Executive Meddling: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
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{{quote|''"So [[Pinky and The Brain]] [[Retool|share a new domain]].
''It's what [[The WB|the network]] wants; [[Lampshade Hanging|why bother to complain]]?"''|[[Biting the Hand Humor|The theme song]] to ''[[Pinky Elmyra and The Brain]]''}}
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No matter how [[So Cool Its Awesome|brilliant]] that last episode was or how insightful the protagonist's [[Mind Screw|dream]] was about the [[Contemplate Our Navels|nature of man]], if nobody watched it and the advertisers are complaining, [[Money, Dear Boy|survival]] means you have to [[Shoot the Dog|put Old Yeller down]]. In the end nobody likes this, so it is in the executives' best interest to see that their money is well spent, budgets are kept, and the show gets finished by [[Cosmic Deadline|Sweeps.]] Often this means [[Executive Veto|vetoing ideas]], or dictating that certain elements be added in. So when the organization [[The Man Behind the Man|behind the creators]] takes a hand in creation you get this trope. The goal of an executive is to try to steer the show into the direction of profitability.
One way in which these traits manifest themselves is for the executive to force changes on a show which he feels is too different or edgy, in order to make it "[[Lighter and Softer|less risky]]" or "more appealing to the audience"
Sometimes, though, the meddling is solely because the executive wants the show dead for one reason or another. Of course, [[Springtime for Hitler|it can backfire]] and the executive either eats crow, gets replaced, cancels the show ''anyway'' (ratings and revenue be damned), or [[Small Name, Big Ego|gets an ego]]. And on the other hand, there are actually instances where the executives actually helped ''create'' the show in the first place. For example, it could have been ''through''
The results [[Tropes Are Not Bad|can be positive]], especially if the imposed limitations force writers to think more creatively. Not to mention, executives aren't always wrong; just like there are good and bad writers, there are executives that are good at their job and executives that are bad. But, well, since when does someone doing their job ''right'' get any attention? The prevalence of this trope leads people to think ''any'' [[
Another example of how Executive Meddling may manifest itself is in a game (be it a show, tabletop, video game, etc) where an [[Obvious Rule Patch]] is released or the rules are updated during the season or mid-season. Some shows didn't cover every loophole and had players abuse it and find perverse incentives. Other times, Executive Meddling helped people actually ''use'' other classes and characters in a game, [[Rescued From the Scrappy Heap|saving them from the scrappy heap]].
Executive Meddling is often the source for [[Enforced Trope
Problems can be created just as easily from [[Creator Breakdown]], [[Protection From Editors]], [[Writer on Board]] or [[Author Filibuster]]
If the show itself escaped executive meddling, but its time slot is changed around and has zero promotion, then it's [[Screwed by the Network]].
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