Alright. Taking into account everyone's comments - here is how the General section shapes up.
Q: Where did it all begin?
Stays as is.
We can revisit the names things later in the registration question of the next section.
Q. What's going on with American television schedules? Where can I find my Mutant Enemy shows these days?
Q. What about syndication in the United States?
These Q and their As get deleted and we use what is below to replace them. (And I agree w/Dana that putting the links there and leaving the details off makes sense.)
So these two questions turn into:
Q. What's up with the American syndication schedule for Mutant Enemy shows these days?
A. Buffy the Vampire Slayer runs five days a week on the FX network and is in general syndication on the weekends on other channels. You can see what episodes are playing on FX and at what times here. (but the FX link there)
Angel runs five days a week on TNT and is in general syndication on the weekends on other channels. You can find out what the current episodes and airtimes are here. (but the TNT link there)
For both Buffy and Angel, the weekend syndication runs at various times of the day, as determined by the individual television station.
Q. Where can I get Buffy on tape or DVD?
No one seemed to have any objection to deleting the tape parts so this becomes:
Q. Where can I get Buffy, Angel and Firefly on DVD?
A. There are lots of ways, depending on your location and your scruples.
Americans and Canadians can purchase entire seasons of each show (well, not an entire season of Firefly...but we shouldn't get into that here...stupid network wouldn't know a decent show if it bit them on the...oh yeah! DVDs) at the links below:
(All the links are up to date)
PAL-format people, those in the UK, Australia and elsewhere, can buy pretty much everything on Blackstar or Choices Direct.
There are other options, but they are both illegal and morally questionable. You can try to download eps off of alt.binaries.multimedia.buffy-v-slayer on USENET, or find one of the mythical download sites, or find someone on an auction site who will sell you a set. Buyer beware. Have fun.
No one said anything about the downloading eps link being unusable. I get nothing when I click on it - but that could just be my browser being wonky. I guess we leave it unless someone has an objection.
Q. NTSC? PAL? Huh?
Delete this Q and its A.
Q. James Marsters isn't English?
Stays as is.
Q. Alexis Denisof isn't English?
Stays as is.
Q: Oh, no, what about Anthony Stewart Head?
Minor change. New Answer should read:
A. He's English, all right. And, for that reason, was resident accent/slang coach on the Buffy set. Of course, that isn't his real accent, either.
Q. Is that at least really Giles singing?
Stays as is.
Q. Where can I find scripts online?
I think we need to delete this - none of the links work. No one offered up any alternatives. We could link to the script books for sale on amazon but then we have to change the question.
So, delete both Q and A unless there is objection.
Q: What's the difference between shooting scripts and transcripts?
This doesn't make much sense without the scripts links. I say we move it from here to right after the question about schmuck bait arms that mentions shooting scripts because I still think it is useful info. I'll mention it again when we get there.
Q. I remember a few weeks ago somebody posted a link to a good fanfic. Do I have to swim upstream against thousands of posts to find the link again?
Stays as is.
Q. Can I add my own links there?
Stays as is.
Q. My SO/parents/roommates/cats won't watch Buffy. They sneer at me and my tacky taste. They've finally agreed to watch Just One Episode, in order to shut me up. Which episode do you recommend?
No one really seemed to have any passionate responses for including Angel and Firefly. We can always ammend later. For now answer would just change slightly to:
We suggest something from a later season, this way you aren't constantly saying "Oh, that's Angel, but he's got his own show," or "Oh, Cordy and Xander aren't dating any more."
Many Buffistas have had good results with Season 4's "Hush" (almost no dialogue, funny mime scenes) and "Something Blue" (Buffy and Spike become betrothed; hilarity ensues). If you don't have DVDs from Season 4, try "Earshot", from Season 3. Season 5's premiere episode, "Buffy vs. Dracula," is also a fun romp.
If you're trying to convert through Spike-lust (or even spickle-oost), "Crush" from Season 5 works. Sure, what Spike does in the episode is pretty creepy, but there's the Tongue Thing going on. Gaaah... excuse us. "Intervention," also from S5, offers a nobler, gentler Spike, and the notorious Buffy-job.
After you've got 'em hooked, go back to Season 1 and catch up on the backstory. "Yes, Mom, I know Angel's kinda wooden. Shut up and drool like the rest of us." If this doesn't work, we recommend finding new parents/SO/roommates. (The cats can simply be locked in the bedroom for the duration.)
I deleted the first sentence about comedy/action/backstory cause I agreed with Jess - but nobody else chimed in - does anyone else have strong feelings one way or another?
Q. What's the best source for the schedule of upcoming episodes (i.e., new/rerun, not ep titles)?
Delete this Q and its A.
Q. Now that Buffy and Angel are on different networks, what about crossovers?
Delete this.
That's it. If you have objections to these - now is the time to mention it. I'll be posting Customs and Practices edits tomorrow.