Animation is NOT a "genre for kids" 

Saying animation is a genre is like saying video games are a computer

I have a friend who thought or still thinks that anime and animation is a different thing, he said that animation is for kids while anime was cool. What a moron, am I right? Edit: this argument I had with him was over a year ago, I'm not mad at him anymore because we don't really see eachother often and when we do we are still homies. I don't find him a moron anymore.

Someone give this man a medal he spent nine minutes talking about the difference so we don't have to

This is literally why American animation has pretty much stagnated. Imagine where we would be today if we didn't have this stupid conception of animation - Arcane would be normal day time television, not an exception.

I always preferred animation to live-action. Makes the graphics blend more together and become more creative.

Brad Bird's quote about animation being an art form has always stuck with me ever since I heard it.

Let's keep in mind that big budget movies needs CGI which is basically 3D animation incorporated into live action. And Hollywood still have the audacity to call animation a "kids genre."

If Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell, mentioned animation in the 2022 Oscars. They would at least say that animation is for both kids and adults. In the 2015 Oscars, Dwayne Johnson who would voice Maui a year later, said that animation was successful and innovative.

Oscar: "animation is for kids" Me: explain Attack on titan, demon slayer, Hayop ka (which is a animated film produced in philippines if you don't know that) and more things that are not for kids

Animation is not JUST for kids, it’s for everyone, but for different age groups.

Honestly the funny thing is that back when animation was created, it was made for adults in mind with Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop doing things kids shouldn’t really see. It wasn’t until around the 50s-70s that people considered it to be “for children” for absolutely no reason.

Also they Nominated FLEE Which is a Adult animated movie about refugees fleeing from Afghanistan made by someone who experienced it first hand.

By the Academy’s logic paintings such as the Mona Lisa and the Starry Night are for children while photographs are for adults :)

Yep animation is not for kids I tried it as a 9 year old and my hand hurts till this day (This is a joke i know what the vid's about)

Animation is for kids: princess monoke, secret of nihm, into the spider verse, waterdown (you will be scared for life), secret of kells, wolf walker, and hunchback of notre dame… and Tarzan… parents were eaten and a man was hung. Also Camp Camp … a show that is so not meant for children. It’s like musicals are for children; spring awaken, heathers and dear Evan Hansen have a few words.

Animation is for all ages and can be used to express ANY STORY in a beautiful way NOT just for kids movies although it can apply a kids movie, It is a great tool used for many great shows like Arcane and others of genres for adults like Rick and Morty or shows from Adult Swim are sometimes animated I just love how he structured and explained this controversy and I completely agree, make more of these in the future please! Great content and only 8k views I thought it said 7million and I thought you deserved all 8mil until I read it as 8k

"animation is made for kids" *looks at who framed rodger rabbit*

Animation is Animation

I just find it weird how during the live, broadcasted speech for Animated Feature Film, animation gets laughed at as a kids genre, but on the pre-recorded, shortened speech for Animated Short Film, animation is recognized as a medium for everyone. Congratulations to Encanto and the Windshield Wiper for your wins, well deserved. And remember kids, just because you’re getting older doesn’t mean you have to watch “real” movies.

This was short but very much on point and cut to the chase. To think people still believe animation is just for kids in 2022 despite animation getting more and more popular and mainstream. I had a bit of a scuffle with someone online who was making a big stink out of Turning Red and complaining that Pixar wasn't the "proper medium" for such a film, and when I and a few others politely told them that the movie was really aimed at teen audiences, we got the oh-so classic "Pixar makes films for 4-7 year olds." Well, I hate to break it to you, but Pixar films (and I think most animated films in general) touch on some REALLY heavy adult topics. No, the kids won't get them, but as an adult you can definitely see it. Up, for example, tackled aging, Encanto was about generational trauma and the Incredibles even dared to portray government oppression against the superheroes (with Bob/Mr Incredible getting into legal heat because he prevented a man from committing suicide). These are just a few examples of real life adult topics that kids won't get that happen to be in animated films. And don't get me started on things like anime and video games--the majority of that stuff is NOT for kids. Not to mention the absurd amounts of adult Western animation like South Park, Bojack Horseman and Family Guy. Also you were absolutely spot-on about why the Lion King remake sucked so bad. It was a copy-paste version of the animated original with soulless CGI animals. I've seen people defending it and saying "well animals can't show emotions like they do in the animated version." Yes, that's true, but it's also why the movie flopped so hard. The animated version allowed for creative freedom of expression and design for the characters and their world. You don't get that in the live action remake, especially considering the serious and emotional tone of the original.

