Cartoons ruined by executive meddling.

[Relish in Chaos]

Dragon Ball Z. The reason that we had three main villains each replaced by the next one soon after their introduction (first #19 and #20, changed because ?an old geezer and a fatso weren?t intimidating enough"; second #17 and #18, changed because ?what, the Big Bads are two delinquent teenagers??; finally, Cell, who had to transform early because ?his second form looked too ugly?). That was all due to editorial interference.

Then again, without such a strong editorial interference like before, we got the Boo arc, which was just a clusterfuck of epic proportions.

 

[Loonyyy]

There was something to ruin with The Legend of Korra?

It had a cool art style and animation, and the setting was awesome, and it had a female Batman running around, with a magical V as well, but Korra was such a terrible, completely irredeemably unlikeable character and a terrible person.

You know. I'll agree that Legend of Kora was bad... but I just can't remember anything to not like about it. I think it was bad because I don't remember anything except for Zuko's kid or whatever coming in with a navy and getting destroyed?

Why was Kora so bad? All I remember was that she had an attitude.

Mainly her attitude. The series painted the guy removing people's powers as evil, but I actually preferred him. When trying to track him down, Korra happily used her powers to assault a powerless man. Her SWAT team was ridiculous, and was using excessive force on people learning to use a skill which would allow them to fight toe to toe with benders. In a world with benders, outlawing (What was it, Chi blocking or something?) is just blanketly making classes of people. Considering Korra's actions, these people should learn this, because benders can be complete asshats, and might attack you with the elements on a whim.

She also had these annoying impulsive streaks, which are just so overdone, and the constant bit about rebellion got old, and the less said about how she acted in romantic endeavours the better. She also had no compunction about killing people. Really, to me she came off as a psychopathic bully, who was stupid and insensitive, callous, and yet treated far better by the other characters and the story than she deserved. I only saw scattered bits of The Last Airbender, thanks to school, but Aang was an inquisitive, caring character, and was always interesting, and his companions were fun, and lifelike. The only part of the main trio I liked was the chubby one, who I felt sorry for, the way that the other *obvious romantic interest despite Korra clearly having more chemistry with the other guy* dressed, and their ferret thing. I really felt sorry for them putting up with her. The antagonists from The Last Airbender had more depth, character, and things to sympathise with than Korra, in my mind.

I actually would probably go back and watch the rest of the series if she was the antagonist, or something, just not the focus, because I really liked a lot of what they had going, but I just couldn't get invested in her at all. Bear in mind that I only watched like 6 episodes or something, so maybe later they shot the writing team and it got better.

Actually, that would be a really cool inversion. V guy fights a rebellious underground movement to destroy the oppressive bender regime, and give power to those unable to fight back against the priviliged upper class.

 

[iDoom46]

Cartoon Network has a bad habit of cancelling its best shows, (most recently being Sym-Bionic Titan and Young Justice) with the weak excuse of them not being good at selling toys (though the toylines were either non-existant or the ones they made were shitty).

I'd be hella pissed if the reason their cancelling YJ is because of toys. I'd probably understand ratings but really?! Toys?! What a waste.

I can't really say if toys are the ACTUAL reason, but (at least when it comes to the shows listed in this thread) "ratings" is never the true reason behind cancellation. For whatever reason/ulterior motive they have, network execs start suddenly moving show timeslots without warning, skipping weeks, and showing episodes out of order to confuse viewers and manipulate the viewership figures down to make it SEEM like the ratings are terrible.

Dragon Ball Z. The reason that we had three main villains each replaced by the next one soon after their introduction (first #19 and #20, changed because ?an old geezer and a fatso weren?t intimidating enough"; second #17 and #18, changed because ?what, the Big Bads are two delinquent teenagers??; finally, Cell, who had to transform early because ?his second form looked too ugly?). That was all due to editorial interference.

Then again, without such a strong editorial interference like before, we got the Boo arc, which was just a clusterfuck of epic proportions.

Akira Toriyama has gone on record saying he HATED doing the DragonBall manga in the later parts. He's said that there was lots of meddling by editors to make him change things and keep the series going despite his declining interest.
It's hard to pinpoint exactly where things started going south but, from what I see, it seems like it all started somewhere along the lines of the Frieza or Cell arcs. Frieza arc because halfway through Toriyama's background and character designs suddenly plummet to really simplistic, and Cell because you can tell he REALLY wanted the story to end there with Gohan taking over after Goku's death.

