May 11, 2010

Why Superhero Shows Get The Axe

Going through TBRS as much as I do, I create, read and reply in topics. As I’ve done so, I’ve come to notice something. Some people don’t realize why Teen Titans was cancelled, or why other shows, superhero or not, get the axe. This happens with n00bs and even well respected members as I have seen. Well, I guess I’m here to try and clear things up a bit. To be blunt, no matter the popularity of a show, in the end it’s at the mercy of one all powerful thing. The almighty dollar.

A show can be quite popular with viewers, hell, even be the MOST popular on a particular station, but how long the show is kept in production can depend a LOT on the mitigating factors. A show can sink or float based simply on them. Things like company stability, money, merchandising, show cost and revenue intake can all be a determining factor in whether a show lives to see another season.

Merchandising can be a quite the factor in and of itself. Toys, DVD’s, clothes and products can all determine its longevitability. A show that sells lots of merchandise is quite marketable and a company can keep a show around merely for that reason. If the show is kept around and in the public eye, then the characters and themes placed on t-shirts and other merchandise are far more recognizable, and therefore more likely to sell. This leads production company’s and networks to keep some shows around solely because of marketability.

This alone can work in the favor of some shows. The Simpsons is a good example in general. Myself being no real fan of the show, I couldn’t give a real opinion of my own on it. Many fans I have seen though are very dissatisfied with what it has become, many citing it has “jumped the shark”, is no longer very funny and is quickly becoming a mockery of what it once was. I have heard some fans wish the show would die before it became any more of an “embarrassment” to what it once was. However, the fact remains that The Simpsons is a very marketable show and always has been, which may be a major factor in why it is still around, despite much outcry to the direction the series has taken. Many a t-shirt or to has been sold on Simpsons fame, with slogans from Bart in particular being quite popular. Even the bitter fans support the show in the end, as they often buy the DVD sets of the show’s early years, which is still merchandise.

Another show that was saved from the oblivion of cancellation is the much loved Family Guy. The show was cancelled originally due to mitigating circumstances, but merchandise was what got it back from cancellation. Family Guy was released on DVD, and, because of that and regular showings on Cartoon Networks Adult Swim block, soon became a well know and highly marketable property. Many new fans of the show demanded it be brought back, and merchandise with the characters, in particular Brian, Stewie and Peter, near flew off shelves. The DVD sets sold so many copies, along with much of the other merchandise that Fox decided to bring the show back, much to the happiness of most of its fans.

But merchandising can also work against a show. One example in particular is the well received DC Animated Universe show, Batman Beyond. While well received, watched and now remembered by many, the fact is that it didn’t sell a whole lot of merchandise. DVD was just taking off at the time and Season box sets of shows was barely a thought, so there wasn’t much hope for when the series was canned. After only three seasons, the plug was pulled on the show.

But there is another big factor that play’s into merchandising. While shows like Family Guy and The Simpsons are generally original properties of the station they mainly premiere on, superhero shows are licensed properties. A show that suffered because of this is one this site’s forum holds quite dear. The animated series Teen Titans suffered greatly due to being a licensed property. Its marketability was average, but that’s wasn’t good enough. DC is the creators of the Teen Titans. Therefore, tot use the name and characters in a series, the Production Company and networks have to pay a certain percentage of money gained to DC Comics. This leads to decreased revenue intake for the networks that produce and advertise such shows. In the case of Teen Titans, some shifts in power along with this killed the series. The show made average money in merchandise, but the general intake was cut by licensing fee’s and percentages. Aside from the regular producers, Cartoon Network decided against continuing the series as well, having plans of it’s own to promote their own home grown series like Ben 10. Such series may not be as popular as Teen Titans, but they get ALL the money, which makes a lot of difference. As such, Teen Titans was canned.

Yet another bad factor for a series is the stability of the network that produces it. This was the sad case with highly regarded show Justice League Unlimited. A merger between WB and UPN left several new high up’s in charge, with many of the people from the old network gone or just bit players in the new conglomerate. As such, the new conglomerate decided they didn’t particularly want superhero shows and wanted to focus on other shows. Cartoon Network took a similar approach, wanting to develop their own properties, which would net them more money in the long run. This spelled doom for both Justice League Unlimited and Teen Titans.

Yet another thing that can contribute against the series is jealousy or spite. This is what spelled the end for the much vaunted X-Men: the Animated Series and Spiderman: The Animated Series. Fox was very unhappy back in the nineties. The reason being that it’s two most popular shows were owned by another company, Marvel Studios in particular. Funding and quality for the two shows in particular dropped off in their last seasons and the two were then dropped entirely. Fox quickly learned their mistake, as network ratings dropped 31% upon the two shows cancellation, but that’s another story.

So in the end, many factors can contribute to a shows cancellation, many times much to the chagrin of its fans. A normal span for show is generally over fifty episodes or five seasons. It’s almost proven that superhero shows rarely go beyond that threshold. Superhero shows are far from done. The new Fantastic Four series has begun, plus a new X-Men, Spiderman and Iron Man animated series are set to debut next year. But in general, I hope I’ve succeeded in helping forum goers and fellow superhero show fans understand the politics that may very well cut short a beloved show’s life span.