Having things like Watership Down out there can already prove that animation isn't a genre just for kids, ofc this is a pretty extreme example, but people can't say ALL animation is for kids when you have movies like these which are fully animated.

I always found it strange since 50's cartoons had far more adult content than what it is now.

The fact that the Oscars and their fellow award shows treat animation as a lesser medium is a big reason why I’m glad their ratings are tanking these days!

I just had a huge rant with my friend on this topic. I aspire to be an animator/cartoonist so ppl downplaying it as a "kids genre" really ticked me off.

I've been watching a lot of adult animation recently. I finished Spawn 2 days ago and have started watching the Harley Quinn series. Animation is for everyone, dammit!

To be honest, even animation that was made for kids can be enjoyed by adults. I love stuff like Disney, Nickelodeon, and everything in between. I don’t think that makes me childish in any way and I don’t see why any of us should feel embarrassed by that!

As someone who loves animation and wants to work with it, I really feel like I need to give my whole opinion here. First of all, animation is NOT a genre, for sure. I actually think that's supposed to be obvious, but... Animation is simply a style they choose to make the movie, just like when they choose live action. There are animations of multiple genres, and calling animation itself a genre is like saying that "Soup" is a flavor, when actually you choose the flavor of the soup, you know what I mean? Second of all, I saw some people here commenting stuff like "there's no way animation is just for kids, because... *Insert some animation/anime with dark/heavy themes*". Like, I agree with the guys who said that, however it's not just that the reason animation is NOT just for kids. I don't think an animation need to have dark/heavy themes so you can justify watching it as an adult. That's completely wrong. You can enjoy animated shows/movies that are free from dark/heavy stuff. There's nothing wrong with this. Enjoying shows like Avatar, Regular Show, Steven Universe, etc doesn't make you childish. And you know why? Simple. Because animation is not FOR KIDS, but for EVERYONE, that's it. Free for all ages is very different from "Just children". So, I'm finishing my giant text here. I apologize for writing so much, but that's what I needed to say. Animation is not for kids, it's for everyone, folks ❤️

I think it’s also a blessing in disguise to have people like the oscars to shit on animation, it drives animators and such to push ahead and make better products and material. Even to the point where like you say, most live actions need a bit of cgi aka a form of animation for certain parts of the story. Maybe the reason why more people are staring to view animation as better than live action is because you see more passion go into animation just to prove those people wrong, where as live action can be (with lack of better word) entitled because ThEY CaN MAke MorE ThAN JuST KiDZ FilMZ. Spite can be an excellent tool if handled correctly.

Something I didn’t realize until my 20s: Just because it’s live action and PG-13/R-rated, doesn’t automatically make it a “grown-up” movie. *Cough* transformers, grownups, Sandler movies, twilight, 16 again, avatar, the Hangover, Madea movies, the fast and the furious, Shyamalan movies, Harry Potter, Jersey shore, reality shows, vampire diaries, the Big Bang theory, riverdale, Lost, the mummy, Michael Bay movies, certain action movies, certain horror movies, Romantic Comedies, etc. *cough*

"Animation is for kids" *LITERALLLY THE ENTIRETY OF JOJO'S BIZZARE ADVENTURE* "Are you sure about that?"

Great thoughts, man. People need to stop talking down to animation. I do have a criticism though--I think people need to stop talking down to kids too. Sure, kids are less mature and don't have a great attention span, but that doesn't mean they're shallow. I don't think the heavy stuff goes over kid's heads as much as you implied. When I was a kid, the dark, heavy, and impactful thematic moments were the moments that moved and attracted me the most. They shaped me and improved my taste. I hate it when children's shows act like kids are stupid. They're not.

"Animation is for kids" *Laughs in Invincible* *Laughs in Attack on Titan* *Laughs in Rick and Morty*

No way have the Oscar team ever watched prince of Egypt, a silent voice, rango, or literally any studio Ghibli movie if they be saying animation is for kids.

