoted entirely to in-universe information – think of it as being similar to a plot section of an episode article; the information should be succinct. Instead, try and summarize major events that occur with the character. Avoid using "Biography" in the header for this section, as it can insinuate that the section should detail everything that happened to the character.

Concept and creation

Similar to a production section of an episode article, this section should contain information about how the character was first thought up, what ideas went into creating the character, how the creative team went about casting an actor for the role. If the actor portraying the character had to wear some form of make-up, or body prostethics, then this is the place where you would detail the work that went into giving the character their specific appearance.

Characterization

Included here should be information about the character's personality, motives, and interpretations of their actions. If essential to understanding the character, you could include a description of their physical appearance (not the same as describing the work that went into creating their physical appearance). Not every character's physical appearance is noteworthy, so use your best judgement. Information for this section will typically come from secondary sources, like scholarly journals analyzing the character or the show, or television critics. It could also come from the creative team of the show.

Reception

Reception for a specific character may not always be found, or it may have a better home in another section. Generally, this would be where critical response to the character—not necessarily an analysis of the character, like what would be found in the "Characterization" section—would be placed. A character might be deemed to be a hindrance to the show because of poor writing, or poor acting; on the other hand, the character could be deemed important to the show for the very opposite of reasons. Information on how the character has progressed throughout the series, or how they were utilized on the show would also be important aspects to consider.

Impact on popular culture

Some television characters have influences on other television shows, or in other entertainment mediums. For instance, Billy West based his performance as Zapp Brannigan on The Simpsons character Troy McClure. A character might be so popular that toys, video games, and other merchandise are created based on said character. This section deals with out a television character reaches outside its respective show, and becomes part of popular culture in some fashion.

"List of ..." structure

The overall list structure should be flexible and responsive to unique or exceptional aspects of individual series or list of characters, but the following guidelines should be followed in most cases. General list article guidelines are available at Stand-alone lists.

Image

Per WP:NONFREE, episode lists should not have multiple images. Rather, a single representative image should be place at the top of the article, aligned to the right, with an appropriate caption. Ideally, this image will be the title screen from the series. The image should be uploaded and include the appropriate Fair use rationale to comply with Misplaced Pages policies. This also goes for a list of characters. While a image showing the whole cast is useful at the top of an article, an image for every individual character is generally not appropriate, unless the amount of critical commentary on the character's appearance warrants an illustration.

Lead

The lead of an episode or character list should keep the recommendations of Misplaced Pages:Lead section, and for episode listings, follow the general idea stated above with regard to article leads.

For a good episode example, see List of The O.C. episodes:

The O.C. is an American teenaged drama television series created by Josh Schwartz. It premiered on FOX, a terrestrial television network, on August 5, 2003 with the pilot episode "Premiere". The O.C. is set in Newport Beach, Orange County, California and follows the stories of residents in the wealthy, harbor-front community. The series mainly focuses around the Cohen and Cooper families, and the Cohen's adoption of Ryan Atwood, a troubled teenager from Chino, California. The show ran until February 22, 2007, with 92 episodes split over 4 seasons. The first season consisted of twenty-seven episodes, the second season was twenty-four episodes long and preceded by two specials that gave a retrospective look at season one, and previewed the upcoming second season. Season three was twenty-five episodes long, but only sixteen episodes were ordered for the final fourth season as falling ratings led to the show's cancellation.

For a good character list example, see Characters of Kingdom Hearts, although it is not a television-related article:

Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing video games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square). It is the result of a collaboration between Square and Disney Interactive Studios. Kingdom Hearts is a crossover of various Disney settings based in a universe made specifically for the series. The series features a mixture of familiar Disney and Final Fantasy characters, as well as several new characters designed and created by Tetsuya Nomura. In addition, it has an all-star voice cast which includes many of the Disney characters' official voice actors.

The series centers around the main character Sora's search for his friends and his encounters with Disney and Final Fantasy characters on their worlds. There are few playable characters in the games, though there are numerous characters that are able to join Sora's party as computer controlled members. The majority of the characters were introduced in the first game, Kingdom Hearts. Several new characters were introduced in the sequel, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, which also featured alternate versions of previous characters created from Sora's memories. The third game, Kingdom Hearts II, added more Disney and Final Fantasy characters as well as introduced new antagonists.

Episode listing

Ideally, the episode list will be in a tabular format, while a character list generally works better with each character presented in their own section. There are various ways to create the episode table, refer to the list of featured episode lists to find the table that best represents that article you are creating.

Just like with the season articles, which use a similar tabular format, a brief summary of the plot (100–200 words; upwards of 350 words for complex storylines) is applicable, along with a list of the writers, directors, airdates, episode title and episode number. With respect to what to include in the individual character sections, treat them as if they were mini-character articles and refer to the above style guidelines for assistance. Given that the character is part of a list, and does not have its own article, there probably will not be a reason to have subsections underneath the character header. If there is a lot of real world information available, but not enough to separate the character, then simply separate the distinctive topics into their own paragraphs.

If the episode lists includes episodes from multiple seasons, give them appropriate section headers such as "Season 1", "Season 2", or "Series 1", "Series 2" if that is the identifier for the show.

Multiple pages

For very lengthy series, generally 80+ episodes, it may be necessary to break the episode list into individual season or story arc lists. These lists are often the first stepping stone for season articles, but generally lack the amount of real world information (e.g. production, themes, etc.) that a season article has. They may contain some awards or a reception section, but they are generally a list of information pertaining to that respective season.

