History FranchiseKiller / WesternAnimation

* The end of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Madeline}}'' cartoon franchise tends to be blamed by fans on the 2002 feature-length TV movie, ''My Fair Madeline'', with its [[TooBleakStoppedCaring upsetting plot]] that has Madeline unfairly blamed for causing chaos at the Louvre (she was trying to stop an art theft, but [[YouHaveToBelieveMe no one believes her]]), sent away from her beloved boarding school and friends to a London finishing school as a result, and later WronglyAccused of trying to steal the Crown Jewels of England and sent to jail. A final feature-length production, ''Madeline in Tahiti'', was made in 2005, but never released on DVD in the US, only finally getting a digital release in 2017, and with that the franchise ended.

* The failure of ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand'' was the final nail in the coffin of the (loosely defined, but still there) [[Creator/MarvelAnimation Marvel animated universe]] that aired on Creator/FoxKids throughout the '90s. All subsequent Marvel cartoons have taken place in other continuities and aired on other networks. It wouldn't be until ''WesternAnimation/{{Ultimate Spider-Man}}'' that Marvel would nurture the idea of a shared animated universe again[[note]]Although ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' is said to take place in the same universe as ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'' due to Creator/ChristopherYost's involvement in both series[[/note]].

* The commercial failure of ''WesternAnimation/TheMrMenShow'' when it aired on Creator/CartoonNetwork in the US, including its [[InvisibleAdvertising scant promotion]], its awkward timeslot and a DenserAndWackier tone that bore little to no resemblance to the source material (some characters even being InNameOnly interpretations of their namesakes, including two existing characters that were [[GenderBender gender-swapped]]), essentially killed off further attempts at adapting the ''Literature/MrMen'' franchise to television, although the books themselves are still going strong to this day. All Mr. Men animations released since have been television commercials or [[WebAnimation short Internet videos]], which have more or less kept the art style and designs of the original books.

* The negative reception of the AnimatedAdaptation of ''Series/HenryDanger'', ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfKidDanger'', alongside creator Creator/DanSchneider's departure the same year it premiered, pretty much scrapped not only plans for future animated adaptations of Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s live-action sitcoms, but also killed off Schneider's long-running namesake ''Schneider's Bakery'' series of sitcoms (''Series/AllThat'' reboot notwithstanding).

* The ''WesternAnimation/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'' animated series is what killed any future for the ''Cloudy'' franchise. What didn't help was [[InvisibleAdvertising lack of merchandise and proper marketing]]. However, the show did maintain a small cult following years later.

* The end of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Madeline}}'' cartoon franchise tends to be blamed by fans on the 2002 feature-length TV movie, ''My Fair Madeline'', with its upsetting plot that has Madeline unfairly blamed for causing chaos at the Louvre (she was trying to stop an art theft, but [[YouHaveToBelieveMe no one believes her]]), sent away from her beloved boarding school and friends to a London finishing school as a result, and later WronglyAccused of trying to steal the Crown Jewels of England and sent to jail. A final feature-length production, ''Madeline in Tahiti'', was made in 2005, but never released on DVD in the US, only finally getting a digital release in 2017, and with that the franchise ended.

* The failure of the [[ShortRunners short-lived]] ''WesternAnimation/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'' Canadian animated series is what killed any future for the ''Cloudy'' franchise. What didn't help was [[InvisibleAdvertising lack of merchandise and proper marketing]]. However, the TV series did maintain a small cult following years later, but not even that was enough to save it from cancellation.

** While ''The Jungle Movie'' was critically acclaimed, it floundered in the ratings against ''Trolls Holiday''. This not only meant that a revival was out of the question, but it also led to the cancellation of the ''entire'' Nicktoon reboot plans (by this point there were rumors about a "mega-crossover" movie and even a shared universe), with only the ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' and ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' specials being produced (both of which were eventually released on {{Creator/Netflix}}, instead of airing on Nick proper) and ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' getting a CG/live action film and a revival, although the former was later axed after being removed from Creator/{{Paramount}}'s schedule.

