History Main / ContinuityCreep

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' started off using HalfArcSeasons: most episodes were self-contained, with only four or five episodes per season contributing to its StoryArc. Around the 3rd or 4th season, references to events in past seasons started to be made. Culminating in the final season becoming almost completely serialized.

* Although the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' games have never had any overarching plot line, they've gradually accumulated enough {{Continuity Nod}}s that there is a clear serial progression between games. ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime Partners in Time]]'' has the least amount of references to its predecessor, ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Superstar Saga]]'', with a cameo appearance by TheDragon of the previous game being the only significant plot connection. ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory Bowser's Inside Story]]'' had many more connections, with the aforementioned Dragon becoming the BigBad and the plot of ''Partners in Time'' being mentioned several times in side quests. ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam Dream Team]]'' has the most connections with its predecessors, with the FairyCompanion of ''Bowser's Inside Story'' filling the role once again, the Block-like Broque Monsieur and Broque Madame revealed to be members of an entire Brock race, Beanbean Kingdom races being prominently featured again, Bowser retaining his leitmotif and VacuumMouth from the previous game, and the RunningGag about Bowser being unable to remember Luigi's name finally getting resolution by the end. ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam Paper Jam]]'' dials back some of this but does make reference to games outside the Mario and Luigi series (Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker for example), brings back characters that have not appeared for a while (Toadette and King Bomb-omb) and gives some of them a lot of characterisation like the Koopalings (in comparison to past portrayals anyway). The games also have a minor character arc for Bowser where he goes from a HarmlessVillain in ''Superstar Saga'' to the BigBad of ''Paper Jam''. Luigi also goes through minor character development, becoming a little more bold and not ''quite'' as cowardly as the series progresses.

* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' started off with MonsterOfTheWeek style for 2 seasons. Season 4 is the longest single story in the entire Whovian universe. Think about that.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' started off as mainly just self-contained episodes sans a 4-5 episode StoryArc but around the 3rd or 4th season references to events in past seasons started to be made. Culminating in the final season becoming almost completely serialized.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has experienced an increased level of continuity in season 3. While {{Continuity Nod}}s were common in previous seasons, and were able to make nods to very small details, several season 3 episodes have plots that act as outright continuations of previous episodes, such as "Magic Duel" to "Boast Busters" and "Keep Calm and Flutter On" to "The Return of Harmony". Continued in season 4 with the season premiere being a direct sequel to the previous season finale, and the Equestria Games mentioned in "Games Ponies Play" coming back as a recurring story arc.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' tended to [[NegativeContinuity avoid continuity]] for much of its first two seasons, with the exception of "The Finale", where they point this out, causing [[ContinuityCavalcade everything to come back at once]]. During the course of Season 3, however, continuity became a regular thing, most notably after "The Shell" in which [[spoiler: Penny breaks out of her shell and [[RelationshipUpgrade starts her relationship with Gumball]]]], altering the status quo for the first time. Since then, the show has had its fair share of {{Call Back}}s, {{Sequel Episode}}s and even some inter-episode {{Foreshadowing}} and {{Cerebus Retcon}}s, but the large majority of episodes still work as standalone stories.

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' had little continuity before its cancellation in 2004. It mostly followed the StrictlyFormula of Jack either trying to go back to the past (and failing), defeating merceneries sent by Aku or resolving a local problem. In fact, the Scottman was the only recurring character besides Jack and Aku. When the show was revived in 2017, it became a serial story with many characters returning.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' began as a fairly episodic MonsterOfTheWeek show where Steven and the Gems fight creatures, solve mysteries, and deal with personal relationships. As the first season continued a MythArc started to build with the mid season finale hinting at a greater plot. From there the plot has grown exponentially, with various character moments coming back and several innocuous background events gaining greater relevance. The protagonists meet more concrete recurring antagonists and even creatures like the monster defeated in the pilot make a few returns to further explore the show's backstory.

** The twentieth season was infamously fully serialized, with one long storyline broke up over ten episodes, with only a few carrying individual identity. The concept proved too ambitious for its own good, especially when [[RealLifeWritesThePlot the actual presidential election]] messed up the creators' planned story line, resulting in an AbortedArc and a conclusion for the other threads that many did not find satisfying. Even the final two episodes themselves made fun of the show's serialization

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' had little continuity before its cancellation in 2004. It mostly followed the StrictlyFormula of Jack either trying to go back to the past (and failing), defeating merceneries sent by Aku or resolving a local problem. In fact, the Scottman was the only recuring character besides Jack and Aku. When the show was revived in 2017, it became a serial story with many characters returning.

* ''Film/JamesBond'': The series has never been big on continuity. Things changed with the Creator/DanielCraig era. While ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' was made standalone and looked as such, ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' eventually connected it to ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'' and ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'', and ''Film/NoTimeToDie'' picks up where ''Spectre'' left off.