 

[Mr Mystery Guest]

Batman Beyond. Season 2 was ruined because the executives wanted every episode to be set in the school. Their thinking being - everyone likes school right? Everyone can relate to school and school never gets boring. It became ridiculous, the Gotham police should have just closed the bloody place down and it would have cut the crime rate in half.

 

[Harlem Knight]

Hmmm, well I'd point out that you guys are missing an important point. A lot of the changes to these shows doubtlessly happen because YOU (adults) like the shows. It's an intentional security matter.

Originally there was a lot to be said for children's shows that could also appeal to an adult audience, Anime, especially when it picked up through the 90s got a lot of attention that way (when people pay $30 for a subtitled VHS producers take notice) and inspired the design of a lot of cartoon shows in the US. This lead to a lot of pretty popular properties being developed, and lead to a lot of money being spent as adult fans purchused stuff for their kids (uh huh).

The problem of course here is obvious, when you create situations where random adults and children mix in the same cosm it becomes pedo-bait. Something a predator can use to chat up a child and form that all-important initial connection when the parents/guardians are not around. Sometimes watching a random 40 year old discuss [insert show here] with an 8 year old can be cute, if a bit creepy, but othertimes it's hardly harmless, and people DO keep track of the techniques used by child predators.

This makes absolutely no sense.

Pedo's will find ANYTHING to use as bait for children.

Hell, they can turn on SpongeBob or an other cartoon on television right now to attract children. The maturity level of a cartoon has very little (if anything) to do with whether pedophiles will watch the cartoon.

It is easier to make toys and syndicate a 22-minte cartoon with a juvenile plot and no ongoing arc.

 

[Vausch]

It is true. I'm paraphrasing, but yes. Turner thought that the show was too violent and it would lead to kids blowing each other up in planes. All while ignoring the fact that his lovechild Captain Planet had Hitler, dismemberment, AIDS, gang violence with REAL weapons. Hypocrite.

Captain Planet btw was the first cartoon that ever featured drug addiction. Looking back it is a bit I dunno sketchy? The person who became a drug addict was Linka (the blond Eastern European chick who keeps getting hit on by NYer Weeler) and her cousin both of home sound really Russian.

I'm guessing also the first to use the phrase "Unprotected sex" when talking about AIDS in a cartoon that wasn't intended to do that. Also Linka is Russian, they originally said she was "From the Soviet Union" but changed it to "Eastern Europe" (how specific) after the Soviet Union fell.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

-snip-

I read everything up to Spectacular Spider-Man and then...Well I just woke up on the floor and have a curious, metallic taste in my mouth...I seem to have painted too but I don't see any cans of red paint...

In all seriousness, I loved Spectacular Spider-Man. Green Goblin was a little different but that alone wasn't enough to turn me away from that show. I've heard others call SS-M the Spider-Man equivalent to Batman: The Animated Series and I would agree to that completely. The worst part is how the show was cancelled right as Peter and Gwen hooked up and the build-up to that relationship was extremely well done.

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is a show I couldn't watch until I found it on Netflix. I'm blaming scheduling on that one since it never airs on Disney channel proper and the times it's aired on Disney XD seem sporadic and odd.

Odd scheduling is a big factor for a lot of other cartoons too...like how Nick Toons will show Danny Phantom every so often but generally in either early-morning or, late night when I'm either at work or, at work or, asleep.

...

Wasn't Danny Phantom supposed to be much bigger than it ended up being by the way?

 

[Seneschal]

Starship Troopers: Roughneck Chronicles. The executives didn't know if they wanted to market the show to kids or to fans of the R-rated movie it was based on. (It shares more with the movie than the book before anyone tries to correct me)

What resulted was a show that was of two minds. One episode would have threats of mind wiping and indoctrination propaganda, and another episode would have guys saying lines like "really deep doo-doo."

It's a great show, but it never finished, ending the series on a cliffhanger before a finale that never saw the light of day.

Aww, I remember that. It always struck me as a bit weird that someone thought a cartoon that siphons popularity off an insanely graphic R-rated movie would be marketable to kids. And, although the product was good, I can see why execs didn't know what to do with it; a doomed idea from the start, much like Invader Zim.

I was hoping someone would make a Starship Troopers TV series in the wake of Battlestar Galactica and avoid such executive meddling, but alas, no such thing materialized.