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}: Tales From the Crib'' series was a [[DirectToVideo direct-to-DVD]] series of FracturedFairyTale-esque movies, which attempted to make the original series popular again after it ended. However, there were only two entries in the series; "Snow White" and "Three Jacks and a Beanstalk", as the latter failed to impress. This also forced the "[[WesternAnimation/RugratsPreSchoolDaze Pre-School Daze]]" spin-off (which had its episodes included as bonuses on the [=DVDs=]) to end at only four episodes. The ''Rugrats'' franchise would later be revived in 2017 through a comic book. A live-action/CGI hybrid film was announced in 2018, [[https://deadline.com/2019/11/rugrats-movie-pulled-wwe-rumble-release-date-titles-spongebob-movie-sponge-on-the-run-1202784527/ but was later pulled]], though a full CGI reboot of the series has premiered on Creator/ParamountPlus on May 20th, 2021.

* The critical failure of ''WesternAnimation/PinkyElmyraAndTheBrain'' was this not just to ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'', but to ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' as a whole. The show was created as a result of ExecutiveMeddling, which was even pointed out in its theme song ("''It's what the network wants, why bother to complain?''"). In 2020, Pinky and the Brain would make a triumphant return in the Creator/{{Hulu}} exclusive ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020'', along with the Warner Siblings themselves. On October 28, 2020, a ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' reboot called ''Tiny Toons Looniversity'' was announced for Creator/HBOMax and Creator/CartoonNetwork, and on November 1, 2020, Creator/CreeSummer confirmed that [[PutOnABus Elmyra will be dropped from the reboot]].

* The failure of ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand'' was the final nail in the coffin of the (loosely defined, but still there) [[Creator/MarvelAnimation Marvel animated universe]] that aired on Creator/FoxKids throughout the '90s. All subsequent Marvel cartoons have taken place in other continuities and aired on other networks. It wouldn't be until ''WesternAnimation/{{Ultimate Spider-Man}}'' that Marvel would nurture the idea of a shared animated universe again[[note]]Although ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' is said to take place in the same universe as ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen'' due to Creator/ChristopherYost's involvement in both series[[/note]].

* For Yogi Bear and the FunnyAnimals of Hanna Barbera, ''WesternAnimation/YoYogi'' effectively killed off their careers for ''decades'', as well as killing off NBC's Saturday Morning cartoons. While Yogi and WesternAnimation/MagillaGorilla did appear in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooInArabianNights'', that special served as Magilla's last animated appearance. After an Easter Special that didn't perform well either, Yogi's only further appearances were in a handful of obscure cartoons by John Kricfalusi, along with a [[Film/YogiBear live-action/CGI film]] in 2010 that was financially successful, but critically ravaged. In 2019, the Creator/HBOMax''WesternAnimation/{{Jellystone}}'' series was announced; it would officially debut in 2021, a full ''three decades'' after the failure of ''Yo Yogi!''

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
** After ''WesternAnimation/BeastMachines'' there was supposed to be a sequel series (complete with prototype toys made) called ''[[Toys/TransformersTranstech Transtech]]'' and it would have continued even further into the series timeline. While ''Beast Machines'' still had solid ratings, the reception was mediocre and the toys themselves were subpar and didn't sell. Recognizing they had taken the Beast era franchise as far as it could go, Hasbro scrapped ''Transtech'' and imported ''Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise'' while they worked on a complete ContinuityReboot with ''Anime/TransformersArmada.'' This did have the interesting effect of splitting ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' into many {{Alternate Universe}}s rather than just [[AlternateContinuity Alternate Continuities]].
** The franchise in japan as a whole experienced multiple franchise killers over the years before 2007:
*** By 1990 the popularity of the franchise was at its lowest, with [[Manga/TransformersZone Zone]] marking the final animated entry in the japanese G1 franchise (it was so bad the series was represented by a single OVA instead of a full season like earlier entries), mirroring what happened to the G1 in the west during the 90s, with Operation Combination as the last toyline in 1992, followed by a 3 years hiatus until Generation 2 (which didn't do much better either).