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}''. The first few games had no continuity, to the point that no one is entirely certain whether the sixth is a ContinuityReboot or not. The next few included characters from and references to earlier games, and were accompanied by some [[Manga/TouhouSangetsusei manga]] and [[Literature/TouhouKourindouCuriositiesOfLotusAsia short stories]] in the same setting, but it still didn't amount to much. Then we got some serious attempts at world building around the time of the tenth game, and the plots of official releases, videogame or otherwise, have been increasingly linked since.

* The comic version of ''ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' started with one-off stories because Tania del Rio (the writer) had orders from her editor to do the stories ''ComicBook/{{Archie|Comics}}'' style. However, she slipped in some continuity slowly over each issue. By the time she got a new editor (who also happens to run ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog''), the "Four Blades" plot was already underway.

* The comic version of ''ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' started with one-off stories because Tania del Rio (the writer) had orders from her editor to do the stories ''Franchise/{{Archie|Comics}}'' style. However, she slipped in some continuity slowly over each issue. By the time she got a new editor (who also happens to run ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog''), the "Four Blades" plot was already underway.

* The first two ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books are, more or less, standalones. The serialization picks up throughout the third book and then really gets going in the fourth book as it's the middle point in the series. Once Voldemort comes back at the end of that book, the story goes into full-blown MythArc. This was intentional on the creator's part, as the books were planned as a seven-book arc from the beginning. However, there are a few hints of the eventual arc in the first book with regards to the three Deathly Hallows (spoilers) [[note]] Harry's invisibility cloak is noted to be incredibly powerful and for some reason, Dumbledore had borrowed it from James Potter even though he doesn't need a cloak to be invisible. There's also a mention of his duel with Grindelwald which sets up the Elder Wand plot. Harry catching the first snitch with his mouth is used as a way for Dumbledore to sneak him the Resurrection stone[[/note]] and the blood magic between Harry and Voldemort. There are even more in the second book which set up Voldemort's backstory and the Horcrux plot without being called them at that point. Some of the latter had to be trimmed due to ExecutiveMeddling and was put into the sixth book.

* Inverted with the anime version of ''Manga/BloodBlockadeBattlefront''. The first season had an ongoing arc throughout the season that was an anime original. Season 2 however was purely episodic with two unrelated two parters being the only big continuity. That said, there are nods to previous events all over the place even with the episodic nature. And the manga itself has thus far remained purely episodic.
* ''Manga/DragonBall'' starts out as a very comedic, almost episodic affair, and while the story did keep moving forward with little status quo, it didn't really develop itself much either. The longer-form Red Ribbon Arc starts the move out of this trend once Goku meets Upa, Bora and Tao, and the Piccolo Daimao arc signals a proper transition with the death of major characters and the use of backstory for the plot rather than for simple worldbuilding as before. True to form, the aftermath of this arc leads directly into the next one with the story not over, which would apply to all future arcs as well, including the split from ''Dragon Ball'' to ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' induced by the anime.
* Early chapters of ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' were ([[RewatchBonus seemingly]]) self contained BattleOfWits between Kaguya and Shirogane, though {{Continuity Nod}}s and ongoing plots become far more common as the series goes on, especially after the fireworks arc.

* ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' started with one-off arcs that usually involved Kenshiro and his two child companions, Bat and Lin, wandering into a new town and helping the local townsfolks fend off whatever evil gang or organization was threatening their lives. It isn't until the introduction of Kenshiro's adoptive brothers that it becomes more focused around the actual martial arts schools and the fates interwined them.

* This is true to a certain extent in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. The first few books introduce us to the various factions and old friends of Harry whom we've never met before; but it gets to the point that they can play off each other, and you can have complex stories with multiple enemy factions each seeking something and getting in each other's way. This was a deliberate choice for the creator as she had planned the series out as seven parts from conception.

* This is true to a certain extent in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. The first few books introduce us to the various factions and old friends of Harry whom we've never met before; but it gets to the point that they can play off each other, and you can have complex stories with multiple enemy factions each seeking something and getting in each other's way. This was a deliberate choice for the creator.
* The first two ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books were standalones. The third one seemed to follow this, but then [[spoiler:Pettigrew escaped]] at the end, forming a SequelHook. From that point on, each book followed an ongoing StoryArc which only concluded with the end of the series.
** This was intentional on the creator's part, as the books were planned as a seven-book arc from the beginning, which meant that many events in the first two books integrated seamlessly into the overall MythArc (the biggest one being Tom Riddle's Diary was actually [[spoiler:a Horcrux]]).
** The first two books being almost stand-alones are more because not enough of the background had been established for the over-arching plot Rowling had intended from the beginning, as well as ExecutiveMeddling forcing her to remove some background information on Voldemort from the second to keep it more episodic (that background got moved to ''Half-Blood Prince''). It wasn't until ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' that enough had happened that the plot that had been developing since chapter one of ''The Philosopher's Stone'' could show itself.

