Some thoughts on heavy serialization and continuity in kids cartoons.

Historically, Networks do not like serialization in comedy cartoons because serialized cartoons do not rate as high in the repeats as the stand alone cartoons do. They have found that once a viewer has watched an episode and got the next part of the story, they tend to not watch that same episode when it repeats. But if the show was just a simple funny cartoon they will watch it again, because they want to laugh at the jokes again. 

So for this reason, we as the show creators are oftentimes discouraged from producing serialized shows with heavy continuity. The Networks feel they need the episodes to be stand alone for the sake of repeats, ratings and for programming a 24 hour animation channel. This has been the case since I started making cartoons in the early 90′s.

A few years ago some comedy cartoons started integrating complex and serious plots into their shows, and it was a refreshing change from the status quo. Finally we thought this was our chance to tell deeper stories and when I first started Wander back in 2011, I asked if I could make it a serialized 22-minute show.  I was simply told no. 

The Network really wanted Wander to be produced in the classic, stand alone 11 minute format, because they felt that’s where they would get the most bang for their buck. And from a programming standpoint I could understand that.

So after producing a season of silly one off cartoons we got the pick up for season 2 and we asked if we could finally try and tell a bigger story with complex continuity.  The network was open to exploring that idea, but they didn’t want to lose the looseness of season 1. 

So a COMPROMISE was reached. We would create a continuity that thread through four 22-minute episodes that were to be scattered throughout the season. The 11-minute episodes in between would be loosely related to that arc, but would still stand alone so they could be repeated in any order.

I’m writing this because I’m seeing a lot of desire for the next piece of the puzzle, the next turn of the plot, the next big change and I will honestly tell you that will not really happen until the next 22-minute episode. The following 11-minute episodes will continue to be loosely related to the arc. For instance, Hater is no longer crushing on Dominator, Wander isn’t trying to get them together, and there will be some character insights that inform the 4 part arc, but there will also be some random one-offs that really have nothing to do with the arc at all.

Wander is still the silly and funny KIDS show that we started with season 1. It is not highly serialized, it is not extremely complex and serious as some of you wish it were. 

I’m posting this because I really want people to enjoy the show for what it IS and not get mad at it for what it ISN’T.