*** After Beast Wars renewed interest in the brand, [[Anime/BeastWarsII Beast Wars II]] and [[Anime/BeastWarsNeo Beast Wars Neo]] were created to buy time in order to complete the dub of the second and third seasons of beast wars. Unfortunately, the ''Neo'' toyline suffered from fiddly designs, weird beast modes, and overcomplicated transformations that weren't at all popular with kids, which led to it mostly crashing and burning. By the time ''Beast Wars Metals'' (Re-brand of the 2nd and 3rd season of the show) aired, the damage was done and its toyline was a flop that lasted barely ''four'' months in retail(for context, a Transformers toyline in japan usually lasts a full year at least). This motivated Takara to do a Soft Reboot in the form of the Car Robots anime rather than import Beast Machines... which would then be dubbed as Robots in Disguise.

*** And even THAT toyline flopped in retails (same problems as with ''Neo'', with the Transformers getting comparisons with origami due to how difficult they were to transform), resulting in its [[Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise show]] getting reduced to 39 episodes from a planned 52. Afterwards, Takara wouldn't release another Transformers toyline or show until [[Anime/TransformersArmada 2003]].
*** The series got hit by another with the [[Anime/TransformersCybertron final entry in the Unicron trilogy]], whose toyline sales in Japan were abysmal, resulting in the toyline getting a unceremonial conclusion barely 9 months instead of a full year as planned (the show at least managed to air all its 52 episodes... but the manga adaptation wasn't so lucky, getting an abrupt conclusion at 9 issues out of the 12 planned). What followed afterwards was a smaller toyline and fiction called Transformers: Kiss Players (aimed at 14 years and up), widely considered the worst entry ever released in Transformers by both sides of the Pacific. The series wouldn't recover until the [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries Michael Bay movies]] made the franchise big again.

* For Yogi Bear and the FunnyAnimals of Hanna Barbera ''WesternAnimation/YoYogi'' did this extremely to the point Yogi and them never had an animated series again and was possibly the biggest reason NBC ended their Saturday morning cartoons. He and WesternAnimation/MagillaGorilla did appear in WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooInArabianNights, as this was Magilla's last animated appearance, the TBS special couldnt help the characters be loved as much again as the damage was done. As well Yogi had an easter special that wasnt that big either and the final cartoon to feature Yogi Bear officially by Hanna Barbera. Yogi Bear has since had a few new cartoons by John Kricfalusi, but hardly anybody's seen them, as well as a financially successful, but critically ravaged, [[Film/YogiBear live-action/CGI film]] released in 2010. Also Top Cat had 2 movies in Mexico as he and his crew are famous there. Then, in 2019, it was announced that a new series titled ''Jellystone!'' was being made for Creator/HBOMax, starring the FunnyAnimal Hanna-Barbera characters with Yogi, Boo Boo, Top Cat, Magilla, and even Ruff and Reddy and Mildew Wolf.
* The ratings failure of ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioWorld'', along with the cancellation of ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'' and the closure of NBC's Saturday morning cartoon block, killed off any further attempts to keep the Franchise/SuperMarioBros on television. The only subsequent ''Super Mario Bros''.-related television series made since then was ''The Super Mario Challenge'', a live-action game show from the United Kingdom that aired and ended around the same time as ''World'' (although one could also count the ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry'' CGI cartoon, if they considered the ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'' franchise to be part of the ''Mario'' franchise). However, ''Super Mario World'' may be one of the rarest examples of a cartoon being [[VindicatedByHistory Vindicated by]] WebAnimation/YouTubePoop, having been a staple of said videos for years.

