Animated TV shows over the last decade or so have been following a certain trend. It would seem, that if an animated show is popular (let's consider for example, Adventure Time–having spawned numerous types of merchandise, comics, and video games), despite having some sort of intended (I use the term loosely here) audience of younger viewers (exampled by what network may pick up a show, like Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network), it grows a larger audience in older viewers as well, the "unintended" audience. What could cause this? Is there a notable trend in TV shows this happens with, like Steven Universe, Star Butterfly vs. the Forces of Evil, and so on? (Important to note the differentiation between shows such as these and those that have an older audience in mind, like Futurama and Bojack Horseman).
I like this topic but you should also include reference to things like lore, backstory, depth, etc. Adventure Time and Steven Universe have had an impact on older audiences most likely due to a developed lore system along with darker subtext that older viewers can enjoy on a more intellectual level. It is just something important that differentiates these works from shows like, I don't know, SpongeBob SquarePants or Fairly Oddparents. – Connor9 years ago