History Main / UncertainAudience

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueXRWBYSuperheroesAndHuntsmen'' was intended to be a GatewaySeries to Creator/RoosterTeeth's ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' for both Creator/DCComics fans and the general public, but it failed to be a NewbieBoom for multiple reasons. DC fans don't like how most of the Justice League are aged down in Part One while questioning why they couldn't use a more fitting superhero team like the Teen Titans, while ''RWBY'' fans don't like how most of the attempted ShipTease between serveral characters between both properties are StrangledByTheRedString (twitch the sole exception of Jaune Arc and [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Jessica Cruz]]) and that Part 2 contained some controversial choices like [[LittleBitBeastly Blake Belladonna]] losing her trademark cat ears in the DC Universe and [[AngstWhatAngst not making a big deal about it.]] While for the general public, ''RWBY'' is a [[PopCulturalOsmosis is a bit more obscure]] compared to the likes of, say, the ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' who also had [[WesternAnimation/BatmanVsTheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles a more noticeable DC crossover movie,]] despite both RWBY and DC being owned by the same [[Creator/WarnerBros parent company]]. Not to mention, the placement of the films in the show's canon meant that newcomers were subjected to LateArrivalSpoiler, meaning that any viewer who was introduced to ''RWBY'' through the films will know the [[ItWasHisSled main show's twists]] ruining any of the shock value the show would give its viewers. It's likely all of this lead to the films not being the smash hit it was supposed to be, and is [[CreatorKiller most likely the final nail in the coffin for Rooster Teeth as a whole,]] as Creator/WarnerBrosDiscovery shut down the studio five months after Part 2's release, with the company planning to sell off the ''RWBY'' [=IP=] instead of keeping it and continuing the show in-house.

* The infamous 2016 G2 ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' SoftReboot failed partially because of this issue. The reboot took a LighterAndSofter approach towards the franchise, resulting in a number of controversial changes being made to the dolls, the characters, and the setting of the tie-in animated specials. As part of the relaunch, most of the main characters were dramatically redesigned with brighter color palattes, tamer clothing, and softer expressions, and some (most notably fan-favorite [[AttractiveZombie Ghoulia Yelps]], who was orginally part of the main lineup) were AdaptedOut completely. The remaining characters were aged down slightly, and many were given younger siblings--in some cases, [[MassiveNumberedSiblings loads and loads of younger siblings]]--in an attempt to appeal to a younger demographic. However, most of the monster branding was kept. This resulted in an extremely confused reboot that attempted to target older fans of edgy, monstrous dolls ''and'' younger fans of softer, more conventional dolls at the same time. Existing fans were put-off by the reboot's lower budget, childish designs, and TamerAndChaster approach, with many saying that the franchise had lost everything that made it special to begin with. Meanwhile, shoppers who preferred more conventionally pretty, non-supernatural dolls were not won over by the reboot, and continued to gravitate towards brands like ''Toys/{{Barbie}}'' instead. Ultimately, G2 lasted less than two years, and was quietly discontinued in 2018.

* It's unclear just who ''Anime/HigurashiWhenTheyCryGou is supposed to appeal to. While new fans may be interested in it as being an alleged reboot of ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', it's actually a StealthSequel. The first half of the series, which consists mostly of adaptations of the original sound novels, contains lots of references and plot thread dropping that require knowledge of the original series and will likely leave them wondering what is going on. Returning fans who would likely be interested in a sequel, however, will likely wind up frustrated by having to watch twelve straight episodes consisting largely of stuff they've already seen, and will tune out long before the WhamEpisode starts bringing new content to the fore. While its sequel series ''Sotsu'' tries to shift itself out of this status by unambigously targeting long-term ''When They Cry'' fans who are interested in series lore, it ultimately ends by revealing ''nothing'' conclusive, making their time investment all for nought and frustrating them. The result is that a potential SequelHook for a possible ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' adaptation has gone unexplored for years and counting.

