Executive Meddling/Western Animation: Difference between revisions

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* Most networks have a lot of rules imposed by their "Standards and Practices" codes on their kid-aimed action shows. No fights in school, because school '''has''' to be a safe place. Characters '''must''' wear helmets and safety gear when engaged in any imitable dangerous act -- they even tried to force the producers to put a helmet on [[American Dragon: Jake Long|Jake Long]] whenever he ''flew''. '''In dragon form!''' (On what other planet was this executive born, where turning into a dragon and flying around is an imitable act?)

* Disney meddled heavily in the third season of ''[[Gargoyles]]'' as it transitioned from weekday afternoons to Saturday mornings -- ultimately firing series creator Greg Weisman.

** Said third season, "The Goliath Chronicles," is considered so bad by ''Gargoyles'' fans that they regularly [[Fanon Discontinuity|disregard its existence]]... save for the first episode of the season, which is legitimately canon thanks to the Weisman-helmed ''Gargoyles'' comic.

** An example of [[Executive Meddling]] that had a positive effect- the studio apparently told [[Greg Weisman]] that he needed to introduce a human supervillain who was capable of going hand to hand with Goliath and be a genuine threat (Xanatos, the most prominent and dangerous human villain, could only accomplish this feat with a special suit of [[Powered Armor]]). The resulting character was popular ''[[Gargoyles]]'' [[Anti-Villain]] Macbeth.

* [[Disney Channel]]'s practice of ending production on any show that has reached 65 episodes. ''[[Kim Possible]]'' was popular for three seasons and ''still'' got cancelled. This was not the first time the 65 episode "limit" for kids' shows caused consternation among the fandom. It took an outcry of fan support and [[Sending Stuff to Save the Show|letter-writing]] to [[CBS]] to give ''[[Beakman's World]]'' more episodes.

*** This led to a fairly subtle [[Take That]] in the stinger. Ron stood facing the camera, delivering the aesop. All the while Kim and Monique stood in the background trying to figure out who he was talking to and wondering why he was doing it.

** Here's another one. At the end of ''So the Drama'', Kim, without provocation, kicks Shego into an electrical tower, which then collapses. This scene was actually ''written'' with ''no'' intention of Shego dying, but it ended up ''animated'' too seriously, making it look like Kim murdered her in cold blood. When test audiences [[What the Hell, Hero?|thought Kim did kill Shego]], the scene was ordered to be changed to show immediately afterward that she was [[Made of Iron|not only alive but relatively unhurt]], which given Shego's track record in the show, actually isn't all that surprising.

** In an interesting twist, the network's interference was a good thing as [[Word of God]] says that the writers didn't originally come up with the concept of Rufus the [[Non-Human Sidekick]] and he only appeared because the executives suggested the idea.

* Many good cartoons on the Disney/Playhouse Disney channels kicked the can early because of said 65 episode limit, regardless of popularity. Even worse is when the cartoons are sent to a leper colony to die and sees virtually no DVD releases.

* Parodied in ''[[Darkwing Duck (animation)|Darkwing Duck]]'' when executives try to mess with the show itself onscreen, such as trying to change the focus to villain Bushroot. The execs at least figured that killing Darkwing off should be vetoed.

* A positive example from ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'': When Disney Channel executives heard the song "Gitchie Gitchie Goo," they asked the creators to make a song for each episode. [[Crowning Music of Awesome|This worked out REALLY well.]]

** Also notable is a [[Take That]] in one episode aimed at Disney's Standards and Practices department. Phineas and Buford seem to be gearing up for a fight -- only to have it revealed that they have to thumb wrestle when the referee finishes reading off ''the exact policy required by Standards and Practices.''

* Also the same reason why ''[[Courage the Cowardly Dog]]'' was taken off the air for a while, eventually only being able to be shown in October, and now back to year-round, again because of popular demand. *resists snarky comment about how CN's shows are now*

** "Bat-Embargo" type decisions are nothing new. Back in the days of the ''[[Superfriends]]'', when they got to the "Challenge" series, they could not have, say, The Joker or Catwoman on the [[Legion of Doom]], since those characters were seen on [[Filmation]]'s ''[[The New Adventures of Batman]]''. Likewise, Riddler (outside of the opening, in a ''pink'' outfit!) and Scarecrow would not be seen on ''NAoB.'' And then there was the Black Lightning/Black Vulcan controversy.