I actually animate as a hobby & mine are not made for children, a lot of animations are violent or just out right adult. I get annoyed when people think I make content for kids just because I draw bright animals

If you think animation is just for kids, you really need to watch: * Happy tree friends * Aqua teen hunger force * Metalocalypse * Mr. Pickles * Smiling friends * The venture bros * Superjail! * The boondocks * Black dynamite * LITERALLY EVERY FLASH ANIMATION IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE INTERNET.

Honesty both animation and live action have given us so many amazing movies that have now since become cult classics. Examples for Animation: Toy Story The Lion King Shrek Examples for Live action: Star Wars Back to the future Citizen Kane And So much more!!!!

This is really Interesting! I didn't really actually know - that this is a controversy from the internet. (because I don't keep up with it..) I thought it was made from all ages and enjoy what it actually is and meant to be. But the information in this video is really good, thanks!

I think the Academy doesn’t get that they had an adult animated movie on the nominations while saying it was for kids I mean are these guys serious

I do find it relatable when my 7 year old son watches this funny animation of a yellow Egyptian cat dancing to a song over and over.

A really good example for an animated movie that kids enjoy and adults understand the jokes is Shrek. It actually pulls it off really well. Seriously, the amount of adult jokes in it...

A problem with animation right now is that people keep enforcing extreme censorship and cancel culture on audiences, regardless if they overdo it or not! That’s why we’re currently stuck with too much redemption and people refusing to write actual villains or to kill villains when we have them (insisting on mercy too much!)

You wouldn't call live action "for kids" just because Home Alone, the Muppets films, etc exist. Animation and live action are both MEDIUMS with the capacity to depict different GENRES of media. It baffles me that adults my age and older continue to be so... Well, _stupid_ about such a simple to understand concept.

If someone says animation is for kids. Make them watch Death Parade or A Silent voice. They deal with mental health and suicide and they honestly make me cry.

Also would like to mention that even classic cartoons back then weren't meant for kids. It was for everybody. Looney Tunes, Popeye, Tom and Jerry, Tex Avery, all that jazz. And if you say otherwise, then explain why Daffy did a striptease at one point.

Oscar: "Animation is a genre for kids" Sausage party: AM I A JOKE TO YOU??!?!??!

One medium, many genres. Sometimes, what's made as an animation will not translated well into live-action. Girls und Panzer *worked* better as an animation as none of the action scenes would be logical or possible if it's done in live-action because it's well let's just say it's a martial arts with tanks for the lack of better word. Plus it's the only best way to bring back old tanks to life without damaging them. You won't see a the real Maus running in real life. Tbh, Warcraft should've 100% CGI animation. Lion King remake suddenly reminds me of Dinosaur, a 2 decade old film yet still impressive. Probably best use as palate cleanser after watching the LK remake.

I think another problem related to this is that certain shows like Owl House and Infinity Train could benefit from being targeted towards an older audience but then companies are like *no it’s for kids* And then sometimes they get the short end of the stick if they “go too far” on more mature themes

Them - "animated media is for kids" Meanwhile - the entire genre of ecchi anime existing

It's like with Sonic. I hear people say "Oh, Sonic is a blue anthropomorphic Hedgehog, so of course he's for kids!", which honestly, is a really superficial way of looking at it. Like, Happy Tree Friends has bright colorful characters, and that's not for kids at all.

I grew up with animation and never grew out, and I've been stressing this ever since watching cartoons suddenly became "uncool" in middle school. Honestly this is such an rudimentary stereotype that I'm surprised so many people still think like that. I can't even say it's outdated because it has _always_ been wrong, animation has never been just for kids. I can't deny it's more entertaining than live action too.

Your getting bigger, yesterday you had 3000 views and now 5000, your likes are about 200 and your sub count is growing, people let's make this man blow up:g

Wait, 16 subs!? Let me change that…

Most live action doesn't even feel grounded enough for me to feel like it's happening in reality either, it feels a lot cleaner and someways a lot more exaggerated than say footage from a video feed.

If animation really is just for kids, then explain the existence of stuff like South Park and HTF. Yeah, it ain't just for kids.

Stop motion really blurs the "For Kids/For Adults" line. Especially recently. Films like Missing Link, for example, didn't really give me a kids feel yet didn't give me an adult feel either. It was a balance, and I think that was a great way to go.