* It's unclear just who ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' ''Gou'' is supposed to appeal to. While new fans may be interested in it as being an alleged reboot, it's actually a StealthSequel. The first half of the series, which consists mostly of adaptations of the original sound novels, contains lots of references and plot thread dropping that require knowledge of the original series and will likely leave them wondering what is going on. Returning fans who would likely be interested in a sequel, however, will likely wind up frustrated by having to watch twelve straight episodes consisting largely of stuff they've already seen, and will tune out long before the WhamEpisode starts bringing new content to the fore. While its sequel series ''Sotsu'' tries to shift itself out of this status by unambigously targeting long-term ''When They Cry'' fans who are interested in series lore, it ultimately ends by revealing ''nothing'' conclusive, making their time investment all for nought and frustrating them. The result is that a potential SequelHook for a possible ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' adaptation has gone unexplored for years and counting.

** This is the main reason why ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' did very poorly on its initial airing, with its Japanese airing being a particular underperformer. It aired on weekdays and was clearly meant as a MerchandiseDriven card game advertisement, and the whole premise of "card games on motorcycles" is a bit too goofy for most adults to take seriously. However, it had a fast-paced and tightly-serialized narrative, a dystopian {{Cyberpunk}} setting heavily wrapped in occultism (and [[{{Mayincatec}} fairly nontraditional occultism]], at that), more complex duel plotting due to the addition of Synchro Summoning, and [[DysfunctionJunction a fairly troubled]] and more gender-mixed cast anchored by an older, humorless protagonist who spends a lot of the early arcs on a TraumaCongaLine. [[PeripheryDemographic Older fans]] loved those elements, but they were rating poison to the primary demographic of younger boys, and it's quite telling that Creator/FourKidsEntertainment had seemingly no idea what to do with the show. It's not for no reason that the halfway point of the series saw a massive shift, almost completely ditching the occult and dystopic elements in favor of a pure sci-fi plot about a tournament arc and robots from the future, downplaying the presence of female characters, [[ArcFatigue slowing down the pace and making the series more episodic]], and [[LighterAndSofter massively reducing the level of angst]] in favor of making the protagonist into an InvincibleHero--those aforementioned older fans ''hated'' those changes and cited them as a sign of SeasonalRot, but they were almost certainly an attempt to save the show. Notably, followup series ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'' would be clearly targeted at kids from the start: simplified duel plotting, a [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter youthful and exuberant protagonist]], and a primarily episodic story with a [[GottaCatchEmAll an easy-to-grasp premise]] and a lighthearted setting and tone.

* ''WesternAnimation/MegamindVsTheDoomSyndicate'' was made by [[Creator/DreamWorksAnimation DreamWorks]]' television division fourteen years after [[WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}} the original movie]], which has become a CultClassic in the years since its release. The sequel was marketed towards fans of the original, but its writing and humor is more aimed at children, who would likely be unfamiliar with the original because it's not as ingrained in popular culture as other [=DreamWorks=] franchises like ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' or ''Franchise/KungFuPanda''. Unlike [[WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar other]] [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness television]] [[WesternAnimation/DreamWorksDragons spin-offs]] of [=DreamWorks=]' [=IPs=], which started running shortly after their respective theatrical films hit theaters, ''Doom Syndicate'' was released far too late for those who grew up with the original to still be children. The result is a movie that tries to cater to two very different audiences at the same time, and has come under heavy scrutiny for failing to capture the wit and charm of the original.

** ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooReturnToZombieIsland'' tries to be both a MilestoneCelebration of the franchise's 50th anniversary and a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'' at the same time, with predictably [[{{Sequelitis}} disastrous results]]. The film favors the lighter, goofier tone and music of [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou the original series]], and also spends time throwing shade at ''Zombie Island'', even giving several clumsy {{Retcon}}s to downplay or remove the real, supernatural threats of that film. ''Scooby'' fans who prefer the original series' "[[ScoobyDooHoax criminals in masks]]" formula won't be interested in a sequel to a famously DarkerAndEdgier take on the franchise, while fans of ''Zombie Island'' will be appalled by the disrespectful retcons.

