Line #22 AllThereInTheManual/LiveActionTV


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9	* ''Series/TwentyFour'':
10	** The extra material involved with the show is staggering. There are book series, one-shot comics, the prequels that are only included on the DVD release (and are actually important to understanding the context of the season), and information on the various forms of the 24 website at FOX.com (which gave background information on the characters never mentioned in the show) that are crucial to understanding some characters and their subplots. For instance, the explanation for why so many people distrust Jack (because of an internal corruption ring he broke, which is fleetingly referred to in the first season) is covered in a book series that was released several years later.
11	** Operation Nightfall, referenced by Jack Bauer and others during the first and third seasons, is only shown in the comic series ''Nightfall''.
12	** During Day 2, a feature on the official website references a report making the rounds that has sensitive information regarding Jack's experiences on Day 1. That report is the basis of the "24: The Special Subcommittee's Findings" book.
13	** The ''24'' video game shows how Max, the mastermind behind the events of Day 2, is cornered and killed. It also focuses on Kim Bauer's first day on the job as a CTU intern.
14	** The prequels (and debriefs) included on the DVD sets flesh out the events of the season, and were never aired on TV proper. The Season 4 prequel shows Jack being fired from CTU, the main terrorist plot kicking into gear and Jack going home to his new girlfriend, Audrey. The fifth season prequel shows how Jack was discovered after faking his death for a year. The Day 6 debrief takes place after the day's events finish (where Jack is debriefed by two fellow CTU officers, and gives background information on himself). There is an epilogue on the Day 8 set where Chloe is arrested for her complicity in helping Jack over the past 24 hours, and one on the Die Another Day set where [[spoiler:Tony Almeida breaks out of solitary confinement after a TimeSkip]].
15	* The full rules of ''Series/TheAmazingRace'' are never fully disclosed during the show, and many rules are only brought up when a team breaks them.
16	** A rather heartbreaking elimination by lost passport (rendered all the more heartbreaking by the fact that the team in question had finished the leg first before they discovered it was missing) was properly explained in an online video, where the team admits that they took a wrong turn and must have lost the passport in the dark (which also justified not showing it in the actual episode).
17	* The show ''Series/BabylonFive'' left out the conclusions of some subplots, because they were going to be covered by the (canon) novels.
18	** The ''Legions of Fire'' trilogy explained how we got from Londo becoming Emperor to Centauri Prime being ablaze 17 years later (as seen in various flash-forwards), whilst the Passing of the Techno-mages trilogy explained how Morden survived the nuclear explosion on Z'ha'dum and why the Shadows apparently didn't have any AA batteries protecting their capital city. Interestingly, whilst allowing the novels to expand and even resolve important plotlines from the show, JMS drew a line at explaining how the virus afflicting Earth in ''Crusade'' was eliminated in case he was able to revisit the series later on: a character in the Centauri books starts explaining it but gets interrupted.
19	** In the first series of novels, both "The Shadow Within" and "To Dream in the City of Sorrows" are also considered canon. The first deals with what actually happened to the Icarus, Anna Sheridan, and Morden on Z'Ha'Dum. The other describes in more detail Sinclair's early days as the ambassador to Minbar, as well as the conclusion of Catherine Sakai's storyline, the first reactivation of the Rangers, and why Sinclair's hair is white in the whole [[NegativeSpaceWedgie Babylon 4 storyline]]. The second is especially tasty because it has a buttload of info, due to the fact that it's written by JMS's ''wife'', Kathryn Drennan.
20	*** Also, the comics were considered canon. In a possibly ground-breaking moment, Garibaldi's out-of-the-blue announcement in the TV episode ''Messages from Earth'' that he saw a Shadow ship being excavated on Mars seven years earlier is actually a reference to a comic storyline produced a year earlier depicting his first meeting with Sinclair. Fascinatingly, this storyline also set up [[spoiler:the departure of Talia Winters by revealing that the Psi Corps had been experimenting on her with Shadow tech at the same time.]] The first four issues of the comic also revealed all of what happened to Sinclair, and how he ended up as the Earth ambassador to Minbar. A miniseries called "In Valen's Name" described the final fate of Babylon 4 and showed some of Sinclair's tenure as Valen.
