History ExecutiveMeddling / WesternAnimation

** Mike Judge actually agreed with a suggestion of giving the boys a smart, female {{Foil}} and created Daria Morgendorffer, who would wind up getting [[WesternAnimation/{{Daria}} her own spin-off]] that is [[MorePopularSpinOff better remembered]] than ''B&B'' itself.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' suffered from meddling during its final season, The Goliath Chronicles. Executives wanted more lessons crammed in, resulting in a ''Series/FullHouse'' moment at the end of every episode. Unsurprisingly, both the fans and the creator don't consider the third season as [[CanonDiscontinuity part of canon]], save for the first episode.

** The episode of "Visit Qyah" had a cameo of [[Webcomic/MobPsycho100 Arataka Reigen]] called "Clark Newman." When the internet found out about it, the higher-ups at Creator/{{PBS}} caught wind of it and [[http://web.archive.org/web/20220813075531/https://twitter.com/zelarkian/status/1558361330582663169 were not happy]]. The animator who snuck Reigen in either quit the show or was fired, and since then, oblique anime references in the series were prohibited. It is rumored on a certain imageboard that [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Koichi]] also made a cameo, but he hasn't been found yet.

''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002'' was criticized as having failed due to [[ScrewedByTheNetwork a severe lack of promotion]] for both the show and toy line, an inconsistent air time, and -- for the toys -- a gross mis-distribution of the figures and several missed shipments to retailers, among other things. While most of these accusations are debatable, one isn't: even years after both show and toy line were canceled, the toy line's designers Four Horsemen convinced Creator/{{Mattel}} to allow them to continue to make merchandise for the series ''for free'', extending it long after interest in it has died. In a bit of reverse-meddling, Mattel only agreed if the new merchandise were immobile statues instead of the action figures Four Horsemen wanted.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' creator Alex Hirsch had a phenomenally difficult time working with The Disney Channel's executives. Years after the show ended, Hirsch released [[https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/1537314312926003201?s=20&t=hx9Upw0MJd3SPNF6YsPbrA a reading]] of some of the inane things Disney's standards & practices went up into arms about and Alex's [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan and sometimes exasperated responses]]. One notable one was Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Sherland, who were originally and always planned to be a gay couple, being [[HideYourGays excessively sequestered]] by S&P, which Hirsch remained angry about until basically forcing it into the GrandFinale when Disney could no longer do anything to him or the show if he forced the issue. The show's excessive ScheduleSlip was also cited by Hirsch as being some kind of power play by Disney to keep the show on the air longer since it was one of their most popular - and thus most lucrative - shows airing at the time as they tried to convince him to keep the show going when he was perfectly content with ending it at 40 episodes and eventually he signed a deal with Netflix in 2018 to make his next show but also help executive produce, write, and voice work for his friend and former Gravity Falls writer Shion Takeuchi's ''WesternAnimation/InsideJob''.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' creator Alex Hirsch had a phenomenally difficult time working with The Disney Channel's executives. Years after the show ended, Hirsch released [[https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/1537314312926003201?s=20&t=hx9Upw0MJd3SPNF6YsPbrA a reading]] of some of the inane things Disney's standards & practices went up into arms about and Alex's [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan and sometimes exasperated responses]]. One notable one was Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Sherland, who were originally and always planned to be a gay couple, being [[HideYourGays excessively sequestered]] by S&P, which Hirsch remained angry about until basically forcing it into the GrandFinale when Disney could no longer do anything to him or the show if he forced the issue. The show's excessive ScheduleSlip was also cited by Hirsch as being some kind of power play by Disney to keep the show on the air longer since it was one of their most popular - and thus most lucrative - shows airing at the time as they tried to convince him to keep the show going when he was perfectly content with ending it at 40 episodes.
* ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002'' was criticized as having failed due to [[ScrewedByTheNetwork a severe lack of promotion]] for both the show and toy line, an inconsistent air time, and -- for the toys -- a gross mis-distribution of the figures and several missed shipments to retailers, among other things. While most of these accusations are debatable, one isn't: even years after both show and toy line were canceled, the toy line's designers Four Horsemen convinced Creator/{{Mattel}} to allow them to continue to make merchandise for the series ''for free'', extending it long after interest in it has died. In a bit of reverse-meddling, Mattel only agreed if the new merchandise were immobile statues instead of the action figures Four Horsemen wanted.

* ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' didn't get a third season not because of low ratings, but because higher-ups decided that around 40 half-hours is enough for an episodic, comedy series.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episode "Serious Business" originally began with the characters standing outside the bathroom desperate to use it and complaining about how long it was taking. This went against Cartoon Network's standards, so they asked them to change the scene to be funnier. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvFar-AX3F4 This was the result.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/HighGuardianSpice'', to nobody's surprise, was initially pitched as an {{animesque}} series for children and families. When Website/{{Crunchyroll}} picked it up, however, they mandated the inclusion of [[RuderAndCruder profanity]], [[HotterAndSexier sexual content]], and [[BloodierAndGorier graphic violence]] so they could advertise it as a show for teens and older. The artwork and writing style, however, remained the same. This resulted in a show with an infamously [[UncertainAudience conflicted tone]], essentially a kids' cartoon with some extremely forced "adult" moments.

* The third season of ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' was cut down from the usual order of 10-20 22-min episodes to three 44-min specials, all because one executive felt the show didn't fit the Disney "brand".

* Because of Creator/TheCW's failed pilot for an ''Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}'' series, ''Mercy Reef'', the character was not seen in JLU's final season, and his arch-enemy Black Manta was turned into CaptainErsatz Devil Ray. The episode "To Another Shore" was to feature Aquaman vs. Manta, but his role was given to Franchise/WonderWoman instead. Knowing this helps to explain some of the episode's serious WTF moments: Why is ''Wonder Woman'' at a meeting about global warming (yes, Themyscira is an island, but...)? Why did she give a very Aquaman-ish threat to the leaders of the free world? Most of all, why is ''Devil Ray'' so pissed at her?
* Until the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' and the first season of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', policy was that Wonder Woman and related characters were only allowed to appear if she's one of the main characters. Since then, this has changed as she was a guest star in those series, appeared in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanBatmanApocalypse'' and Donna Troy appeared in ''WesternAnimation/SuperBestFriendsForever''.

** Creators Michael [=DiMartino=] and Bryan Konietzko have implied executive meddling as the reason for their inability to resolve the Ursa subplot on the series proper. Apparently, they had plans to give many things much more closure, but executives, along with time constraints, forced them to the end the series the way it did. By their own choice, they ended up turning down a proposal to have the Ursa subplot resolved in a brief throwaway scene of her and Zuko reuniting at the end, as that would be a textbook example of a WriterCopOut, wrapping something up in a quick, unsatisfying way. Thankfully, the sequel comics ''[[Comicbook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderThePromise The Promise]]'' and ''[[Comicbook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheSearch The Search]]'' eventually resolve this subplot.

