Executive Meddling

Executive Meddling is a term where any kind of media that is going through development, its original intention of writing is altered by executives that have control over the show, resulting them altering it as it would work better in their interest, and that also includes actions like cancellation of that development.

This topic also has a page on Crappy Games Wiki.

Why It Sucks

 * 1) Even though the writers tend to already have something great intended, executives stick their nose in that development, and they tend to alter into something that would work better for them, which usually results in something underwhelming or not good to that development.
 * 2) There have been shows that were cancelled due to executive meddling.
 * 3) It's usually just used to expand profits.
 * 4) Sometimes, things have turned out pretty lousy due to executive meddling.
 * 5) It can happen with shows that some like, but feel they are for much younger audiences.

Examples of Executive Meddling In TV

 * 1) Sonic SatAM: It was cancelled because of executive meddling, not from Sega, but from ABC - a new president came in and declared that he was sweeping out the old and bringing in new stuff. That, coupled with the fact that the show's ratings were low, resulted in its cancellation. It was also likely cancelled due to Disney's purchase in ABC, which led to other original shows like Bump in the Night being cancelled.
 * 2) The Simpsons and Family Guy: Despite their drops in quality, Fox won't let them end due to them being its cash cows.
 * 3) Danny Phantom: When writer Steve Marmel wanted to make the show darker and edgier in season 3, Nickelodeon fired him, leading to the third season of Danny Phantom declining in quality. Also, Nickelodeon cancelled the show after 3 seasons, despite series creator Butch Hartman wanting to do more episodes.
 * 4) Moral Orel: Originally, the series was meant to have 5 seasons, however, after the Season 2 finale. Adult Swim changed it to 3 Seasons. To make matters worse, Season 3 was going to have 20 episodes, but it was changed to 13 episodes.
 * 5) Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain: The show was made, due of Warner Bros. executives wanted Pinky and the Brain to be part of a sitcom "more like The Simpsons" and also being adopted by Elmyra Duff. As a result, the idea was reportedly met with resistance from the producers of the series, the opening makes a reference of the decision of Warner Bros. executives for making the show as a lyric: "Now Pinky and the Brain share a new domain. It's what the network wants, why bother to complain?". At the end from the opening of the show, Brain says: "I deeply resent this".
 * 6) Back at the Barnyard: The series was ordered for 3 Seasons. Unfortunately, due to unknown reasons, the show's 3rd Season was canceled and the series ended in 2011.
 * 7) Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 2 was originally meant to have 26 episodes. Unfortunately, Nickelodeon changed it to 13 episodes, and may have canceled the series.
 * 8) Young Justice: It was initially cancelled because of poor toy sales. However, it was brought back on DC Universe, to the joy of many.
 * 9) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003): Season 5 was originally intended to be the final season of the series, as its arc concluded the main series storyline in 2006. But due to the show's popularity, 4Kids greenlit two more Seasons.
 * 10) Batman: The Animated Series: Some of the more violent parts of the show were toned down to make them more kid-friendly.
 * 11) Adventure Time: Initially, Cartoon Network wouldn't allow Princess Bubblegum and Marceline's relationship to be shown on-screen because the show airs in countries where homosexuality is illegal, such as Russia. However, they ended up kissing in the series finale, which other countries would simply edit out.
 * 12) Avatar: The Last Airbender: There was going to be a subplot about Zuko's mom, Ursa, but due to time constraints it didn't come to fruition. The comics based on the show resolve the subplot, though.
 * 13) Beavis & Butthead: A little kid burned down his trailer home allegedly from watching the show, which caused MTV executives to force Mike Judge to tone down Beavis' pyromaniac tendencies, and add a disclaimer at the top of the show.
 * 14) Courage The Cowardly Dog: The show got deleted from the airwaves for a little while because of the episode "The Mask", which had an implied lesbian couple in the form of Bunny and Kitty. Another reason the show was cancelled was because Cartoon Network executives thought that a plush toy of a pink dog (Courage) wouldn't sell well to little boys.
 * 15) The Fairly OddParents: Nickelodeon executives forced Butch Hartman to add new characters like Poof, Sparky and Chloe Carmichael. Also, originally, the 10th season had 13 episodes, but late in its production, Nickelodeon ordered 7 more episodes.
 * 16) Pinky Malinky: The show was set to premiere in 2009 on Cartoon Network, but then pushed to 2011 before being picked up by Nickelodeon, then was pushed to 2016, then 2017, then 2018 on Netflix before finally premiering on January 1, 2019 on Netflix.
 * 17) Pee-Wee's Playhouse: The show was pulled from the airwaves in July, 1991 after actor Paul Reubens was arrested after he masterbating in an Adult Movie Theatre in Florida. All Pee-Wee Herman merchandise were pulled from stores (like Toys R Us). Also, All Pee-Wee Herman cameos on other shows had to be removed (for example: He had a cameo in the celebrity version of the mh:besttvshows:Sesame Street song, Put Down the Duckie, And his scene was removed and replaced with Phil Donahue).
 * 18) The Real Ghostbusters: Many unnecessary changes were made by a consultant firm known as Q5, who were hired by ABC. Some of these changes included replacing Lorenzo Music with Dave Coulier as Peter Venkman, recasting Laura Summer with Kath Soucie as Janine Melnitz, recasting Arsenio Hall with Buster Jones as Winston Zeddemore. The biggest changes were making Slimer the focus of the show, and toning down the darkness of the show, making it more kid-friendly. Most of these changes were made without any sort of audience testing by Q5. Many of these changes resulted in the ratings dropping, and drove story editor Joe Straczynski to leave the show, though he continued to write episodes for the show such as "The Halloween Door".\
 * 19) Neon Genesis Evangelion' : TV Tokyo rejected the original scripts to episodes 25 and 26 because of how graphic they were. This resulted in budget cuts and the show having one of the worst and weirdest anime finales of all time. The reject scripts became The End of Evangelion, the proper ending to the series.
 * 20) Sesame Street: For Season 33 (2002), the show was retooled to better suit younger audiences. In 2009, seven years later, it would be modeled after preschool blocks like Nick Jr. and Qubo, with Murray Monster serving as the host.