History LighterAndSofter / LiveActionTV

* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' basically changed from a CringeComedy to [[{{Soaperizing}} a comedic]] SoapOpera in its later seasons. This was even reflected in the content ratings, as it went from TV-14 to TV-PG.

** In terms of specific seasons, these include ''Series/DaiSentaiGoggleFive'', ''Series/KousokuSentaiTurboranger'', ''Series/ChikyuuSentaiFiveman'', ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger''[[note]]Main/MoodWhiplash notwithstanding[[/note]], ''Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger''[[note]][[Main/CerebusSyndrome At least during its first half]][[/note]], ''Series/GekisouSentaiCarranger'', ''Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman'', ''Series/HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger''[[note]]Episodes 30 and 31 notwithstanding[[/note]],
''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger'', ''Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger''[[note]][[Main/MoodWhiplash Although it had its share of dark moments]][[/note]], ''Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'', ''Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger'', ''Series/TensouSentaiGoseiger'', ''Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger'', ''Series/ResshaSentaiToQger''[[note]][[Main/CerebusSyndrome Although it became MUCH more serious as it progressed,]] though the fun was never truly lost[[/note]], ''Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger'', and ''Series/MashinSentaiKiramager''.

* ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'', to a degree. Until about the 1990s, the clues were often straightforward, and host Creator/AlexTrebek was rather stuffy and formal. Over time, the clues have become more whimsical and punny, with occasional pop culture references and GettingCrapPastTheRadar (arguably without dumbing the show down). Trebek has also loosened up especially in the 2000s, as he now smiles and laughs more, and gets in plenty of DeadpanSnarker moments.

** In terms of specific seasons, these include ''Series/DaiSentaiGoggleFive'', ''Series/KousokuSentaiTurboranger'', ''Series/ChikyuuSentaiFiveman'', ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger''[[note]]Main/MoodWhiplash notwithstanding[[/note]], ''Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger''[[note]][[Main/CyrubusSyndrome At least during its first half]][[/note]], ''Series/GekisouSentaiCarranger'', ''Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman'', ''Series/HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger''[[note]]Episodes 30 and 31 notwithstanding[[/note]],

** In terms of specific seasons, these include ''Series/DaiSentaiGoggleFive'', ''Series/KousokuSentaiTurboranger'', ''Series/ChikyuuSentaiFiveman'', ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger''[[note]]Main/MoodWhiplash notwithstanding[[/note]], ''Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger'', ''Series/GekisouSentaiCarranger'', ''Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman'', ''Series/HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger''[[note]]Episodes 30 and 31 notwithstanding[[/note]], ''Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger''[[note]][[Main/MoodWhiplash Although it had its share of dark moments]][[/note]], ''Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'', ''Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger'', ''Series/TensouSentaiGoseiger'', ''Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger'', ''Series/ResshaSentaiToQger''[[note]][[Main/CerebusSyndrome Although it became MUCH more serious as it progressed,]] though the fun was never truly lost[[/note]], ''Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger'', and ''Series/MashinSentaiKiramager''.

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. Even the haters are loathe to admit that the show had some fantastic episodes (the two-parters, especially), but there were aspects of it that were less in keeping with "''To go where no man has gone before''" and more with a floating fun palace in space. How much time is given to Holodeck pursuits? On a ship which is stranded in uncharted space, one understands the need for distractions, but it always felt like the energy reserves should come first. There seemed a lack of consistency with what was important to the crew outside of just getting home. ''Voyager'' was also notorious for coming through battles with Borg Cubes and taking more of a beating than other, larger ships (e.g. ''Enterprise-D'') without so much as a scratch. The stories felt like ''Voyager'' was always a day away from the nearest starbase. ''Series/RedDwarf'' took its premise more seriously.

* ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'':
** ''Series/{{Arrow}}'':
*** Season Four has a notable change in tone compared to the ultra-serious season three. The story still goes into dark areas but the character interaction is a bit more playful. Oliver in particular is A LOT warmer, almost leaving behind his role as TheStoic entirely.
*** Season Seven: After Oliver gets out of prison, he starts trying to do everything in the light of day and through lawful means, being deputized by the SCPD as what is effectively a black ops unit of the department and appealing to Emiko as the hero that he knows she could have been if she had a better upbringing.
** ''Series/TheFlash2014''
*** The entire series is like this compared to ''Arrow,'' with more humor, and the characters still having some {{Soaperizing}} but not to the point where things are extremely strained ''all'' the time. Even noted in-universe, as TheCowl Oliver tells TheCape Barry that Barry could inspire people in a way that he himself never could. Barry's optimism and willingness to do the right thing even if it seems victory would be better assured by playing dirty is considered one of his best qualities, and is contrasted to Oliver ''even by Oliver.''
*** There's the Flashpoint reality. Elsewhere, ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'' and its AnimatedAdaptation ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueTheFlashpointParadox'' are about the world becoming a total CrapsackWorld with global destruction imminent due to the war between the Amazons and the Atlanteans (with Aquaman and Wonder Woman as competing {{Big Bad}}s in a war over who will TakeOverTheWorld. In the end, ''everyone'' loses.) In the show, the episodes "Flashpoint" and "Paradox" show the altered reality to not be so bad. However, that makes restoring the old reality once [[spoiler: Wally is mortally wounded in battle against The Rival]] much more of a sacrifice.
*** Season 4 has a lighthearted and comedic tone after the darkness brought by Zoom and Savitar.
** ''Series/Supergirl2015'':
*** The show is produced by the same team behind ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' and ''[[Series/TheFlash2014 The Flash]]'', is notably less serious than either one of those shows, with the prospect of superheroics being treated in a very fun and free-spirited fashion, without as much major emotional baggage that the other two shows have had to deal with. In much the same way, it's also less serious than the last live-action iteration of the ''Superman'' mythos, ''Film/ManOfSteel''.
*** The FreezeFrameBonus mentioned below gives us an InUniverse justification for the tone, as well - while hardly utopian, the reality Supergirl occurs in appears to be a good one.
*** That said, it's lighter and softer ''with teeth'', as the DEO - especially Kara's sister - often use deadly force to bring down villains (a heartbreaking example when Alex is forced to kill Astra) and a couple of episodes have addressed whether Kara is capable of doing the same if necessary.
** ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'': Although not without its occasional serious moment, or dark episode, this series is considered lighter-hearted than the other shows in the DC TV universe, even moreso than ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}'', with a greater emphasis on character comedy, particularly from the second season onwards. Becomes evident in the crossover episodes where the Legends don't always seem to fit alongside darker characters from ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' (even though the series features individuals first introduced on that show).