 

[Cheesus Crust]

Yeah I really liked Young Justice, a bit overly dramatic at times, thought that's in tune with Titans I suppose, still awesome overall. What's Bruce Timm doing nowadays anyway? Weisman would probably put together a nice show but not sure about that, the Joker voice actor in Young Justice was also completely terrible, it was Bren Spiner I think, he's awesome but not the Joker.

No idea what he's up to just hoping it'll be awesome.

Wait, Brent Spiner was the Joker? Mr. Data himself? hahhahaha interesting fact right there.

 

[Cheesus Crust]

I'm guessing also the first to use the phrase "Unprotected sex" when talking about AIDS in a cartoon that wasn't intended to do that. Also Linka is Russian, they originally said she was "From the Soviet Union" but changed it to "Eastern Europe" (how specific) after the Soviet Union fell.

Either my memory is not as stellar as I thought it is or this was never aired in my country. Care to add a little bit more detail on that ep. or at least provide a little bit more context on how it was used?

 

[Cheesus Crust]

I see your point and yes they had to keep getting ther arse handed to them, I see why it had to happen for the plot but I think it was done badly. Korra is ment to already be a master of 3 elements, Tensin is an airbending master and beifong is a master metalbender and likly a master earthbender. When the other characters were considered to reach master level they never lost that many fights and when they did their opponents were also master benders. The show told us that they were at the same level as the old characters but then had them fail. I could not help but think when watching the fights that Aang could have handeled it or Toph or Zuko or any of the other charcters from TLA.

I will try the next series but only to see what Aang's other kid is like. I know it was shorter and rushed but the fact is I just do not like the new characters as much. Mostly Mako. Hate that guy.

Well from my view point what I found interesting about Korra's character is that she already learned from the "masters" of bending. However, when she came to the bending tournament she was astounded with the "modern styles of fighting". In my opinion one of the reasons she kept losing earlier was that her moves and techniques were predictable. I'm just making assumptions here but afford me this largess since it'd make sense in context. Tai Lee was a marvelous chi blocker who fought in a more reactive capacity, evade and strike. If we accept that the four nations are now embracing one another it'd make more sense that the chi blockers could kick korra's butt early on considering her techniques are very traditional things most chi blockers would be aware of.

You are right though that sometimes the characters feel somewhat too I dunno, overpowered by their enemies or incompetent. I really feel this way for tenzin since he's so awesome but has only really won a fight or two. I could accept the robot thing since its a brand new kind of enemy that they had never encountered before. But I dunno, sneaking up on the daughter of Toph who mastered earth bending the same way her mother did (Toph could recognize the foot steps of ants for god's sake) and she nevertheless got ambushed by some thug with a glove and a hoodie. Just seems a bit out of character or very unlikely.

 

[Cheesus Crust]

I can't really say if toys are the ACTUAL reason, but (at least when it comes to the shows listed in this thread) "ratings" is never the true reason behind cancellation. For whatever reason/ulterior motive they have, network execs start suddenly moving show timeslots without warning, skipping weeks, and showing episodes out of order to confuse viewers and manipulate the viewership figures down to make it SEEM like the ratings are terrible.

Akira Toriyama has gone on record saying he HATED doing the DragonBall manga in the later parts. He's said that there was lots of meddling by editors to make him change things and keep the series going despite his declining interest.
It's hard to pinpoint exactly where things started going south but, from what I see, it seems like it all started somewhere along the lines of the Frieza or Cell arcs. Frieza arc because halfway through Toriyama's background and character designs suddenly plummet to really simplistic, and Cell because you can tell he REALLY wanted the story to end there with Gohan taking over after Goku's death.

Agree with the Dragonball thing a 100 percent. It really felt like the creator wanted to pass the torch, so to speak, to Gohan.

I really hate it when execs put shows on really long hiatuses for no good effin reason especially if its good like YJ. For all they know that practice does more harm than good. I mean so what if the early eps are low? Maybe the next ones didn't have good interest cause people lost it in the span between the last and latest episodes? Of course I'm saying this from a view point of a non-exec so I could be missing something here, but still they just really strike me as being monumentally stupid.

 

[Cheesus Crust]

This makes absolutely no sense.

Pedo's will find ANYTHING to use as bait for children.

Hell, they can turn on SpongeBob or an other cartoon on television right now to attract children. The maturity level of a cartoon has very little (if anything) to do with whether pedophiles will watch the cartoon.