21	* ''Series/{{Banshee}}'': Rabbit's real name is never mentioned in the series, but various promotional material shows newspaper clippings which reveal his name as "Igor Rabitov."
22	* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' series finale infamously [[spoiler:divided the fandom with its vague non-answers over the nature of 'God' and its refusal to explain either the 'Head-People' or what was going on with Starbuck. The Sci-Fi Channel had already approved a comic series called ''The Final Five'' which will address some of these questions: a preview of the first issue, for example, reveals that Pythia appears to have been an earlier incarnation of Starbuck and was given her visions of the future by Head-Six, whilst the father of Saul Tigh was one of the original Cylon skinjobs of Kobol. The comic is written by one of the TV scriptwriters with the approval of the producers: however, a caveat was added to the first issue stating that it was "An original interpretation of the story,", making its canonical status dubious. This may actually have been a wise move: having been denied their answers on TV, the dissatisfied section of the fanbase may have actually exploded to learn the real answers were being given in a comic book mere months later]].
23	** More overtly, there were two serialised webisodes (totaling 30 minutes each) preceding Seasons 3 and 4.5 which expand on many important elements. The Season 3 webisodes show life on Cylon-occupied New Caprica, how Duck and Jammer ended up where they were in the opening episodes of S3, how Tigh and Tyrol's morality was gradually eroded until they were willing to consider the use of suicide bombers and more. The Season 4.5 ones are even more important as they show exactly how Felix Gaeta lost faith in the battlestar's command crew, setting up later events in the series, and explain why he stabbed Baltar and lied on the stand in late Season 3. The existence of these webisodes is not well-known outside of the USA, as they tend not to be included on the Region 2 DVD releases.
24	*** The 4.5 webisodes haven't been included on ''any'' DVD releases.
25	*** It also confirmed everyone's suspicions that Gaeta was bisexual.
26	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' has a whole bunch of stuff contained in non-show stuff. Hell, the universe is continued in the [[ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer comics]].
27	* Some of ''Series/{{Carnivale}}''[='s=] mythology was given in information and notes from series creator Daniel Knauf outside of the show, later presented by the fans via [[http://savecarnivale.org/html/rousties_month_thalidar_gospel.htm The Gospel of Knaufias]]. While it's not essential reading for the show, it does answer some mysteries and fill out some gaps concerning the show's plot and characters.
28	* ''Franchise/{{Degrassi}}'': Whether the original or Next Generation, you always learn more about the characters from the website, DVD extras, and tie-in novels than you EVER would just watching the show. Melanie wanting to be a professional writer, or Liberty being a year younger than anyone else, for example...
29	* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'': [[http://www.scifi.com/farscape/notes/ Crichton's notes]] provide some musings and further information about various technology from the show. The [[http://www.scifi.com/farscape/journeylogs/ Journey Logs]], written from various characters' viewpoints, are also good sources of character insight, wit, and lampshade hanging ("Apparently Scorpy had been able to trace my DNA from the sample he took when he had me in that frelling Aurora Chair, and that enabled him to find my head. Don't ask me how that makes sense. I just work here.") in addition to being episode recaps.
30	** Also, you have to play the video game to find out how Crichton came to have a favorite gun that he names Winona.
31	* ''Series/{{Firefly}}''. While Joss Whedon probably would've explained it all had the show not been [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwed over so badly]], if you want to know Shepherd Book's past you need to read a comic book titled "The Shepherd's Tale", which was released in late 2010.
32	** Although this history is hinted at pretty broadly in the movie ''Film/{{Serenity}}''.
