About the Disney thing, it’s hard to tell where the blame lies and in what areas. The “four-season rule” was actually officially dropped around the turn of the decade, and the current Mickey Mouse series (which is amazing BTW) is about to go into it’s sixth. We also don’t know what role they played in the development of Starco or any other narrative element (aside from Star having powers). I think the only thing we can truly blame them for is the switch from Disney XD to Disney Channel. The latter isn’t exactly cartoon-oriented, creating the odd release schedule. I personally don’t mind it, though I can why others wouldn’t, and I do think it negatively impacted the experience of “Sad Teen Hotline” onward, which really needed to be released Weirdmageddon/Sozin’s Comet style.

As for theory crafting, that really depends on the show. I do think the excessive theories on Star vs. negatively impacted the show, with many taking the theories (Seth appearing, Marco and Eclipsa becoming evil, Marco being a Mewman, etc.) and making it look like those things HAD to happen, then started whining and bitching when they didn’t. And I gotta blame two people for that: JJ Abrams and Alex Hirsch (love them both though). The former’s TED Talk sent people into a theory frenzy, promptly destroying the Star Wars fanbase. And the latter popularized the use of theories for Disney cartoons Bianca Gravity Falls, leading people to attribute it to other overarching cartoons that were more focused on story and characters, Star vs. included. Theories are fine and can’t improve show engagement, but they should NEVER define a show unless specifically intended that way, which is why Gravity Falls’ theories were loved by everyone. Also, in regards to release schedule and theories - go onto YouTube and you’ll quickly see that really didn’t stop ANYONE from theory crafting.

Are we talking cartoons, TV in general, or all media ever created? Because no matter what the criteria, the list will take ALL DAY for me to make. I’m assuming you’re talking about “action-oriented cartoons with overarching narratives” though, in which case Voltron: Legendary Defender is usually considered the bottom of the barrel. As for Amphibia, I’m not going to argue which is better (mainly because I’ve only seen the first episode), but if you’re going to do so, don’t make your argument your conclusion, because that’s not evidence, that’s elitism.

...Glad to see we're on the same page.  It's obvoius Disney put out Amphibia directly after Star's conclusion to replace one show with another (which IS smart), but rushing Amphibia out the way they did was terrible.  If Disney wants to put the show out there as quickly as possible to fill the void, they really should do a one or two episode a week format to allow people to savor and appricate these new shows.  Amphibia, as it stands now, feels like it's being forced down our throats to get the taste of Star vs. ending out of our mouths.

Now, I've only watched two episodes of Amphibia, but I can tell it's a great quality show.  It's not just the same fantasy show with an overarching plot, but it's a reinterpretation of Matt Braly's childhood trips to Thailand shared with us in animated form.  It's literally a fun and funky way for one generation to share it's lessons with the next, which is why it ticks me off to see them not being savored as much as they should be.

Well, to be honest, Seth HAD to happen. It was literally teased by the Book JUST BEFORE the last season, what the people should have thought?

That's not necessarily true about the four-season rule being dropped. Mickey Mouse is the face of Disney, so of course it's gonna be an exception to any rules that Disney has for their shows.  So unless I see a cartoon series that doesn't involve any of Disney's icons going past four-seasons, I see no evidence that the four-season rule hasn't been done away with yet.

As for theories, theories have been around long before Gravity Falls, so it wouldn't be Alex's fault for fans over-analyzing Star Vs.  Some of those theories like Marco being Mewman were just stupid from the very start.  But the last season didn't help as it kept opening up possible theories, especially on who the main villain will be and what kind of monster Globgor is. The people behind the show were practically getting the fans worked up as well as setting them up for disappointment.

Reynaldo got into Season 4, and yet people complain about his inclusion, even though he had no bearing on the overall plot. Like, the problem is that the writers are including stuff from the book, and your solution... is that the writers should include stuff from the book? Kinda hypocritical if you ask me. Again, Seth could basically just be a bit of lore. He doesn’t HAVE to be the villain, and he wouldn’t even fit in with the status quo of Season 4, Where monster rights are better than ever - like, how would a monster supremacist fit in a world where they’re getting their rights back? Really, the people who want Seth back are just people who want to go back to the “good ol’ days”, where the show was little more than “white chick beat up monsters on Earth, it crazy”. And that probably goes for a lot of other people complaining about the show. So to them I say, why keep investing yourself in a story with an overarching narrative if it isn’t allowed to evolve as it sees fit? Basically every such cartoon does it - maybe not as drastically, but still very much so - and regardless of your opinion on it, you can’t deny Star vs. went an interesting route by adding a morally grey element, more intricate lore, and weighty themes. Would you really want to see the same Season 1 stories over and over again?

