If You Could Change One Thing?

N

Nasty Nate

New member
I am sure that most of us on Toon Zone have enjoyed one animated program or another that has had a few things wrong with it; after all, perfection is next to impossible to achieve. However, if you were given the opportunity to go back in time and change one thing about an animated program in order to make it better, which animated program would you select and what would you change? Please take the time to explain why your proposed change would have made the series better than it actually was. Also, please try to limit your decision to one specific change, as I believe that such would help keep this thread interesting.

I lack creativity and I really don’t believe that I should even try to provide an example of my own, but I feel that it is my obligation. I would like to have changed the second season of “Brandy & Mr. Whiskers” so that it would be more like the first season. As I mentioned in the thread that the link goes to, which received absolutely no replies, the second season of the series completely ignored everything that happened in the first season; it introduced all sorts of modern concepts and it destroyed the core premise of the entire series. I believe that fans would have enjoyed the second season more if it stayed true to the series’ roots, though I concede that the series didn’t really have many fans in the first place. Still, having the Amazon remain uncivilized would have permitted Brandy Harrington to continue growing as a character, and I believe that there were still plenty of interesting plots that could have taken place without the modern luxuries.

I hope that this thread generates some discussion.
 
:zim: So many shows... SO MANY!

But let's start THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS.

As everyone knows, after the second season ABC started wanting to make the show more *kid friendly*, including making the stories lighter, redesigning Janine to make her more friendly towards the girls who might tune in to watch, and putting Slimer to the forefront of the show.

What I'd do is tell Q5 to stick it and give J. Micheal Stracynzki full reign (within reason) to keep the show standing out from the other network Saturday Morning programming.

That includes keeping Janine as is, and keeping Slimer where he belongs: As the lovable mascot.
 
Show: "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends"
One Thing: Cheese. Keep him as a one-shot antagonist in Season 2; don't bring him back for more episodes. That little overexposed butterball makes the show look a lot more stupid than it actually is.

Show: "Tiny Toon Adventures"
One Thing: The preachy/boring episodes. The show would have been much more consistent if it had been devoid of clunkers like "Sawdust and Toonsil", "No Toon is an Island", and "Whale's Tales".

Show: "Pok?mon"
One Thing: The over-reliance on video game promotion. Perhaps we could learn more about the characters and their Pok?mon if the show wasn't an advertisement first and a TV show second.

Show: "Family Guy"
One Thing: The writing staff. Hire some folks who understand the difference between humor and pop culture references, and who'll actually give the characters personalities we can care about.
 
So you want Simpsons 2?

Part of the reason I enjoy Family Guy is because I really don't care about what happens to the characters because I'm not emotionally invested in them. If you suddenly make us care about these characters you lose half the humor because then you can't do jokes about Peter having a stroke, going blind or suffering all sorts of potentially fatal injuries and lacerations without it being horrifying. Could you imagine some of the things that happen to Peter happening to Homer? Sure Homer gets knocked around a lot but that stuff can only go so far because we actually love the big lug. I don't feel the same way about Peter, Lois or Stewie so they're welcome to do whatever they want to their characters.

There are a couple of things I'd change about Family Guy (those super long cutaways and some of the nastier celebrity slams) but changing the characters so that we care about them? No.
 
We can only change one thing? Well, that's makes it more of a challenge, but here goes:

Show: Super Friends
What I would change: Make the Wonder Twins a little cooler, especially Zan. Let him make better use of his powers and not be such a bumbling braggart/buffoon.

Show: Static Shock
What I would change: Have Virgil's mother, Jean Hawkins, be alive and well on the TV show, the way that she was in the original comics.

Show: Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
What I would change: Bring in more female DC heroes so that Wonder Woman wouldn't be the only girl on the team. Possibly Starfire (since another Teen Titan character, Cyborg, was on the team already), Wonder Girl or possibly Supergirl. Maybe Fire & Ice, Black Canary or Vixen, for non junior members.

Show: Family Guy
What I would change: Give Meg a different personality and not just be the straight character and the butt of everyone's nasty jokes. I would write Meg as a homely girl who believes that she is hot. That I think would have some comic possibilities.

Show: Johnny Test
What I would change: Give Johnny's mom, Lila a little more screen time, not that she doesn't get a fair amount already, and I get that she works during the day while Hugh (the dad) stays home cleaning the house and watching the kids, but I don't like the stories where it's a non work day situation and there's still no sign of Lila. She is a member of the family, after all. I realize that I'm over thinking a kids' cartoon show, but nonetheless, Lila is one of my favorite characters on Test and I don't think that it would hurt the show to see more of her.

