Everybody knew Giles was going off-contract after S5, right? Everybody knew Buffy would come back from the dead after S5. Everybody knew that Gunn, and then Fred, would be getting contracts. I don't know why that is/isn't in the opening credits stuff is spoily now, when it didn't used to be.

This is what I'm wondering. When did we (officially, or by bullshit consensus) decide that major cast additions/deletions were spoilery.

And I also feel like this proposal is ONLY about The Big Spoiler. Which is okay by me, because I'm tired of pretending it hasn't already been all over newspapers, magazines, and the internet. I mean, really. If you go into a bookstore, be careful to not look at the rack of fandom-related magazines, because The Big Spoiler is all over the covers of them. The WB and Mutant Enemy are not keeping this secret.

I think that the BCS is already an elephant in the room. I think that expanding the spoiler definition may allow smaller elephants to squeak through, and rather then do that, an exception should just be made for the current BCS. (And possibly the BCAS too.) Future BCS or BCAS can be decided on a case by case basis by consensus.

And there's almost been as much buzz about BCS as there was that Buffy was coming back from the dead.

Future BCS or BCAS can be decided on a case by case basis by consensus.

You mean go through this every time? For the love of god, noooooooooooooooo. I'd rather make a general rule and have it done with.

I can see Vortex's viewpoint.

But as someone who works in the entertainment industry, I have a very difficult time agreeing that main cast information, like The Current Spoiler we're talking about, is a spoiler.

In my business, it's not a spoiler, it's Vital Information We Need to Know as Soon as Possible.

I understand that this does not apply to everybody, but I find it very difficult to not talk about The Casting Spoiler, when it was never a spoiler for me. Heck, one of my coworkers has a picture of an offical poster that gives away The Spoiler on her desktop at work.

And I'm someone who is very spoiler averse.

I guess casting spoilers, even the surprise guests, don't count for me as this sort of information appears in the Trades months ahead of time.

And I also feel like this proposal is ONLY about The Big Spoiler.

Whoa - that's not my understanding at all. However, I think once the season starts, because of the way it's worded, it'll be a moot point. If there is a 6th season of Angel, it might matter again.

Also, I think doing these on case-by-case basis is going to make everything MORE frustrating for the people currently frustrated, not less. I know it will for me.

So actually the current proposal is midway between Sean's position (no casting spoilers are spoilers) and Vortex (all casting spoilers are spoilers - even if aired in promos.) So the current proposal is a compromise, dead center, halfway between the two extremes...

I guess casting spoilers, even the surprise guests, don't count for me as this sort of information appears in the Trades months ahead of time.

I also don't think casting spoilers are spoilers, because they a) usually are widely publicized and b)don't tell us anything significant about the plot. But that's always been a minority opinion among the Buffistas.

And Gar, yeah, it is a pretty compromisey proposal, but I think they all have been.

My concern isn't necessarily the big spoiler but "spoilers" like knowing that any person who has ever been on Buffy or Angel has another job, which means that they won't be showing up. It is sort of weird.

My concern isn't necessarily the big spoiler but "spoilers" like knowing that any person who has ever been on Buffy or Angel has another job, which means that they won't be showing up. It is sort of weird.

And some people have been on multiple shows on different networks. Chris Meloni comes to mind. I was originally going to say Edie Falco, but those are both HBO.

I also don't think casting spoilers are spoilers, because they a) usually are widely publicized and b)don't tell us anything significant about the plot. But that's always been a minority opinion among the Buffistas.

That's why we have spoilage lite. But to expand the rule so all main cast changes are not even spoilage lite, may end up during S5 or S6 or S7 divulging some huge plot points. We all know what's driving this particular proposal, and I think we should greenlight this spoiler without restructuring the spoiler policy.