* Note that in turn, ''[[The Batman]]'' was forbidden to use Robin as long as ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'' was airing, resulting in the refreshing mythology mix-up of Batgirl coming first. Nor could they use Scarecrow, Ra's Al Ghul or Two-Face because of the [[Christopher Nolan]] [[The Dark Knight Saga|films]].

** The producers have also stated that the toy company that produces the show's tie-in merchandise encourages them to only use characters who they can make toys out of. As female superheroes are very rarely represented in boy-oriented toylines, there are very few episodes featuring a female character as the sole guest-star. The above mentioned "Matches Malone" episode is the only one in the entire series that does not feature an additional male guest-star to balance out the female hero.

** In a [[Tropes Are Not Bad|positive example]], the producers have stated that when using [[The Atom]], [[Firestorm]] and [[Blue Beetle]], they were encouraged to use the [[Affirmative Action Legacy|more recent, non-white versions]] for the sake of diversity. This in turn led to Ryan Choi, Jason Rusch and Jaime Reyes being given more prominent roles in the DCU after the 2011 DC relaunch.

** FOX Network executives put the kibosh on an adaptation of ''Batman versus Dracula'' when they insisted vampires could not be shown drinking blood. Years later, standards loosened up, as ''[[The Batman]]'' would be allowed to use Dracula ''and'' show vampires drinking blood.

** FOX also refused to let Dini use Firefly, a pyromaniac villain. (Blowing off half of Harvey Dent's face in a fiery explosion was apparently okay.) It wasn't until the series transferred to the WB that Firefly made an appearance.

* Similarly, when asked to do a show about [[High School AU|Batman in High School]], creative interpretation of that concept gave us the [[Cyberpunk]] dark future of ''[[Batman Beyond]]''.

* Bruce Timm has confirmed that the members of the production staff were barred from using Sinestro or the Sinestro Corps in ''[[Green Lantern: The Animated Series]]'' due to plans for the character in the [[Green Lantern (film)|proposed film franchise]]. The writers have mentioned [[Tropes Are Not Bad|this worked out for the best]], as it forced them to work with lesser known, untapped villains such as the Red Lanterns.

* On the Marvel side of things, Human Torch was '''[[Misblamed|not]]''' left out of the 1978 ''[[The Fantastic Four (animation)|The Fantastic Four]]'' animated series because network execs feared children would set themselves on fire to imitate him. Rather it was because Universal had the rights to the character for a(n eventually unmade) project.

* ''[[Transformers]]: [[Beast Wars]]'' story editors Bob Forward and Larry DiTillio stated, after the conclusion of the series, that they had no interest in working on [[Merchandise-Driven|toy-based]] series ever again, due to the demands of Hasbro executives, including which characters needed to be written out or introduced. For instance, Tigerhawk was shoehorned in only a few episodes before the series end {{spoiler|and was promptly killed off in the finale}}.

** One such issue of executive meddling came when the executives ordered them to kill off two Predacons, Scorponok and Waspinator, at the end of the first season to make room for the incoming characters from Season 2. DiTillio and Forward, recognizing how much of a fan favorite Waspinator had become, begged the execs at Hasbro to allow them to kill off the comparatively unpopular Terrorsaur in his stead, particularly as Tarantulas basically carried out the same function that he did only more successfully. DiTillio and Forward thankfully won this battle, and Waspinator was spared while Terrorsaur was killed.

** As it turns out, they both eventually ''did'' work on such series again, as DiTillio ended up writing for ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'', and Bob Forward for the ''Hot Wheels Alien Racers'' series.

** In fairness with the Tigerhawk issue, not including him would have meant the whole Tigatron and Airazor abduction by the Vok plotthread would have been left unresolved.