Show: W.I.T.C.H.
What I would change: I would rewrite season 2's story arc so that the the story about Lillian being the Heart of Earth never happened. I wasn't feeling that. It made it seem as if the only reason why Cornelia was chosen to be the Guardian of Earth was because her little sister was the Heart of Earth. Plus, as much as I like magic, I actually preferred Lillian as the bratty, non-powered little sister of Corny.
 
If I could change one thing about the following shows, here's what I'd do:

Code Monkeys: Rewrite the role of the character of Todd so he's not the perpetual butt of jokes and abuse by everyone else. Todd's one of my favorite characters on Code Monkeys, and I get that he's a creepy weirdo, but I don't think he deserves a lot of the abuse that he receives. I don't see Todd as an enemy character, but rather a weird friend character, like Reverend Jim on Taxi.

Metalocalypse: Downplay the violence, gore and apocalyptic business. Not remove it altogether, since that's what makes the show so "metal", but the epic vapidness of the band's characters is enough to carry the series without relying so heavily on it (as proven by the short "Dethrecord").

Johnny Test: since Blackstar already mentioned upgrading Lila's role, I'd make the character of Johnny himself somewhat less thick-headed and a little less 'average'. I get how as the titular star of the show, Johnny's supposed to be the 'average kid', but his simplicity and generic-ness does tend to wear on the nerves.

*I'm going to cheat a bit here and give a second thing I'd change about JT: revise the whole 'Bling-Bling Boy' shtick so that Eugene chases after Mary Test as well as Susan. I just don't think it's fair that Mary gets ignored like that, and creating a second Bling-Bling-esque character to chase after Mary would be redundant.

Chowder: Redesign the character of Truffles so that she's a little more appealing visually, and downplay her abrasiveness a little. While Truffles is one of my favorite characters on the show, I think the writers tend to go a little overboard with her dark side; we've gotten faint glimpses of Truffles' softer side in shorts like "Mung on the Rocks", and I'd like to see a little more of that. I see Truffles as being like Mother Nature in the old Chiffon margarine commercials; sweet as pie until you cross her.

The Boondocks: Upgrade the role of the character of Sarah Dubois so she'd at least be seen as often as Tom and Jazmine. I really like Sarah (and not just because she's MILF-fabulous); I see a lot of untapped potential in her character and think some interesting thigs could be done with her. Sarah and Tom are one of the few interracial couples to be depeicted on an animated program, and I'd like to see some neat things done with them. Sarah has the potential to be more than just "the white lady Tom married".

And finally, while this is posthumous, Out of Jimmy's Head: Actualy, there are a number of things I'd like to have changed about this show, but since we're only supposed to list one, I would upgrade the character of Jimmy's mom to a full-time regular and not just an occasionally seen guest star. Again, I saw a lot of unused potential in her character, and her being a professional astronaut could've kicked open the door for some fun, sci-fi inspired jokes and stories. Plus, she made a good counterpoint to the dad on the show, and I would've liked to have seen them interact as a couple more. You can't have The Odd Couple with only Oscar, after all; without the contrast, it's not as funny.
 
That was the reason she was chosen, just like Hay Lin was chosen because of her grandmother being the previous Guardian of Air.
 
Ren and Stimpy: The Games Animation years, of course. John K. needs Bob Camp, and Bob Camp needs John K. The Spumco years should've been extended.

Invader ZIM: Dib, of course. In some episodes, it implies that Dib is the only one smart enough to realize that paranormal things exist, which is hilarious. In some episodes, he's just an unfunny insane kid. For example, when he finally gets to meet The Almighty Tallest, he's basically like

TELL ME YOUR PLAN
TELL ME YOUR PLAN
 
Here the list of the shows with the changes I taught.

Clone High: giving the green light for season 2 ;) even if I'm not an executive network, the season 2 could be a DTV.

1967-70 Spider-man: using Doctor Octopus and the Green Goblin during the psychedelic seasons 2-3 done by Ralph Bakshi instead of green-skinned unknown ones.

Bonkers: when Bonkers gots assigned to Miranda, Lucky Pwiquel and Fallapart should be back as guests when the FBI have to assist the local police department for some episodes going on the nerves of sergeant Francis.

Inspector Gadget: no dumb sidekick like Capeman

Smurfs: no time travel for the last season!

Goldorak (UFO Robot Grendizer): In episode 37, Actarus (Duke Fleed) and Venusia (Hikaru Makiba) get some new civilian clothes, instead they should stick with the clothes they originally had from episode 1 down to episode 74!