Animation is for both kids and adults. There is Spongebob but there is Family guy for example. Edit : Thanks for the 10 likes ya'll

The actresses were just reading a script off of a teleprompter. So why attack them? They were just literally doing their job. It doesn't mean that is how they feel, or even give two shots regarding the subject.

I seen so many videos talk about this topic and why there all good videos. I feel I seen the same things been brought up a lot before. However this is a lot of different from others I seen and I really love the new points it brings up that I don't think I seen been brought up before. I always thought about certain movies and wonder would they work in animated form or not. So hearing this, answers that question I been thinking about.

I really appreciate how this video didn't need to be long and explained everything perfectly. Honestly I'm surprised your channel at the point that I've made this comment only has 228 subscribers. This video feels like it's from somebody that I could have watched who has like 10,000 or 50,000 or 100,000 subscribers or even a million.

Three Disney 'Live Action Remake' Princesses: "Animation is for kids." Me: Sure, show your kids Castlevania 2017. They won't mind...

The Minions still haunt me to this day.

This is some of the best content I've ever seen I really hope your channel grows in the future

I love how you showed clips of Spirit! It’s an underrated gem of a movie!! 🐎

As a cartoon loving teen, I love videos like this. I've seen a video like this that perfectly explains why animation isn't just for kids. Anyone who says that knows NOTHING about animation. I can't believe I live in a world where animation is still being underestimated and disrespected. You wouldn't believe how many times I've seen people call certain movies or shows a "kids show" or a "kid's movie"! And that is EXTREMELY disrespectful to animation! Kids aren't the only ones who watch cartoons! And cartoons aren't made for just kids to watch and enjoy! Except maybe preschool cartoons. But apart from that, literally everything else is made for everyone! Like live action, animation is another form of media and storytelling. It's the most beautiful form of storytelling! It is LITERALLY art! I saw a video from some random guy earlier today who mocks animation and people who know for a fact that animation isn't just for kids. And you know what's funny about it? The video makes fun of people who know that animation isn't just for kids, yet the entire video is ANIMATED by the guy who made it! 😂 I'll say this to everyone who thinks animation is just for kids: cartoons ARENT just for kids. If you're not into animation, that's fine. But if you think it's just for kids, and you're gonna go out and say that it's just for kids, at that point, you should just shut up. Because you don't know anything.

I firmly believe that animation is far superior in every way to Live Action.

thank youuuuuu for making this

I love how you used spirit in your video! I grew up with that film and i still love it its so underrated

They said animation is for kids, but they then have the AUDACITY to nominate flee!? God DAMMIT!!! I said this on Schaffrillas Productions' video on the topic, but I will say it here too: Every time I hear the phrase "Animation is made for kids", I point to Rick And Morty, Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel, Sausage Party, Attack On Titan, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Neon Genesis Evangelion, And Basically any adult swim, R rated, TV-MA animated Movie or TV Show. Hell, even some lesser brutal animations, like How To Train Your Dragon (My favorite animated movie of all time) or NINJAGO OF ALL THINGS!, have darker, more mature elements and stories to them. I mean, look at Ninjago's Oni Trilogy (Seasons 8, 9, and 10). That was some dark stuff that touched on a lot of dark stuff. Hell, even some of the nominees and victors of these Oscar awards have dark stuff in them. For God's sake, the Incredibles opens with an attempt at SUICIDE!!! Encanto touches on feelings of toxic perfectionism and societal pressures, and shows elements of generational trauma!!! Luca touches on several darker themes, including abandonment!!! Not everything is the next "Paw Patrol: The Movie" or the next "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie". Hell, the Ladder even has our Protagonists DIE!!!! Dammit, academy, WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!!!!!! Not every animated movie is made for children. I personally have a dream to make an animated Godzilla vs Gamera movie. And If I do, and it gets nominated and wins, I would want to point out that this movie was A) Crafted from my heart, and B) Crafted with the intentions of a young adult audience. And I would say that not every animated feature is made for kids, and it doesn't have to be. When I think of an animated movie, I think not of how funny it is, I think of what stories it can tell. I don't look at Paw Patrol: The Movie for an animated movie like this. I look at movies like the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy, Big Hero 6, the Kung Fu Panda trilogy, Shrek 1 and 2 (Haven't seen Shrek: Forever After, but I do plan on doing so), Encanto, Luca, Wall-e, the Frozen movies, hell, even The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, and so much more like them. Movies that strive to be stories, and not a stand up comedy for little kids. The Academy thinks all animated movies are stand up comedies for little kids, but that's only a FRACTION of animated media. Only ONE of those animated movies that they pick fits that book, and it's rarely the one that wins. That's what's both tragic and ironic, where writers, filmmakers, animators, and those who create this stuff, all try and mostly succeed at telling stories (Encanto, Raya, and Luca made my top 10 of 2021, with Encanto and Luca taking third and second place respectively behind Godzilla vs Kong, and Luca becoming my brother's favorite animated movie of all time, and Ron's Gone Wrong and The Mitchells vs The Machines making honorable mentions), but they rarely to never get recognized as proper stories and ways to tell said stories. And it saddens me heavily.

