Everywhere we look nowadays there’s always a new reboot, revival, or spinoff of a show we watched a decade ago. Over time the production costs for a show have only gone up along with the risks of introducing an original story to an audience. These shows could put the producer’s future at stake, so it needs to generate revenue and succeed; in order to succeed it needs to garner an audience. With how many established Ips exist in modern day, companies such as nickelodeon have opted to sticking with what they know generates revenue, SpongeBob.
In the past couple of years Nickelodeon has opted to branch the SpongeBob franchise out with various spinoff movies such as Plankton: The Movie and tv shows such as The Patrick Star show. These characters already have worldwide recognition through SpongeBob’s massive established audience, so making these shows guarantees fans of SpongeBob will watch these spinoffs regardless of quality in turn guaranteeing revenue without too much risk.
Cartoon Network also put a lot into reboots with Teen Titans Go! A spinoff of the more serious and plot heavy 2003 teen titans cartoon turned into an episodic children’s comedy show. Teen Titans Go! First aired in 2013 and still dominates Cartoon Network’s run times 9 seasons and 13 years later despite mixed ratings from fans.
These spinoff shows aren’t always safe cash grab options, more ambitious shows such as Young Sheldon take place as a prequel to critically acclaimed show big bang theory following Sheldon cooper during his childhood with similar comedy beats that fans of the series love. They focused on fan favorite Sheldon Cooper from the critically acclaimed big bang theory, a tv show designed for success.
These types of shows have been around for a long time but have only recently started to feel too common. Fans of these shows say “Oh they’re doing this because they need money” or “They’re trying to make this into a ‘forever franchise’” rather than “Oh I’m so excited to watch more of this childhood classic”
In my opinion it all depends on the demand for more and if there’s a story to tell. Sometimes shows like SpongeBob get so many unnecessary spinoffs for a quick buck; on the other hand shows like Young Sheldon or Better call Saul tell a brand-new story in the same world. All good things must come to an end, some spinoffs and revivals attempt to milk a franchise for all its worth; however, a new story in the same world that doesn’t devalue the original material usually feels welcome.
