And to think the cartoon community was calling this show one of the best cartoons of the decade right when it was out of the gate. Ironically the opposite response to shows like Sanjay and Craig and Gumball. Those shows were called low-brow and derivative when they first came out, but as they went on they managed to find their identities and improve.



I don't think the concept of a show taking a more serious shift in tone is a bad thing, as long as it does so it gracefully and still supply interesting stories with likeable characters. Codename: Kids Next Door in my opinion is the perfect example of how to do a transition from an episodic comedy to a show with a more serious tone. For one, the characters stayed in character as the show progressed. Two, it still allowed itself to have one-off lighter stories separate from the more intense stories and underlying arcs. Three, later seasons added new elements while not subtracting ones and still being able to find a balance between the old and new. Four, it actually followed through with focusing on expanding the world beyond the Sector V team, and didn't bog itself down with love triangles or protagonist centred viewpoints. Star Vs, from what I've heard, pretty much made every bad move KND didn't take.