* ''Why Don't You (Just Switch Off Your Television Set And Do Something Less Boring Instead)?'' began life as a summer holiday magazine show on Creator/TheBBC, with an ever-rotating cast of kids from different BBC regions giving the veiwers fun activities to do during the holidays. Under the pen of Creator/RusselTDavies, it somehow acquired a science-fiction tinged through-story and a regular "star" in the form of Ben Slade, who moved from the Welsh gang to the other gangs, initally playing a MadScientist version of himself, and then, when he became too old to be a ''Why Don't You...?'' gang member, an AI based on the "real" Ben's personality.

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* The ''Roleplay/GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'' began as just one guy telling stories about a single group of superheroes. Granted, the backdrop for these stories was a well-conceived and constructed world filled with dynamic characters that allowed huge changes to occur. Skip ahead fifteen years and there's close to thirty story-tellers all adding to the mythology of the series through the actions of nearly three hundred characters.
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* Wiki/SCPFoundation started off just with pages on the various, isolated [=SCP=]s, but the site has developed stronger continuity thanks to stories about the Foundation members themselves and, especially, thanks to later [=SCP=]s being used, collected and/or produced by various anti-Foundation organizations such as the cult of the Serpent's Hand, rich people club Marshall, Carter, and Dark Ltd., and AlternateUniverse institute Alexylva University.

* ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'' went through a similar evolution.

* The Vlad Taltos novels, set in Literature/{{Dragaera}}, were originally supposed to be able to stand alone, and aren't written in chronological order. Author Steven Brust admitted that this becomes less realistic as he continues to develop the series.
* The Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures tie-in novels began in early 1997 with a MonsterOfTheWeek format, albeit, one with lots of references to the show. However, starting with the 6th novel, Lawrence Miles' ''Alien Bodies'' later that year, the seeds of a MythArc were sown, and by the 23rd novel, Kate Orman and Jonathan Blum's ''Unnatural History'', published in 1999, the series was in full on ContinuityLockOut with story lines that wouldn't be sort of-tied up until 73rd and final novel, Lance Parkin's ''The Gallifrey Chronicles'', published in 2005.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* The original ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984'' takes place in an unspecified location ("Every town has an Elm Street.") and antagonist Freddy Krueger is a mysterious figure, with his ability to terrorize in dreams left relatively unexplained. A very effective Horror film in its own right, the sequels (of varying quality) developed the mythology around the character, gradually revealing the central location as Springwood, Ohio, as well as Krueger's history and tried to provide some detail as to how he gained his ability to enter dreams. They also eventually confirmed the original implications that he was a pedophile, which the earlier films could not explore. (This was all, of course, coupled with the more [[{{Flanderization}} familiar incarnation of "Freddy" as a comedic killer]], so hardly perfect.)
* The ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' underwent this, with the [[Film/Halloween1978 original film]] being an effective and suspenseful Horror film on its own, and the [[Film/HalloweenII1981 first sequel]] continuing the story, intending to conclude the Michael Myers storyline, while revealing that [[spoiler:Laurie Strode is Michael's long-lost sister, who doesn't know about the familial relationship between them]]. When later films returned to the character, they tried to add increasing complexity that many audiences felt reduced the menace of the central character. Although the series has since been rebooted more than once, the reveal has long been respected as canon, and elements of the fourth through sixth films, such have been alluded to as well.
* The [[Film/MissionImpossible first]] [[Film/MissionImpossibleII three]] [[Film/MissionImpossibleIII movies]] in the ''Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries'' were each largely self-contained, connected only by Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames. However, a few characters carried over from ''III'' to ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol Ghost Protocol]]''; Simon Pegg's character Benji was elevated from a minor character to a team member and Brandt's backstory obliquely involves Julia, Ethan's wife from ''III''; specifically, [[spoiler:he thought she was killed while he was protecting her, but it turns out her death was faked]]. ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleRogueNation Rogue Nation]]'' has even more continuity, with the bulk of characters from the previous film returning in supporting roles, Benji getting even more focus, and a major subplot dealing with the fallout from the previous movie. ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleFallout Fallout]]'' is a direct sequel to ''Rogue Nation''; Solomon Lane from that film is part of the BigBadDuumvirate, the remnants of the Syndicate are still out in the world as a terror-for-hire organization, planning nuclear strikes on major religious centers for a client, and Julia even plays a minor role in the climax.
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** This was intentional on the creator's part, as the books were planned as a seven-book arc from the beginning, which meant that many events in the first two books integrated seamlessly into the overall MythArc (the biggest one being Tom Riddle's Diary was actually [[spoiler:a Horcrux]].

* ''Series/AmericanHorrorStory'' started off with no continuity between seasons, but in the later seasons ''Freak Show'' has links to ''Asylum'', while ''Hotel'' has links to the very first story ''Murder House'' and had a character from ''Coven'' [[BackForTheDead reappear to get killed off]].