* WordOfGod says executive meddling is why ''WebComic/LeastICouldDo''[='s=] animated series never aired on TV. Ryan Sohmer had signed a deal with Creator/{{Teletoon}} to acquire funding for 13 episodes of ''Least I Could Do'', when suddenly notes from the higher-ups started coming in. Notes that said the show needed to "feel more Canadian," that the setting should be specifically in Toronto, that Issa should be an Inuit, that Mick should wear a Toronto Maple Leafs shirt and that Rayne and Noel should go out fishing instead of on walks. Needless to say, Sohmer kindly told them where to stick it and backed out of the deal, funding the series through Website/{{Kickstarter}} instead.

* The infamous ending of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' episode "Mime for a Change" is due to executive meddling. It was originally meant to conclude on a straightforward note with Rainbow the Clown being forgiven for his actions as Mr. Mime, but executives felt like this made him a KarmaHoudini and insisted the girls punish him for his crimes like any other villain on the show.

** On the topic of ''Reboot'', its, *ahem*, reboot, Series/ReBootTheGuardianCode, suffered from a major case of meddling on its own. According to a poster on 4Chan who claimed to have worked on the show, the CEO essentially took full control of the production away from the crew working on it. Additionally, some really bad decisions were made, including falsely advertising the show as being the first to be done in the VideoGame/{{Unreal}} engine (it wasn't), poor hiring choices where programmers and artists were concerned, not familiarizing himself with the source material, and as an ultimatum, not listening to the fans and then lashing out at the viewers when it became clear that the show's first season did poorly.

* Despite the show receiving excellent ratings, Creator/HannaBarbera decided to end ''WesternAnimation/SWATKats'' after its second season so the company could direct its focus towards the [[WesternAnimation/WhatACartoonShow What-A-Cartoon project]] they were developing at the time. Given how the resulting ''What A Cartoon Show'' went on to produce pilots [[WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory that became]] [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls some of]] [[WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken the earliest]] ''Creator/CartoonCartoons'' series (as well as the precursor to [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy one of Fox's most successful animated sitcoms]]), this is [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools not a bad thing]]. Not only that, but one of the [[RecycledScript unfinished scripts]] [[DolledUpInstallment ended up evolving]] into ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'', which helped to bring that franchise back into success. However, there's a [[MisBlamed common misconception]] that Creator/TedTurner himself ordered the series cancelled due to the violence; this resulted from a misquoted interview, and the Tremblay brothers have repeatedly denied Turner was behind the cancellation.
* ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'' was [[ScrewedByTheNetwork cancelled]] because the higher ups at Creator/CartoonNetwork wanted toy companies to make toys for the series, but failed to get licensers for it. There ''were'' several toy manufacturers who wanted to take on the show, but Cartoon Network never contacted any of them and the show was murdered because of a personal falling out between executives at CN and Genndy Tartakovsky, the former of which wanted the show to go in a more ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' direction.

* In 2007, Creator/CartoonNetwork had a CrossThrough event for its most popular shows called "CN Invaded", with the plot being that these various shows were being invaded by aliens who. None of the creators' of the five shows involved (''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'', ''WesternAnimation/MyGymPartnersAMonkey'', ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'', and ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'') had zero interest in doing it, but found themselves forced to do make the episodes regardless due to the event being meant to satisfy a sponsorship deal with food manufacturer Kraft, hence the reveal that the aliens wished to steal the Earth's supply of cheese. To add insult to injury, Kraft would end up pulling out for unknown reasons just as these episodes were completing production.

* Creator/CartoonNetwork
** In October 2012, ''WesternAnimation/DCNation'' was set to air the third new episodes of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' and ''WesternAnimation/GreenLanternTheAnimatedSeries'' since they came back from hiatus... only for them to be ''hiatused again'' ten hours before airtime and told they'd be back in January. Many rumors came about, including the lack of shorts and the fact that the episode of ''Young Justice'' to be aired has Stephanie Brown, the poster child of DC's Executive Meddling in the ComicBook/New52 era. Theory then was that there were licensing problems involved with YJ using Milestone-based characters like Icon, Rocket and Static-- which still doesn't explain why ''WesternAnimation/GreenLanternTheAnimatedSeries'' and the shorts were pulled, too. Whether it's ExecutiveMeddling or ScrewedByTheNetwork was unclear.
** Shortly after the shows came back, Cartoon Network dropped the revelation that both would not be renewed for more seasons. The two series had been quietly cancelled back before the hiatus, although the creative teams were not allowed to state it until the network made it official. The apparent reasoning for the schedule change and cancellation was that network higher-ups felt that the shows did not perform well enough, due to their lack of toylines. According to Jerome K Moore (character designer for ''Young Justice''), WB Animation was willing to go through with a season 3, but the network's lack of renewal put a halt to the idea.
** An interview with Creator/PaulDini by Creator/KevinSmith laid out a big bombshell: that Cartoon Network is in the mindset that not only do cartoons just sell toys, but also that cartoons are only for boys. Many of the cartoons were being enjoyed by girls and, as such, Cartoon Network has deemed them "failures". Fortunately, this reason was since debunked in favor of a later reveal by Creator/GregWeisman, despite the stellar ratings of ''Young Justice'', their toy sales bombed, which cut the funding to the series short.
** Fortunately, ''Young Justice'' was UnCanceled in 2016 for a 26-episode [[WesternAnimation/YoungJusticeRevivalSeries third season]] on Creator/DCUniverse, which debuted in early 2019.
** ''WesternAnimation/BewareTheBatman'' was as much of a victim. Due to the recent theater shootings, WB ordered that all the guns were removed and replaced by laser guns or other unrealistic weapons. Some dialogue hints this was a last-minute decision. After that, Mattel refused to make a toyline to focus on its own Batman toys, which killed any chances for a second season. Cartoon Network's treatment didn't help, as it was barely advertised compared to other show premieres and was suddenly removed from its time slot with no definite return. Even when Toonami planned on finishing its run, the CN lawyers failed to notify Toonami that it was written off for tax breaks, so they had to rush a last-minute marathon to finish airing it.

* One episode of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}}'' cartoon show is a huge TakeThat to Creator/{{ABC}}'s Broadcast Standards and Practices, featuring an annoying, fairy godmother-like character Goody Two Shoes who claims to represent the "Bureau of Sweetness and Prissiness" (yes, she does use the abbreviation at one point). The characters finally manage to shake her by being ''too'' [[TastesLikeDiabetes Sickeningly Sweet]] even for her tastes, and the end of the episode {{lampshade|Hanging}}s actual censorship in the show, namely how the camera cuts to another character's reaction whenever Beetlejuice eats a bug. There's also the ratings-obsessed Mr. Monitor, who's practically the personification of ExecutiveMeddling.