33	** The exact layout of the systems that make up Alliance territory was eventually revealed when the "Official Map of the Verse" was released. It shows that Alliance territory is divided into a complex, multi-starsystem cluster with five star systems and a number of smaller protostars, with four smaller systems orbiting one massive supergiant, around which the Central Planets orbit.
34	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
35	** The show has The Complete Guide to Westeros which is included in the Bluray releases. The Season 2 Bluray includes not only the Histories & Lore section by also a War of the Five Kings feature that explains stuff like the origin of the Brotherhood Without Banners, the Houses that declare for Renly and then for Stannis, and even why the Greatjon is missing from Season 2.
36	** Karl Tanner was never named on-screen in Season 3, leading several early reviews to use names from other characters used to composite him, such as Dirk.
37	** The names of Daenerys' dragons were this for a long time. Drogon (black and red) is finally name-dropped ''thirty'' episodes after his introduction and his brothers Rhaegal (green and bronze) and Viserion (white and gold) had to wait for the Season 5 premiere.
38	** The names of countless minor characters and extras are provided only by the books.
39	*** The deserters who attack Bran with Osha are called Stiv and Wallen.
40	*** The Kingsguard knights who attack Brienne in "The Ghost of Harrenhal" are Ser Emmon Cuy and Ser Robar Royce.
41	*** Cersei's girlhood friend in "The Wars to Come" is Melara Hetherspoon.
42	*** The Lannister bannermen at the strategy meeting are notable characters in the books, thus their names are revealed - there is also Lord Leo Lefford, who can be recognized because the Lefford colors are blue and yellow and Ser Addam Marbrand, along with Ser Harys Swyft and Ser Flement Brax. With Brax being a younger character — the second son of Lord Andros Brax — it is most likely that the rather elderly bannerman sitting next to Kevan Lannister is intended to be Ser Harys (notably, Swyft's daughter is married to Kevan).
43	*** Lord Steffon Baratheon's name appears in the lineages book consulted by Ned Stark, but with no real context to identify him as the previous Lord Baratheon. The novels are the material that connect the name and the character.
44	*** Marya Seaworth's name is revealed in the books and one of the DVD "Histories and Lore" extras.
45	** Locke is, apparently the master-at-arms at the Dreadfort, which makes him the Boltons' most senior commander after Roose himself and Ramsay.
46	** Steelshanks' true name is Walton.
47	** Ramsay's dogs are not directly named in the show, but in the books they're referred to as the "Bastard's Girls".
48	** Aeron Greyjoy's name, confirming it is Aeron and not some nameless priest, is mentioned in the episode recap of the official viewer's guide.
49	* ''Series/TheGoodDoctor'': The last name of the character Lea ("Dilallo") has never been given on the show and was only revealed in a tweet by actress Paige Spara.
50	* ''Series/{{Helix}}'' has supplemental material available at Syfy's Helix [[http://www.syfy.com/helix website]], particularly the [[http://www.syfy.com/accessgranted/helix Access Granted]] subsection, which contains in-universe personnel files, video resumes, and cryptic documents.
51	* To understand some plot points in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', you have to check out the online graphic novels.
52	* ''Series/HighlanderTheSeries'' has the Watcher Chronicles CD-ROM, which contains a wealth of background details about almost every character who appears in the series. This information is generally not plot-critical, but it fleshes out minor characters and provides insight into the workings of the setting.
53	* Many of the new-gen ''Franchise/KamenRider'' series are prone to this.
54	** Although, this is usually minutiae such as weapon or attack names or height and weight. You don't need to know that ''Series/KamenRiderKiva'''s Rider Kick is called the Darkness Moon Break and that it has the strength of 30 tons of TNT to enjoy the show.
55	* The Season 6 DVD for ''Series/{{Lost}}'' answers many questions left unresolved by the finale, including where the polar bears came from and what happened to Walt.
56	** The true purpose of the DHARMA Initiative from ''Series/{{Lost}}'' was only revealed in the Internet ARG ''The Lost Experience''.