Oscars in the following years: "Huh, what was that? A medium? Didn't catch that. Still a genre for underdeveloped humans."

And then there is anime The most specific one that I’m thinking of is ATTACK ON TITAN Now that’s definitely not for kids but I am kid and I’ve watched up the season 3 But that’s just because I love anime

What about movies that combines live-action and animation like Space Jam, Looney Tunes: Back in Action and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Heck the longest running animated show The Simpsons is aimed at adults

This is my favorite video of yours, please make more film essay style videos they work really week and I would love to see your channel get attention

Small channel to small channel, I adore traditional animation with all my heart and it saddens me how much its become such a "shut the kids up" tool, and I really hope one day I can bring it back into its respectful light, thank you for saying it!

Animation is not a genre, it's a resource and a way to tell stories, so as different photographic techniques.

Animation is for kids the same way violence and blood is for mature audiences. Having violence doesn't make a story anymore mature than having a story being told in animated form makes it for children. Hokuto no Ken had people blowing up in sprawls of two-page gore spreads and was sold in a magazine intended for ages 7 to 16. In the same mold, Yes Minister, a sitcom from the 80s, has no references to sex, not even a single swear word or a racial slur and it's most definitely for adults.

I'm 33 years old I still like animation since i was a kid in the 90s and since i was a teen in 2000s. and i also think animation is a medium and it sucks youtube have coppa now saying you are watching content is made for kids and it sad that i can't comment on new show trailers from disney xd or cartoon network youtube channels.

That is why if I should ever finish the stories I'm writing, get published, and they get popular enough to warrant film or TV adaptations, there are some I feel would be better served as animated properties. My main WIP's genre is fantasy and while it is entirely possible to translate it beautifully into live action, look no further than The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter for proof of that claim, I see in my own head when planning and writing the more fantastical things and can't help but feel that full CGI or 2D cartoon style would be far better. With full CGI, less realistic things don't stand out as much as they do when CGI is used in live action movies, whereas 2D cartoon style or anime or whatever you want to call it, the sky is the limit for style and detail. I see no downside to presenting adult themes in a mature manner in animated form, I mean, just look at Inside Job. Reagan goes through a lot of what people do in real life, and while some of it is exaggerated or played for laughs, people can relate to some of what she goes through as the show progresses. Her parents are divorced, she gets passed up for a promotion, she has a drunken one-night stand and doesn't know a healthy way to tell the guy she doesn't want to see him again, these are things that happen to real people and they happen to the main character of an adult oriented cartoon. And it's a good show that I for one hope gets another season.

Ariel is a redhead… why the change… why are all my redheads being changed?

then again often the MCU is pg-13 and those soccer moms definitely aren't gonna let there kids see stuff like that tbh so I wouldn't defy the MCU as something with targeting for kids in mind, then again the MCU is definitely less "mature" and "grown up" than films like the Raimi trilogy with complex themes and tones that only adults will understand tbh I remember being bored as heck while watching spider man 2 at 8 but when I rewatched it when I was older I enjoyed it so much more since I could understand the tones and themes much better and enjoyed it so much, but when Marvel tries to make SuPeR EdGy films you get films like Morbius, enjoy my pointless comment, bye.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron has recognizable actors from live action films rather than animation which makes it unique.