If this is done, the main list of episodes should still contain the entire episode list, appropriately sectioned, without the episode summaries. Each section should have a {{main}} link to the sublist. These separate lists should include a full lead, as noted above, and follow the same guidelines laid out here as they will be evaluated as stand alone articles.

DVD releases

The inclusion of DVD releases in episode list is not a requirement, but up to editor preference. If DVD releases are included, however, they should include all primary release dates (e.g. Region 1, Region 2, and Region 4). If the series was also released on VHS or Laser disc, name the section "Home video releases" instead and note the VHS releases with the DVD info. Expand the table to include a column for VHS release date, if it is different from the DVD releases. How this is presented is up to the editors of the article; feel free to look over any featured list, or featured article to find a presentation of DVD releases that is appropriate for your article.

References

The preferred method for sourcing information is inline citations with footnotes in this section. For instructions, see WP:FOOT and WP:CITE. In rare cases it might be advisable to include a "See also" or "Further reading" section.

External links

Links to the Official Website, TV.com, or IMDb profile pages should go in the external links section of the article. Linking to a major fansite may be appropriate, if it can be determined that that fansite is more significant than any random fansite on the web. For example, Craig Byrne, the webmaster for Kryptonsite—a fansite devoted to Smallville and several other fantasy driven shows—has written four official companion books for the show that contain detailed interviews with the cast and crew, as well as behind-the-scenes information on the episodes of the show. As such, including a link to Kryptonsite in this section would be relevant, but editors must be careful as many shows contain dozens of fansites, and Misplaced Pages is not a repository of links. Things like forums or blogs should not be linked to.

Wikilinks

• In general, links relevant connections to another article that will help readers to understand the current article more fully; articles explaining technical terms (e.g., diegetic music, but not commonly understood words such as "television" and "studio"), jargon or slang expressions, unless commonly understood; and articles about geographical places that are likely to be unfamiliar to readers.
• Avoid linking terms whose meaning can be understood by most readers of the English Misplaced Pages, including plain English words, the names of major geographic features, locations and nationalities (e.g., "British", "United States"), religions, languages, common professions, common units of measurement, common currencies (e.g., US$) and chronological items such as months and years. Rather than linking them in the body of the text using "hidden" pipes to plain years, which readers are unlikely to click on, consider either (1) listing "Year in television" links, unpiped, in the "See also" section, or (2) clarifying at least the first occurrence as an unpiped link within parentheses in the main text; e.g. "(see 2002 in television)".
• Consider linking only a more specific item where the target page links to a more general item nearby in the anchor text (Atlanta, Georgia).
• Generally link only the first occurrence of an item; see possible exceptions at WP:LINK.
• Always link to the article or section on the most specific topic appropriate to the context from which you link: it will generally contain more focused information, as well as links to more general topics.

Navbox

The standard navbox for television articles is the {{Navbox}} template. See the template's article for instructions on creating a navbox.

Categories

Please categorize your TV articles appropriately. Try looking at similar shows as an example and use Category:Television programming as your starting point for finding the right categories. TV series should avoid network categories when they were not originally produced for that network. Exceptions to this include co-productions (such as The 4400), or when a show changes networks during its original run.

Things to avoid

There are several components to a television article—which include articles on individual characters as well—that should be avoided, as they are either unencyclopedic in nature, or are better placed in another section. These include:

Taglines

Even the Greatest of Taglines is Still Just a Marketing Gimmick

As a general rule don't include taglines in an article. "Misplaced Pages is not an indiscriminate collection of information". However, if a particular tagline was a significant part of the cultural influence of the film, create a section for it and describe its effects.

Trivia sections

Trivia sections are unencyclopedic, and Misplaced Pages is not an indiscriminate collection of information. Relevant information should be integrated into the body of the article.

Quotations

Extensive use of these may breach copyright. Also, Misplaced Pages is not an indiscriminate collection of information. Consider adding these to Wikiquote instead.

Lists of featured music or song lyrics

Original song lyrics for a television episode breach copyright. References to featured music should be supported by reliable sources. Do not just list music: Misplaced Pages is not a directory. In other words, provide context as to why these songs were used for the show.

Technical errors and continuity issues ("bloopers" or "goofs")

Unsourced sections about technical errors or continuity issues should generally be avoided. If there is a major mistake that is discussed by a reliable source it can become a part of the production section. See also WP:BLOOPERS.

Differences in an adaptation

Sometimes television shows are adapted from other media (see The Incredible Hulk), or they are adapted to another form of media. In either case, an article should not contain a mere list the differences. Differences can be addressed by including text detailing the reasons for a change, its effect upon the production, and the reaction to it. This material should be placed within a relevant section of the article (e.g., Production, Themes, or Reception). A mere list of differences can provide undue weight to very minor aspects of the two source materials, like a character in a show usually wearing a black shirt, but in the original version/new adaptation they are wearing a purple shirt.

Templates

• {{Infobox television}} – The infobox to use on these kinds of pages.
• {{Infobox television film}} – The infobox to use on films made for TV and miniseries.
• {{Navbox}} – The navigational box to use on these kinds of pages.
• {{WikiProject Television}} – Our WikiProject banner. Add this to the article's talkpage.
• List of Television related stubs – add one of these to articles that are just stubs.

See also

• List of TV shows an editable list of TV shows currently missing articles, ensuring coverage of all TV shows.
• WP:BLOOPERS

1. "The O.C." Warner Bros. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
2. de Moraes, Lisa (2007-01-04). "Fox Puts 'The O.C.' Out To Pasture". The Washington Post. Katharine Weymouth. Retrieved 2008-10-13.

• Style guidelines of WikiProjects
• Misplaced Pages Manual of Style (arts)