anything lion guard

[JackStover]

[quote="Elton John"]I think another reason the show is getting dropped is because Disney wanted it to have an adult fanbase a la mlp.[/quote]
If they wanted that, which I doubt, they wouldn't have made it a preschool cartoon. MLP:FIM was many things, but it was not a preschool cartoon. It was never advertised as such. It was for the six-to-eleven crowd, no different than the Littlest Pet Shop cartoon they had. The Lion Guard was billed as being for four year olds. It was meant for toddlers.

[Elton John]

In press material pre release tlg was always described as being for younger audiences AND their families. Something meant for a wide age group. Not just toddlers.

[JackStover]

[quote="Elton John"]In press material pre release tlg was always described as being for younger audiences AND their families. Something meant for a wide age group. Not just toddlers.[/quote]
That just describes parental co-viewing. It's why preschool cartoons often have commercials for adults, as companies are hoping that moms and dads will be sitting on the couch next to their kids. But that's not targeting a demographic.

The Lion Guard forfeited any realistic chance of gaining an older audience once it committed to being a preschool cartoon. Think of it this way. From what I've seen so far, the upcoming 101 Dalmatians cartoon, 101 Dalmatian Street, is for school-age kids. 101 Dalmatians. Yet the frickin' Lion King cartoon got stuck being preschool. They bet big on merchandising and lost.

[SwagaliciousXXX]

I think the main problem was the first impression. Return of the Roar especially was probably the worst way to start a TV Show ever. It was too childish and filled with the kind of stuff that would drive older viewers away.

Oddly enough, starting off as a preschool cartoon was probably intentional. It makes it easy for the writers to show how much Kion and friends matured over the course of the season. Kion started off as carefree kid with way too much time on his hands but by Rise of Scar, he’s a diligent and dependable lion. And the average plotlines matures with them too. They probably thought that TLG would be a big success and planned for the long game.

Perhaps the writers underestimated the effects of the childish writing or overestimated the sticking power of older audiences. Regardless, IMO the beginning drove older audiences and their money away and if MLP taught me anything, it’s that adults are just kids with full access to their disposable income.

[Hatari05]

People are so certain the show is getting dropped but it's possible LG had a 3 season plan. Some shows don't aim to go on for long periods of time and have a full plan. Avatar TLA was planned for 3 seasons, Legend of Korra was planned for 4 seasons before book 1 even aired they planned for balance to close out Legend of Korra. The 2012 turtle show was clearly planned for 4 seasons as the fifth one feels like an add on, 4 closed out every story arc. Transformers Prime was planned for 65 episodes there were issues that required modifications but that was the aim.

We've known LG would have 3 seasons for quite a while during season 1's airing and never heard plans of season 4. It's possible this is just the plan and season 3 could act as a conclusion than if the last stretch of season 2 or season 3 does well they could decide to renew it.

People are declaring the end too quickly season 2 isn't even finished yet there's plenty of time to decide they want a season 4.

[Panpardus]

I'm actually not at all surprised by this; I've been predicting a three-season run for a while now, especially once they announced the introduction of Scar for Season 2. (Scar is the biggest threat of all; there's not a lot you can really do after that to top it.) I'm sure they've planned for a more limited run from the beginning; they're working within a fairly limited amount of in-universe time and can only take the story so many places before they have to lead into the events we know come later on. Three 26-episode seasons seems like more than enough show time to cover the timespan skipped over in Simba's Pride, especially if they really are keeping to an in-universe timeline similar to my head canon in which Kiara (and Kion) are only about 2 years old once the movie events pick up and each Lion Guard season covers each half-year climate season that the movie skips over.

Of course, I'm sure they would've been more successful and more widely received had they aimed to make this a more "general audience" show than making it exclusively for the Disney Jr. preschool crowd. Doesn't mean I think that would've changed the longevity of the show, but it just would've been an all-around better program, even if the animation was the same as we have now. That said, I'm still pretty interested in seeing how they tie things together to presumably end Kion's story.

[SimbasGuard]

Excellent points HatariO5 and Panpardus. Working within the time frame of Lion King 2 would make having a lot of seasons out of the question.

Perhaps I should clarify what I meant by the show being rebranded. When the series was announced I had hoped that it might be allowed to grow with it's audince. It has happened to an extant. As SwagaliciousXXX mentioned. I had just though that perhaps if a season 4 were to happen could said season feature a young adult Lion Guard and run parallel to the 2nt half of Lion King 2 (Thus explaining where The Guard was at this time. I had thought this subject would make a good movie). Could this work as a potential Season 4. Might Disney be able to make a grab at an older fan base this way (Like My Little Pony) or does beginning as a preschool show prevent it from becoming all it could be?

[Panpardus]

I've only ever seen a Disney Channel show "aged up" once, and that was Lab Rats, which made a shift from Disney Channel proper to Disney XD for it's fourth and final season once the plot got a bit more intense. However, while The Lion Guard has gotten more mature at least in plot and execution, it's still written with preschool sensibilities and I imagine that'll be maintained throughout its run. As such I can't really imagine Disney making such a markedly significant change if they were to do a season 4, especially after three seasons of relative kiddie fare.

[AnonLion]

Deep inside I knew TLG wouldn't last forever, and I personally don't like series that drag on for too long, but finding out with solid evidence that TLG will end with its third season just kind of hit me like "...oh". It makes me happy and sad at the same time, happy because 3 seasons is a perfectly good length, not too short and not too long either, and sad of course because I'll see it end.

Because indeed the time lapse in SP isn't too long and because after having Scar as a villain not much could come close to be as menacing as him I don't see the show going to Disney XD for a fourth more mature season. I'm honestly really content with how things will end, but if a fourth season was announced I wouldn't mind at all.

My only wish is that Nala gets a song.

[SimbasGuard]

[quote="Panpardus"]I've only ever seen a Disney Channel show "aged up" once, and that was Lab Rats, which made a shift from Disney Channel proper to Disney XD for it's fourth and final season once the plot got a bit more intense. However, while The Lion Guard has gotten more mature at least in plot and execution, it's still written with preschool sensibilities and I imagine that'll be maintained throughout its run. As such I can't really imagine Disney making such a markedly significant change if they were to do a season 4, especially after three seasons of relative kiddie fare.[/quote]

I thought that might be the case.

[quote="AnonLion"]Deep inside I knew TLG wouldn't last forever, Because indeed the time lapse in SP isn't too long [/quote]

I was aware of that as well

[quote="AnonLion"]I don't see the show going to Disney XD for a fourth more mature season. I'm honestly really content with how things will end, but if a fourth season was announced I wouldn't mind at all.[/quote]

That is where I am at now.

[quote="AnonLion"]My only wish is that Nala gets a song.[/quote]

That could still happen.

What I am hoping for is that the series will end in a way that leaves the possibility of a post Lion King 2 Movie (not T.V. Special a Movie) open.