Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Animated Series Ending-No Season 3

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

How is it "nonsensical" to say I'm unhappy with the way things are? If everyone thought that way, nobody would ever try to change things for the better. Even if there's no way to change things, I'm still entitled to express my feelings on the matter. Everyone has the right to express an opinion.

There's a difference between saying, "I wish market conditions were different and allowed for more shows to have longer runs," and saying that it's unnecessary and arbitrary for most shows to be brought to an end after 65 episodes and it's wrong that they should be brought to an end at that point. Expressing the first view would be fair enough, but the second makes no more sense than when people say the DC Universe movies should be longer than 75 minutes regardless of budgetary restraints imposed by economic reality.

Unfortunately most animated shows these days are loss-leaders and only go into profit for the studios who bankroll them once syndication and merchandising money rolls in, and there are significantly diminishing returns from syndication and merchandising once you produce more than 65 episodes (maybe you're already aware of that and maybe you aren't - I have no way of knowing - so don't feel I'm lecturing you if you do already know it). It's only giant hits like Ben 10 that get re-branded extensions.

The logical deduction to make regarding Batman: The Brave and the Bold is that its ratings and revenue are good enough for it to hit the 65-episode gold standard, but not so good that it's worth their while to give it a re-branded extension.

 

[Christopher]

^I understand what you're saying about the practical reality of it. The disagreement I have with you is that I believe there's a difference between what practically has to be and what should be in an ideal case. Something can be necessary and inescapable and still be a bad thing. TB&TB is a delightful interpretation of Batman and the DCU and it SHOULD NOT be forced to end due to economic factors, no matter how coldly rational and inescapable those factors may be. It's understandable, but that doesn't make it good or right. It's something I'm entitled to be sad and frustrated about, and it's not a bad thing to express those feelings.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Wishing that practical realities didn't exist and that an ideal situation existed in its place is perfectly fine and understandable. I'm sure we all engage in that. I wish DC Universe movies featuring second-tier characters sold well enough to allow for more variation in the line. I'd dearly love to see animated movies featuring a whole range of characters. But I generally prefer to be grateful for the good things that flourish despite often harsh practical realities.

As for continuation of the Brave and the Bold universe, as much as I enjoy the show I think it's a style that could wear out its welcome if it was stretched over spin-off shows. Of course that's just a matter of opinion. Also, I'm really psyched about Young Justice and that alleviates the fact that The Brave and the Bold is coming to an end.

 

[Gojirob]

I didn't see this announced anywhere--just kind of stumbled across it while getting lunch--but Mickey D's is offering B&B toys at 2 USD apiece, including the B&B Batmobile and Manta's Tri-Pod, along with several characters--sadly, none who aren't already in toy form. Its not a great representation of the -mobile, but I still like it.

Too bad about the series, because I wanted to see every last hyper-obscure, so-far-gone-Roy-Thomas-wouldn't-know-them DCU resident not yet animated make the jump, but YJ definitely has my attention.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

It's a great run from a commercial point of view, even if the show still had a lot of creative life left in it (although there are still about a third of the show's episodes to air, so the extent to which it still had room to run can't really be properly evaluated until after those episodes have all aired).

So? How is it remotely a good thing to sacrifice creative potential for some kind of commercial tunnel vision? How is this something worthy of defending?

65 episodes is optimal for a syndication package, but it isn't the bare minimum. Shows with 52-episode runs (like Static Shock and X-Men Evolution) went into syndication. For that matter there have been 26-episode shows that have gone into syndication. In today's market 52 episodes is a success and 65 episodes is the gold standard.

It's still arbitrary and unnecessary to kill a show at that stage when there's still so much potential in it. The numbers are beside the point. Indeed, they're the whole problem. Basing the decision to end a show on nothing more than the number of episodes it has is just plain stupid. If it's a creative and ratings success, if it still has a lot of life in it, it's wrong to kill it.

Excatly how the fans of Kim Possible felt when the protested-and reversed-the cancelation of that show, ensuring a fourth season (although some of them went a little overboard wanting to have a fifth).

Other animated shows I wanted to see continue:

*Grossology
*X-Men Evolution
*Wolverine And The X-Men
*Filmore
*Delilah & Julius
*Class Of The Titans

 

[barnaclelapse]

65 episodes is your standard syndication package.