* The failure of ''WesternAnimation/BewareTheBatman'' (not helped by [[InvisibleAdvertising lack of advertising]] and [[ScrewedByTheNetwork few reruns]]), along with the success of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'', led to the death of ''WesternAnimation/DCNation'' as well as action-adventure series on Cartoon Network (at least, those without heavy comedy elements) in general for the next three years. Regarding family friendly DC animated shows, the creators and producers started relying more on DVD and digital services, along with sites like Website/YouTube, hence the longevity of shows like ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls''. As a result, there barely were any other new family-friendly DC cartoons other than TTG on TV for a few years, aside from ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction'', which was [[InvisibleAdvertising barely advertised]] and [[ScrewedByTheNetwork ended up being screwed]], and a cartoon adaptation of DC Super Hero Girls helmed by Lauren Faust and closer to her earlier DC Super Best Friends Forever shorts which aired on DC Nation. Even then, the latter show was also [[InvisibleAdvertising barely advertised]], [[ScrewedByTheNetwork is only reran on]] Creator/{{Boomerang}} (which has less coverage than Cartoon Network) and has new episodes shoved into [[FridayNightDeathSlot awkward Sunday afternoon slots]] (which, granted, is better than what JLA got with its Saturday Morning death slot). Creator/DCUniverse, meanwhile, leaned in the other direction for darker animated series, giving the UnCancelled treatment to ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' as being a bit more violent than originally, as well as including ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn'' as an adult cartoon.
** ''Beware the Batman'' also stopped other animated series specifically focused on Batman from being made for several years, in spite of ''Justice League Action'', ''Young Justice'', and ''Harley Quinn'' featuring him in prominent roles, until the announcement of ''Batman: Caped Crusader''.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'': When series creator Aaron [=McGruder=] left after Season 3 due to a contractual dispute with Creator/SonyPicturesTelevision and Creator/AdultSwim, Season 4 was developed without him. Due to [[BrokenBase heavy fan backlash against this (seemingly) final season]], ''The Boondocks'' was (apparently) cancelled in 2014, and the franchise's future was left uncertain. At least until 2019, when Sony confirmed that the animated series would be revived on Creator/HBOMax in the near future (this time with [=McGruder=] returning as the showrunner again), albeit as a ContinuityReboot instead of a straightforward continuation.

* The [[ScrewedByTheNetwork poor scheduling by networks]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTeddyRuxpin'' led to the death of any new stories being produced for the ''Teddy Ruxpin'' franchise, and also had a hand in bankrupting series creator Worlds of Wonder.
* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'':
** Despite making five times its budget, ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheMovie'' was still considered a BoxOfficeBomb (since the studio spent another $13 million on marketing the film) and was critically panned. This led to the cancellation of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheJungleMovie'' (until it was {{Uncanceled}} 15 years later) and likely why the remaining episodes of ''Hey Arnold!'' were aired sporadically until the final one aired in 2004, three years after production of the series ended. However, with Nickelodeon rebooting most of its classic Nicktoons in 2015, ''The Jungle Movie'' was SavedFromDevelopmentHell and released in 2017, with the network suggesting that a revival could be at hand.
** While ''The Jungle Movie'' was critically acclaimed, it floundered in the ratings against ''Trolls Holiday''. This not only meant that a revival was out of the question, but it also led to the cancellation of the ''entire'' Nicktoon reboot plans (by this point there were rumors about a "mega-crossover" movie and even a shared universe), with only the ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' and ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' specials being produced (both of which were eventually released on {{Creator/Netflix}}, instead of airing on Nick proper) and ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' getting a CG/live action film and a revival, although the former was later axed after being removed from Creator/{{Paramount}}'s schedule.
* The end of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Madeline}}'' cartoon franchise tends to be blamed by fans on the 2002 feature-length TV movie, ''My Fair Madeline'', with its upsetting plot that has Madeline unfairly blamed for causing chaos at the Louvre (she was trying to stop an art theft, but [[YouHaveToBelieveMe no one believes her]]), sent away from her beloved boarding school and friends to a London finishing school as a result, and later WronglyAccused of trying to steal the Crown Jewels of England and sent to jail. A final feature-length production, ''Madeline in Tahiti'', was made in 2005, but never released on DVD in the US, only finally getting a digital release in 2017, and with that the franchise ended.
* The box office failure of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirlsMovie'' led to the scrapping of all plans for future theatrical films based on Creator/CartoonNetwork properties, with the channel's film output for the rest of the 2000's being exclusively made-for-TV. It would take sixteen years, with the release of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGoToTheMovies'', for another Cartoon Network series to see a theatrical wide-release - and even then, [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo the show it's based on]] is a Creator/DCComics/Creator/WarnerBros property. While that film performed far better than ''Powerpuff Girls'', it just wasn’t the box office smash hit Warner Bros. expected (not helped by a [[ScrewedByTheNetwork surprisingly small marketing campaign for the movie]]), grossing $52 million against a $10 million budget;[[note]]Beast Boy's voice actor Greg Cipes is on record for mentioning $250 million as a target number, but it isn't clear how much of that was just wishful thinking on his part.[[/note]]any plans for an actual ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' continuation are now in doubt. Following Cartoon Network shows would continue to see television premieres or direct-to-video or streaming releases for their long-form adventures, including the second TTG film, ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGoVsTeenTitans''.

