Whedonesque Mobile : Comments on 10305 : BtVS S1 and Firefly Complete Series added to iTunes.

May 09 2006

BtVS S1 and Firefly Complete Series added to iTunes. You read correctly, a couple of our favorite shows have been added. Although they're apparently classics already, they can be found at the iTunes TV Shows section as Fox was just recently added.

This may be for U.S. iTunes users only, but further revenue for these shows can't hurt right? I know I'm personally too excited to continue writing an extended description and attempt to be witty so I'll just leave you to check it out for yourself. Oh, and maybe buy one or two episodes (or seasons) while you're at it!

Edit: Unfortunately Firefly's episodes are out of order... again. When will Fox ever learn? That's the bad news, the good news? You can get the complete Serenity episode (Parts 1 and 2) for a $1.99 USD. If I recall, this is currently the longest running iTunes video being sold at their store. Of all time it's the second longest falling only behind the Disney made-for-TV movie "High School Musical" which I am not able to find at the moment.

RIPWesley | 11:06 CET | 38 comments total | tags: itunes, buffy, firefly

Here are the direct links, if you have iTunes installed:
Buffy (Season 1)
Firefly

jam2 | May 09, 11:14 CET

Well it's about time. Been interesting to see how well they sell. Anyone here going to get them? Yeah and it's US only according to my UK iTunes software.

Simon | May 09, 11:21 CET

I don't know how inappropriate it is to post within my personally submitted story but I have already gifted Serenity from the Firefly page. Don't forget about that gifting feature in iTunes, now it's even easier and more affordable to get someone hooked on the verse.

RIPWesley | May 09, 11:28 CET

I don't understand why they're under the "fox classics" tab along with Lost in Space. Way to make them hard to find itunes.

srosenbz | May 09, 12:59 CET

I'm definite iTunes is going to make a lot of money from this. Hopefully, that'll open some of the network executives' eyes and we'll get to see some more Jossverse soon.

Ameer | May 09, 13:36 CET

Even thought I own them, I always enjoy saying the following: Why the hell don't the UK have this?

Ashley | May 09, 13:45 CET

I don't know how inappropriate it is to post within my personally submitted story

Be warned, personal rant coming up.

I don�t get the �you shouldn�t post in your own thread� attitude that some people have at all. Someone actually suggested a little while ago here that posting in your own thread is a way to make yourself appear more popular.

To which I say something that starts quite politely but ends with a heartfelt �off�.

If you put a topic up, chances are you are particularly interested in what is being discussed and have thought about it. Plus you may be able to give additional useful info, like for example that people are able to gift shows on i-Tunes, which I didn�t know anything about.

So RIPWesley, post away all you like. I for one am grateful. And if anyone wants to get snooty about it, that really is their own problem. (end of rant)

miranda | May 09, 14:04 CET

They're not available in Canada iTunes, either. We still don't have TV shows listed for licensing/standards reasons. They're still working it out here, but we will get it at some point. Still, the wait is frustrating!

ariana75 | May 09, 14:16 CET

Could I have said 'still' any more in that last post?

ariana75 | May 09, 14:16 CET

It's OK, ariana75, still writers run deep.

jaynelovesvera | May 09, 15:29 CET

I don�t get the �you shouldn�t post in your own thread� attitude that some people have at all.

Uhm, that isn't a rule of this site, so I've no idea where that has come from.

gossi | May 09, 15:43 CET

I don�t get the �you shouldn�t post in your own thread� attitude that some people have at all.

I've never experienced that attitude and I join in the discussion on threads I've started all the time. It's perfectly acceptable.

killinj | May 09, 16:28 CET

ariana75, "They're still not available in Canada iTunes, either". You missed one ;).

Why do iTunes US insist on punishing we UK/international users though ? Is it because of 'septic tank' ? Cos we mean that with great affection, honest. Plus, you gave us 'Ned and Stacy'. Turn about's fair play, surely ? ;)

(i've got the DVDs anyway but it'd be nice to be able to point people towards a legal download for just over a quid though it's good to see it on there at all)

Saje | May 09, 16:32 CET

This is very, very good news, especially for Firefly. Begift away, people!