** The character [[EnsembleDarkhorse Derpy Hooves]], a MemeticBystander grey cross-eyed pegasus who's largely looked at as the [[PeripheryDemographic bronies' avatar]] was subjected to meddling. When she was first given a slightly larger role in the show, MoralGuardians complained that the character portrayal resembled an offensive caricature of a mentally challenged person [[note]]due to her confusion, clumsiness, FishEyes, unusual voice, and name - they had interpreted the name "Derpy" as a slur against neurodivergent folks, rather its more common use as a net-speak term meaning "wacky"[[/note]], something completely inappropriate to include on a children's television show--and they complained to Hasbro to fix it. Apple removed the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E14TheLastRoundup episode of her appearance]] from iTunes, only for it to come back with a completely edited version of the infamous scene, which wound up replacing the original version of the episode nearly everywhere (apart from the early DVD "The Friendship Express"). Derpy has a more normal voice (since Tabitha St. Germain got the gender mixed up at first), her eyes are less crossed, and Rainbow Dash doesn't call her by name. Needless to say, [[BerserkButton bronies were not happy about the edit.]] Derpy then went on to have very few appearances, causing fans to be worried she was being phased out, up until she returned properly in the season 4 episode "Rainbow Falls". Later word confirmed the character "wasn't going anywhere", and that the "cameo drought" during previous episodes was intentional, to build up her return.

* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' was originally going to have the main duo of Mordecai and Rigby be zookeepers at a PeopleZoo, rather than groundskeepers at a park. J.G. Qunitel thanked the executive that hated that concept for talking him out of it during a San Diego Comic-Con panel, admitting that it was a horrible idea in retrospect.

* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' was originally going to have the main duo of Mordecai and Rigby be zookeepers at a PeopleZoo, rather than groundskeepers at a park. J.G. Qunitel thanked the executive that hated that concept for talking him out of it during on San Diego Comic-Con panel, admitting that it was a horrible idea in retrospect.

* WordOfGod says executive meddling is why ''WebComic/LeastICouldDo''[='s] animated series never aired on TV. Ryan Sohmer had signed a deal with Creator/{{Teletoon}} to acquire funding for 13 episodes of ''Least I Could Do'', when suddenly notes from the higher-ups started coming in. Notes that said the show needed to "feel more Canadian," that the setting should be specifically in Toronto, that Issa should be an Inuit, that Mick should wear a Toronto Maple Leafs shirt and that Rayne and Noel should go out fishing instead of on walks. Needless to say, Sohmer kindly told them where to stick it and backed out of the deal, funding the series through Website/{{Kickstarter}} instead.

* Speaking of Wonder Woman, until the last season of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' and the first season of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', policy was that Wonder Woman and related characters were only allowed to appear if she's one of the main characters. Since then, this has changed as she was a guest star in those series, appeared in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanBatmanApocalypse'' and Donna Troy appeared in ''WesternAnimation/SuperBestFriendsForever''.

* Speaking of which, apparently there were problems getting Black Lightning into various DC animated series (which explains Black Vulcan in ''{{WesternAnimation/Superfriends}}''). However, when they delved into it when they were doing ''Brave and the Bold'', they couldn't ''find'' the exact reasons why[[note]]The most popular theory being that DC didn't want to have to pay royalties to creator Tony Isabella[[/note]], thus giving them a chance to bring Black Lightning into a DC animated production for the first time.

** FOX also refused to let Dini use Firefly, a pyromaniac villain. (Burning off half of Harvey Dent's face in an explosion was apparently okay -- but note that this was changed from the comics' origin of acid being deliberately thrown in his face.) It wasn't until the series transferred to the WB that Firefly made an appearance. Though ironically, Dini and Timm both ended up with the opinion that he was one of the dullest villains they ever put on the show.

* Similarly, when asked to do a show about [[HighSchoolAU Batman in High School]], creative interpretation of that concept gave us the {{Cyberpunk}} dark future of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' creators Mike and Brian have implied this as the reason for their inability to resolve the Ursa subplot on the series proper. Apparently, they had plans to give many things much more closure, but this trope, along with time constraints, forced them to the end the series the way it did. By their own choice, they ended up turning down a proposal to have the Ursa subplot resolved in a brief throwaway scene of her and Zuko reuniting at the end, as that would be a textbook example of a WriterCopOut, wrapping something up in a quick, unsatisfying way. Thankfully, the sequel comics ''[[Comicbook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderThePromise The Promise]]'' and ''[[Comicbook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheSearch The Search]]'' eventually resolve this subplot.

** The ambiguity of [[spoiler: Jet's death]] is also due to this trope, because execs were against showing a teenager being violently murdered.

** In a positive example, Mike Judge actually agreed with a suggestion of giving the boys a smart, female {{Foil}} and created Daria Morgendorffer, who would wind up getting [[WesternAnimation/{{Daria}} her own spin-off]] that is arguably [[MorePopularSpinOff even better remembered]] than B&B itself.

** A real-life example: two episodes of Season 2, "The Hunger Strike" and "The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show", were {{banned| episode}} from premiering on Creator/AdultSwim. Both episodes were centered around Creator/{{BET}} and portrayed them as being socially irresponsible, and exploiting black stereotypes for profit. Despite denial by Adult Swim, many believe that BET threatened Creator/{{Sony}} and AS to pull the episodes with legal actions. Creator/{{Viacom}} (parent company) was confirmed to threaten legal action against Adult Swim. Thankfully, both episodes were featured on the Season 2 DVD.

* A positive example: Originally, the [[WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor Kids Next Door]] were to use high tech equipment to fight adult tyranny. The folks at Creator/CartoonNetwork, however, asked this to be changed since ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' had already done this. This resulted in [[BambooTechnology 2x4 technology]], which Mr. Warburton has called one of the coolest things about the show. The show as a whole came into existence due to executives becoming interested in some of the side characters in "Kenny and the Chimp" and pushing Warburton into creating a second pilot starring these characters. These characters being what would become Sector V of the Kids Next Door.
* This is why ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' was taken off the air for a while, eventually only being shown in October. [[http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/720/714/bdc.png As explained here]], the episode "The Mask" was caught under fire by MoralGuardians who believed the episode contained lesbian undertones, and threatened to sue Creator/CartoonNetwork's bottom off unless they cancelled the show. Many at the network have admitted that ''Courage'' was [[AdoredByTheNetwork their favorite of all the Cartoon Network original series]], saying they would have kept it running if it wasn't for the threat. Whatever the case, the show got to air the rest of its final season and still occasionally reruns on the network.

* An in-universe example: An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' revolved around the school holding a contest where entrants would create health and safety posters. Jane and Daria collaborate on an entry, featuring a skinny blonde girl, and a poem explaining that she has achieved this supposedly angelic physique through the magic of bulimia. Mr. O'Niel and Ms. Li love the painting, but aren't too keen on the less-than-sugary poem, so they ask the girls to change it to one with a more sanitized and curriculum-approved message about good nutrition. The girls refuse, citing artistic reasons, which sets off a series of events which culminates in a very entertaining scene where Mrs. Morgendorffer threatens Ms. Li with legal action.