** The subsequent renewals of ''Futurama'' as a set of movies and then a relaunched series both began with some reference to the idiocy of the executives who shut down their business. The first movie spent about five minutes depicting the executives as complete and utter buffoons before [[Overly Long Gag|describing how their remains were ground up to form a useful powder]].

* ''[[Re Boot]]'' was the near-constant target of [[Executive Meddling]] from [[ABC]]. It got so bad that in one episode the network demanded that a shot of Dot [[No Hugging, No Kissing|kissing her younger brother on the cheek]] and saying she loved him be cut out for broadcast because it "promoted [[Brother-Sister Incest|incest]]." One side-effect of this was the inclusion of numerous jabs at the [[Media Watchdog|Broadcasting Standards and Practices office]] at ABC in the show.

*** In the episode where Enzo loses in a ''[[Mortal Kombat]]''-style fighting game, the demon played by the user is clearly announced as Satan. His fatality is one-handedly grabbing his opponent's heads and crushing them -- although the actual crushing part only happens offscreen, you still see him grab their heads and still hear it quite clearly. This is also the episode where [[Eye Scream|Enzo's eye is slashed out]] onscreen. "Look what we can do ''now''" indeed.

** And let's not forget the line: "It's the ABCs, they've turned on us! Traitorous Dogs!" the ABCs ('''A'''rmored '''B'''inome '''C'''arrier) being Megabyte's fleet.

** And for much of the episode about Enzo's birthday, an uptight female binome rejected most of the acts Dot was planning for the party. This was probably intended as a Take That, however, since the same episode then features Dot singing in a revealing red dress, with Enzo staring at her in what is, hopefully, surprise. Also, an awesome guitar duel between Bob and Megabyte.

*** Wait, did you say Enzo was dressed as Michael Jackson from the Thriller music video? [[Distracted by the Sexy|Funny, I don't remember that...]]

* NBC adopted the Christian video series ''[[Veggie Tales]]'' to air on their new children's programming block ''qubo'', but not before [[Bowdlerise|bowdlerizing]] any and all references to Christ, God, the Bible, and Christianity. Public response eventually made them lighten up -- the Biblical discussions before and after each story were still cut, but religious references within the episode could stay.

* The [[Moral Guardians|parents' groups]] forced the producers of ''[[Dungeons and Dragons (animation)|Dungeons & Dragons]]'' to end every episode with an odd, [[Family-Unfriendly Aesop]] that "The group is always right; [[The Complainer Is Always Wrong]]," which resulted in presenting [[The Lancer]] Eric the Cavalier as a constant whiner, who does everything in opposition to the group and, thus, always gets into trouble.

{{quote|Eric: This is all Venger's fault! We ought to do something about that guy!

Hank: Eric's right!

*** And all of them were chastised by the Dungeon Master for listening to Eric. He then treated them to a lecture about mercy.

* According to the scriptwriter Michael Edens, the [[Disney Death]] of {{spoiler|Alec Deleon}} in ''[[Exo Squad]]'' was caused by [[Executive Meddling]]. Originally, he was supposed to be [[Killed Off for Real]] as early as in the destruction of {{spoiler|Mars}}, as foreshadowed in a [[Dream Sequence]] six episodes before that.

* This gained a combined [[Take That]] and [[Lampshade Hanging]] upon the [[Retool]] of ''[[Pinky and The Brain]]'' into ''Pinky, [[Tiny Toon Adventures|Elmyra]], and the Brain'', in the form of the retool-explaining [[Expository Theme Tune]]: ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy_-KBvO8Ek So Pinky and the Brain / Share a new domain / It's what the network wants / Why bother to complain? ...]''

** Brain even voices his displeasure, saying he deeply resents this.

** Ironically, a year before the ''Elmyra'' retool, "new character" executive meddling was parodied (with a bit of blatant ''[[Three Stooges]]'' [[Homage]]) in "Pinky and the Brain... <small>(and Larry)</small>." Larry does almost nothing but introduce himself repeatedly, he inserts his name into every conversation, his presence on the show is completely unexplained, Brain [[The Scrappy|hates him]] because he screw things up worse than Pinky ''ever'' could, and by the end of the episode he gets kicked out, only to be replaced by... Zeppo.

