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Executive Meddling/Western Animation (view source)

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* Disney meddled heavily in the third season of ''[[Gargoyles (Animation)|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 (Animation)|Gargoyles]]'' [[Anti -Villain]] Macbeth.
* [[Disney Channel]]'s practice of ending production on any show that has reached 65 episodes. ''[[Kim Possible (Animation)|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 ''[[Beakmans World]]'' more episodes.
** In the 4th season of ''[[Kim Possible (Animation)|Kim Possible]]'', the animators were informed by Studio Executives that they absolutely had to do [[An Aesop|an Aesop-heavy]] episode about kids' health, so they complied, but tried to make it deliberately [[Anvilicious]]. Thus was the reason behind the creation of the episode "Grande Size Me."
*** 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.
* In the case of ''[[Lilo and Stitch The Series (Animation)|Lilo and Stitch The Series]]'', executives didn't like the character of Angel and didn't want her to appear again, but once they saw that her episode was the most popular in a marathon of the fans' favorite episodes, they relented, resulting in a cameo appearance in the Remy episode and a rescue episode dedicated to Angel and the other experiments Gantu caught earlier in the series.
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* On the Marvel side of things, Human Torch was '''[[Mis Blamed|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.
* ''[[Adventure Time (Animation)|Adventure Time]]'' is notorious for [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]], and dancing circles around the censors. However, one thing in particular wouldn't fly with the censors- the character Tree Trunks dying by explosion in the episode Tree Trunks. In a case of very positive executive meddling, the creators revealed that she had been transported to a crystal world, and she was later rescued by the titular characters. She returned in other episodes, including the recent, and excellent, "Dream of Love." Tree Trunks is one of the most beloved characters in the show. If the creators had had their way, she would have exploded, and only appeared in one episode. But they were forced to think outside of their own box, which led to a few excellent episodes all about Tree Trunks, like Crystals Have Power and Apple Thief.
* ''[[Transformers]]: [[Beast Wars (Animation)|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.
*** All of this is ironic was because it was meddling that got Waspinator into the series in the first place. The writers didn't care for the character at all, but were required to use him. They made him the [[Butt Monkey]] out of frustration, but that made him popular with fans. And he even grew on the writers, too.
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* Speaking of which, the 2003 ''He-Man'' remake was criticized as having failed due to [[Screwed By the Network|a severe lack of promotion]] for both the show and toy line, an inconsistent air time, and -- for the toys -- a gross mis-distribution of the figures and several missed shipments to retailers, among other things. While most of these accusations are debatable, one isn't: even years after both show and toy line were canceled, the toy line's designers Four Horsemen convinced Mattel to allow them to continue to make merchandise for the series ''for free'', extending it long after interest in it has died. In a bit of reverse-meddling, Mattel only agreed if the new merchandise were immobile statues instead of the action figures Four Horsemen wanted.* Pretty much the exact same thing happened to ''[[Futurama]]'' -- except they came back on a different network, since CN's rights ran out.
** 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 Argentina, [[Media Watchdogs]] tried to ban this show, showing the "''Evil Dead''" episode as evidence that it was not suitable for children. Thankfully, they never succeeded.
** The game portion of the first episode aired on Cartoon Network rather than ABC is more or less a non-stop series of "look what we can do ''now''" moments.
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*** 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 (Animation)|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.
** However, the group actually ''agrees'' with Eric in ''The Dragon's Graveyard'', which is considered [[Darker and Edgier|one of the best episodes]].
{{quote| Eric: This is all Venger's fault! We ought to do something about that guy!<br />
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** [[The WB]] was '''horrible''' about jumping to ridiculous conclusions like this (see the ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' example). Anyway, Lance and Kitty didn't fare well with [[Executive Meddling]] at all. They were broken up in season 3 due to [[Kids WB]] complaining about too much romance on the show. [[Official Couple|Scott and Jean]]'s relationship was spared though.
* During his tenure as head writer on ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]'', [[J Michael Straczynski]] constantly battled with [[ABC]] execs. Some production members have noted having a happier time with the syndication episodes, which were subjected to far less scrutiny and it shows. (The [[HP Lovecraft]]-inspired, "The Collect Call of Cathulhu," is just one of the episodes people have noted the network wouldn't have cared for.)
** Especially contentious was the ongoing debate over the Ghostbusters' secretary, Janine Melnitz. A child psychologist hired as a consultant by ABC felt the character was too cynical and abrasive. Her personality should be more supportive and [[Girls Need Role Models|"feminine"]], instead. The consultant also expressed concerns that her sharp, angular glasses might [[Viewers Areare Morons|scare children]] -- and yet, all the [[Grotesque Gallery|grotesque ghosts and monsters]] running around were a-ok. JMS acquiesced to one of ABC's demands, making Janine a Ghostbuster for an episode. The execs had felt young girls needed a positive female role model and saw this as an opportunity to do so.
** 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 (Animation)|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...
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* 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.