I’m so glad I found your channel, this is ON POINT

saying animation is just for kids is as stupid as saying video games aren’t art

Protenial channel to hit 100k, good job!

this is so well made. underrated!

I'm animating my own RU-vid series, and have characters that are I suppose cute. But, they all deal with very serious issues such as mental health, war, abuse, and essentially the effect we have on others indirectly and directly. Whilst I am not sure if it's appropriate for kids, I was very inspired by the shows I watched as a kid to make this series. Alongside adult animation. And, indie animators. People think that characters who are bright and expressive on a screen which just so happen to be drawn are only limited to what youths watch on tv every Saturday morning. And, that simply isn't the case. But, as new generations grow up, I do believe we will finally put an end to the misconception that this medium is only for the youngest of us all. That it can tell a story that is mature and thought-provoking.

This kind of videos just doesn't matter, academy won't recognize animation as a medium. That kind of recognition will require a lot of logistic implementations to correctly classify a movie in an specific genre. What could happens if, for example, the best 'actor performance' in one random year is done by an animated character? Who should receive the Oscar? The voice actor? The animators? Both? Nonetheless, at the end of the day, what the Academy things about animation, it frankly doesn't matter.

I checked and it seems that this is the first video on your channel. Nice start!

I think another major problem is when people think fairy tales and fantasy are for kids and unprofessional to read in school. I absolutely hated that we couldn't read good fantasy books in school for homework or class projects. When I got older I realized a lot of fairy tales are really not for kids. The only reason why kids watch movies with fantasy because they'll be too distracted by the pretty imagery while the story itself will go over their heads. Like I didn't realize how dark Pirates of the Caribbean was until I was much older. As a kid I was just excited about pirates. Then there's the idiots that take these adult fairy tale books and water down the story into a movie for kids which is upsetting for the reader's. I also like to point out when teachers expect you to find new words in a book yet it's just the same old thing. Usally the holocaust, the great depression or dystopian which was the closest we got to fantasy but not really. I learned new words more in the fairy tale books then I did with the crap I read in school. Books like Dracula, Peter pan, Treasure Island. Lord of the rings. No I don't mean his fictional languages but Tolkien's form of writing is some next level stuff I would have enjoyed learning more then the bare minimum mediocre books schools considered good for learning.

It’s an artistic medium.

I think the biggest example of this The Little Mermaid 1989 by Disney. It was adaptation of a story by Hans CHristian Anderson (I read that recently). While the original was a cautionary tale on temporary happiness and what it can do in long term ending in a sort tragedy. The movie was completely diluted and simplified as a typical Disney princess movie aimed at pre teen girls. Hollywood never took animation seriously.

5:57 I doubt Pamela L Travers would be very pleased if they decided to make Mary Poppins fully animated. If you’ve seen “Saving Mister Banks” you’ll know what I mean.

"Animation is for kids" Have yall ever watched Anime?

This really well put you explained it really well

I don't think most people think all animation is for kids, rather all animated movies and series are childish and should not be taken seriously. But we know even kids series and movies can be mature, and childish moments in adult animation makes the mature plots more impactful, because it shows what could be lost.

i think you missed some essential examples, the fact they dismissed animation while also had nominated an ADULT ANIMATED DOCUMENTARY IN THREE CATEGORIES is irresponisble and insulting (the movie im talking about is flee) still, good video

that's exactly what a kid would say

Gonna be straight up and honest, Brad Bird is one of the best directors of our time. The Incredibles and Ratatouille are always going to age well imo, every rewatch gets better and better. Making animated movies for adults first should be the gold standard for animated films nowadays

2:23, what's that scene from? I've seen it before, i just can't remember (not encanto)

I love animation. Any type of story could be told in animation, even deeply disturbing and realistic ones. Grave of the Fireflies immediately springs to mind as one of the greatest animated movies of all time, and one of the saddest war films ever made. Certainly, it is not a movie for kids. Additionally, all ages animation is simply wonderful. Beauty and the Beast (1991) is my favorite animated movie, and just one of my favorite films period. It should have won Best Picture! My favorite tv show is Adventure Time, a show which did the seemingly impossible and grew with it's audience, turning from a surreal episodic comedy to a complex serialized dramedy that explored deep philosophical themes, all while not losing the fun that made the show special to being with.