** Their odd reasoning was since the Misfits were the antagonists of the show, the executives were worried that African American groups would take offence if one of the ''villains'' was black. Jetta was the best compromise that they could come up with ("ethnic," but still white).

** Well, given that Jetta was a pathological liar and a pickpocket from a poor family, [[Unfortunate Implications|it's probably better that she didn't end up as a black woman like Marx intended]].

* ''[[X-Men: Evolution]]'' had an example when the producers were forced to cut a scene where the character Lance Alvers saves Kitty Pryde from being crushed by a statue. Apparently, the WB execs felt this would frighten young children, not because the character was imperiled -- but because ''it wasn't that long after September 11th''. Even though this was a show where mutants with superpowers attacked each other and stuff blew up all the time. As a result of the cut, Lance is seen just holding Kitty with no explanation why, leaving viewers confused.

** Other additions the executives wanted were more Slimer-centric episodes, and junior Ghostbusters, a [[Five-Token Band|group of children]] that [[The Load|followed the Ghostbusters on missions]], including a handicapped member. Both were attempts to pander to different age groups. Eventually, JMS simply quit out of frustration. After his departure, '''all''' of these changes came to pass, including altering Janine's look, personality, and voice. JMS would come back in Season 6 (though other jobs meant he could only do a few episodes). He [[Lampshaded]] the changes made to Janine in the episode "Janine You've Changed."

*** In ''[[Extreme Ghostbusters]]'', Janine is back to her original personality, Slimer is back as a minor supporting character, and no mention is made of the Junior Ghostbusters...

* Similarly, [[The Stinger]] sequences for ''[[Camp Lazlo]]'' were sacrificed via [[Credits Pushback]] as well. It's a wonder ''anybody'' on Cartoon Network even bothers with Stingers anymore.

* ''[[Spider-Man: The Animated Series]]'' also came in for a substantial amount of meddling. The writers weren't allowed to use the words [[Never Say "Die"|death, die, or kill]]; hence, when Peter found out Uncle Ben had been killed, it was shown as a police officer shaking his head and saying "I'm sorry, kid. The guy was armed." Also, realistic guns were out, so even petty thieves were armed with [[Family-Friendly Firearms|futuristic lasers]].

** A case of executive meddling having an outright odd effect was in the character of Morbius, a vampire. The writers weren't allowed to show him sucking blood through his fangs, so he apparently has fangs for ''no reason'', as he instead drains plasma (they can't use the word "blood" apparently) through suckers in his ''hands''. The suckers were so [[Squick|squicktastic]] that they made the character even [[Nightmare Fuel|creepier]], whereas his declarations of "I hunger for PLASMA!" were often [[Narm]].

** If that's not absurd, listen to these:

{{quote|"When Spider-Man lands on a roof, ''make sure he doesn't harm any pigeons''."

** Another positive effect occurred when a mixup over villain names forced the writers to introduce the Hobgoblin in season one rather than the Green Goblin, to match the toys that had been ordered. This allowed Hobgoblin to become an engaging character in his own right and a precursor to the more dangerous Green Goblin.

** The censorship standards led to The Punisher being pretty much castrated. He was purely non-lethal and pretty ineffective as a result. However, the telling of his origin (for those unaware, the brutal shooting of his wife and young children which obviously couldn't be shown) was incredibly effective. The only visual was a kite flying in the sky and at the sound of gunshots fell to the ground, landing in a puddle and forming the classic skull as it became soaked in water.

** It did lead to one memorable music video scene -- the video was Wax's "Southern California," which famously features the [[Unusually Uninteresting Sight]] of a man on fire jogging down a street. Instead of Beavis saying anything about fire, he just goes into a catatonic daze of pure bliss.