* ''Series/CodeLyokoEvolution'' was this for Moonscoop's ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' franchise. Fans not only lambasted the show's shift to live action but also the wooden performances of its actors and reacted strongly to the new character Laura Gauthier. The show's writing was also heavily criticized, as all of Moonscoop's original ideas and scripts were scrapped by the new staff, leading to Moonscoop [[DisownedAdaptation disowning the new show]]. All of this led to ''Evolution'' [[ShortRunners lasting only 1 season of 26 episodes]], [[NoDubForYou with only one episode receiving an English dub]]. With Moonscoop Entertainment filing for bankruptcy a year after the show’s conclusion and its reorganization into Splash Entertainment (now infamously known for ''WesternAnimation/NormOfTheNorth'' among others) making any follow up unlikely, ''Evolution'' has likely ended the franchise for the foreseeable future.
* The negative reception of the AnimatedAdaptation of ''Series/HenryDanger'', ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfKidDanger'', alongside creator Creator/DanSchneider's departure the same year it premiered, pretty much scrapped not only plans for future animated adaptations of Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s live-action sitcoms, but also killed off Schneider's long-running namesake ''Schneider's Bakery'' series of sitcoms (''Series/AllThat'' reboot notwithstanding).
* The commercial failure of ''WesternAnimation/TheMrMenShow'' when it aired on Creator/CartoonNetwork in the US, including its [[InvisibleAdvertising scant promotion]], its awkward timeslot and a DenserAndWackier tone that bore little to no resemblance to the source material (some characters even being InNameOnly interpretations of their namesakes, including two existing characters that were [[GenderBender gender-swapped]]), essentially killed off further attempts at adapting the ''Literature/MrMen'' franchise to television, although the books themselves are still going strong to this day. All Mr. Men animations released since have been television commercials or [[WebAnimation short Internet videos]], which have more or less kept the art style and designs of the original books.
* The failure of the [[ShortRunners short-lived]] ''WesternAnimation/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'' Canadian animated series is what killed any future for the ''Cloudy'' franchise. What didn't help was [[InvisibleAdvertising lack of merchandise and proper marketing]]. However, the TV series did maintain a small cult following years later, but not even that was enough to save it from cancellation.
* The cancellation of Creator/CartoonNetwork's ''WesternAnimation/{{Mad}}'', combined with that of the ''Series/MadTV'' {{revival}} on Creator/TheCW, dashed any future attempts to to adapt the satirical ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' Magazine to any form of other media. The former had a successful four-season run, but the RippedFromTheHeadlines-nature of its comedy meant it was doomed to become an UnintentionalPeriodPiece whose reruns quickly ceased to entertain the network's target demographic. Meanwhile, the revival series only managed eight episodes before being scrapped. With the magazine suffering from MagazineDecay due to being switched to a nearly all-reprint magazine in late 2019 as a result of the AT&T/Time Warner merger, even the future of the magazine itself looks uncertain.

