Adding New Episodes Edit

Episodes should be added exactly as they first aired on the original network (title, date, order, season).

The most difficult part is finding a source with reliable data.

Keep in mind that the actual airing order might be different from the order originally planned by the network. The original order should include all and any last minute schedule changes. For example, the original network might chose to air the episodes in a different order in an attempt to improve the ratings. The original network might released an episode early in homage to a recently deceased actor or postpone the broadcast of an episode with sensitive content set to air soon after a tragedy. Less frequently, the wrong episode is sometimes broadcast due to a simple human error.

For recent TV series, the best source is often its official website. We try to mirror how the episodes were first released on the original network's website. When different, the data on the official website usually trumps press releases and TV listing info.

However, please note the data on the original network's current website may be different from the original data for various reasons:

• Not every TV network has the means or desire to offer such information. Some official websites are unfortunately unreliable.
• Everyone can make mistakes.
• Seasons are not always set in stone. Some networks, for example History and Discovery Channel, are known to move episodes around and re-organize their seasons as they see fit.
• Many old TV series are now available on demand. The current version might not be the original version.
• Networks sometimes add the episodes with the production order instead of the airing order.

In most cases, web archive websites such as the Wayback Machine can be very useful.

When seasons are re-organized after a network change (e.g. American Dad, Futurama), we do not re-arranged the aired seasons/episodes. The new season is simply added as the next season.

Sometimes, episodes airs in a different order in other countries. When you add a translation, be careful to follow the original order AND count. Pay close attention to how double episodes were originally broadcast.

Upcoming Episodes

• Blank episodes (with a missing title and/or air date) should be avoided. Please wait until the info is officially released.
• Sometimes, episodic data is not available publicly until the episodes are released. In those cases, it is acceptable to add the next upcoming episode with a missing title/description, as well as any episode that will be released the same day (e.g. a Netflix series).
• An exception is also made for the first episode of a season and the first episode after the mid-season break. Sometimes only the episode title and description are known, but not the air date, or vice versa.
• Please only use official sources (press websites, press releases, the official network's website, official TV guides). Data found on databases like IMDb and Wiki is often wrong. That's also true for specialized websites such as The Futon Critic's TV listing and non-press release posts on Spoiler TV.

Early Cancellation

When a television series is cancelled and prematurely pulled off the air before the end of a season, the first thing you should do is remove the air dates from any unaired episodes. These episodes might be burn off on the original network at a later date. If the remaining episodes are not broadcast on the original network and/or are only released digitally, they will be moved to the Specials. For examples see Powerless or Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23.

Episode Number

The first episode of a season is always "1" not "0". Episodes officially released as "Episode 0" are added in the Specials. This is also true for episodes released as "Episode 0.5" as well as any other odd-numbered or unnumbered episodes.

Segments

For kids cartoon with two or three distinct stories (segments) per half-hour, each episode should be split so that each segment is an episode. For example, "Going the Extra Milo / Sunny Side Up" should be two episodes. The main reason for splitting the segments is that segments are often released individually and/or paired with a different segment in subsequent releases.

Anime Edit

Original Order

The main guidelines for animes are the same as with any other type of series. Our goal is to replicate how the TV series were originally released on their original network. The episodes of anime series should be in the exact order in which they were originally released in Japan.

In most cases, the original airing order (how it was first released) will correspond to the order used by the official Japanese website (how it was supposed to be shown). However, we strongly recommend double-checking the original air dates and order with a trustworthy source.

The order used by the official Japanese website is sometimes different from the order the episode were originally released in. This usually happens when the episodes are first aired out of order on TV, when episodes are banned from airing after the initial Japanese TV broadcast or when regular season episodes are first released with a DVD release. An infamous example is the 38th episode of Pokémon which triggered seizures and was banned after its initial Japanese TV airing.

Furthermore, international releases of anime series often have episode orders, episode counts and season splits that are wildly different from the original Japanese release. International broadcast should not be used as templates for anime.

Segments

As with multi-segment cartoons, episodes formed of two or more distinct segments should be split so that each segment is an episode. While not ideal, the main reason for the split is that segments are often paired differently in subsequent releases.

