'Teen Titans', a series with a massive and adoring following. A following that has asked for a return of the series for years. The main problem with 'Teen Titans Go!' is that; a) its a more comedic version of the series aimed at lowbrow humor. And b) the folks behind the original series aren't involved in 'Teen Titans Go!' in any way. And by all accounts the original makers aren't necessarily thrilled about the new show. Again, this decision is being made about money. The network views the new series as a sure thing, so they're doing it.
'Teen Titans Go!' was born out of a series of animated shorts produced for Cartoon Networks DC NATION programming block. The series of shorts was one of several short series put out for the block. Some being more serious, some being more kid oriented. One of the more interesting however, was a series of shorts based on the character of Black Lightning and his two daughters, Thunder and Lightning. Two of the shorts are below;
As you can see, these shorts have everything a network concerned with marketing could want. An appeal for kids with the two superpowered daughters hoping to become superheroes. An appeal for action series fans with Black Lightning facing any number of baddies, with and without his girls at his side. An appeal for girls and boys. An appeal for superhero fans. An appeal for parents and their kids. In fact the only thing the shorts don't have, depending on who you ask, is a central character recognizable to the general audience. And that's the one and only thing that could be used against producing a full animated series. But even that is a poor argument, as a very successful series was produced based on the character Static, called 'Static Shock' for a network at the time called The WB. The reality is, there is never a market for something, until you create it. And you ultimately create it, by taking a chance and committing. 'Thunder & Lightning' could've been really fun and, if you read about the futures of these characters, very interesting.
What it comes down to is this, if you're going to cancel great shows, at least make the effort to follow them with shows that could be equally as strong. Instead of making a half-ass version of a popular series because you think it has a built-in fanbase ready to buy it up, why not try to create something new and creative. I wish Cartoon Network had produced 'Black Lightning; Thunder & Lightning' instead of 'Teen Titans Go!', its now just another poor decision.
If you're curious;
Black Lightning; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Lightning
Thunder; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder_(comics)
Lightning; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_(DC_Comics)