** ''Series/{{Arrow}}'': To the [[Series/{{Smallville}} last TV show to air on]] Creator/TheCW which was based on a Creator/DCComics character. For a point of reference, it's commonly been compared to ''Film/BatmanBegins''.
*** And to the original comics. No "Boxing Glove Arrow" here (until a ShoutOut improvised use of a glove-on-an-arrow in S3's "Guilty")! To be specific, Oliver starts out as a cold-blooded killer in the series; generally the show seems to take influence from Mike Grell's run, which itself was notable for its DarkerAndEdgier and no-spandex or superpowers approach to the DCU.
*** Also applies to other superheroes featured in the series. ComicBook/BlackCanary, and in particular Comicbook/{{Huntress}}, both of whom are killers; Huntress, indeed, isn't a superhero in this version, but an outright villain. At best, the protagonists in this series qualify as examples of AntiHero.
*** Ollie is MUCH darker than his comics counterpart. For one, Comics!Ollie might be more than willing to hurt bad guys, but he doesn't break ThouShaltNotKill as blatantly as Arrow!Ollie does. Comics Ollie might have around maybe half a dozen kills in his entire existence as a character. By contrast, Arrow!Ollie might kill a dozen people ''an episode''. Also, his idealism is less politically-motivated and more based on revenge for his father's murder (though he does soften up as the show goes along and graduates into heroism for its own sake on the side of his main mission).
*** It's deconstructed in comparison to ''Series/TheFlash2014''. When their characters cross over in "Brave and the Bold," they mention that they have the luxury of calling their bad guys metahumans. It helps them keep it from getting too real and serious, while Starling City is filled with much more real and darker threats.
*** ''Arrow's'' fifth midseason finale and ''The Flash's'' third midseason finale illustrate this. Despite both episodes' big climactic moments being pretty grim, they end with drastically different tones. The ''Flash'' episode ends with a celebratory Christmas sequence in which Joe finally hooks up with his coworker Cecille, Wally receives his Kid Flash costume, Julian befriends the team, the West house is visited by merry carolers, Caitlin uses her powers to make it snow, and Barry and Iris get their own apartment together. In the ''Arrow'' episode, on the other hand, everybody is miserable: Diggle is arrested, Curtis's marriage falls apart, Billy is dead, Felicity is distraught over Billy being dead, and Oliver is distraught over the fact that Prometheus duped him into killing Billy. At least Laurel's apparent return from the dead lightens the mood a little bit.
*** The fifth season is this to the rest of the series, featuring a SlasherMovie-influenced main antagonist and having Oliver return to killing after three seasons of abstaining from it. That last point does not go well.
*** The eighth season drives home the bleak and apocalyptic nature of the upcoming Crisis. While the premiere is altogether a much lighter take on Season 1, with Oliver quickly learning to trust his allies (Diggle, Laurel and Earth-2 Adrian) and talking down Tommy from going through with the Earth-2 Undertaking, Earth-2 gets erased from existence in the closing moments of the episode by the Anti-Monitor, making everyone in that universe DeaderThanDead and all of Oliver's efforts to redeem Tommy ultimately pointless. Oliver also spends the entire season saddled with the knowledge that he dies in the Crisis, which considerably darkens his story arc.
** ''Series/TheFlash2014'':

** The fifth season is this to the rest of the series, featuring a SlasherMovie-influenced main antagonist and having Oliver return to killing after three seasons of abstaining from it. That last point does not go well.
** The eighth season drives home the bleak and apocalyptic nature of the upcoming Crisis. While the premiere is altogether a much lighter take on Season 1, with Oliver quickly learning to trust his allies (Diggle, Laurel and Earth-2 Adrian) and talking down Tommy from going through with the Earth-2 Undertaking, Earth-2 gets erased from existence in the closing moments of the episode by the Anti-Monitor, making everyone in that universe DeaderThanDead and all of Oliver's efforts to redeem Tommy ultimately pointless. Oliver also spends the entire season saddled with the knowledge that he dies in the Crisis, which considerably darkens his story arc.

** ''Series/{{Arrow}}'':
*** Season 4 was an attempt at this after a particularly dark season. Oliver finally adopted his comic-book moniker of "Green Arrow", along with a lighter shade of green for his suit, and declared his intention to be a 'symbol of hope' for the city as opposed to the ruthless vigilante he was as the "Arrow". Oliver was in a relationship with Felicity and generally had a more optimistic and agreeable demeanor (dubbed "Ollie 2.0" by Thea). Team Arrow had a swanky new lair that was literally brighter and was more of a family than ever. YMMV on how effective these changes were, especially since the show went on to suffer SeasonalRot and by the end, things went in a pretty dark direction with [[spoiler: Diggle killing his brother Andy, and the death of the Black Canary]].
*** In season two, Oliver decided to stop killing criminals in order to prove that he was better then the criminals that plagued the city. This after season one, where he killed a significant number of his opponents, and in the end [[spoiler: he manages to stop Merlyn's earthquake machine... only for the back-up machine to go off and cause a great deal of death and destruction anyway]]. Season two's still a bit dark but an Oliver who only kills as an absolute last resort has [[spoiler: much more of a victory against the bad guys]].

* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' :
** ''Series/IronFist2017'' is inherently lighter in tone compared to other Creator/{{Netflix}} MCU series. Claire even brings up the comparison, noting to Danny that he has an aura of [[NiceGuy sweet innocence]] that [[BloodKnight Matt]], [[BrokenBird Jessica]], and [[DarkAndTroubledPast Luke]] don't have, and which he should see as a quality worth keeping.

* ''[[LighterAndSofter/Whoniverse Whoniverse]]''

* ''Franchise/{{Whoniverse}}''
** ''Series/DoctorWho'' itself has made tone shifts in a lighter direction several times -- sometimes ''during'' a Doctor's tenure, sometimes when Doctors were switched out.
*** The seventh season, the Third Doctor's debut in which he was Earthbound and working with UNIT, was quite dark at times, with some brutal fist- and gun-fights, a prickly relationship between the Doctor and the Brigadier, one story ending with the Doctor being disgusted by UNIT massacring a group of sentient non-humans who might have been willing to make peace, and another story featuring the Doctor failing to prevent the complete destruction of a parallel Earth. Over the next season, the tone gradually became lighter, with UNIT becoming more MildlyMilitary, the stories generally having happy endings, and the violence becoming more fantastic.
*** In Season 14, the character of the Fourth Doctor was made Lighter and Softer. The writers gave him more silly setpieces, funny lines and moments where he would be [[BadassAdorable really cute]], and fewer terrifying impossibly-old alien bits, debates over the morality of genocide and, well, performing outright murders and laughing about it. The writers apparently did this because they hoped it would let them get away with still inserting as much gore, horror and death as they wanted without facing as much objection from MoralGuardians fooled by the lighter tone. It worked... for a little while, anyway. A good example of a story with this tone is ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E5TheRobotsOfDeath The Robots of Death]]'', which is one of the goriest and most violent stories Tom Baker ever did, but unlike the similarly violent ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin The Deadly Assassin]]'', the Doctor behaves flippantly and childishly about it throughout and the villain is vanquished in a very silly way.
*** The most extreme example comes with Seasons 15-17. Just after the show had reached the height of its "dark and intelligent" phase, it was derailed and audiences were treated to three lighter and softer seasons that verged on comedy. As soon as Philip Hinchcliffe quit as producer his replacement Graham Williams was called in by BBC executives and [[ExecutiveMeddling bluntly ordered]] to reduce the amount of graphic violence and horror, which had caused high-profile condemnations of the show by [[MoralGuardians moral purity campaigners, led by Mary Whitehouse]], and the general press during the previous couple of seasons. The Williams era does have die-hard fans, but most of the child audience seemed to regret the loss of the gore and horror.
*** Season 23 was also the subject of executive edicts demanding that it be made lighter than the very grim and violent previous season. In this case, many fans share the belief that Seasons 21-2 had got too {{crapsack|World}}.
*** Moving on to the revival, debatably the Eleventh Doctor is this to the Tenth. While 'pure horror' episodes are more common in Series 5, the series deals with far less serious themes, and the Doctor is portrayed as a slightly mad gentleman waltzing around the universe as opposed to a shell-shocked veteran riddled with guilt from the murder of his own species. Compare "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime The End of Time]]" special (the last episode featuring the Tenth Doctor) to "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E1TheEleventhHour The Eleventh Hour]]" (the Eleventh Doctor's first appearance). The MoodWhiplash is ''massive'', although quite well pulled-off. This approach is generally justified by the fact that the writers were aiming to make the show more popular and comprehensible to a younger audience, which it did extremely well without alienating older fans. Series 6 got DenserAndWackier and DarkerAndEdgier, though, and this was partially responsible for its SeasonalRot.
*** The Twelfth Doctor's era is DarkerAndEdgier tonally than Eleven's era was, owing largely to Twelve being a DarkIsNotEvil, CreepyGood ByronicHero. But while outright {{Breather Episode}}s are extremely rare (there are ''none'' in Series 9, which climaxes with a TraumaCongaLine that temporarily turns him into a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds), episodes like "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E5TimeHeist Time Heist]]" and "[[Recap/DoctorWho2014CSLastChristmas Last Christmas]]" balance horror/action elements with substantial comedy and whimsy. And post-Series 9 comes the lightest, wackiest adventure for Twelve yet in "[[Recap/DoctorWho2015CSTheHusbandsOfRiverSong The Husbands of River Song]]", which has a BittersweetEnding that nevertheless qualifies as ThrowTheDogABone.
** ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'' is mostly this, but still retains some of the key 'scary' elements that ''Series/DoctorWho'' has... it's just more likely to be off screen. Creator/RussellTDavies has said "there's still death and despair" but added that there's "more hugs".
** The second series of the spin-off series ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' actually airs in two versions, one for adults and one for all-ages (or at least somewhere between PG and 12A). There is little difference in the broadcasts, apart from some removal of swearing and gore, such as [[spoiler: Alan Dale's character being shot (the all-ages version omitted the squib going off)]] in "[[{{Recap/TorchwoodS2E6Reset}} Reset]]".

* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' basically changed from a CringeComedy to [[{{Soaperizing}} a comedic]] SoapOpera in its later seasons. This was even reflected in the content ratings, as it went from TV-14 to TV-PG

* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' in later episodes getting TV-PG instead of TV-14.

* ''Franchise/KamenRider'' has had several lighter entries, [[Main/CrapsaccharineWorld and while not excatly all sunshine and rainbows]], are more lighter than the darker entries. Generally speaking, while still having more character deaths and being darker than ''Franchise/SuperSentai'', recent series have had more kid-friendly content.
** While ''Series/KamenRiderBlackRX'' is generally more lighter than ''Series/KamenRiderBlack'', it has had it's fair share of serious moments such as [[Main/TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening how RX got his two alternate forms]], Shadow Moon's duration in the show, and [[spoiler:General Jark as [[Main/OneWingedAngel Jark Midler]] murdering the Sahara parents.]] Even then, ''Black RX'' balances its humorous and dramatic moments.
** Among the first few Heisei Rider series, ''Series/KamenRiderAgito'', despite [[Main/MonsterOfTheWeek the Lords]] not looking out of place in a horror movie, was the only of those series with a significant comedy component. A good many of the scenes with Shouichi and his adopted family are written as scenes from a Main/DomCom, and any interactions between Hikawa and Shouichi quickly turn into a Main/StraightManAndWiseGuy sketch. Even the Lords are somewhat this trope, as many are [[Main/AntiVillain Anti-Villains]] that only kill those with the potential to become Agito and generally don't attack regular humans.
** ''Series/KamenRiderHibiki'', despite having most of the cast being professional demon hunters and the Oni (or Riders) being demons that shed their clothing during transformation, mainly tends to be a Main/SliceOfLife and has part of the focus be on Asumu's training to be an Oni. The show in general also is mainly a Main/ComingOfAgeStory that focuses on the relationship between mentor and student, the old and new generation and the choices that we make in life.
** ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' esentially is both this trope and Main/DenserAndWackier. ''Den-O'' is esentially FULL of funny moments stemming from [[Main/CosmicPlaything Ryotaro's bad luck]] and the [[Main/DemonicPossession Taro's possession hijinks]]. They even happen a lot [[Main/MoodWhiplash during battles]]. It's this trope that's one of the reasons why ''Den-O'' was so popular.
** ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'' started the lighthearted formula for [[Series/KamenRiderOOO four]] [[Series/KamenRiderWizard seasons]] where those seasons were mainly comedic with some drama and [[Main/CerebusSyndrome during each season's final events reveals some tragic revelations regarding the main Rider's sidekick]]. Among the four seasons also include ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'' where during production, they decided to make it a show that would be "uplifting" after the 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami, explaining the very soft tone and focus on friendship. Granted, ''Fourze'' has [[Main/NightmareFuel some rather realistic conflicts/horrors among several interactions]] yet overall, the show is generally a fun in tone that by the end [[spoiler:after the titular Rider defeats the Main/BigBad, he befriends him and thanks him for leading the events that led to many friendships possible.]]
** ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'', despite the ghost theme and its Main/DownerBeginning, has a rather optimistic story compared to its two [[Series/KamenRiderDrive prede]][[Series/KamenRiderGaim cessors]] or [[Series/KamenRiderExAid succe]][[Series/KamenRiderBuild ssors]]. The show has its general themes of believing in oneself and the bonds between people [[spoiler: and is surprisingly by far the only Rider series where ''NEARLY'' every single villain presented in the show [[Main/HeelFaceTurn turns good]] in due part of the heroes' efforts.]]
** ''[[Recap/KamenRiderZiORiderTimeShinobi Rider Time: Kamen Rider Shinobi]]'' is presented as a spin-off that's a much sillier contrast to ''Series/KamenRiderZiO'' and ''[[Recap/KamenRiderZiORiderTimeRyuki Rider Time: Kamen Rider Ryuki]]'' being a fun (if not entirely bloodless) romp in a world where everyone is a ninja as an environmental disaster has left Main/SupernaturalMartialArts-based Main/ElementalPowers the best source of once-natural resources.

