What do you consider canon?

[donutsweeper]

This poll is brought to you by the fact that the international version of the White Collar pilot contained scenes not in the American one...

[Poll #1614567]

Comments

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

*waves back*

I'm torn about different versions airing in different places. I wonder WHY the scenes didn't air originally- it's possible the director took them out because they no longer jived with his/her vision of the show or something like that.

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

It's a difficult one. Could it have been simply due to the time factor?

I know, for instance, that some things the US buy from us get cut because of the need to incorporate adverts. We bought the Mrs. Bradley mysteries in R1 as they weren't out here. Then a few years later they came out here, so we replaced them and discovered various scenes that had been cut - but had been in the original airing. So had I been writing Mrs. B, I'd have said the longer version was canon even though Americans wouldn't have seen it.

Selling to the US and conforming with 'your' needs, is why a lot of our shows are now shorter than they would have been years ago, because we take into account how much of the hour your stations take up with adverts.

And I know that the Grey's Anatomy DVDs I have have some episodes that are longer than the original airing due to the advert issue - but then that's different in my mind as they weren't show anywhere.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

It could be just due to timing and commercials, but I don't know.

My opinion of canon goes with how the show aired in his home country and first airing, be that a shorter or longer version than seen elsewhere.

Even here shows have become shorter and shorter. If you watch reruns of old shows (b&w ones from the 60s for example) there will be either a lot cut to have the normal amount of commercials air or they'll have a lot fewer commercials, depending on circumstances.

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

It's very irritating to discover, I imagine.

That makes sense and I could easily go with that, I'm on the fence re: deleted scenes being aired elsewhere. But I'm very firm about deleted scene appearing on DVDs/in extras as definitely not being canon.

Now you mention it, I've noticed that. Thinking of some of the older US shows I have on DVDs (MFU & Starsky & Hutch for instance) they are longer than NCIS.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Deleted scenes that only appear on DVDs I don't consider canon- a few times there's been commentary for them and the director or writer has said the scene was cut because they realized it didn't work for how they saw the characters (or something similar)

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

They certainly don't count - nor do commentaries, comment by actors, directors IMO.

It makes you wonder if they are cut for that reason from the TV airing why they are included on the DVD, doesn't it?

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I think they're included just so they can say they HAVE extras. And since they're already taped and whatnot it's very easy and inexpensive to add.

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

Ah, now that's a clever thought - and a jolly good one too. I know for a lot of people extras is what DVDs are all about.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

And I've seen a lot of grousing when they're aren't any extras for whatever reason.

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

Really?

They don't bother me in the slightest. In fact we rarely watch them.

I do buy the US NCIS DVDs because they have more extras than the R2 ones, but that's because it's NCIS. But I confess *looks sheepish* I haven't watched them all even now *g*

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

I always mean to watch them... but rarely do.

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

*Grins*

I wonder how many other people do that?

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

I'm ashamed to admit I have several DVD sets that I've never even opened. Sometimes it's hard to combine the desire to watch with the spare time for doing so.

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

Pssst. I have a few films like that. And *looks shifty* the odd set or two too.

So we can feel ashamed together *g*