Darker and more serious.

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

What do you think of the idea of the show having a darker and more serious tone? It could open up more storytelling options for the writers.

[Megas 27,069]

Dark and serious =/= better 

I don't get how people still have this mentality, and 9 times out of 10, whenever people make lighthearted shows/franchises darker, it ends up falling flat in its face

[Luminance 2,181]

I like the show for its light-hearted and friendly nature. Making it darker only takes away from the reason I found to like about it. 

Edited July 12, 2017 by Star Trail

[Silver Note 735]

I don't think that's a good idea at all for Hasbro. Not only would they loose all the colts and fillies watching, they could loose some of the bronies and pegasisters too. I watch MLP partly because it's an amazing show that doesn't need violence to be amazing. 

Edited July 12, 2017 by Silver Note

[BastementSparkle 20,312]

No, I come to this show for colorful ponies learning the meaning of Friendship with Magical Slice of life adventures, It's a nice escape from reality. Being dark and serious would take away a lot of what makes the show so enjoyable. Sure, I enjoy a good monster attack or evil villain or ancient eldritch beast every now and then for movie's and two-parter's, but I wouldn't want this show turning into something it's not. Leave the really dark and serious stuff to the fanfiction writer's.

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

There is a part of me that does want the show to be more mature in its storytelling. That is, serial season spanning plots, more adventure, etc. Basically just like now, but with the shadows being a little deeper.

Or in other words, bumping the rating up from Y to Y7 or even TV-G. Definitely not "darker and more serious" by a traditional standard, but one that I think could be done without sacrificing the point to the show for Hasbro--which has always been and will always be to sell toys--and that would make people like me happier who want to see the show do more with its ideas and premises than it has been.

It's not going to happen, but I'd like to see it.

[GeekySonic 1,150]

I can at least picture it, but it would be so much easier for it to fail if not executed well. I say, leave it to fanfiction.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

I know one thing. I would have adored the episode if "Rarity Investigates" was about Rainbow Dash being cleared of a murder she didn't commit. It's one of my favorite episodes, but making it a high stakes race to prevent Rainbow from being tried for MURDER would have been fantastic! ! 

[GrimGrimoire 4,970]

Why in the world would we want to take a show we enjoy (I am assuming we all do since we are in this forum discussing it), and get rid of what makes it enjoyable? We all got into the show with its lack of a dark and overly series storyline, so I don't think we need to add one now. To do so, would compromise what makes the show exactly what it is.

[Jeric 46,835]

1 hour ago, VG_Addict said:

What do you think of the idea of the show having a darker and more serious tone? It could open up more storytelling options for the writers.

I buy Mountain Dew because I expect the taste to be Mountain Dew. If I want a cola I buy Coke. I enjoy Pony for a specific reason. Too much deviation from it's mission would make me lose interest in new episodes. I have no problem with adventure stories, or complex themes, or even a slight touch of melancholy (see Perfect Pear). That isn't dark. As far as serious ... son relationships are serious business.

If the writers are unable to come up with new creative light-hearted stories, it's a talent issue -- not a tone issue. 

Conclusion

 

[AlicornSpell 142]

I think the writers obviously want to make the show more darker and more serious than it is, but Hasbro won't let them do it. I personally think the show would be way better if it was more darker and more serious than it is.

[Jeric 46,835]

40 minutes ago, AlicornSpell said:

I think the writers obviously want to make the show more darker and more serious than it is, but Hasbro won't let them do it. I personally think the show would be way better if it was more darker and more serious than it is.

I dunno. The supervising director (DHX guy) got into a contentious back and forth about how the show's themes and tone are meant for little girls. He didn't do so as a PR thing. There was serious passion behind those words. I don't think for a second that they want to make it dark at all. Every time a fan makes some reference to that, you can almost hear the muscles straining trying to prevent the eye roll they want to make. 

Ever been to a con? That question comes up in several variations. I tend to be pretty good at reading body language. You get a weird visual change in posture as if they want to protect their wholesome playground from dirty hands. 

This isn't a Meghan McCarthy/Hasbro thing (she's Hasbro so she could probably get away with it for a few episodes). They honestly believe in their product and how it's presented. I mean, I respect the artistic integrity that comes from doing what you firmly believe in. If they were reluctant and wanted some more grit and grime some would argue that they would artistically bankrupt. 

 

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

3 hours ago, VG_Addict said:

What do you think of the idea of the show having a darker and more serious tone? It could open up more storytelling options for the writers.

I'd very much enjoy it, 100%-- THAT BEING SAID, I Also think that would be best left to an alternate continuity or reboot than trying to change FIM at this point-- trying to change a show's darkness level midway through rarely works out well in the end.

[Jeric 46,835]

8 minutes ago, Unlikeable Pony said:

I'd very much enjoy it, 100%-- THAT BEING SAID, I Also think that would be best left to an alternate continuity or reboot than trying to change FIM at this point-- trying to change a show's darkness level midway through rarely works out well in the end.

That last part I agree with. There are some capable fic writers that touch on themes that don't fit with FiM's tone, and they do it well. In a situation where they do a full reboot, it does give them the ability to move the chains a little, though I wouldn't expect My Little Pony to ever resemble Legend of Korra. That said, the team did have a better harmony between light-hearted and mature with TLA so that's always a good tone to shoot for if Goldner pushes McCarthy and her boss to put together a creative team to launch a more action oriented show. 

It's certainly not something that is impossible. How current FiM fans will take it is another story entirely and I could see it go either way. But yeah ... changing FiM tonally is not a wise decision for marketing, production, and creative reasons. 