* It's been implied more than once and is the general opinion of the creators that ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'' was cancelled due to this. In fact, the movie can be seen as a feature-length middle finger to Creator/ComedyCentral. The creators firmly believe that despite the fact that ''South Park'' is just as crude and vulgar as ''Drawn Together'', and at one point providing heated competition in ratings, the latter was cancelled solely for Comedy Central's pet.

** The creative team were pushed to create more female characters (Amberley being the only female of the main cast originally), thus most supporting characters made after the first episode were made according to this ([[TheAce Wildit]], [[KidAppealCharacter Spildit]], Zarag, even the Planet Dreamstone has a feminine voice).

** And all of them were chastised by the Dungeon Master for listening to Eric. He then treated them to a lecture about mercy.[[note]]Had the planned final episode been produced, it would have been revealed that Dungeon Master had an actual, in-universe reason for insisting on sparing Venger - he was Dungeon Master's ''son'', corrupted by an outside force into becoming a villain, and the team would have only found this out after he was restored to his original self. In that context, Dungeon Master's objections in this episode made far more sense.[[/note]]
** "The Dragon's Graveyard" is notable because it showed what the show could have been if the executives had left well enough alone. The beginning starts off with them almost getting home, before Venger stops them. The kids avert AngstWhatAngst with a vengeance and Bobby breaks down crying. They finally get sick of him thwarting all their attempts to return home, and decide to take the offensive and ''kill'' [[note]]Well, NeverSayDie, but it's as explicit as it gets[[/note]] him to stop this from happening ever again. The series was intended to be a {{Deconstruction}} of "kids go to a magic world" by having the kids actually be afraid of the life-threatening situations they got into, and depressed about being lost on an alien world. But the {{Media Watchdog}}s just wouldn't let that happen.
** And, of course, all bladed weapons were forbidden from the show, so we got a warrior that used a bow with energy arrows, a cavalier that only used a shield for both offense and defense, and a thief that could turn invisible but didn't really use any weapons.
** Of course, the writers disliked the whole TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong approach, and made it a point for Eric's dire predictions to come true, without actually stating out loud that Eric had been correct, leaving it for observant viewers to notice.

** An in-universe example in the episode "Timmy TV": Timmy finds out his life is a popular reality show in Fairy World. The fairy executives use this opportunity to convince Timmy to make a few changes in order to increase the show's ratings, such as changing Timmy's hat purple, replacing Timmy's mom with [[Series/TheBradyBunch Florence Henderson]], and replacing Chester and AJ with monkeys. Timmy, however, draws the line at getting rid of Cosmo and Wanda.

** In "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS2E1PeterPeterCaviarEater Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater]]", one of the cutaway gags was a parody of the [=DeBeers=] "Diamonds" commercial that had to be edited to remove strong implications that the female shadow was going to give the male shadow a blowjob. The version that ended up airing had the woman slide about three inches down before the scene cuts to a title card that reads, "Diamonds: She'll Pretty Much Have To." This example isn't as bad as others, as the actions and implication is still intact and viewers will still understand what's going on, whether or not it's explicitly shown.

* This is the reason why the ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' episode "Everyone Knows It's Bendy" is both notorious among fans of the show and a disappointment for people involved in it (especially the episode's writer, Creator/LaurenFaust). The episode was originally conceived as a regular 22 minute episode. However, Cartoon Network insisted that the show switch from half-hour episodes to quarter-hour episodes (which ultimately only happened three times in the show's entire run. Once in Season 1, and twice in Season 2). As a result, several key moments in the episode were left on the cutting room floor one of which was Bendy getting his much needed punishment for his actions instead of becoming the KarmaHoudini in the final product.

** The show itself spoofs this in-universe in "Learning Lessons" and "Kiddie Korner", which both feature characters who try and force educational content into the show.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' suffered this during its final season, The Goliath Chronicles. Executives wanted more lessons crammed in, resulting in a ''Series/FullHouse'' moment at the end of every episode. Unsurprisingly, both the fans and the creator don't consider the third season as [[CanonDiscontinuity part of canon]], save for the first episode.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGodzillaPowerHour'' was a victim of this NOT by Creator/HannaBarbera, (which licensed the series to be made), but surprisingly by Toho, the creators and owners of Godzilla themselves. As a result of Toho's denial of service, Hanna-Barbera was forced to not only [[{{Expy}} create several monsters that "resembled" the classic monsters of the Toho films]] (including [[TheScrappy Godzooky]]) but also could not use Godzilla's very own iconic roar.

* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' had a number of pushback from executives considering the show's violence and dark comedy, such as Keef explictly dying from electrocution at the end of "Bestest Friend". However, one of the most trotted out examples of this [[CommonKnowledge actually isn't one]]. Vasquez wanted the opportunity to use an image of GIR covered [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120701203731/zimwiki/images/d/dd/Bloodygir.png head to toe in blood]], but already knew that Nickelodeon would reject such imagery for [[{{Gorn}} obvious reasons]]. So they never told the executives and secretly turned the image into an EasterEgg, overlaying a ''very'' translucent picture of "Bloody GIR" into several episodes.

* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'' wanted to include a scene with [[DatingCatwoman Batman performing oral sex on Catwoman]] but DC forbade them with their reasoning being "Heroes don't do that" as well as concerns over an impact on toy sales (despite the show being aimed at older audiences). This led to [[MemeticMutation much derision online]] from fans [[https://twitter.com/zacksnyder/status/1405702805948538881 and even]] ''[[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague Justice League]]'' [[BitingTheHandHumor director]] Creator/ZackSnyder.

* WordOfGod says this is why ''WebComic/LeastICouldDo'' hasn't been made into an animated series yet. Ryan Sohmer had signed a deal with Creator/{{Teletoon}} to acquire funding for 13 episodes of ''Least I Could Do'', when suddenly notes from the higher-ups started coming in. Notes that said the show needed to "feel more Canadian," that the setting should be specifically in Toronto, that Issa should be an Inuit, that Mick should wear a Toronto Maple Leafs shirt and that Rayne and Noel should go out fishing instead of on walks. Needless to say, Sohmer kindly told them where to stick it and backed out of the deal.

*** One especially funny example of Selzer's meddling backfiring: when Chuck Jones was starting production on the WesternAnimation/PepeLePew short ''WesternAnimation/ForScentimentalReasons'', he told them a French skunk was a terrible idea and the short would bomb (of course, they had already made two Pepe cartoons prior to this one, but whatever). ''For Scent-imental Reasons'' went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject, and, being executive producer, ''Selzer had to accept the award.'' Boy, if there were ever a grander way to eat your words...

*** Speaking of the Daffy/Speedy series, strict budgets and constrictions were the reason why they made up the overwhelming majority of ''Looney Tunes'' output during that era; they couldn't use very many other characters and were [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome forced to retire the likes of Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Yosemite Sam, and Foghorn Leghorn]]. The only other characters that actually managed to have starring shorts during the era were WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner, and Sylvester, Porky (who only appeared once; twice if you count recycled footage from ''WesternAnimation/RobinHoodDaffy''), Granny, the Goofy Gophers, and Witch Hazel were featured in some of Daffy & Speedy's shorts. This was a large factor in why Creator/RobertMcKimson (who directed most of this era's cartoons) ''hated'' these shorts.