** This is the main reason why ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' did very poorly on its initial airing, with its Japanese airing being a particular underperformer. It aired on weekdays and was clearly meant as a MerchandiseDriven card game advertisement, and the whole premise of "card games on motorcycles" is a bit too goofy for most adults to take seriously. However, it had a fast-paced and tightly-serialized narrative, a dystopian {{Cyberpunk}} setting heavily wrapped in occultism (and [[{{Mayincatec}} fairly nontraditional occultism]], at that), more complex duel plotting due to the addition of Synchro Summoning, and [[DysfunctionJunction a fairly troubled]] and more gender-mixed cast anchored by an older, humorless protagonist who spends a lot of the early arcs on a TraumaCongaLine. [[PeripheryDemographic Older fans]] loved those elements, but they were rating poison to the primary demographic of younger boys, and it's quite telling that Creator/FourKidsEntertainment had seemingly no idea what to do with the show. It's not for no reason that the halfway point of the series saw a massive shift, almost completely ditching the occult and dystopic elements in favor of a pure sci-fi plot about a tournament arc and robots from the future, downplaying the presence of female characters, [[ArcFatigue slowing down the pace and making the series more episodic]], and [[LighterAndSofter massively reducing the level of angst]] in favor of making the protagonist into an InvincibleHero--those aforementioned older fans ''hated'' those changes and cited them as a sign of SeasonalRot, but they were almost certainly an attempt to save the show. Notably, followup series ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'' would be clearly targeted at kids from the start: simplified duel plotting, a [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter youthful and exuberant protagonist]], [[GottaCatchEmAll a clear premise]], and a primarily episodic story with a lighthearted setting and tone.

** This is the main reason why ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' did very poorly on its initial airing. It aired on weekdays and is clearly meant as a MerchandiseDriven card game advertisement, and the whole premise of "card games on motorcycles" is a bit too goofy for most adults to take seriously. However, it had a fast-paced and tightly-serialized narrative, a dystopian {{Cyberpunk}} setting heavily wrapped in occultism (and fairly nontraditional occultism, at that), more complex duel plotting due to the addition of Synchro Summoning, and [[DysfunctionJunction a fairly troubled]] and more gender-mixed cast anchored by an older, stoic protagonist who spends a lot of the early arcs on a TraumaCongaLine. [[PeripheryDemographic Older fans]] loved those elements, but they were rating poison to the primary demographic of younger boys, and it's quite telling that Creator/4KidsEntertainment had seemingly no idea what to do with the show. Not coincidentally, the halfway point of the series saw a massive shift, almost completely ditching the occult elements in favor of robots from the future, downplaying the presence of female characters, slowing down the pace and making the series more episodic, and massively reducing the level of angst in favor of making the protagonist into an InvincibleHero--those aforementioned older fans ''hated'' those changes and cited them as a sign of SeasonalRot, but they were almost certainly an attempt to save the show. Notably, followup series ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'' would be clearly targeted at kids from the start.

* ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'': By some accounts, about half the creators wanted it to be an idealistic show and a MilestoneCelebration about the joy of being an entertainer and making people smile, and the other half wanted it to be a gritty DeconstructorFleet with heavy WarIsHell themes. Needless to say, [[MoodWhiplash these two concepts got in the way of each other a lot]], and towards the end, the series had gotten too grim and cynical for people who liked the goofy stuff, and too saccharine and annoying for people who liked the darker stuff. For a particularly egregious example, the series' infamous Battle Beast arc shows [[TykeBomb a traumatized boy reduced to an animalistic level and trained only to kill]] [[HeroKiller off multiple named characters]], only for the protagonist help him turn over a new leaf and learn to have fun after he plays paintball with him.