[Hierok 11,829]

YES!!! I would love if this happened. 

The show is now pretty good, but make it with a darker storie, in the background, makes much more enjoyable! 

[Will Guide 21,325]

5 hours ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

I know one thing. I would have adored the episode if "Rarity Investigates" was about Rainbow Dash being cleared of a murder she didn't commit. It's one of my favorite episodes, but making it a high stakes race to prevent Rainbow from being tried for MURDER would have been fantastic! ! 

Actually, an Awesome fan made crossover with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney was made and released on YouTube in multiple parts from about October 2011 to October 2013. It's called "Turnabout Storm", and actually features the premise of Dash being framed for murder! it's about 9 hours long to see it all.

Important to note that the script for it was written BEFORE Season 2 even aired, so there's a lot of hilarious in hindsight moments due to the events of Seasons 2 and 3 going on while this series was being made. Also, if you're going to see it, DO NOT look at the YouTube comments! They likely WILL spoil! Also, when you reach part 3, make sure you watch Twilight's side BEFORE Phoenix's side of the story. It will help prevent a mental plothole, okay?

Edited July 12, 2017 by WiiGuy2014

[Guest]

No. Getting darker doesn't mean it will get better in any way, atleast from my perspective. I dislike going too deep and serious about anything really, let alone a show about ponies.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,311]

I don't see this as a necessary thing. If a Royal Problem showed us anything, it is that the show isn't incapable of showing some darker imagery, but as a whole, I like the more positive atmosphere that the show tries to create. This also doesn't mean a show is only for little girls either. I hate the notion that just because the show has a light-hearted and general happy nature to it, then it automatically isn't for older audiences. I do not see a darker tone as the key for older audiences, since I feel that anyone should be able to enjoy positivity. In such a messed up world like this, I would take the positive atmosphere of FiM over something like Game of Thrones any day.

[CT-1138 3,180]

Nah. There's plenty of TV shows I watch for a dark atmosphere, but ponies isn't one of them. The lighthearted and general fun nature of the show is what I enjoy about it. 

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

23 hours ago, Whompy Whomperson said:

Dark and serious =/= better 

I don't get how people still have this mentality, and 9 times out of 10, whenever people make lighthearted shows/franchises darker, it ends up falling flat in its face

Name some shows. 

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

During S5, i thought Darker and Edgier made everything better, but i was wrong. Darker and Edgier is cooler but not better, just cooler. Well, that what we love about S5 right, its darker than any season of the show...

Mature theme can be presented in light-hearted way, and it's more clever.

Random: This is why I never take those Mlp Darkfic seriously. Its super fun to read but ...

Edited July 13, 2017 by Lambdadelta

[Megas 27,069]

1 hour ago, VG_Addict said:

Name some shows. 

Sonic is an obvious choice. Hell, Sonic in general, whenever it tries to be dark and serious it ends up turning the franchise into a huge joke

Transformers 1984, stopped being a fun saturday morning cartoon, and tried to be more serious with season 3, and as a result, killed off most of the fan-favorites made a group of new characters the main leads fans couldn't get behind, and ended up killing the show, and almost killing the franchise as a result

Most live-action adaptations in general. A good example is Avatar, they sucked all of the fun and lightheartedness of the show and made it super dark and serious, and came up with a trainwreck

Fuck, In DBZ, things like the Ginyu Force, Hercule, and the entire fucking Buu saga were created solely because Akira Toriyama was afraid the series was getting too serious and wanted to inject some light hearted fun

This shit's not very prominent in cartoons thankfully, but it gets really bad for video games

Sonic...again

Bomberman. Act Zero anyone?

Starfox Assault and Command, Assault is waaaaaay too serious that a lot of the story feels really soulless, the only good scene was the one in Sauria. And don't even get me started on Command, which turned the story into a furry soap opera, and ended up bastardizing a lot of the characters

Ratchet Deadlocked, while not a bad game, feels pretty freaking soulless compared to the other games in the series

Jak II, again, not awful, but it tries too hard to be a serious GTA wannabe

 

I'm not against a series going a darker route(hey, it worked for Power Rangers In Space and Megaman X), but generally I feel too many have a mentality that turning something lighthearted and happy like MLP and making it darker and more serious under the misconception that it'll automatically be better, when that isn't the case. If anything, for MLP it'll end up like Sonic and turn into a huge joke, not to mention alienate the intended audience and fanbase, who watch this show because it's happy and lighthearted and feel-good

 

[Steve Piranha 28,783]

I'm up for a dark MLP episode if it means to be a parody, like they've did in Teen Titans Go with the guess appearance of Young Justice . Other than that, nope, but I would like some more exploring it's own lore  

[Thrond 3,257]

It wouldn't fly for this particular show, because it'd be a pretty radical tonal shift and wouldn't be suitable for the little girls this show is made for. But these characters could weather it, and putting them in the right plotline would be fun. Of course, we have fanfiction for that - go sift through the site of your choice. The show itself probably wouldn't benefit from a darker, more serious tone, although I would like at least some serialization. As an aside, I'd actually rather the show went in a more comedic direction and took more inspiration from live-action sitcoms like Community and the like. Wouldn't need that much of a tonal change, even. 

[cmarston1 5,952]

While I wouldn't want to see the show to become significantly darker, I would like to see it go from being TVY to TVY7.

This would allow the show to be able to get away with more and be able to tackle slightly more mature themes, like hopefully being able to actually say that Scootaloo is crippled and will never be able to fly or that Applejack's parents have passed away and not just hint at it, things like that.

Edited July 13, 2017 by cmarston1