57	*** However, the writers have specifically stated this knowledge is not crucial to understanding the show; it's meant as a bonus for viewers who want more.
58	*** In addition, some of the material from the game has been given in the series in a different context, making tracking down information on the game not essential to understanding the story in the series.
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62	* ''Series/TheMightyBoosh'' isn't a show heavy on continuity or deep backstories, but ''The Mighty Book of Boosh'' gives a few details that explain the characters a bit more. Among other things, it tells us how the Hitcher knew Jack the Ripper (Hitcher raised him as a sort of apprentice), and tells of when FeralChild Vince was first inspired to leave the jungle for London (A nature documentary crew filmed him being nearly murdered by a crocodile, which gave him his first taste of stardom).
63	* The very first episode of Miranda Hart's TV sitcom ''Series/Miranda2009'' began with a "Previously On" opening, quickly recapping earlier events that were important plot points. There ''was'' a previous series — on radio, where these sequences were originally fleshed out.
64	* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' has a companion book called [[https://www.amazon.com/Pawnee-Greatest-America-Leslie-Knope/dp/1401310648 "Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America"]], which goes over and expands on the [[EverytownAmerica setting]], characters and events not covered in the show itself. InUniverse, it's a book Leslie wrote to help promote her city council campaign during the fourth season.
65	* Enforced by the PBS Red Book in situations where the sponsor count for a particular program (e.g. ''Eyes on the Prize'' and ''Independent Lens'') is too high for the program to conceivably credit all the sponsors and square with the Red Book. The standard credit to use in such situations is "...and others (a complete list is available from PBS)."
66	* Several of the characters in ''Series/TheRedGreenShow'' have their real names revealed in the supplemental material; they also only name the "North of 40" and "Buddy System" segments there.
67	* The miniseries ''Series/RoseRed'' has a tie-in novel that fills in some of the background. Not required, but nice. Unfortunately, it refers to a website with lost excerpts from the novel (including one that implies HoYay between Ellen and Sukeena), but that site is gone.
68	* ''Series/{{Shoestring}}'': Sonia, Radio West's receptionist, is always referred to by only her first name, but the script for the unproduced movie gives her full name as Sonia Price.
69	* ''Franchise/SuperSentai''[=/=]''Franchise/PowerRangers'':
70	** An in-universe case in ''Series/GekisouSentaiCarranger'', where Dappu actually creates manuals for the team's weapons and CombiningMecha. Because of this, ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'' features a quick bit of Tommy pulling out the manual while driving his Zord, when by all accounts he's plenty experienced at this by now (especially considering he'd previously driven Red Lightning in ''Film/TurboAPowerRangersMovie'', but then again, the Turbo Zords there were completely different, since it was all original footage).
71	** ''Series/HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger'' is subject to this. "''Hyakujuu''" is a Japanese word that means "All of the Animals". It literally means "One Hundred Animals". Seventeen show up regularly in the TV series, five make up the ultimate HumongousMecha, another one debuts in TheMovie, another shows up in a [[AudioAdaptation drama CD]], and four more make their appearance in the GrandFinale. The other 72 show up in the series concept art, where a few of them were even conceived to be further {{Mecha Expansion Pack}}s, become their own HumongousMecha, and even more to have short one shot appearances in the finale but were left on the cutting room floor. These ranged from animals like the horse and cobra to the penguin and reindeer (named [=GaoRednose=] no less).
72	** And then ''Gaoranger'' itself is something of a manual for its adaptation, ''Series/PowerRangersWildForce''. [[NoExportForYou Guess how much of the extra material got translated into English?]]