The only complaints I've heard about Reynaldo was how he was treated. I personally enjoyed his appearance and had hoped he would make another.

And Seth could've easily been used as a representive extremist on the Monsters' side as Mina was for the Mewmens's side.

DuckTales only got four seasons, Goof Troop got two, and House Of Mouse got three, so yeah, the Sensational Six were NOT exempt from the rule (aside from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, though Disney Junior seems to operate by different standards unfortunately). Plus, Avengers Assemble went on for five seasons.

And dude, seriously - do you think I’m so stupid as to believe that Alex Hirsch created the fan theory? Everyone knows that fan theories have existed for DECADES. What I was trying to say is that Gravity Falls set this gold standard for Disney Channel that is beginning to lord over the company. Even though Kim Possible and Phineas and Ferb popularized cartoons for Disney Channel, Gravity Falls’ method of fully planning its entire run set a level of critical acclaim that can only really be compared to Avatar for Nickelodeon. But unlike Nick, Disney is speaking with its wallet and releasing numerous cartoons in the vein of Gravity Falls, as evidenced by both Amphibia and The Owl House, beyond their creators working with and kissing with Hirsch respectively, having the same stylistic elements as Gravity Falls. So when people see another show on the channel with an overarching narrative, chances are they’re going to compare it with Gravity Falls and either praise or criticize the new show for doing anything when placed against Gravity Falls. Which is EXACTLY what happened with Star vs. And to be fair, Star vs. premiered around the time Gravity Falls was wrapping up, so it could very well be Disney’s first attempt at capitalizing on the success of the show. However, you have to look at the shows as two separate entities and see what each is going for. Gravity Falls was about the fantasy and mystery surrounding a small town, seen through the lens of an awkward family struggling to deal with what life throws at them. Star vs. is about the magic and wonder found in a corrupt and deceptively harsh Multiverse, seen through the lens of two best friends who decide the best way to deal with the world is with each other and the people around them. Neither concept is inherently better than the other, just that the former executed it better. They should be judged not for what came before, but what they try to do individually.

Just "lore"? Dude, you seem to know not that much of narrative, just like Star's writers. This is a kind of thing that needs pay off. Of, like, any sort.

Ducktales and Goof Troop are very old series and Disney might've had rules back then would be different than what it is now. House of Mouse was around when Disney's limit on cartoons was two seasons (though it could've been the limited amount of episode era).  But just because the Disney icons are capable of being exceptions to the rules doesn't mean they aren't capable of being cancelled or ended either. You said it yourself that the current Mickey Mouse series is amazing and you're obviously not the only one who thinks so.  As for the fifth season of Avengers Assemble, It was pretty much a Black Panther series without having to give Black Panther his own actual show.

Do you have proof that Gravity Falls is the exact reason for why the Star Vs. fans are having such insane theories instead of the usual fan theories? Or any proof of fans comparing Star Vs. with Gravity Fans?  Disney isn't the only channel with cartoons with a similar art style and full of mysteries. CartoonNetwork's Steven Universe is a good example as fans of that show had a huge amount of theories including some that were thought as stupid at the time like Rose Quartz being Pink Diamond.

I do agree that fans of Star Vs. shouldn't hold the show to be judged for not being as good as Gravity Falls (I have never expected the show to be like GF myself), but the show does deserve criticism for the quality going down after Battle for Mewni. If Daron had expected to get a fifth season, she should've gotten confirmation from Disney or at least find a way to continue the series after the cartoon ends. Avatar had continued with a comic series and I wouldn't mind seeing Star Vs. continue with comicbooks as long as it's written well.

I created a conversation about the Ask Me Anything:  https://starvstheforcesofevil.fandom.com/wiki/Thread:86186