Line #9 Trivia/BonusStage


1	* CreatorBacklash: Matt Wilson began liking the show. Then they got some really irritating and stupid fans. Then, they '''really''' hated the show and its fans. That they got threatened both if they stopped ''or continued'' making the show, and that there were reports of fans [[StalkerWithACrush stalking them]] caused the hate to be justified. Allegedly, they not only renounce Bonus Stage, but they stopped playing video games altogether. This backlash would become lessened later on. Although not the kind of content they'd make now, Matt has become more fond of it today than when they cancelled the series in 2006. They usually [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQu3G8DllNE repurpose]] the characters for [[https://youtu.be/jWjGgostgn0 other projects]] of theirs, and even [[https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/681419 reprise the roles of Phil and Joel in a fan animation]].
2	* TheOtherDarrin: From the second part of episode 75, "The Day the World Did Stuff", on, Elly and June were voiced by Kira Buckland instead of a pitch-shifted Matt Wilson. In Elly's case, it was {{lampshade\|Hanging}}d as her apparently having a frog in her throat the whole time.
3	* ReferencedBy: ''WebAnimation/SparkleOnRaven'' features an homage to ''Bonus Stage'' in the credits of episode 3 -- it's shot-by-shot recreation of the early episodes' credits sequence, using black-and-white Flash animation and also featuring the same song, "Shed Some Skin".
4	* TorchTheFranchiseAndRun: Originally the show ended with Phil traveling back to the first episode, convincing Joel to cancel the series, and killing his past self, therefore ceasing his existence. ("I've been [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture McFlyed]]!") Since past Joel realizes the show isn't funny without Phil, he immediately [[HangingAround hangs himself]], therefore erasing the rest of the series from the timeline. [[DownerEnding The end]]. The episode was updated a week later with a more open-ended final scene with future Elly and Brad convincing Joel to invent something that lets episodes 1 to 87 exist. Joel [[DownerEnding hangs himself regardless]], but at least another generation could enjoy the show.
5	* {{Uncancelled}}: Came very close. After Matt Wilson announced that they were ending ''Bonus Stage'' a season early due to his family's financial troubles, a fan offered to pay them $15,000 to continue the series. However, nothing came out of it. Because of the lack of communication, Matt ruled out the possibility of a season 8. Fans allegedly sent the curator threats, which led to the forums getting shut down temporarily. (The fan later explained the situation that they went into rehab for 6 months after immediately striking the deal. They paid for the 89th episode, even offering to pay upfront for a ''Bonus Stage'' movie along with completely financing a DVD. However, it was too late, as Matt already moved on from the series.) Matt eventually continued the series for ''one episode'' (which they dubbed the "lost episode"), paywalled it for 99 cents, and brought up the possibility that the series might continue if sales went well. Unfortunately, there was a lack of interest, therefore clocking the series in at 89 episodes [[spoiler:until episode 90 was made and released in 2024]].
6	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
7	** The plots to seasons 7 and 8 were changed around after season 6 ended. Perhaps anticipating that the series might not make it to an 8th season, Matt wrapped up several of the characters story arcs in season 7. They then left an option open for a more bare-boned (and therefore cheaper to make) season 8, with the 100th and final episode "Thank You for Playing" (in which every villain Joel and Phil had to face over the course of the series return to fight them, forcing the two to recruit all of their allies to counter the villains) being replaced by the much less ambitious "Trial Expires After 30 Minutes" (in which Joel and Phil confront the cloaked villain who [[spoiler:killed Rya]]).
8	** Though a fan offered to pay Matt to continue the series after the 88th episode, the deal fell through and Season 8 never ended up being made.

Context Trivia / BonusStage