73	** Though the MilestoneCelebration episode "Forever Red" from ''Series/PowerRangersWildForce'' is considered a fan favorite, it contains a few {{Plot Hole}}s, namely how both Jason (the original Red [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Ranger]]) and T.J. (the second Red [[Series/PowerRangersTurbo Turbo Ranger]]) are able to morph despite having lost their powers. Writer Amit Bhaumik has said the answer to at least one of these questions can be found in an obscure ''Power Rangers'' mini-series Creator/MarvelComics put out in the 90's, which had a story where Lord Zedd restored the original Power Coins (which had been destroyed in Season 3 of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'') and gave them to his new team of [[PsychoRangers Dark Rangers]]. Bhaumik claims that he considers the story canon, and that Jason had simply reclaimed his original Power Coin from Osamu (the Dark Red Ranger in the comic) prior to the events of "Forever Red."
74	** During the Disney era of ''Franchise/PowerRangers'', there were a lot of things that were placed on the show's website or in promotional materials that never actually showed up on screen. During ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder'', Disney's site for the series said that Ethan developed a way for them to teleport across the city by text message. ''[[Series/PowerRangersJungleFury Jungle Fury]]'' gave Lily's name as Lily "Chill" Chilman, a nickname she was ''never'' called by. Finally, never once in the entire season was it mentioned exactly what ''[[Series/PowerRangersRPM RPM]]'' stood for (It's Racing Performance Machines, if anyone cares.)
75	* ''Series/{{Survivor}}'':
76	** The motivations of some players are often utterly inexplicable to those who have not watched the supplementary "Secret Scene" videos on CBS's website (and sometimes remain inexplicable even then until interviews with the players after the game has ended make things more clear). This is often the case for 24/7 RealityTV shows which only use a tiny percentage of their filmed footage to form the narrative of the show.
77	** For instance, in ''Heroes Vs. Villains'', Russell seemingly steamrolls through the last half of the season until the last Tribal Council, where nearly all of the jury members turn on him ostensibly for the way he treated Danielle (leading to her being voted out). The Secret Scenes show this not to be the only case - one sequence has Coach giving his cross necklace to Russell in a pact (before being voted out later that night), and later, Russell and Parvati walking around camp laughing about J.T.'s letter in front of the Heroes after he was evicted.
78	** The only way to understand what the Final Tribal Council is thinking, and how they vote, is by watching the "Life at Ponderosa" segments (which are only shown online and in the DVD sets). Likewise, the only way to see some of the full entrance interviews for the contestants is to watch them on Youtube.
79	** Reddit's "[[https://www.reddit.com/r/survivor/wiki/ama_archive Ask Me Anything (AMA) Archive]]" is often considered a secondary resource for many fans (and unofficial hangout for many of the players), and answers a lot of questions about the production process, rules and regulations for contestants, how certain contestants were edited and what the players' general thoughts on certain actions in their season were.
80	* Because of its short run, there are things in ''Series/Tracker2001'' that never made it out of the manual. Mel’s grandfather is mentioned as being the alien that made her a hybrid and her father is said to have died in a boating accident
81	* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "Wong's Lost and Found Emporium", Melinda and Mrs. Whitford's names are never mentioned. They come from the script and, in the latter case, the short story by William F. Wu.
82	* ''Series/TwinPeaks'' had several print and audio media (The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, Diane:The Tapes of Agent Cooper, e.g.) which offered teasing insight into the developing plot.
83	* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] on ''Series/Warehouse13'': Pete hasn't read the manual, Myka has read it cover to cover, and Artie doesn't need to.
84	* For ''Series/Watchmen2019'', HBO released a collection of in-universe documents called [[https://www.hbo.com/peteypedia Peteypedia]] that expands on what happened in the decades long gap between the original comic and the show. Among other things, they expand on the fallout of Adrian's attack on New York and what he got up to afterward, what happened to Dan and Laurie, why computers are much less advanced in the show's universe, and how Rorschach's journal became fuel for right-wing racists and conspiracy theorists.
85	* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'''s website does more of an efficient job at explaining the functional magic rules and plots than the program itself does through dialogue.
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Context AllThereInTheManual / LiveActionTV