For example, the episodes of the anime series Chio's School Road are split into segments (A, B, C). On the official website, each segment has a distinct title and episode description.

Similarly, the older episodes of the anime series Shin-chan were split into segments on the original website. The new website use the "Segment 1 / Segment 2 / Segment 3" format for newer episodes and each segment has its own title and description.

An example of anime series with segment that shouldn't be split is Aho-Girl. While the episode are composed of multiple segments, they are listed as regular episodes on the official website. Each episode has a single title and description.

TV Cours

Japanese animated series usually air weekly (one episode per week). A Japanese television year is divided into four three-months airing blocks–January to March, April to June, July to September, and October to December–referred to as cours. There is usually around 12 new episodes in a cour.

TV series are usually broadcast in one of the following format:

• Single cour: only airs for one cours e.g. October to December
• Double cour: airs for two consecutive cours e.g. April to September
• Split cour: airs for one cour, skip a cour (or two), airs for another cour e.g. January to March, break, July to September
• Continuous: airs all year long

Should I add new episodes to the existing season, to a new season, or as a new series?

The answer lies with the original Japanese data.

Long-running series with continuous episode numbers (e.g. 867, 868, 869) are added as a single season.

Sequels series (i.e. a direct continuation of the story) are added within the same entry. When the episodes numbers are continuous, all episodes are added to the same season. When the episode count is restarted (i.e. the first episode is Episode 1), the new episodes are added as a new season.

Episodes airing in a split cour format (e.g. Episodes 1-13, break, Episodes 14-26) are added in a single season. Examples: AKB0048

When a series is released in two or more parts, the new episodes should also be added to the same season when the episode number are continuous. Sometimes the production of new episodes is halted for a year or more. Examples: Fairy Tail / Fairy Tail (2014), Dragon Ball Z Kai / Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters, Naruto / Naruto Shippuden

On the other hand, reboot series, spin-off series, series set in an alternative timeline, new adaptations based on the same source material, ... are added as a new TV entry. Examples: Digimon

We strongly recommend using the official Japanese website. Databases such as anidb, MyAnimeList and Anime News Network, or trustworthy sources such as Syoboi can help you make informed decision, but they should be used with caution. And please keep in mind that every database has their own, unique guidelines.

Specials

Special TV episodes, single-episode OVAs, recap episodes (unless they are numerated as regular episodes), bonus episodes bundled with the DVD release, and any episodes that didn't air during the initial Japanese TV broadcast belong in the Specials.

Movies are added as movie entries and shouldn't be duplicated in the specials.

OVAs

Standalone OVA series are added as TV entries with blank Network fields and "Video" as their TV Show Type.

Standalone single-episode OVAs are added as one movie entry.

OVAs that are considered to be additional content to a previously released anime series (e.g. bonus episodes, side stories) should be added to the matching show's special.

Alternative versions

Any alternative order including but not limited to the TV cours, the US seasons, the Japanese DVD releases, the different story arcs and the absolute order can be created with episode groups.

We generally do not support series re-edits. However, we made a exception for the following series: Dragon Ball Z Kai and Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096. If you believe a re-edit deserves an exception, please run it by us first. If you don't, it will most likely be deleted.

Translations

New episodic translations have to match previously added data.

Keep in mind that the episode order in your local release is very possibly different from the order used in the original Japanese release.

Watch out for mismatching translations or any incorrect edits. The change history records all the recent edits made to each episode.

Name Edit

We currently only support the original episode titles and original translated episode titles (i.e. the first TV/digital/physical title for each language).

When a non-English series is released with different episode titles in the main English speaking countries (e.g US, UK, CA), we usually choose the title used for the first official release as the translated names.

No Official Release

The translated episode name field should be left blank there is no official translation. For example, if an American TV series is not yet released in Russia. Please do not add unofficial translations of the original episodes names.

No "TBA" or unconfirmed titles for upcoming episodes. Please leave the field blank until the info is released. The main guidelines for adding upcoming episodes are listed above.

Multi-Part Episodes

"Episode (1)" "Episode (2)" should be used for regular multi-part episodes. For example, "To Be or Not to Be: Part 1" should be entered in the database as "To Be or Not to Be (1)", and "The Sound of Thunder - Pt. 1" as "The Sound of Thunder (1)."