* ''Series/TheFairlyOddParentsFairlyOdder'' seemed to be have identity problems right off the bat. While the general marketing tried to appeal to the classic generation of fans, those fans were long since grown up, and weren't interested in the more juvenile and low-budget sitcom aesthetic, especially since the last seasons of ''The Fairly [=OddParents=]'' [[SeasonalRot left much to be desired anyway.]] But at the same time, younger viewers weren't too invested either thanks to all the outdated meme jokes (like YOLO), old references to the original show that will go over their heads, and out-of-place adult jokes (including a reference to ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''). Naturally, many were left confused as to who the show was truly made for, and the show was canceled after just one season and subsequently [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes purged from the air entirely]] not too long after said cancellation.

* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'': Season 8 was a SoftReboot with a new childish, doll-like art style (a complete ArtShift from the {{Animesque}} style that had been the show's trademark) and the return of season 3 BigBad Valtor. The new art style and overhaul of the show were confirmed by WordOfGod to have been done to attract new views from children, but first-time viewing kids wouldn't know who Valtor was or have reason to care without going back five seasons, and older viewers who would otherwise be drawn in by the return of a popular villain were repelled by the massive changes made. Unsurprsingly, there are rumors that it may be the show's final season.

* ''Series/TheFairlyOddParentsFairlyOdder'' seemed to be have identity problems right off the bat. While the general marketing tries to appeal to the classic generation of fans, those fans are most likely grown up, and won't be interested in the more juvenile and low-budget sitcom aesthetic, especially since the last seasons of ''The Fairly [=OddParents=]'' [[SeasonalRot left much to be desired anyway.]] But younger viewers probably won't be too invested either thanks to all the outdated meme jokes (like YOLO), old references to the original show that will go over their heads, and out-of-place adult jokes (including a reference to ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''). Naturally, the show was canceled after just one season.

* ''Series/TheFairlyOddParentsFairlyOdder'' seems to be having identity problems right off the bat. While the general marketing tries to appeal to the classic generation of fans, those fans are most likely grown up, and won’t be interested in the more juvenile and low-budget sitcom aesthetic, especially since the last seasons of ''The Fairly [=OddParents=]'' [[SeasonalRot left much to be desired anyway.]] But younger viewers probably won’t be too invested either thanks to all the outdated meme jokes (like YOLO), old references to the original show that will go over their heads, and out-of-place adult jokes (including a reference to ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'').

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Scoob}}'' used press releases to assure Creator/HannaBarbera fans that characters they haven't seen much of in a while are indeed going to be in the movie. The actual movie itself went full on Hanna Barbera CrisisCrossover, retaining the studio's silliness, haphazard crossovers, and playing on emotions of people who already knew the characters. Its only Uncertain Audience point seems to be whether putting it in a modern setting was necessary, which wasn't even that new to HB IP's and, with the exception of ''WesternAnimation/YoYogi'', wasn't a problem in practice.

* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' starts out looking like a harem comedy, then takes a hard turn into a fighting series in volume three. Afterward it remains a fighting series, albeit with Harem Comedy elements left in it. Readers who came for the earlier harem comedy can get put off by the gradual change to a battle series. Conversely,fans looking for shonen action would get put off by the occasional veering towards harem antics. [[note]] This can be blamed on ExecutiveMeddling -- Ken Akamatsu wanted to write a fighting series, but the publisher wanted another harem series like ''Manga/LoveHina''. Akamatsu pretended to write a harem comedy, and [[WriterRevolt gradually turned it into the fighting shounen he'd wanted]].[[/note]]