* It isn't just Cartoon Network, or even TV shows that suffer from [[Credits Pushback]]. Anytime anything happens during the End Credits you might as well write it off. Try watching ''[[The Breakfast Club]]'' on TV, really, try to. Three freakin' networks and they squeeze the end credits into a tiny box in the side (or bottom) of the screen.
* ''[[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]].
** Another example is Carnage. In the comics, he was a mass-murdering psychopath, but in the series he wasn't allowed to kill anyone -- instead he sucked out their "essence" through his hands, which was restored to his victims after he was sucked into a portal. In the scene where he acquires the symbiote he attacks some prison guards; he picks one up and makes some knives with his fingers but instead it shows him busting through a wall.
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** In John K's words "for every idea Nick accepted, they threw out five others" and some of the censoring they did was downright ridiculous(I.E. in Big House Blues, they removed a scene of the dog-catching shaking his butt at Ren, because the execs thought it was "too feminine" and Stimpy's Invetion almost didn't get made because of nervous execs)
* ''[[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 />
'''Male Executive:''' Uh, for "pee," could you substitute "whiz"?<br />
'''Lindsey Naegle:''' I don't know, that could upset the Cheez Whiz people.<br />
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** The ambiguity of {{spoiler|Jet's death}} is also due to this trope, as execs were against showing a teenager being violently murdered.
** 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 ItsIt'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.
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* This is the EXACT reason ''[[Sym Bionic Titan]]'' was [[Screwed By the Network|cancelled]], apparently because the higher ups at [[Cartoon Network]] wanted toy companies to make toys for the series, but failed to get licensers for it.
** Now it seems that there actually ''were'' several toy manufacturers who wanted to take on the show but Cartoon Network never contacted any of them and the show was basically murdered because of a personal falling out between executives at CN and Genndy Tartakovsky.
* Even ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' is not safe from meddling, though according to [[Word of God]], executives have been mostly hands-off for the show, and the writers have been allowed a lot more freedom than expected, with some exceptions:
** Season One had that [[Edutainment|E/I label]] on the upper-left corner of the screen on TV, like any educational show must have. In Season Two, ''it's mysteriously removed.'' It's not clear why this is, but bronies sure are satisfied that the show appears to be hindered by the standards much less now.
** Princess Celestia was originally to be a queen, but was demoted to princess because apparently, [[Disney]] [[Viewers Areare Morons|has supposedly made it so that little girls affiliate queens with evil and princesses with good.]]
*** This is also why all of Princess Celestia's toys are pink, even though she has a white coat in the series.
** In a positive example, Apple Bloom was originally to find her cutie mark on her own without any help. Lauren Faust was asked to add Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to be her friends, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were born. Oddly enough, Faust always thought they should have their own [[Spinoff Babies|spin-off pre-school show]], but Hasbro suggested that the Crusaders should be used in the main series first.
** One of the most common forms of this was the demand for specific, popular characters from previous gens to appear in the show in a prominent enough fashion to sell the toy version of them. Thankfully, no specifics about ''how'' those characters would have to appear, so the writers could deal with this fairly easily (for instance, Cheerilee becoming the teacher of Ponyville).
** The episode "Suited For Success" can be viewed as a [[Satire]] of executive meddling, as Rarity's artistic vision of [[Pimped -Out Dress|Pimped Out Dresses]] for all her friends is compromised by their [[Complaining About Things You Haven't Paid For|nitpicking]], despite the fact that [[Chekhov's Skill|most of them]] don't have any clue what they're talking about, and with Rainbow Dash offering absolutely no advice other than "[[Memetic Mutation|Make it 20% cooler]]." The [[Dark Reprise|second take]] on [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSbXGsysAAk&feature=related the song in the episode] (to begin with based on [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uwV1Wf8tUo another song about executive meddling]) even contains lines that make some sense in the context of the story but really work in such a satire: "Make sure that it stays within our budget." is an example of one of those lines. It makes sense in the story, because the ponies naturally don't have unlimited money to spend on the dress, and even moreso an irony, as they impose many lavish changes to their respective dresses, but still demand that "even if [Rarity] simply has to fudge it, make sure it stays within [the ponies'] budget". It also works in respect to the satire as well.<br /><br />As previously stated, executives have been mostly hands-off for the show, but one thing [http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/12/24/my-little-non-homophobic-non-racist-non-smart-shaming-pony-a-rebuttal/ mentioned] by [[Lauren Faust]] as a "requirement" was "to incorporate fashion play," which was handled by making it a matter of Rarity being an artist. The episode [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E14 Suited for Success/Analysis|can be seen as incredibly meta]] if you think about it like this.
** According to [http://comments.deviantart.com/4/1603670/2371989638 this], Big Macintosh was planned to get his own episode, but it was rejected.
*** He can only be called Big Macintosh in-show instead of Big Mac, due to the latter being an obvious usage of a copyright from another large company. This may no longer be in effect, however, as he has been called "Big Mac" several times in season 2.
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