It is easier to make toys and syndicate a 22-minte cartoon with a juvenile plot and no ongoing arc.

I see in your record that you have a single post so first of all Welcome!

Yeah it really makes no sense. Talking about cartoons and how their used as pedo bait is taking it a bit far IMO.

 

[Cheesus Crust]

Batman Beyond. Season 2 was ruined because the executives wanted every episode to be set in the school. Their thinking being - everyone likes school right? Everyone can relate to school and school never gets boring. It became ridiculous, the Gotham police should have just closed the bloody place down and it would have cut the crime rate in half.

Maybe they were taking a page or two from the books of anime, you know bout "normal regular" highschool teenagers who lead spectacular lives? But judging from your reaction they didn't handle it very well.

 

[Vausch]

I'm guessing also the first to use the phrase "Unprotected sex" when talking about AIDS in a cartoon that wasn't intended to do that. Also Linka is Russian, they originally said she was "From the Soviet Union" but changed it to "Eastern Europe" (how specific) after the Soviet Union fell.

Either my memory is not as stellar as I thought it is or this was never aired in my country. Care to add a little bit more detail on that ep. or at least provide a little bit more context on how it was used?

Skip to about 3:20 in to find where it comes in. Context wise, kid somehow gets HIV and is talking to his doctor who's explaining to him how you can get it. "Using drugs with needles, unprotected sex, or he may have gotten it from that blood transfusion he had last year".

And Todd has the most appropriate, emotion filled response reaction ever: "It stinks!".

Yes it does Todd. Yes it does.

 

[DarklordKyo]

The Thief and the Cobbler, meant to be the creator's magnum opus (dude spent over 3 decades making it perfect), became said creator's old shame because it was taken from him at the last minute & ruined. Watch the Nostalgia Critic's review of it to see. Granted, I've never watched it, but anyone can agree that was a MASSIVE dick move.

 

[Terminate421]

I'm guessing also the first to use the phrase "Unprotected sex" when talking about AIDS in a cartoon that wasn't intended to do that. Also Linka is Russian, they originally said she was "From the Soviet Union" but changed it to "Eastern Europe" (how specific) after the Soviet Union fell.

Either my memory is not as stellar as I thought it is or this was never aired in my country. Care to add a little bit more detail on that ep. or at least provide a little bit more context on how it was used?

Skip to about 3:20 in to find where it comes in. Context wise, kid somehow gets HIV and is talking to his doctor who's explaining to him how you can get it. "Using drugs with needles, unprotected sex, or he may have gotten it from that blood transfusion he had last year".

And Todd has the most appropriate, emotion filled response reaction ever: "It stinks!".

Yes it does Todd. Yes it does.

Please tell me you watched this:

 

[Vausch]

I'm guessing also the first to use the phrase "Unprotected sex" when talking about AIDS in a cartoon that wasn't intended to do that. Also Linka is Russian, they originally said she was "From the Soviet Union" but changed it to "Eastern Europe" (how specific) after the Soviet Union fell.

Either my memory is not as stellar as I thought it is or this was never aired in my country. Care to add a little bit more detail on that ep. or at least provide a little bit more context on how it was used?

Skip to about 3:20 in to find where it comes in. Context wise, kid somehow gets HIV and is talking to his doctor who's explaining to him how you can get it. "Using drugs with needles, unprotected sex, or he may have gotten it from that blood transfusion he had last year".

And Todd has the most appropriate, emotion filled response reaction ever: "It stinks!".

Yes it does Todd. Yes it does.

Please tell me you watched this:

Of course, I love NC.

 

[Vausch]

The Thief and the Cobbler, meant to be the creator's magnum opus (dude spent over 3 decades making it perfect), became said creator's old shame because it was taken from him at the last minute & ruined. Watch the Nostalgia Critic's review of it to see. Granted, I've never watched it, but anyone can agree that was a MASSIVE dick move.

Track down "The Recobbled Cut". It's much better and got about as close to what Richard Williams wanted as you can get. It's actually quite good.

 

[emeraldrafael]

I dont know any cartoons ruined by upper management (well, maybe captain planet but that was flawed from the start. and fuck you ted turner, nuclear power is amazing and should be embraced. The US is not the USSR and the only thing close to cherynoble was 3 mile and that turned out fine), but i would guess batman is in everything because of the popularity of his last three movies and other merchandise, where other DC heroes and heroines are having trouble getting off the ground.