* The original ''Manga/InterspeciesReviewers'' manga is noted to have this issue by fans: the series has an extremely raunchy premise (a group of sex-addicted adventurers having sex with various CuteMonsterGirl prostitutes in a fantasy world), which involves a lot of frank and explicit discussion of sex and fetishes, some of which can get very niche. This obviously excludes younger demographics and comedy fans who aren't interested in something so lewd...yet, despite its premise, the manga is extremely tame in terms of {{Fanservice}}, as the sexy stuff is only discussed in speech and writing and left up to the readers' imagination; in fact, it takes multiple volumes to show one instance of ''partial nudity''. This, as you can imagine, turns off ecchi fans who go in expecting explicit imagery from the series' premise, only to get none. While the anime adaptation's HotterAndSexier content led to it [[TooHotForTV being removed from several TV networks and streaming sites for being too raunchy]], it also makes its target audience much more obvious and it ended up getting a bigger fanbase that way.

* A new installment that [[{{Retool}} makes major changes]] in an effort to appeal to a wider audience, but the content is too [[ContinuityLockout tied-up in the existing lore]] to be accessible to newcomers. {{Prequel}}s in particular are prone to this due to their CallForward and ForegoneConclusion nature.
* An installment that requires the audience to know about the existing lore to enjoy properly but is primarily aimed at children or elderly, and is released long after the previous installment.

* The original ''Manga/InterspeciesReviewers'' manga is noted to have this issue by fans: the series has an extremely raunchy premise (a group of sex-addicted adventurers having sex with various CuteMonsterGirl prostitutes in a fantasy world), which involves a lot of frank and explicit discussion of sex and fetishes, some of which can get very niche. This obviously excludes younger demographics and comedy fans who aren't interested in something so lewd...yet, despite its premise, the manga is extremely tame in terms of {{Fanservice}}, as the sexy stuff is only discussed in speech and writing and left up to the readers' imagination; in fact, it takes multiple volumes to show one instance of ''partial nudity''. This, as you can imagine, turns off ecchi fans who go in expecting explicit imagery from the series' premise, only to get none. While the anime adaptation's HotterAndSexier content led to it [[TooHotForTV being removed from several TV networks and streaming sites for being too raunchy]], it also makes its target audience much clearer and it ended up getting a bigger fanbase that way.

* The anime adaptation of ''VisualNovel/{{Nekopara}}'' was kneecapped by not being able to figure out if it wanted to appeal to younger or older fans. The anime is a slice-of-life spinoff revolving around a CanonForeigner that downplays the games' HaremGenre elements, supposedly [[SoMyKidsCanWatch so series creator Sayori could watch it with her children]]. However, the anime also requires heavy knowledge of the visual novels, something that kids will not be able to have since they are [[PornWithPlot H-games]], and it also contains many examples of family-unfriendly content in the form of blatant MaleGaze and barely-disguised sexual innuendo. As a result, it flew under the radar with younger audiences due to the nature of the franchise it was adapting, and the adult audience of the visual novels found it to be much too saccharine and juvenile for their tastes. The anime became the lowest-selling part of an otherwise extremely successful franchise.

* One of the main reasons ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'' didn't do well was its uncertainty over who it was trying to appeal to; they couldn't seem to decide between making a more serious dark fantasy film that stuck closer to [[Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain the source material]] or a more whimsical and lighthearted fantasy film geared towards children. The film incorporated kid-appeal elements like the changes made to Gurgi and the addition of the Fair Folk. However, many deemed certain aspects of the film, like the Horned King and the Cauldron Born, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids too intense for young children]], resulting in it being Disney's first animated film to receive a PG rating. This trope likely contributed to the film's [[BoxOfficeBomb commercial failure]]. Nowadays, most people agree the movie would probably have been better if they'd gone full DarkerAndEdgier, as these tend to be the parts people enjoy most.