* ''Series/KatyKeene'' : Unlike ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'' and ''Series/ChillingAdventuresOfSabrina'', which are DarkerAndEdgier takes on Franchise/ArchieComics, this one goes the other way and has a lighter tone closer to the original comics (but still slightly more serious in a drama show sense).

* ''{{Newsround}}'' is a simplified version of ''[[Creator/TheBBC BBC News]]'', with more kid friendly language and some concepts adults would be familiar with more fully explained. It also tends to lack financial news and only goes into politics on rare occasions (around election time for example). It isn't afraid to report on death or depressing topics (it was the news broadcast that broke the story of the Challenger disaster in the UK) but is a bit more sensitive about it, they also might report something which seen as a story of high 'kid interest' that the adult news wouldn't bother with. It was the go-to source for Franchise/HarryPotter-related news in the UK, less so since Internet access became all but universal. It is also lighter on politics than it used to be. It was the first television programme that some kids saw Michael Howard MP, interviewed at the Rio Earth Summit by a Press Packer in 1992 as Environment Secretary.

** The second series of the spin-off series ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' actually airs in two versions, one for adults and one for all-ages. There is little difference in the broadcasts, apart from some removal of swearing and gore, such as [[spoiler: Alan Dale's character being shot (the all-ages version omitted the squib going off)]] in "[[{{Recap/TorchwoodS2E6Reset}} Reset]]".

* ''Franchise/Buffyverse'':

* ''{{Newsround}}'' is a simplified version of ''[[Creator/TheBBC BBC News]]'', with more kid friendly language and some concepts adults would be familiar with more fully explained. It also tends to lack financial news and only goes into politics on rare occasions (around election time for example). It isn't afraid to report on death or depressing topics (it was the news broadcast that broke the story of the Challenger disaster in the UK) but is a bit more sensitive about it, they also might report something which seen as a story of high 'kid interest' that the adult news wouldn't bother with. It was the go-to source for Franchise/HarryPotter-related news in the UK, less so since Internet access became all but universal. It is also lighter on politics than it used to be. It was the first television programme that some kids saw Michael Howard MP, interviewed at the Rio Earth Summit by a Press Packer in 1992 as Environment Secretary.
* ''Series/StargateSG1'' has gradually taken this course over its ten seasons, getting closer and closer to self-parody in the process.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Season 7 starts out with a much lighter mood than the dark, dark, ''{{dark|erAndEdgier}}'' Season 6 -- a deliberate move from the writers to give the audience a break from the doom and gloom. The season did take a noticeably grimmer tone as it progressed.
* ''{{Series/Angel}}'''s fourth season was incredibly dark and grim, with a pretty gloomy tone. The fifth season saw a switch to more standalone episodes rather than an arc. While it did feature its share of TearJerker moments - notably "You're Welcome" and "A Hole In The World", it was still lighter than Season 4.

*** ''Series/DoctorWho'' itself has made tone shifts in a lighter direction several times -- sometimes ''during'' a Doctor's tenure, sometimes when Doctors were switched out.