*** This is also why all of Princess Celestia's toys were pink for the first couple of years of the show's run, even though she has a white coat in the series. Even after her body color was corrected to white, she often still had hints of pink included somewhere in her toy designs, such as on the tips of her wings.

** In a positive example, Apple Bloom was originally to find her cutie mark on her own without any help. Lauren Faust was asked to add Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to be her friends, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were born. Oddly enough, Faust always thought they should have their own [[SpinoffBabies spin-off show]], but Hasbro suggested that the Crusaders should be used in the main series first.
** One of the most common forms of this was the demand for specific, popular characters from previous gens to appear in the show in a prominent enough fashion to sell the toy version of them. Thankfully, no specifics about ''how'' those characters would have to appear, so the writers could deal with this fairly easily (for instance, Cheerilee becoming the teacher of Ponyville).
** The episode "Suited For Success" can be viewed as a {{satire}} of executive meddling, as Rarity's artistic vision of {{Pimped Out Dress}}es for all her friends is compromised by their [[ComplainingAboutThingsYouHaventPaidFor nitpicking]], despite the fact that [[ChekhovsSkill most of them]] don't have any clue what they're talking about, and with Rainbow Dash offering absolutely no advice other than "[[MemeticMutation Make it 20% cooler]]." The [[DarkReprise second take]] on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSbXGsysAAk&feature=related the song in the episode]] (to begin with based on another song about executive meddling) even contains lines that make some sense in the context of the story but really work in such a satire: "Make sure that it stays within our budget." is an example of one of those lines. It makes sense in the story, because the ponies naturally don't have unlimited money to spend on the dress, and even moreso an irony, as they impose many lavish changes to their respective dresses, but still demand that "even if [Rarity] simply has to fudge it, make sure it stays within [the ponies'] budget". It also works in respect to the satire as well.\\

As previously stated, executives have been mostly hands-off for the show, but one thing [[http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/12/24/my-little-non-homophobic-non-racist-non-smart-shaming-pony-a-rebuttal/ mentioned]] by Creator/LaurenFaust as a "requirement" was "to incorporate fashion play," which was handled by making it a matter of Rarity being an artist. The episode [[Analysis/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E14SuitedForSuccess can be seen as incredibly meta]] if you think about it like this. Ironically the episode itself fell slightly to a bit of Executive Meddling, the episode title was originally to be "Dress For Failure" but was altered because it was considered too downbeat.

** Chalk this one for the MoralGuardians: The character [[EnsembleDarkhorse Derpy Hooves]], a MemeticBystander grey cross-eyed pegasus who's largely looked at as the [[PeripheryDemographic bronies' avatar]] has been subjected to this. Apparently, when she was first given a slightly larger role in the show, there were complaints that the character portrayal resembled an offensive caricature of a mentally challenged person [[note]]due to her confusion, clumsiness, FishEyes, unusual voice, and name - they had interpreted the name "Derpy" as a slur against neurodivergent folks, rather its more common use as a net-speak term meaning "wacky"[[/note]], something completely inappropriate to include on a children's television show and they complained to Hasbro to fix it. Apple removed the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E14TheLastRoundup episode of her appearance]] from iTunes, only for it to come back with a completely edited version of the infamous scene, which wound up replacing the original version of the episode nearly everywhere (apart from the early DVD "The Friendship Express"). Derpy has a more normal voice (since Tabitha St. Germain got the gender mixed up at first), her eyes are less crossed, and Rainbow Dash doesn't call her by name. Needless to say, [[BerserkButton bronies were not happy about the edit.]] Derpy then went on to have very few appearances, causing fans to be worried she was being phased out, up until she returned properly in the season 4 episode "Rainbow Falls". Later word confirmed the character "wasn't going anywhere", and that the "cameo drought" during previous episodes was intentional, to build up her return.

** Twilight becoming an alicorn has been speculated to be the result of this, though it has not been confirmed. It is very likely, however, considering that a very large number of Princess Twilight Sparkle toys were launched with the episode.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/PepperAnn'', called "Girl Power," shows an InUniverse example. When Pepper Ann's sister Moose sees her favorite comic-turned-TV show, Tundra Woman is at first turned into TheDitz. When Moose rallies people to make feminist complaints about this, the executives go ''way'' too far in the other direction and turn Tundra Woman into an Amazon, which draws further complaints due to her losing all character in favor of being an overly-violent Neanderthal. In the end, it was cancelled and replaced with a space cartoon.

* This gained a combined TakeThat and LampshadeHanging upon the ReTool of ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' into ''WesternAnimation/PinkyElmyraAndTheBrain'', in the form of the retool-explaining ExpositoryThemeTune: ''So Pinky and the Brain / Share a new domain / It's what the network wants / Why bother to complain? ...''
** Brain even voices his displeasure, saying he deeply resents this.
** Also, spoofed in ''Pinky and the Brain'' in the episode "You'll Never Eat Food Pellets in This Town Again," where the title characters are actually ''[[AnimatedActors actors]]'' in a hit TV show about two lab mice who take over the world. After a ridiculously tiny drop in ratings, the executives of the show's network decide to alter the show beyond recognition, turning it into any other '90s sitcom. The whole thing turns out to be [[AllJustADream Brain's nightmare]], but when you consider the genuine meddling going on behind the scenes of the actual show...

** In Argentina, {{Media Watchdog}}s tried to ban this show, showing the "''Evil Dead''" episode as evidence that it was not suitable for children. Thankfully, they never succeeded.

** And for much of the episode about Enzo's birthday, an uptight female binome rejected most of the acts Dot was planning for the party. This is a confirmed TakeThat[[note]]On the DVD commentary they admit that binome, named Emma See, was based directly on a BS&P official named 'Mary' who was "not happy about it"[[/note]] and the same episode then features Dot singing in a revealing red dress, with Enzo staring at her in what is, hopefully, surprise. Also, an awesome guitar duel between Bob and Megabyte.
** Probably the most infamous example was Dot's chest, or as the animation studio called it on their own blog, Dot's "Mono-breast." ABC would not allow Dot to show any cleavage, even when she wore costumes where it would be anatomically impossible not to show it. When ABC dropped ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'', the studio celebrated by stuffing Dot into an Elvira costume, and dedicating an episode to her new breasts ''(oh, and Evil Dead and horror movies in general also got a couple of nods)''.

** On the topic of ''Reboot'', its, *ahem*, reboot, Series/ReBootTheGuardianCode, suffered from a major case of meddling on its own. According to a poster on 4Chan who claimed to have worked on the show, the CEO essentially took full control of the production away from the crew working on it. Additionally some really bad decisions were made, including falsely advertising the show as being the first to be done in the VideoGame/{{Unreal}} engine- it wasn't, poor hiring choices where programmers and artists were concerned, not familiarizing himself with the source material, and as an ultimatum, not listening to the fans and then lashing out at the viewers when it became clear that the show's first season did poorly.