"Episode (I)" "Episode (II)" should be used for multi-part interseries crossover episodes. In simpler words, it should be used when the storyline starts in an episode of Series A and continues in an episode of Series B.

Double Episodes

If two episodes originally air as one, a slash can be use to separate the two episodes titles: Title One / Title Two.

The same technique may be used for episodes which are broadcast as a single double episode on the original channel and split into two parts in foreign country.

Overview Edit

Episode overviews should follow the same rules as the other types of overviews. No big spoilers and the overview should not be used to recap the whole episode.

Interseries Crossover Edit

For multi-part interseries crossover episodes, a reference to the other episode(s) should be added after the plot overview using the following format:

"The crossover continues on... " should be used first the first episode.
"The crossover starts on..." should be used for the last episode.
"The crossover starts on... It continues on..." should be used for the middle episodes.

"Series Name S00E00 Episode Name (roman numeral)" is our preferred way of referencing the episodes.

Examples

A two-part crossover between Bones and Sleepy Hollow:

• The crossover continues on Sleepy Hollow S03E05 Dead Men Tell No Tales (II).
• The crossover starts on Bones S11E05 The Resurrection in the Remains (I).

A four-part crossover between Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow:

• The crossover continues on The Flash S03E08 Invasion! (II), Arrow S05E08 Invasion! (III) and DC's Legends of Tomorrow S02E07 Invasion! (IV).
• The crossover starts on Supergirl S02E08 Medusa (I). It continues on Arrow S05E08 Invasion! (III) and DC's Legends of Tomorrow S02E07 Invasion! (IV).
• The crossover starts on Supergirl S02E08 Medusa (I) and The Flash S03E08 Invasion! (II). It continues on DC's Legends of Tomorrow S02E07 Invasion! (IV).
• The crossover starts on Supergirl S02E08 Medusa (I), The Flash S03E08 Invasion! (II) and Arrow S05E08 Invasion! (III).

Air Date Edit

We currently only support the original air dates on the original network.

Unknown air date

No guessed air dates please! When the air date is unknown, for example for a series from the 60s or an unaired pilot, it's best to leave the date blank.

Previews

We usually ignore digital previews for regular television series. To list a few examples, Fox's Ghosted debuted on Twitter, most episodes of the first season NBC's Aquarius and Freeform's Beyond as well as the fourth season of Fox's The O.C. previewed online. In all cases, the digital previews were ignored.

When a television network airs a preview of their television series on their own network, the preview date can be used. For example, the pilot of Freeform's The Bold Type previewed on Freeform three weeks before the official series premiere.

A notable but rare exception is when the pilot of a digital series premieres on television. For example, the first episode of The Good Fight (CBS All Access) premiered on CBS on February 19, 2017. The TV broadcast qualifies as a valid first air date, however, we decided not to add CBS as a network.

Guest Stars Edit

Contrary to what the name suggests, the Guest Star section is not only for guest stars. Any actor that is not part of the Regular Cast for the season can and should be added as a Guest Star.

When an actor plays two or more characters in a series, consecutively rather than simultaneously, they are usually credited individually for each role. As an example, Alex Steele played the young Angela Jeremiah in Degrassi and was cast years later as the teenager Tori Santamaria. Multiple guest star roles are frequent for long series such as CSI or Law & Order.

While the character name credited on-screen may vary from one episode to the next, it's important to always use the exact same spelling for character names. For example, if a character is already credited as "Temperance 'Bones' Brennan", each new credit has to be with the same spelling. Using a different spelling e.g. "Dr. Temperance Brennan", "Temperance Brennan" or "Temperance "Bones" Brennan" will only split the credits.

No (credit only) credit. If an actor does not appear in the original version of an episode, they shouldn't be added to the database.

(uncredited) should be used for verified uncredited roles. We strongly advised against blindly copying (uncredited) credits from IMDb.

When someone is credited for some but not all of the episodes where they appear, they can be added without an (uncredited) mention.

Screened theatrically? Edit

You can toggle this flag if the episode was screened at a film festival or in theatre.

Please use the theatrical flag on season level for regular seasons screened in full at a film festival.