Rocket Robin Hood: Having some merry companions like Alan-a-Dale and Giles appearing in "psychedelic" episodes like Dementia Five and all.

The Raccoons: Keeping Sophia Tutu for the last seasons and having some interaction between her, Lisa Raccoon and Mrs Pig.
 
Here are some changes I would make:

G.I. Joe: Ignore everything after G.I. Joe: The Movie and continue as if the TV episodes were occurring before the movie. The movie would have made a nice climax to the series, but everything they tried to do afterward, from Serpentor to Sergeant Slaughter, was a misfire. On, and let the Joes actually kill a villain from time to time.

Captain Planet and the Planeteers: Dial down the preachiness (a lot), and make Captain Planet himself a more serious, maybe even vengeful, character. After all, it's hard to take seriously the impending ecological collapse of the earth when earth's chief guardian is a pun-cracking wise guy.

Thundercats: either keep Lion-O a child, or have him mature to mental adulthood quickly. Having a hulking colossus of muscle acting like a 10-year-old is neither endearing nor entertaining. It's just creepy.

Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors: Let Herc Stormsailor actually get paid for his services once in a while. It always bugged me that the sanctimonious heroes of this show were constantly conning him into cooperation with the promise of treasure that never materialized. It bothered me even more that Herc never caught on to it.

Kim Possible: Don't wait for the last episode for Ron Possible to be accepted as Kim's equal. If their roles were reversed, political correctness would have demanded the the female sidekick be shown to be at least as competent as the main male hero from Episode #1.

Lilo and Stitch: Keep Stitch's character consistent with his growth during the movie and let him speak in complete sentences instead of gibberish (remember: he's supposed to have a brain that can outthink a supercomputer; show him able to learn, for crying out loud).
 
Gargoyles: Instead of the abomination that was the Goliath Chronicles, Season 3 would be syndicated with 26 new episodes, all with Greg Weisman at the helm.
 
Here are some -

Show: "Family Guy"
Changes: I would get rid of the abuse Meg suffers from the people in her life, and the sexual compulsion Brian has with dating women (humans). I might also make Peter smarter and Stewie not as diabolical, but I somewhat prefer them the way they are. I would also make Chris, especially Chris, much smarter, because he has a lot more potential than Peter has, and will ever have.

Show: "South Park"
Changes: I do not know precisely what I will do to this show, but this show needs change. I love the first few seasons of the show, but the episodes have gone so downhill, in trying so hard to make a mockery of real life situations, that they have made the show overall bad.

Show: "The House of Mouse"
Changes: I would make new episodes of this show, as well as putting in less cartoon shorts on the show and more interactions with various Disney characters.

Show: "The Fairly OddParents" / "Jimmy Neutron"
Changes: Once again, I do not know exactly what I will do to these shows, but I will try to make the material as great as it used to be, not like how it is now.

Show: "Tiny Toon Adventures"
Changes: This show is a classic, and has done something that no other show has ever done in cinematic history, but this show needed to improve. There are many good episodes, but as much as I love the show, some of the episodes are just bad. If the show was still on, I would put in more episodes that would have the "Tiny Toon Adventures" gang interacting with their "Looney Tunes" counterparts, doing the sorts of things that they have done in their respective shows, but at the same time, doing things that other kids their ages do, but not the poor things that they do in some of the episodes they appear in. The show needs to be overall interesting, since it is supposed to be a great show.

Show: "Looney Tunes"
Changes: Once again, I would not try to change the show, but make new episodes for the show, having the charisma that the earlier episodes of the show have.

Show: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"
Changes: I would make more baddies, as well as some goodies. I would make the episodes focus more on interesting plots rather than what Shredder and Krang do all the time. Just because Shredder and Krang are the top villains of the show, does not necessarily mean that the whole show revolves around them.

Show: "Beetle Juice"
Changes: I like this show, but it lacks charisma. It does not have the magic of the movie, and the characters are very different. If I could change the show, I would put in interesting things that would make the characters and the episodes all the more interesting.

Show: "Captain N - the Game Master"
Changes: The plot of this show is interesting, but it does not have the magic of the video games it is based on. I do not know what I would do to change the show, considering I did not watch almost any of the episodes, but to me, many of the video game characters are not as great as their original counterparts, they are very poor in comparison. As an interesting side note, Nintendo did not even like how the show interpreted their video games.

Show: "Super Mario Bros." / "the Legend of Zelda"
Changes: Once again, I would not make any necessary changes, but put in more episodes.

Show: "Gumby"
Changes: In the entire series, there are ten blockheads, but only eight of them met. G and J have met B, C, A, X, Y, and Z, but B and C never met A, X, Y, or Z. All of the blockheads should meet.