* An interesting subversion in ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower''. The character designer behind [[GranolaGirl Perfuma]] went on record saying that he intended Perfuma to be a [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} trans woman]], but never pushed the issue beyond subtle touches to her design, since he didn't think Dreamworks would let them get away with it. Season five of the series introduces an actual trans man, meaning that it's possible that Perfuma could have been canonically trans if her designer hadn't been afraid of this trope.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is practically immune to this trope in real-life. Producer Creator/JamesLBrooks has the clout to make it a rule that the network can't give notes. Little things have been tinkered with (largely relating to legal/censorship issues), but the series has been spared the problems others have faced. That doesn't mean the series doesn't parody this trope, though. This trope was parodied in when too much meddling caused Krusty to retire for the umpteenth time.

** Was parodied in the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E13HomerToTheMax Homer to the Max]]":

** One of the few times Creator/MattGroening exercised his executive meddling privileges was during the production of "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E5HomerVsDignity Homer vs. Dignity]]", aka the Panda Rape Episode. The original ending had Homer, dressed as Santa Claus, on the Christmas parade float, throwing ''pigs blood'' on the audience while sobbing uncontrollably. Groening insisted on a rewrite, and the blood was changed to fish entrails (which allowed for a hilariously bad pun, "Merry Fish-mas to all!") (Also, Mr. Burns throws the blood instead of Homer, who finally grows a set and refuses to do it.)

** After "[[Recap/SouthParkS6E1JaredHasAides Jared Has Aides]]" premiered, it was banned from Comedy Central's airwaves until 2009 because it depicted Butters getting beat by his parents (actually, it didn't show him being beat on-screen, we just hear it). The creators were forbidden from treating Butters like this ever again, until the episode "Butterballs", in which he is abused by his grandmother.

** In an early example of meddling, Comedy Central censors ordered a scene removed from "[[Recap/SouthParkS1E5AnElephantMakesLoveToAPig An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig]]" that involved Shelley setting Stan on fire (and then dousing him with water, explaining a puddle that suddenly appears underneath him in the episode). This was due to fear of another ''Beavis and Butt-Head''-style controversy. As early deleted and removed scenes (pre-season 10) tended to be destroyed afterwards or lost in some other way, the scene lives on through a leaked video rip that someone had made back in the early days of the show.

** Yet another early example of ExecutiveMeddling: In "[[Recap/SouthParkS1E8StarvinMarvin Starvin' Marvin]]", the original idea was to have Sally Struthers killed by the Ethiopians, and then they would feast on the fat from her body. Comedy Central wouldn't allow this, so Parker and Stone had to retool the ending to show Struthers being tied up and Dr. Mephisto's mutant turkeys being donated as food for the Ethiopians.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' also came in for a substantial amount of meddling. The writers weren't allowed to use the words [[NeverSayDie death, die, or kill]]; hence, when Peter found out Uncle Ben had been killed, it was shown as a police officer shaking his head and saying "I'm sorry, kid. The guy was armed." Also, realistic guns were out, so even petty thieves were armed with [[FamilyFriendlyFirearms futuristic lasers]].

** ComicBook/{{Carnage}}. In the comics, he was a mass-murdering psychopath, but in the series he wasn't allowed to kill anyone -- instead he sucked out their "essence" through his hands[[note]]Carnage in the show was alligned with ComicBook/DoctorStrange villains Baron Mordo and Dormammu to justify this in-universe[[/note]], which was restored to his victims after he was sucked into a portal. In the scene where he acquires the symbiote he attacks some prison guards; he picks one up and makes some knives with his fingers but instead it shows him busting through a wall. To be fair to Fox, the NYPD's description of Cletus Cassidy implied his psychopathic tendencies, and his mannerisms and laughter were still pretty creepy in their own right (''especially'' the laughter). So while Carnage could not kill anyone, the censorship didn't stifle his sadistic personality.
** Sandman was never seen because rights were tied up with the (unmade) original movie plans and instead Hydro-Man was used in his place.

** ComicBook/ThePunisher had to undergo some censorship, one could say (though whether it was mandated by executives, or decided on in advance by the showrunner is unknown). He isn't shown using lethal force, but it is implied that he's done so in the past. The telling of his origin (for those unaware, the brutal shooting of his wife and young children which obviously couldn't be shown) was also incredibly effective in spite of the censorship. The only visual was a kite flying in the sky and at the sound of gunshots fell to the ground, landing in a puddle and forming the classic skull as it became soaked in water.
* This is the reason ''WesternAnimation/{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'' has continued past the third [[UnCanceled and intended final]] season, even though the series was meant to conclude with [[BigDamnMovie the Big Damn]] [[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie Movie]]. Due to [[MoneyDearBoy the huge amount of money the movie grossed at the box office]], and because of reruns still getting high ratings, Nickelodeon ordered more seasons to be made. Stephen Hillenburg and several other members of the show's crew weren't interested, so they either [[KickedUpstairs resigned to executive positions]] or left Nickelodeon because of it.

* ''WesternAnimation/SupaStrikas'': An in-universe example, Cool Joe is given a record contract but is required to change pretty much everything about his act.
* ''Series/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow'' almost never happened largely because of Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s unwillingness to license the series. Nintendo finally agreed but not before asking for hefty royalties in the process. Despite the show being a smash hit and many celebrities (whose kids loved the show) wanting a guest appearance, Nintendo balked after production for its lone season ended. This didn't stop Nintendo from licensing two spinoffs which aired on Creator/{{NBC}} Saturday mornings, ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3'' and ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioWorld''. There hasn't been another animated adaptation of ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' since until the upcoming ''Mario'' movie by Creator/IlluminationEntertainment.
* In an example of this trope not necessarily being a bad thing, Adult Swim had shot down the idea of ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'' being a silent cartoon and insisted that Christy Karacas and Stephen Warbrick give the characters dialogue and voices. The executives did concede to letting Jacknife remain as TheUnintelligible.

** One episode idea from season 1 was rejected by Adult Swim, due to the fact that it only involved Jacknife and Jailbot and took place in the outside world instead of the jail: Jacknife would have evaded capture and built a robotic suit to fight Jailbot in, while the citizens of the real world would think Jailbot was an alien and think of Jacknife as a HERO.
*** Ironically, an episode involving the two characters stuck outside of the jail wound being aired as the Season 2 premiere, under the name "Best Friends Forever", and was considered one of the better episodes of that run!

** Season 3 had some scenes that were censored by the network for being "too disturbing", although the crew had noted that other disturbing shots had slipped by without notice. The censored shots included a visual metaphor of Alice's groin being a jackhammer, a drug-crazed inmate snorting cocaine, and a shot where dogs tear apart and eat an inmate. These shots were meant to be uncensored in the DVD release, but the censored versions of the episodes were used instead (see below).