I wonder if they'll eventually add all the seasons of Buffy?

phlebotinin | May 09, 18:01 CET

Now that Fox is putting shows on iTunes, is there any chance they'll put "The Inside" up there as well?

MissKittysMom | May 09, 18:17 CET

I don't understand why they're under the "fox classics" tab along with Lost in Space. Way to make them hard to find itunes.

Well... at least right now, Firefly is also listed on the main TV Shows page under the Sci-Fi section (not to be confused with the Sci Fi network, note presence/absence of the dash).

Buffy was pretty hard to find. Still, hooray for more ways to support the Jossverse!

[ edited by asterizk on 2006-05-09 16:32 ]

asterizk | May 09, 18:30 CET

Don't think there's a rule against posting in your own thread. The only rule I've seen is that you can't start posts about your own stuff, to prevent people from spamming the site with self-promotion. You can add comments if someone else posts about you, though :)

C. A. Bridges | May 09, 18:33 CET

Miranda, if you have issues with any policy on this site, email us directly. It looks like you need to go back and read the rules that can be found on our about page more closely. Please keep any further rants of such nature either to yourself or send us a message.

herb | May 09, 18:39 CET

Re: iTunes not having television shows readily available for download outside of the U.S., I believe it has more to do with licensing and the indivual country's broadcast standards. Before, say, iTunes Canada can sell TV episodes via their online music store, they must gain the approval of the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission). As legal online downloading for TV and film is a fairly new venture (relatively-speaking, anyway), I'd say it's going to take some time for them to secure all of the broadcast rights for each country.

Or who knows? I may be completely off, and hopefully it's much simpler and will not take much longer to get this type of thing internationally. Let's hope!

ariana75 | May 09, 19:00 CET

Too bad they didn't quite get the episode order right. If they'd just put Objects in Space at the end... It is kinda cool to see the BDS up there, though.

RBB | May 09, 19:25 CET

These are the TV versions, by the way, not the DVD ones. You get the opening "Here's how it is" voiceovers.

C. A. Bridges | May 09, 20:34 CET

Ooh, I miss the "here's how it is" intros (I also wish Buffy/Angel had the "previously on" intros on the DVDs). As far as the order, looks like they went with the airdate order, except for moving Serenity to #1. Once you download them, you should be able to edit each episode's info/options in order to reorder them (I do it all the time with music).

jam2 | May 09, 20:54 CET

Weren't there one or two tweaks done for some of the DVD versions of the Firefly episodes? (Scene(s) restored and/or moved around because the DVD's restored the original episode order intended.) Or am I imagining this? It'd be interesting to know if such tweaks, should they exist, made it into the iTunes versions.

Can I just say again how cool this is? A whole new level of exposure for the glorious Whedonverse. I wouldn't be surprised to see downloads for either of these offerings climb up the bestselling TV downloads list. Such is the level of devotion amongst the fandom(s).

phlebotinin | May 09, 20:59 CET

What a surprise!
But again, only for the US, wich I understand, because of licensing and all that stuff :(
But please, someone should say to FOX what's the correct order for Firefly �_�

And, when will we get widescreen versions of Tv Shows?
I think Conviction is the only one in 16:9.

[ edited by Angel TheVampire on 2006-05-09 19:27 ]

Angel TheVampire | May 09, 21:20 CET

I don't mean to get off topic, and I'm not mad or anything, but I'm kinda new, and I submitted this a few hours ago, and it got removed right away. Was that because I linked to the digg.com article? I figured that was a better link than the one directly to iTunes, but I guess that's against the rules. Anyway, I just wanted clarification. (It really doesn't matter who submits a story, as long as it gets on here.) Thanks!

jmaze | May 10, 00:02 CET

This is an almost related news item - yesterday the NY Times listed the 10 most popular TV DVD sales of 2006 and Firefly was number 5 - which is amazing considering how long it has been out on DVD. I am guessing that "Serenity" led to people buying Firefly. And now iTunes. How wonderful.

angel fan | May 10, 01:30 CET

Sorry about my post above. I didn't see the other link already delving into this. My bad

angel fan | May 10, 01:32 CET

BTW - the pilot episode "Serenity" is currently at #96 in their top 100 videos. Can't wait to see what it looks like tomorrow...