** Beavis continued to hilariously lampshade this bit of [[Executive Meddling]] as the show went on. Upon seeing a monk in a video, he begins excitedly shouting "friar, friar!" while Butthead nervously prods him to stop. Beavis eventually mutters "oh yeah" and settles down again. Another time, he slowly and deliberately chants "liar, liar, pants on..." and then concludes with a distracted [[Curse Cut Short|"whoa!"]]. Yet another time, while watching Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy," Beavis sees Robin Williams and exclaims, "Look, it's Mrs. Doubt-FIRE!!!"

* Several aspects of the [[Darker and Edgier]] second season of ''[[Legion of Super-Heroes (TV series)|Legion of Super Heroes]]'' have the fingerprints of meddling. Superman X's existence seems to have come out of a pressing need to have a Superman with a warrior complex and even more superpowers:

{{quote|'''James Tucker:''' They wanted a super-up Superman. They didn't care how we did it, but they wanted him to be more of a badass. For me, I didn't want to alter our existing Superman that much. So along with Michael Jelenic, we came up with [[Send in the Clones|the clone from the future]]. (More [http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/news.php?action{{=}}fullnews&id{{=}}117 here].)}}

** [[Fridge Logic|Which still doesn't make any sense]] because every single example he listed ''is'' violent, albeit in a more slapstick way. What's more the violence in those shows is ''imitatable'' as kids can't really shoot missles at each other.

* A positive example: originally, the ''[[Kids Next Door]]'' were to use high tech equipment to fight adult tyranny. The folks at [[Cartoon Network]], however, asked this to be changed since ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'' had already done this. This resulted in [[Bamboo Technology|2x4 technology]], which Mr. Warburton has called one of the coolest things about the show.

** The Executive Meddling forced John K to replace some of show's gags and premises, instead of going for coarse and down-straight obscene. The toilet and sex jokes took over the absurdity and nonsense. Nick's executives also asked him to give a softer side to Ren, which made him an adorable [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]].

* ''[[The Simpsons]]'' is practically immune to this trope in real-life. Producer James L. Brooks has the clout to make it a rule that the network can't give notes. Little things have been tinkered with (largely relating to legal/censorship issues), but the series has been spared the problems others have faced. That doesn't mean the series doesn't parody this trope, though. This trope was parodied in when too much meddling caused Krusty to retire for the umpteenth time.

{{quote|'''[[Hates the Job, Loves the Limelight|Krusty]]:''' Folks, I've been in showbiz for sixty-one years, but now these jerks have sucked all the fun out of it. I don't need twelve suits tellin' me which way to pee!<br />

'''Lindsey Naegle:''' I don't know, that could upset the Cheez Whiz people.<br />

'''Male Executive:''' I was just thinking that.<br />

** It was also parodied when executives came up with [[Shoo Out the New Guy|Poochie]].

{{quote|'''Meyers:''' No, no, no! He was supposed to have attitude.

'''Lady:''' Could we put him in more of a "hip-hop" context?

'''Krusty:''' Forget context, he's gotta be a surfer. Give me a nice shmear of surfer.

** Was parodied in the episode Homer to the Max:

{{quote|'''Homer:''' Oh, I can't wait. Look, Marge, I got a scorecard printed up at that all-night scorecard place.

'''Lisa:''' Isn't mid-season just a dumping ground for second-rate shows that weren't good enough for the fall schedule?

'''Homer:''' You're thinking of all the other years. This year's shows are classic. There's "The Laughter Family" -- that's animated. Networks like animation 'cause they don't have to pay the actors squat!

*** This conversation also acted as both an inside joke and a [[Take That]] to the FOX executives, since they often don't pay the Voice Actors enough money, with several of them threatening to quit because of the low pay, and some actually managed to succeed temporarily. To sell the joke even more, [[The Other Darrin|Ned Flanders was voiced by Karl Wiedergott in this scene instead of his usual voice actor, Harry Shearer]]

*** He also apparently insisted on a "killing spree" ending to ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]''.

** In "Once Upon a Time in Springfield", Krusty is approached by two unnamed network executives who forced to add a female character named Princess Penelope to his show to increase the ratings and attract more female viewers. Krusty refuses, but they are ready to make a reality show to find his replacement. Desperate to stay in this sweet gig, Krusty grovels and agrees, while the network executives congratulate themselves on a job well done by giving each other a high five. As the ratings improve and Penelope immediately overshadows Krusty as the star of the show, Bart and Milhouse (who are loyal fans) try to get the show back to the way it was. However, the situation gets more complicated when Penelope reveals to Krusty that she's his biggest fan and joined the show mainly because of him, leading to the two falling in love and nearly getting married.