* The commercial failure of ''WesternAnimation/TheMrMenShow'' when it aired on Creator/CartoonNetwork in the US, including its [[InvisibleAdvertising scant promotion]], its awkward timeslot and a DenserAndWackier tone that bore little to no resemblance to the source material (some characters even being InNameOnly interpretations of their namesakes, including two existing characters that were [[GenderBender gender-swapped]]), essentially killed off further attempts at making further ''Literature/MrMen'' television series, although the books themselves are still going strong to this day. All Mr. Men animations released since have been television commercials or [[WebAnimation short Internet videos]], which have more or less kept the art style and designs of the original books

* The box office failure of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirlsMovie'' led to the scrapping of all plans for future theatrical films based on Creator/CartoonNetwork properties. It would take sixteen years, with the release of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGoToTheMovies'', for another Cartoon Network series to see a theatrical wide-release - and even then, [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo the show it's based on]] is a Creator/DCComics/Creator/WarnerBros property. While that film performed far better than ''Powerpuff Girls'', it just wasn’t the box office smash hit Warner Bros. expected (not helped by a [[ScrewedByTheNetwork surprisingly small marketing campaign for the movie]]), grossing $52 million against a $10 million budget;[[note]]Beast Boy's voice actor Greg Cipes is on record for mentioning $250 million as a target number, but it isn't clear how much of that was just wishful thinking on his part.[[/note]]any plans for an actual ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' continuation are now in doubt. Following Cartoon Network shows would continue to see television premieres or direct-to-video or streaming releases for their long-form adventures, including the second TTG film, ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGoVsTeenTitans''.

* The critical failure of ''WesternAnimation/PinkyElmyraAndTheBrain'' was this not just to ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'', but to ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' as a whole. The show was created as a result of ExecutiveMeddling, which was even pointed out in its theme song ("''It's what the network wants, why bother to complain?''"). In 2020, Pinky and the Brain would make a triumphant return in the Creator/{{Hulu}} exclusive ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020'', along with the Warner Siblings themselves. On October 28, 2020, a ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' reboot called ''Tiny Toons Looniversity'' was announced for Creator/HBOMax and Creator/CartoonNetwork, and on November 1, 2020, Creator/CreeSummer confirmed that [[PutOnABus Elmyra will dropped from the reboot]].

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}: Tales From the Crib'' series was a [[DirectToVideo direct-to-DVD]] series of FracturedFairyTale-esque movies, which attempted to make the original series popular again after it ended. However, there were only two entries in the series; "Snow White" and "Three Jacks and a Beanstalk", as the latter failed to impress. This also forced the "[[WesternAnimation/RugratsPreSchoolDaze Pre-School Daze]]" spin-off (which had its episodes included as bonuses on the [=DVDs=]) to end at only four episodes. The ''Rugrats'' franchise would later be revived in 2017 through a comic book. A live-action/CGI hybrid film was announced in 2018, [[https://deadline.com/2019/11/rugrats-movie-pulled-wwe-rumble-release-date-titles-spongebob-movie-sponge-on-the-run-1202784527/ but was later pulled]], though a full CGI reboot of the series has been confirmed for a May 27th, 2021 release on Creator/ParamountPlus.

** ''Beware the Batman'' also stopped other animated series specifically focused on Batman from being made for several years, in spite of ''Justice League Action'', ''Young Justice'', and ''Harley Quinn'' featuring him in prominent roles, until the announcement of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanCapedCrusader''.

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}: Tales From the Crib'' series was a [[DirectToVideo direct-to-DVD]] series of FracturedFairyTale-esque movies, which attempted to make the original series popular again after it ended. However, there were only two entries in the series; "Snow White" and "Three Jacks and a Beanstalk", as the latter failed to impress. This also forced the "[[WesternAnimation/RugratsPreSchoolDaze Pre-School Daze]]" spin-off (which had its episodes included as bonuses on the [=DVDs=]) to end at only four episodes. The ''Rugrats'' franchise would later be revived in 2017 through a comic book. A live-action/CGI hybrid film was announced in 2018, [[https://deadline.com/2019/11/rugrats-movie-pulled-wwe-rumble-release-date-titles-spongebob-movie-sponge-on-the-run-1202784527/ but was later pulled]], though a full CGI reboot of the series is still in the works.