*** Chris [=McCulloch=] originally voiced Lord Stingray, but was let go after an executive thought he was parodying the Monarch and told the crew to go with a different voice actor. It worked out for the better in the end though, as the crew and executives were more pleased with Eric Bauza's portrayal. The lines [=McCulloch=] voiced were dubbed over in post-production, although an early animation test has his take on the character.

** "The Budding of the Warbuxx" originally had the titular Warbuxx with an umbilical cord, which was later removed in the final animation to tone down on the implications that [[OffingTheOffspring the Twins had killed and eaten something that was likely their offspring]]. The birth of the Warbuxx was also altered to have it literally bud off (and outright shown), rather than the implication that it had come out of the Twin's butt.
*** In general since the hiatus between seasons 1 and 2, and the switch in animation studios, the censorship rules at Williams Street have changed a bit and anything to do with dead children or cannibalism winds up vetoed by the executives. This leaves the crew to have to slip in things implying it or find a way to write around the edits.
* Despite the show receiving excellent ratings, Creator/HannaBarbera decided to end ''WesternAnimation/SWATKats'' after its second season so the company could direct its focus towards the [[WesternAnimation/WhatACartoonShow What-A-Cartoon project]] they were developing at the time. Given how the resulting ''What A Cartoon Show'' went on to produce pilots [[WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory that became]] [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls some of]] [[WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken the earliest]] ''Creator/CartoonCartoons'' series (as well as the precursor to [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy one of Fox's most successful animated sitcoms]]), this is inarguably [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools not a bad thing]]. Not only that, but one of the [[RecycledScript unfinished scripts]] [[DolledUpInstallment ended up evolving]] into ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'', which helped to bring that franchise back into success. However, there's a [[MisBlamed common misconception]] that Creator/TedTurner himself ordered the series cancelled due to the violence; this resulted from a misquoted interview, and the Tremblay brothers have repeatedly denied Turner was behind the cancellation.
* This is the EXACT reason ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'' was [[ScrewedByTheNetwork cancelled]], apparently because the higher ups at Creator/CartoonNetwork wanted toy companies to make toys for the series, but failed to get licensers for it. Now it seems that there actually ''were'' several toy manufacturers who wanted to take on the show but Cartoon Network never contacted any of them and the show was murdered because of a personal falling out between executives at CN and Genndy Tartakovsky, the former of which wanted the show to go in a more ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' direction.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episode "Serious Business" suffered from this. The episode originally began with the characters standing outside the bathroom desperate to use it and complaining about how long it was taking. This went against Cartoon Network's standards, so they asked them to change the scene to be funnier. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvFar-AX3F4 This was the result.]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' series is a long-running example. After the success of ''Total Drama Island'', Creator/{{Teletoon}} gave a significant chunk of their executive production authority over the show to Creator/CartoonNetwork prior to the debut of ''Total Drama Action'', leading to a series of changes that arguably contributed to the overall poor fanbase response towards that season. Also, co-creator Tom [=McGillis=] has confirmed that the break-ups of Gwen & Trent, Duncan & Courtney, and Owen & Izzy were all due to the higher-ups wanting to teach kids that "First loves don't always last".
** It is known that the various studios working on the series have made many such similar "requests" of varying scale over the years. It is rumoured that Duncan & Gwen's immensely controversial RelationshipUpgrade was one such request, as the show's creators have previously voiced a greater fondness for Duncan & Courtney and Gwen & Trent (which of course only worsens the ShipToShipCombat present in the fandom).
** WordOfGod has also implied that the meddling has gone even deeper as the series has continued its run, with the shorter seasons being attributed to studio desires to save money and turn out the series faster, at an arguably noticeable cost of quality in the writing.
** While it's never been outright confirmed, ''[[WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace The Ridonculous Race]]'' is believed to be guilty of some studio interference in regards to the teams picked for the Final 3. The Final 3 for said series consists of [[spoiler:Police Cadets (Sanders & [=MacArthur=]), Ice Dancers (Jacques & Josee) and Surfer Dudes (Geoff & Brody)]] with the questionable inclusion of the last (who'd already been eliminated before being brought back to the competition and went through very little to no CharacterDevelopment) believed to be due to how all the original planned versions of the Final 3's had more females than males. This belief is further supported by how random and abrupt the eliminations of Best Friends (Carrie & Devin) and Sisters (Emma & Kitty) are in order for them to have a spot in the Final 3, especially in the case of the latter team as it also results in them having a plot that was hinted to be paid off in the finale but now becomes an AbortedArc.
** On February 20, 2018, Megan Fahlenbock was terminated by "the network" meaning either Creator/{{Teletoon}} or Creator/CartoonNetwork. Because of this, she will not reprise her role as Gwen for the second spin-off ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaRama''. [[spoiler:However, she does voice a grown-up Gwen at the end of the episode "Tiger Fail", suggesting she was not permanently fired from the role as some feared.]] This seems to have been the case with several other voice actors as well, judging from how [[TheOtherDarrin many characters got new voice actors]]. For instance, Brian Froud, the voice of Harold, has confirmed that he wanted to reprise the character for ''[=DramaRama=]'' but was turned down by Creator/FreshTV for unknown reasons.
** This was actually how ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaRama'' came about. According to Chris' voice actor, Creator/ChristianPotenza, Creator/CartoonNetwork had told Creator/FreshTV that they were not interested in additional competition seasons as they believed a show about teenagers would not do well with children. Having no interest in ordering new seasons of ''Total Drama'' or ''Ridonculous Race'', CN instead asked Fresh TV to make a new ''Total Drama'' show that would appeal more to younger audiences. The result was ''[=DramaRama=]'', a SpinoffBabies show starring kiddie versions of the teens at a daycare. That said, CN does seem to have changed their minds afterwards, as the original ''Total Drama'' was revived for two more seasons on Creator/HBOMax, with ''[=DramaRama=]'''s cancellation being announced some time later.
* The ''Total Drama'' franchise wasn't Creator/FreshTV's only work to suffer from Creator/CartoonNetwork's meddling. ''WesternAnimation/{{Grojband}}'' was originally pitched to Fresh TV as a full half-hour program with a one-minute ExpositoryThemeTune, and while Canadian broadcaster and commissioner Creator/{{Teletoon}} was pretty happy to fund production as it was, American broadcaster Cartoon Network demanded the show be changed to the TwoShorts format so that it would better fit in with their style of programming (with each short being shown as a QuarterHourShort to match this) and had Fresh TV shorten the intro to a mere 20 seconds to make more room for commercial airtime. And even despite the fact CN got to air the show's first 13 episodes before Teletoon did, ''Grojband'' was still royally ScrewedByTheNetwork and cancelled after a single season.

** Pretty much every bit of ''Transformers'' media ever will have Hasbro sticking their nose into scripts to tell the writers which new character to focus on, who to [[CharacterShilling talk up]], and who to kill off/write out (usually because their toys weren't selling). The [=TFWiki=] [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/To_sell_toys has an entire page on it]].