C. A. Bridges | May 10, 05:44 CET

Now Serenity is at #82. And it's not even tomorrow yet, Chris Bridges.

phlebotinin | May 10, 05:56 CET

So hang on... they're on iTunes in the same order that FOX originally aired them? Have they learned nothing from years of us verbally eviscerating them?!?

Haunt | May 10, 07:02 CET

Well, they did move the pilot to the front...

C. A. Bridges | May 10, 07:40 CET

A little OT, but someone mentioned missing the "Previously on" bits up above, and I've always been curious, why are so many people such advocates of this? I've never really thought that much about them - and I guess I've never really NEEDED them - so I was just wondering why so many people like them to be included. Insight? Thoughts? Help a girl out! :)

LittleMiss730 | May 10, 08:02 CET

In my case, it's another little bit of Firefly I didn't get in the DVD set. I'm interested in them the same way I'm interested in deleted scenes, or the original commercials, or any other chunks of Firefly.

C. A. Bridges | May 10, 08:22 CET

In some cases, the "previously on" clips flowed directly into the beginning of the episode, such that on the DVD it feels like something's missing at the start of the episode. That's when it bugs me most, when it's evident something's missing.

Then there's one specific instance that I really miss: the clip from the beginning of 'The Gift', which sums up the first 5 seasons in like 1 minute, speeding up frenetically until it cuts to the opening shot barreling down the alley. That's how good Joss is, even his "previously on" clips can be original! (The clip is actually an easter egg on the S7 set, but I wish it was with the episode.)

Aside from that, they do help me settle into the episode a bit. It's not a big thing for me, but I do wish I had them on the DVDs.

jam2 | May 10, 09:00 CET

For me, the Firefly "Here's how it was" speeches (both of them) were really so nicely written -- in a few sentences, the 'Verse is summed up, as well as Mal's place in it (as well as Serenity's). I also like the "completeness" of it, as Chris Bridges said -- kind of the same reason I don't fast forward through the opening or closing credits of eps on DVD. :-)

With "Previously on" bits, with so many eps in a series, sometimes it does help me to be reminded of something specific that will be referenced in the show I'm about to watch.

billz | May 10, 13:37 CET

I don't remember the 'previously on...' from 'The Gift' but just before the season 4 finale of Farscape the 'previously on...' was a quick flash of a scene from every previous episode.

Made me laugh since, to me, it seemed to be a response to the criticisms that the show was hard to get into, too 'arcy', and a little bit of a two fingered salute to the network (who'd cancelled the show unexpectedly despite earlier saying it was renewed through to season 5).

Re: Firefly, i'm not bothered we didn't get the 'Here's how it is' speeches at the start of the episodes though it would've been nice to have them on the DVD somewhere (and Book's little bit as well with the almost poetic "A captain's goal was simple. Find a crew, find a job, keep flyin'")

Saje | May 10, 14:39 CET

WOW, the "previously on" before The Gift was killer and I too hope they extend this to all seasons of Buffy.

cheryl | May 11, 07:29 CET

This is slightly off subject, but I have nothing to link to since the web site doesn't have them on sale--but anyone who is a Sams Club member needs to check the stores out. They have a display at my nearby Sams with Fox TV DVDs on sale for $17.88. I saw all the Angel DVDs, a couple of Buffy's, Firefly and Wonderfalls (in addition to other Fox DVDs such as Arrested Development, Millenium, and Roswell to name a few). Seems like a pretty good deal to me.

spikeangellover | May 12, 01:27 CET

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