* One of the main reasons ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'' didn't do well was its uncertainty over who it was trying to appeal to; they couldn't seem to decide between making a more serious dark fantasy film that stuck closer to [[Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain the source material]], or a more whimsical and lighthearted fantasy film geared towards children. As a result, they had to edit a lot of the film's more violent and scary content while adding goofier kid-appeal elements, which alienated fantasy fans and especially fans of ''The Chronicles of Prydain''. Even then a lot of the film's content, such as the Horned King and the Cauldron Born, were still regarded as [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids too intense for young children]] (it was notably ''Disney'''s first animated film to be rated PG, and this was in an era when PG meant a ''whole'' lot worse than what it means now), which likely contributed to the film's [[BoxOfficeBomb commercial failure]]. Nowadays, most people agree the movie would probably have been better if they'd gone full DarkerAndEdgier, as these tend to be the parts people enjoy most.

** Its status as an [[OriginsEpisode origin story]] for the gang makes it fall even further into the void between its potential audiences: newcomers don't have an attachment to these characters and thus don't care what their origin is, veteran fans don't ''want'' such a bleak and mean-spirited story to be these characters' origins, and to everyone in-between the numerous changes to the cast and tone render it incompatible, and thus pointless, as an origin in the first place.

** Finally, even people who ''want'' a DarkerAndEdgier take on the ''Scooby-Doo'' characters aren't hurting for options: official entries like ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'', ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'', ''ComicBook/ScoobyApocalypse'', and ''[[Recap/SupernaturalS13E16ScoobyNatural ScoobyNatural]]'' already exist as earlier and better-received examples, ''tons'' of grotesquely dark skits done by the likes of ''Website/CollegeHumor'', ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'', ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', and ''WesternAnimation/TheScoobyDooProject'' have done the concept to the point of StockParody. Even the fan project ''WebVideo/MysteryIncorporated2022'', which also tackled the idea of a serious adult ''Scooby-Doo'', was released on the internet a year prior to ''Velma'' and is largely agreed to have done a much better job at what the official series tried (and ultimately failed) to accomplish.

* ''Anime/{{Overtake}}'' is sold as a anime focusing on auto racing to draw in fans of sports series who are there for the intense competition and rivalries--but despite containing a lot of {{Info Dump}}ing about racing, the show itself is quite light on the racing action, with most of the races being glossed over or reduced to one or two important moments. Instead, the series is heavy on character-focused drama, turning off sports anime fans and racing fans by the bait-and-switch, as they'd rather watch ''racing'', not teenagers angsting over their personal issues, and they may be asking why a series that's ostensibly about car racing is instead focusing on [[spoiler:a photographer's personal trauma]]. However, viewers who might be interested in a drama aren't likely to tune in due to the sporting aspect of the series, [[MisaimedMarketing which is advertised to be more important than it really is]]. While the series may be aimed at viewers of series like ''Series/F1DriveToSurvive'' which are also more about the personal drama between race car drivers than they are about the racing itself, the anime muddies those waters by focusing on Japanese F4, which is a ''very'' low-tier feeder series often compared to hobby racing. ''DTS'' viewers would rather focus on the glitz and glamor of UsefulNotes/Formula1, not a bunch of fictional teenagers in the racing equivalent to single-A baseball.

** ''Anime/PetitEva'' is even more confusing. It's a school AU spinoff in {{super deformed}} style, without any of the self-awareness or (however momentary) actual character drama seen in similar Evangelion spinoff media like ''Manga/ShinjiIkariRaisingProject'' and ''Manga/NeonGenesisEvangelionAngelicDays''. This seems to imply that it's targeted towards children, but even more permissive Japanese parents wouldn’t want to introduce children to a series as dark as ''Evangelion''.

* It's unclear just who ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' ''Gou'' is supposed to appeal to. While new fans may be interested in it as being an alleged reboot, it's actually a StealthSequel. The first half of the series, which consists mostly of adaptations of the original sound novels, contains lots of references and plot thread dropping that require knowledge of the original series and will likely leave them wondering what is going on. Returning fans who would likely be interested in a sequel, however, will likely wind up frustrated by having to watch twelve straight episodes consisting largely of stuff they've already seen, and will tune out long before the WhamEpisode starts bringing new content to the fore.