** Seems [[Executive Meddling]] has finally happened. [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/11/fox-no-homer-butt_n_782206.html All nudity on The Simpsons is banned by fox, or at least butt shots].

* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' creators Mike and Brian have implied this as the reason for their inability to resolve the Ursa subplot. Apparently, they had plans to give many things much more closure, but this trope, along with time constraints, forced them to the end the series the way it did. By their own choice, they ended up turning down a proposal to have the Ursa subplot resolved in a brief throwaway scene of her and Zuko reuniting at the end, as that would be a textbook example of a [[Writer Cop Out]], wrapping something up in a quick, unsatisfying way.

** In the DVD commentary for one of the episodes, one of the creators makes a vague reference to "certain people" who objected to the show having such strong female characters. May have been an attempt at Executive Meddling that didn't take.

** DVD commentary also mentions that Nickelodeon would have liked Aang to be thirty, use bladed weapons, and ride a motorcycle. These suggestions were the subject of a [[Take That]] in the episode ''Sokka's Master''.

* The first episode of ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'' was originally going to have Jimmy dying and ending up in [[A Hell of a Time|Miseryville]] as the result of [[Celestial Bureaucracy|an administrative error]], making the fact that the show took place in [[Hell]] even more clearer. Some broadcasters were [[What Do You Mean It's for Kids?|disturbed by this]], so in the end Jimmy's past was simply left vague.

* An in-universe example: An episode of ''[[Daria]]'' revolved around the school holding a contest where entrants would create health and safety posters. Jane and Daria collaborate on an entry, featuring a skinny blonde girl, and a poem explaining that she has achieved this supposedly angelic physique through the magic of bulimia. Mr. O'Niel and Ms. Li love the painting, but aren't too keen on the less-than-sugary poem, so they ask the girls to change it to one with a more sanitized and curriculum-approved message about good nutrition. The girls refuse, citing artistic reasons, which sets off a series of events which culminates in a very entertaining scene where Mrs. Morgendorffer threatens Ms. Li with legal action.

* After the ''[[South Park]]'' episode "Jared Has Aides" premiered, the episode was banned from Comedy Central's airwaves until 2009 because it depicted Butters getting beat by his parents. The creators were forbidden from treating Butters like this ever again.

** "200," the first episode of a 14th season two-parter, featured the Super Best Friends, a superhero team consisting of religious figures -- including Muhammad (who was previously uncensored with no problems in the group's first appearance in Season 5, though that was made and aired before September 11th, 2001 and [[The War on Terror]]). This time around, Muhammad was portrayed as a giant censor bar, except for the scenes where he was in a bear suit. A New York-based Muslim group practically shat bricks over the portrayal of Muhammad in a bear suit, and warned Trey and Matt that they might very well end up like Theo Van Gogh (a filmmaker who was shot and stabbed multiple times by an Islamic extremist for making a documentary about violence against women in Islamic cultures) because of it. Comedy Central, fearing the worst, waited until Trey and Matt delivered the next episode ("201"), then heavily censored it prior to air; they bleeped out all instances of the word "Muhammad" in dialogue and even bleeped out the entire "moral of the story" speech at the end, which had nothing to do with Mohammad and was actually about intimidation and fear (an irony that was not lost on many people). The scenes depicting Buddha snorting cocaine and Jesus looking at pornography went completely uncensored.

* After the ''[[Code Lyoko]]'' pilot, ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgiNbuFwORw Garage Kids]'', was made, the changes made to the show's plot and setting angered co-creator Thomas Romain so much that he left the production staff.