Moderators will lock the data to help prevent vandalism (like the Original Title, Original language, etc). In the case of the creator field for television shows, please read the guideline about it here. I've never seen the show myself, but is there a "created by" credit in the opening credits?

Well I certainly understand how the creator field in a TV show needs to be well documented. You may have a full card credit for some guy that came up with the idea, but other than that had little to do with the production, or showrunning. I guess one analogy would be a "Steven King" movie, which the credits say "based on a book by" Steven King. Actually I am now curious about this example, as I know the credits on the screen will say "based on a book by", but I will have to get my binoculars and see if there is also an explicit credit as "created by"! I'll put that on my to-do list.

I guess on this site The War appears as a TV show, as being a mini-series, it's obviously not a movie. Unfortunately, I already streamed it and didn't notice as it went by, but I didn't need to really too. Ken Burns, and Lynn Novick are famous for creating many documentaries that have aired on PBS. I mean Ken's gotten four Emmys for his documentaries. He is probably America's most well known documentarian. I cant' find any websites or documents that say "Created by Ken Burn's" but his specialty is doing documentaries, particular notable ones have been The Civil War, The War (about WWII), and the Vietnam Experience. The documentaries are based on his books. This one in question is based on his book "The War : An Intimate History, 1941-1945 by Ken Burns". So if if Ken Burns doesn't belong in that field I don't know who would. But to be fair Geoffrey C. Ward is also listed as an author on the book, but just like the documentary, Ward is just the writer, the projects are Ken's, not Ward's. I would put my hand on a stack of bibles that the correct and appropriate entry for this field would simply be "Ken Burns."

I know one area where I could use researching is the difference between a release date and an air date, which to me is obvious, but for TMBD the meaning might vary. For a TV show I can see why an air date is preferred. If I had my druthers for a major mini-series I'd go with the release date as immediately in my opinion it could be confusing as their can be many air dates for an episode depending on when different affiliates or another even other countries decide to air it. Preemptions, etc. can cause that to vary. So heck ya I can see why TV episodes air dates need to be locked up pretty quick.

I'm trying where I spot holes, to help make this site as best and complete as it can be. I don't completely understand why or how people would be vandalizing original titles, but I have thankfully found quite a few movies that were missing the original title data and the field was unlocked, and have been happy to add that information realizing that really helps finding the right movie particularly when searching for movies that have the same name but are unrelated. The last thing I want to do is introduce any errors into this site. I just recently had to get some sites to get after some guy that managed to wedge in an 8 minute video by the same name as another movie. Somehow even the artwork for the real movie was on this guy's minute "thing." This caused terrible problems for the movie when it hit Netflix. People would watch the movie, and go to the movie sites and rate it. But when a title search was done this guy's "thing" listed right above the real movie, people didn't stop to read the synopsis and were ranking the wrong entry. I hope someday this site will trust me that my motto is like a doctor first "to do no harm" and to report any errors that I find if possible, and if not to file a report to you guys to look into it.

Here are the credits from https://www.pbs.org/thewar/ Directed and Produced by KEN BURNS and LYNN NOVICK; Written By GEOFFREY C. WARD; Produced by SARAH BOTSTEIN; Co-Producers PETER MILLER and DAVID McMAHON; Supervising Film Editor PAUL BARNES; Editors PAUL BARNES, ERIK EWERS and TRICIA REIDY; Cinematography BUDDY SQUIRES; Associate Producers MEGHAN HORVATH and TAYLOR KRAUSS; Assistant Editors DANIEL J. WHITE, RYAN GIFFORD and PAUL DOCHERTY; Narrated by KEITH DAVID with TOM HANKS, JOSH LUCAS, BOBBY CANNAVALE, SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ELI WALLACH, among others; Original Music Composed and Arranged by WYNTON MARSALIS; "AMERICAN ANTHEM" music and lyrics by GENE SCHEER, performed by NORAH JONES.

For the record, the creator credit is almost exclusively used in scripted American television series. The creator field is optional and should really be left/locked blank for most unscripted American content and international content.

That is a good point. I might differ in the opinion that a documentary mini-series filmed in the US, based on a book is not unscripted content, but I agree I do most often see that credit on TV series. I tested that too. I finally wrangled a DVD set of SE1 of "Hazel" and I was pleased to see "Created by Ted Key" was listed here. I saw that you,** Banana**, have made 11 edits on that show so thanks for your work there. I was tempted to make one teeny edit and add to the network listings CBS as well as NBC. After NBC cancelled the show CBS picked it up for it's 5th and final season. But I resisted the urge.

I reference to my response to Rebecca, I did a test on the Stephen King scenario. I queued Pet Sematary back up out of my library and ran both opening and ending credits on my laptop with my binoculars out. Stephen King is not only given screen credit for "based on a book by" which seems to translate into the author field on this system, and "screenplay by" which translates into "writer" here I guess. So I would consider it properly annotated. As Banana pointed out, the "created by" really then just becomes redundant.

If I then use that as a guideline, the mini-series in question The War is both incomplete in the author AND the writer fields. So there again there we stand. It's incomplete, yet locked down.

I hope I'm not seeming to be difficult, I am just very detail oriented. In-spite of the fact that I have a lowly 147 edits (I mean I haven't been a total slacker I've rated around 3500 movies and shows), and I've been signed up here far shorter than the 12 years I've been an IMDbPro member, I am just learning the differences in how a field might be defined here versus another system, but I must say this system sure seems to make it hard for me to help you sometimes. C'est la vie. I have only the best interest in heart for making sure that the information here is impeccable, because as you know it propagates from here to other sites like Letterboxd. It sure wouldn't be in my best interest, in fact, to have any of the my movies propagating all over with inaccurate information.

So thanks to all for taking the time to answer my inquiries that might seem obvious knowledge to long term members here!

You actually wouldve been correct to add the other channel! At least, if it was done in the initial run, but from your description it is

You can always add more crew to a page (steven spielberg for “book” and “screenplay” and based on website, Geoffrey c. Ward as “writer”). Crew cant be locked. Though it would be need if they could be verified yaknow.

The creator should always be literally credited like that. It shouldnt be because “implied as those and those wrote the pilot or creators of source material.

Yeah, the story on the show Hazel was as "Hazel" always said, quite a doozy. Screen Gems produced the entire whole show and NBC ran it for 4 seasons, then cancelled it. CBS jumped on the show and picked it up for season 5, and to widen the demographic appeal they did a cast change up. They got rid of the actors that played George Baxter and his wife, but kept their son Harold and Shirley Booth. They jammed in two younger relatives of the Baxters, who had a teen daughter. They had hoped this might attract younger viewers. But in my opinion that tinkering was just the final nail in the coffin for that show. Imagine taking I LOVE LUCY, and thinking you might get some younger viewers if you tossed Fred and Ethel into the trash bin, and replaced them with a young couple. Or taking The Andy Griffith company and killing off Aunt Bea, just to replace her with a younger Aunt Betty from out of town. Yikes! Sometimes it's unavoidable, like the show Valerie that due to Valerie Harper's pay demands, eventually had to killer off and the show ended up being The Hogan Family. My personal opinion regarding cast is if it's not broke don't fix it. I'd sure look to replacing some writers and getting some new story lines before I'd break up and proven cast.