* ''WesternAnimation/BluesClues'' suffered from two major moments that are considered to have killed the show. The first was Steve Burns leaving in 2002. Both parents and kids found themselves less invested in new host Donovan Patton (AKA Joe), who would admit years later that Steve was clearly the superior host. However, the show managed to pull on for another two years with Patton as host. The second, much clearer one, was the SpinOff, ''Series/BluesRoom'', in 2004. Many inexplicable changes were made for the spin-off: specifically, [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome the non-appearance of many characters from the main show]], [[SuddenlySpeaking Blue now being able to speak]], the [[ArtShift change to puppetry]] as well as the revamp of the notebook[[note]]instead of items being drawn into it, items now magically appear in the notebook, were sentient, and ''sang a little ditty'' - which many fans found to be boring dry, but also annoying[[/note]]. It didn’t help that episodes of ''Clues'' [[EveryEpisodeEnding now ended with a ''Room'' segment]], which likely caused fans to stop watching out of sheer revulsion. Production of both shows ceased in 2006 and 2007, respectively. However, the show still remained a staple of the Nick Jr. brand over the next ten years thanks to on-demand and streaming services in the US and Europe, and DVD sales remained strong in all markets, paving the way for a reboot known as ''WesternAnimation/BluesCluesAndYou'', which premiered late-2019.

*** By 1990 the popularity of the franchise was at its lowest, with [[Manga/TransformersZone Zone]] marking the final animated entry in the japanese G1 franchise (it was so bad the series was represented by a single OVA instead of a full season like earlier entries), mirroring what happened to the G1 in the west during the 90s, with Operation Combination as the last toyline in 1992, followed by a 3 years hiatus until Generation 2(Which didn't do much better either).

*** And even THAT toyline flopped in retails(same problems as with ''Neo'', with the transformers getting comparisons with origami due to how difficult they were to transform), resulting in its [[Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise show]] getting reduced to 39 episodes from a planned 52. Afterwards, Takara wouldn't release another Transformers toyline or show until [[Anime/TransformersArmada 2003]].
*** The series got hit by another with the [[Anime/TransformersCybertron final entry in the Unicron trilogy]], whose toyline sales in Japan were abysmal, resulting in the toyline getting a unceremonial conclusion barely 9 months instead of a full year as planned(the show at least managed to air all its 52 episodes, the manga adaptation wasn't so lucky, getting an abrupt conclusion at 9 issues out of the 12 planned). What followed afterwards was a smaller toyline and fiction called Transformers:Kiss players(aimed at 14 years and up), widely considered the worst entry ever released in Transformers by both sides of the pacific. The series wouldn't recover until the [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries Michael Bay movies]] made the franchise big again.

* The commercial failure of ''WesternAnimation/TheMrMenShow'' when it aired on Creator/CartoonNetwork in the US, including its [[InvisibleAdvertising scant promotion]], its awkward timeslot and a DenserAndWackier tone that bore little to no resemblance to the source material (some characters even being InNameOnly interpretations of their namesakes, including two existing characters that were [[GenderBender gender-swapped]]), essentially killed off further attempts at an AnimatedAdaptation of the ''Literature/MrMen'' franchise, since everything that has been released afterwards have been books and merchandise with the original franchise's style.

*** By 1990 the popularity of the franchise was at its lowest, with [[Manga/TransformersZone Zone]] marking the final animated entry in the japanese G1 franchise (it was so bad the series was represented by a single OVA instead of a full season like earlier entries), mirroring what happened to the G1 in the west during the 90s, with Operation Combination as the last toyline, followed by a 3 years hiatus until Generation 2(Which didn't do much better either).

*** The series got hit by another with the [[Anime/TransformersCybertron final entry in the Unicron trilogy]], whose toyline sales in Japan were abysmal, resulting in the toyline getting a unceremonial conclusion barely 9 months instead of a full year as planned(the show at least managed to air all its 52 episodes, the manga adaptation wasn't so lucky, getting an abrupt conclusion at 9 issues out of the 12 planned). What followed afterwards was a smaller toyline and fiction called Transformers:Kiss players(aimed at 14 years and up), widely considered the worst entry ever released in Transformers by both sides of the pacific. The series wouldn't recover until the [[Film/Transformers Michael Bay movie]] made the franchise big again.

