Focusing on 2 different groups of characters at the same time?

In the animated series I'm planning, the main characters are a pair of twin 7-year olds. Some episodes focus on their family, and some episodes focus on there circle of friends. Is it common for a show to simultaneously focus on 2 groups of characters (with some overlapping characters common to both groups), so that both groups of characters kind of have equal billing, so to speak?

It can be, depending on what genre the show is in, certainly. Funnily enough, I'm doing a similar thing in a fanfiction I'm pwriting: focusing on two different groups of characters who overlap through interaction (and possibly a 3rd, who, in the series, didn't get enough explained character development to suit my little perfectionist brain.)

Sounds interesting to me! Whether or not it's common, I say run with it. It's a wonderful way to establish and futher develop characters. One of the few things of value that I've taken away from my English classes is how an audience is supposed to learn about a character:

1. What the character says

2. What the character does

3. What others say about the character

Your plan, to me, hits all three of those - solidly, it would seem.

Coincidentally, I'm doing a similar thing with a series I'm currently planning out. Albeit, in a more action-adventure oriented setting.

I know that S-cry-ed (which I'm currently watching) does a similar thing to what you're talking about,also in an action setting.

In my EmotionEaters series, every book alternates between two protagonists who have some kind of significant interaction. The first book is about Dancer realizing Rose has become an Emotion Eater and trying to turn her back, and it alternates between Dancer and Rose. The second is about Tara (another Emotion Eater) trying to catch a killer while dealing with her messed-up druggie friend Sparrow, and alternates between Tara and Sparrow. And so forth.

Yeah, many of my stories actually use this, alternating between the two main sides of conflict, so that neither one is really the protagonistic one. I think that's pretty common.

Nothing so strange about two Plot Threads? As long as there's something that connects the characters. If there was anything with a problem with Plot Threads it's Heroes. They have like nine as the page says. So I don't see anything wrong with only two. It's been done many many times.

edited 29th Apr '11 1:32:03 AM by PsychoFreaX

I've had trouble doing this, but that is often because most of the time it is two different groups acting in the same scene (battle scene). It was hard to write of 5 or 4 people acting in unison, or any more than two at a time, so I would break them up, but I still had problems when what group did what in battle.

I believe that your medium will make it easier than my genre (mine is squad based).

Sounds like an awesome idea though, two circles with overlapping with some of the people, shows different sides of them, and how the two groups interact somewhat. Kinda like in real life with people in more than one clique.