Show: "The Care Bears"
Changes: There should have been an episode, of where Cold Heart, Dark Heart, and No Heart meet to take on the Care Bears and their cousins.

Show: "The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show"
Changes: The characters are poor. Charlie Brown is patheic, Linus is insecure, Lucy is bossy, crabby, and selfish, Peppermint Patty is aggressive, Sally keeps on insisting to be a housewife, etc. There are some great characters, such as Snoopy, Schroder, etc. but the majority of the characters are not that interesting. If it was up to me, I would have presented the characters, differently. I would have also made Woodstock a cat not a bird, considering Snoopy hates cats with a passion, this would have been similar to the relationship of Garfield and Odie.

Show: "The Extreme Ghost Busters"
Changes: This show definitely needed a improvement. It lacked the charisma that the "Real Ghost Busters" possessed. I did not watch many of the episodes, but of the episodes I watched, I did not like the show, overall, it ruined the "Ghost Busters" franchise.

Show: "The Muppet Babies"
Changes: I would have put in more original material than material taken out of various TV shows and movies. The show needs about to be about the muppets, not about the referenced TV shows and movies.

Wow, I did not know how many cartoon shows I could think of to improve, wow.

Looneytunes/Disneytoons
 
If I can't care about a show's characters, I have no reason to watch that show. It's why I gave up on "Family Guy" in the first place - every time I'd get to the end of an episode, I felt like I'd wasted my time. Some folks might like the show as a "turn off your brain" kind of experience, but I don't like turning off my brain - I want a show where I can become so engrossed in the characters' world that I can forget I'm watching a cartoon. To me, the Griffins aren't even characters; they're just drawings that move.

Feel free to enjoy "Family Guy" for what it is. I prefer to see it for what it could be.
 
American Dragon Jake Long: Describing how Season 1 could have been better would require too much time plan out, but one aspect of Season 2 I found troublesome was pretty much every disaster being Jake's fault. Early in the Season is fine, but his maturity in Homecoming should have impacted his character in the later episodes cutting down on the bumbling aspects of the character.

The Proud Family: Tone down the Oscar abuse. Tone down the sexist attitude towards men and tone down the all guys are sexist pigs notion. The biggest offender as I mentioned before was "Penny's Got Game". Not a single guy supported her need to join the Football team, and while I get that there are sexist men out there, it's a great disservice to men and society in general to not emphasis on the supportive ones.



I don't think his character was that bad. I mean early seasons show him having positive aspects over Kim such as being a top notch cook and not showing pity towards the handicapped. Plus the early parts of Season 4 had him getting a spot on the football team and getting a job.



I would have dealt with that by simply readding Hawkgirl to the cast as well as just bringing in all of the Teen Titans in general since there were plans for a Teen Titans cartoon.



Then why are you watching a cartoon?:confused: There are live action sitcoms you know.
 
I have a lot of ideas but I'll need to think about them more but if I were to change a show, I would make Captain Planet more of a comedic show. I mean, the premise is already laughable so why not make it into a farce?
 
On some shows, I'd change more than one thing. Please bear with me:

Fairly Oddparents - I would eliminate the wrong-headed notion somebody at Frederator conceived that making Cosmo a jerk and Wanda a nag (or rather, be called a nag whenever she opened her mouth) would be funny. And I'd make it so that Wanda had the baby.

World of Quest - I would eliminate the bad jokes and develop the characters' personalities and relationships more. And then bring in some GOOD jokes. Also, I'd inject a bit more drama into the show, just to make the quest seem somewhat worthwhile, at least to the viewer.

Dave the Barbarian - I would urge Disney to spend some money on the animation. Because, taken altogether, otherwise the show isn't half bad.

Jimmy Neutron - I'd tone Cindy down a bit. And make Jimmy's dad SHUT UP!

Spongebob Squarepants - I would bar any writer from making Spongebob act obliquely stupid in such a way that he hurts people. That's treading dangerously close to Cosmo territory.

Teen Titans - I'd make sure the show had a decent finale, instead of the lame, weird one it actually got.



I know what you mean. To me, the Family Guy characters are a turn-off, and the show isn't clever enough to make up for it. So I've pretty much stopped watching it.
 
Because animation is capable of that kind of realistic character depth if it's done right. That's what fascinates me about it - the fact that pen-and-ink creations can be made to feel as human as any live actor, if the people behind the scenes apply themselves enough. When characters exist purely as a soulless vehicle for weak humor, I consider it a wasted opportunity. This is what I mean when I say "Family Guy" has a world of potential that it never uses.
 
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