** The show has proven itself to the network to the point where it is fairly proof against it these days. The reason for the hiatus in the middle of Season 4 is because the ''writers'' weren't happy with the stories they had, and asked Adult Swim for time and resources to redo it better. To Adult Swim's credit, they agreed.

* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' had an example when the producers were forced to cut a scene where the character Lance Alvers saves Kitty Pryde from being crushed by a statue. Apparently, the WB execs felt this would frighten young children, not because the character was imperiled -- but because ''it wasn't that long after September 11th''. Even though this was a show where mutants with superpowers attacked each other and stuff blew up all the time. As a result of the cut, Lance is seen just holding Kitty with no explanation why, leaving viewers confused. Creator/TheWB was '''horrible''' about jumping to ridiculous conclusions like this (see the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' [[ExecutiveMeddling/LiveActionTV example]]). Anyway, Lance and Kitty didn't fare well with ExecutiveMeddling at all. They were broken up in season 3 due to Creator/KidsWB complaining about too much romance on the show. [[OfficialCouple Scott and Jean's]] relationship was spared though.

* ''WesternAnimation/HighGuardianSpice'', to nobody's surprise, was initially pitched as an {{animesque}} series for children and families. When Website/{{Crunchyroll}} picked it up, however, they mandated the inclusion of [[RuderAndCruder profanity]], [[HotterAndSexier sexual content]], and [[BloodierAndGorier graphic violence]] so they could advertise it as a show for teens and older. The artwork and writing style however, remained the same. This resulted in a show with an infamously [[UncertainAudience conflicted tone]], essentially a kids' cartoon with some extremely forced "adult" moments.

* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'' wanted to include a scene with [[DatingCatwoman Batman performing oral sex on Catwoman]] but DC forbade them with their reasoning being "Heroes don't do that." This led to [[MemeticMutation much derision online]].

* In the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen original pitch]] for ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'', Jimmy was sent to {{Hell}} by accident, with [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]] trying to crush his optimism and purity by sending out TheDreaded SerialKiller Heloise to torment him, only for her to fall in love with him as he spread joy and good cheer throughout Hell and befriended Lucifer's son Beelzebub. The product would have been an exclusive Creator/{{Teletoon}} production for tweens and young teens, but when Creator/DisneyXD came on board to distribute the series to the US, they demanded the mature elements to be made more kiddie-friendly to fit their conservative target market. Thus Hell became Miseryville, Lucifer became Lucius Heinous VII, Beelzebub became Beezy J. Heinous, Heloise became a MadScientist, and Jimmy's past was simply left vague. The executive-mandated changes are even more obvious in the second season, where the show has further distanced itself from the original concept to become even DenserAndWackier.

* WordOfGod says this is why ''WebComic/LeastICouldDo'' hasn't been made into an animated series yet. Ryan Sohmer had signed a deal with Creator/{{Teletoon}} for 13 episodes of ''Least I Could Do'', when suddenly notes from the higher-ups started coming in. Notes that said the show needed to "feel more Canadian," that the setting should be specifically in Toronto, that Issa should be an Inuit, that Mick should wear a Toronto Maple Leafs shirt and that Rayne and Noel should go out fishing instead of on walks. Needless to say, Sohmer kindly told them where to stick it and backed out of the deal.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' series is a long-running example; After the success of ''Total Drama Island'', the show was sold by Creator/{{Teletoon}} to Creator/CartoonNetwork prior to the debut of ''Total Drama Action'', leading to a series of changes that arguably contributed to the overall poor fanbase response towards that season. Also, co-creator Tom [=McGillis=] has confirmed that the break-ups of Gwen & Trent, Duncan & Courtney, and Owen & Izzy were all due to the higher-ups wanting to teach kids that "First loves don't always last".

* Creator/CartoonNetwork's meddling with Creator/FreshTV's animated series did not stop at ''Total Drama'' though. ''WesternAnimation/{{Grojband}}'' was shortened from a full half-hour show to a TwoShorts show under the request of Cartoon Network so that it would better fit in with their programming, only to be royally ScrewedByTheNetwork and canned after a single season. Curiously, ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Stoked}}'' managed to avoid this, possibly due to Cartoon Network's [[ScrewedByTheNetwork apparent dislike for both shows]] and the former series also being made before Cartoon Network started importing Canadian cartoons during the late 2000s and early 2010s.

** ExecutiveMeddling is the reason the Daffy/Speedy series of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' shorts (the most despised ''Looney Tunes'' shorts ever -- unless you're against the really early WB cartoons that might as well be Disney toons because of how bland they are) exists. In 1964, WesternAnimation/BugsBunny, WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck and WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales were the three most popular characters in the ''Looney Tunes'' series. Television companies, thus, demanded more cartoons featuring Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales (who, at this point, had only starred in about 20 cartoons). Unfortunately, since the newly-reopened Warner Brothers Animation Studio had a very limited budget (due in no small part to the UsefulNotes/FallOfTheStudioSystem), they had no choice but to pair the two characters together rather than give them separate cartoons. And thus we got "classics" like ''Well-Worn Daffy'', ''Skyscraper Caper'', and ''Speedy Ghost To Town''.
*** Speaking of the Daffy/Speedy series, strict budgets and constrictions were the reason why they made up the overwhelming majority of ''Looney Tunes'' output during that era; they couldn't use very many other characters and were [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome forced to retire the likes of Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Yosemite Sam, and Foghorn Leghorn]]. The only other characters that actually managed to have starring shorts during the era were WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner, and Sylvester, Porky (who only appeared once; twice if you count recycled footage from ''WesternAnimation/RobinHoodDaffy''), Granny, the Goofy Gophers, and Witch Hazel were featured in some of Daffy & Speedy's shorts.

* The producers have stated that when using Comicbook/TheAtom, Comicbook/{{Firestorm|DCComics}} and Blue Beetle, they were encouraged to use the [[AffirmativeActionLegacy more recent, non-white versions]] for the sake of diversity. This in turn led to Ryan Choi, Jason Rusch and Jaime Reyes being given more prominent roles in the DCU after the 2011 DC relaunch. However, Choi and Reyes' predecessors did appear in later episodes, with Ted Kord (the second Blue Beetle) being given a noble HeroicSacrifice as opposed to the ignoble death his comics counterpart suffered.

* Creator/CartoonNetwork's meddling with Creator/FreshTV's animated series did not stop at ''Total Drama'' though. ''WesternAnimation/{{Grojband}}'' was shortened from a full half-hour show to a TwoShorts show under the request of Cartoon Network so that it would better fit in with their programming, only to be royally ScrewedByTheNetwork and canned after a single season. Curiously, ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Stoked}}'' managed to avoid this, possibly due to Cartoon Network's [[ScrewedByTheNetwork apparent dislike for both shows]] and the former series also being made before American networks started to become more influential in the production of Canadian animated series.