*** The series got hit by another with the [[Anime/TransformersCybertron final entry in the Unicron trilogy]], whose toyline sales in Japan were abysmal, resulting in the toyline getting a unceremonial conclusion barely 9 months instead of a full year as planned(the show at least managed to air all its 52 episodes, the manga adaptation wasn't so lucky, getting an abrupt conclusion at 9 issues out of the 12 planned). What followed afterwards was a smaller toyline and fiction called Transformers:Kiss players(aimed at 14 years and up), widely considered the worst entry ever released in Transformers by both sides of the pacific. The series wouldn't recover until the [[Film/Transformers Michael Bay movies]] made the franchise big again.

*** The series got hit by another with the [[Anime/TransformersCybertron final entry in the Unicron trilogy]], whose toyline sales in Japan were abysmal, resulting in the toyline getting a unceremonial conclusion barely 9 months instead of a full year as planned(the show at least managed to air all its 52 episodes). What followed afterwards was a smaller toyline and fiction called Transformers:Kiss players(aimed at 14 years and up), widely considered the worst entry ever released in Transformers by both sides of the pacific. The series wouldn't recover until the [[Film/Transformers Michael Bay movies]] made the franchise big again.

*** The series got hit by another with the [[Anime/TransformersCybertron final entry in the Unicron trilogy]], whose toyline sales in Japan were abysmal, resulting in
the toyline getting a unceremonial conclusion barely 9 months instead of a full year as planned(the show at least managed to air all its 52 episodes). What followed afterwards was a smaller toyline and fiction called Transformers:Kiss players(aimed at 14 years and up), widely considered the worst entry ever released in Transformers by both sides of the pacific. The series wouldn't recover until the [[Film/Transformers Michael Bay movies]] made the franchise big again.

** And this was itself facilitated by the failure of ''Anime/BeastWarsNeo'' in Japan, which was created to fill space between the third season of ''Beast Wars''--like ''Beast Machines'', the ratings were fine, but the ''toyline'' was notoriously a bit of a mess. The very fiddly designs, weird beast modes, and overcomplicated transformations weren't at all popular with kids, which led to it mostly crashing and burning. Worse, when ''Beast Wars'' did come back, it sold poorly due to kids remembering ''Neo''. This motivated Takara to do a SoftReboot in the form of the ''Car Robots'' anime rather than import ''Beast Machines''... which would then be dubbed as ''Robots in Disguise''.

* ''WesternAnimation/BluesClues'' suffered from two major moments that are considered to have killed the show. The first was Steve Burns leaving in 2002. Both parents and kids found themselves less invested in new host Donovan Patton (AKA Joe), who would admit years later that Steve was clearly the superior host. However, the show managed to pull on for another two years with Patton as host. The second, much clearer one, was the SpinOff, ''Series/BluesRoom'', in 2004. Many inexplicable changes were made for the spin-off: specifically, [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome the non-appearance of many characters from the main show]], [[SuddenlySpeaking Blue now being able to speak]], the [[ArtShift change to puppetry]] as well as the revamp of the notebook[[note]]instead of items being drawn into it, items now magically appear in the notebook, were sentient, and ''sang a little ditty'' - which many fans found to be boring dry, but also annoying[[/note]]. It didn’t help that episodes of ''Clues'' now ended with a ''Room'' segment, which likely caused fans to stop watching out of sheer revulsion. Production of both shows ceased in 2004 and 2007, respectively. However, the show still remained a staple of the Nick Jr. brand over the next ten years thanks to on-demand and streaming services in the US and Europe, and DVD sales remained strong in all markets, paving the way for a reboot known as ''WesternAnimation/BluesCluesAndYou'', which premiered late-2019.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'': When series creator Aaron [=McGruder=] left after Season 3 due to a contractual dispute with Creator/SonyPicturesTelevision and Creator/AdultSwim, Season 4 was developed without him. Due to [[BrokenBase heavy fan backlash against this (seemingly) final season]], ''The Boondocks'' was (apparently) cancelled in 2014, and the franchise's future was left uncertain. At least until 2019, when Sony confirmed that the animated series would be revived on Creator/HBOMax in 2020 (this time with [=McGruder=] returning as the showrunner again), albeit as a ContinuityReboot instead of a straightforward continuation.