That's what I thought.

 

[Starbreaker]

Isn't it Disney that has the policy (mostly) of ending shows at 65 episodes to "keep the creative staffs fresh"?

I don't really understand all the Batman iterations anyway. There will probably be a new Batman series in the next year or two.

 

[Technobuilder]

It's a great run from a commercial point of view, even if the show still had a lot of creative life left in it (although there are still about a third of the show's episodes to air, so the extent to which it still had room to run can't really be properly evaluated until after those episodes have all aired).

So? How is it remotely a good thing to sacrifice creative potential for some kind of commercial tunnel vision? How is this something worthy of defending?

65 episodes is optimal for a syndication package, but it isn't the bare minimum. Shows with 52-episode runs (like Static Shock and X-Men Evolution) went into syndication. For that matter there have been 26-episode shows that have gone into syndication. In today's market 52 episodes is a success and 65 episodes is the gold standard.

It's still arbitrary and unnecessary to kill a show at that stage when there's still so much potential in it. The numbers are beside the point. Indeed, they're the whole problem. Basing the decision to end a show on nothing more than the number of episodes it has is just plain stupid. If it's a creative and ratings success, if it still has a lot of life in it, it's wrong to kill it.

Excatly how the fans of Kim Possible felt when the protested-and reversed-the cancelation of that show, ensuring a fourth season (although some of them went a little overboard wanting to have a fifth).

Other animated shows I wanted to see continue:

*Grossology
*X-Men Evolution
*Wolverine And The X-Men
*Filmore
*Delilah & Julius
*Class Of The Titans

*GARGOYLES

 

[issreliant]

Its sad that this show is ending, i really enjoyed it, it was fun, and funny. they have really only scratched the surface of dcu heroes and villians, plus there really should be an aquaman spinnoff, or just rename it the brave and the bold, and have diffrent team ups every week, instead of batman and whoever they decide for that weeks show.

 

[Silvercrest]

every last hyper-obscure, so-far-gone-Roy-Thomas-wouldn't-know-them DCU resident

 

[Christopher]

Other animated shows I wanted to see continue:

*Grossology
*X-Men Evolution
*Wolverine And The X-Men
*Filmore
*Delilah & Julius
*Class Of The Titans

W&tXM is getting a second season, isn't it?

But yeah, Fillmore died too young.

Isn't it Disney that has the policy (mostly) of ending shows at 65 episodes to "keep the creative staffs fresh"?

Yes, more or less, but Cartoon Network does the same thing. It's not like Disney has a copyright on the practice.

There will probably be a new Batman series in the next year or two.

We already know there will be. TB&TB's James Tucker is going to develop it, and it's believed that it will be in 3D computer animation.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

W&tXM is getting a second season, isn't it?

A second season was announced, but then fell through. Quesada said their financing partner on the show couldn't come up with the revenue.

 

[CommodoreKong]

I think the animated show I was most disappointed about getting canceled early was Spectacular Spider-man. It only got 26 episodes yet it had a lot of life left in it.

 

[Christopher]

W&tXM is getting a second season, isn't it?

A second season was announced, but then fell through. Quesada said their financing partner on the show couldn't come up with the revenue.

Oh. Well, I can't say I'm too disappointed, seeing as how I dropped that cable channel anyway after the first season ended. It wasn't worth paying for an entire tier of channels when I was only watching three shows on them and they were all in reruns.

And I was lukewarm on the show anyway. It was okay, but the storytelling wasn't as good as the '90s series and the animation and character designs weren't as good as X-Men Evolution. And the voice work wasn't as good as either. (Okay, the voice work on the '90s series was way too melodramatic, but I liked the actors and still consider many of them the definitive voices of their respective characters.)

I think the animated show I was most disappointed about getting canceled early was Spectacular Spider-man. It only got 26 episodes yet it had a lot of life left in it.

Definitely. What makes that cancellation really lousy is that it was due to corporate politics rather than ratings.

 

[Mr Light]

Yeah I was very disappointed with "Wolverine and the X-Men". I was looking forward to their take on the Age of Apocalypse but I wasn't terribly disappointed. I was pissed they canceled "Spectacular Spider-Man" though! Best TV/movie interpretation of Spidey ever!