Opinion: If you think the show will ever "get back to its roots" you are setting yourself up for dis

DadMom AngryPants

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This is kind of a response to RSF's status but I think we need a thread for it.

So, as the title says. If anybody is expecting that one day the show will return to the way it was in the classic era they are setting themselves up for disappointment. So many things have changed over the last decade that even if the whole pre-movie crew came back to the show it wouldn't be the same. A huge part of the classic era's charm was a quirky roughness that can never be recaptured because the SpongeBob machine is so well-oiled now. It was a goofy little show that broke out and took everybody by surprise, and that's a phenomenon that happens rarely and can't be manufactured.

Pre-movie happened. It was amazing. It still is amazing and I will always love it. But it has been over for many years and it isn't coming back.

That's not to say I'm pessimistic about the future of the show. Although SpongeBob will never feel like pre-movie again, there is potential for it to be at least enjoyable and better than it has been the last few seasons. I am in no way expecting a big "return to form" or "return to its roots" but I think it is reasonable to expect improvements here and there due to certain new/returning crew members and for that reason I am quite looking forward to new episodes again. I haven't been excited about new episodes in several years because there was no reason to expect them to be anything different, but now there are actual changes taking place and at the very least I am interested to see if they will make a noticeable difference.

Agree? Disagree?
 
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Agreed so much that I actually gave it a like. It's appalling to me that people area ctually going to put their faith in this show now that the writers returned eleven, ELEVEN, ELEVEN years later...... how much you can change in a year and you expect a TON of writers to collaborate and make something like it was eleven years ago dang it.
 

Supmandude

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I disagree. I think the new episodes are going to be awesome and that if the writers have changed, it'll only be for the better. ;)
 

DadMom AngryPants

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Supmandude said:
I disagree. I think the new episodes are going to be awesome and that if the writers have changed, it'll only be for the better. ;)
I didn't mean that the new episodes won't be awesome (I hope they will be), just that they will have a very different feel to pre-movie even if they are great because we're already so far removed from that era. So even though Sherm, Kaz, and Hillenburg are old crew members people should still look at this as a fresh era with new potential instead of hoping for a sudden, magical return to the way things were a decade ago.
 

Sweat

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Yeah, I have to agree. Even if they tried really hard, it'd be nearly impossible for the show to have the same feel it did a 12 years ago.
 

The Real Nostalgia Critic

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I know that we might not get some good episodes and it probably won't return to a classic SpongeBob fan's dream, but I still have faith in the SpongeBob crew. It will probably not go back to how it did in the past and there might be some duds here and there (there were even some episodes I didn't like that were pre-movie) but that doesn't mean I'll give up on the show. Besides, not every old writer is going to come back at the same time. It doesn't necessarily take one person to make something good. Aaron Springer works on Gravity Falls now, that's his job now and I and other people just have to get used to it.

And what if people hate some episodes from what I call "the Renaissance Era"? Again, it doesn't just take a few people from pre-movie fame to make SpongeBob great again. It may or may not return to its roots again, but we all have to look forward to the future of SpongeBob. Sure, some episodes may be stupid and some might be EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVILUH but I will still look forward to the SpongeBob episodes that will come out later in the future because I am a dedicated SpongeBob fan. I don't have to make my room SpongeBob or collect so much merchandise to become a dedicated SpongeBob fan. What matters is that I still stay faithful to SpongeBob even throughout the bads.
 
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I'd have to say, I expect it to be a big improvement.
1- Sherm is coming back.
Sherm always brought an innocent childlike feel to the show with just enough humor mixed in that it worked like a charm. Even if he's not coming back to write, as a supervisor or whatever he does I expect him to have a bigger effect on the show.

2- Kaz
Kaz was able to bring darker humor to the show. This could have gone horribly,it could have not fit in with SpongeBob at all but it actually worked. Now he's back, and in the comics he's written, he still has that sense of humor that will enhance it to a style near its dormer glory.

3-
Also, the writers that did the majority of post movie are gone now. I'm not a post movie hater at all, but Casey and Zues seemed to stick to a few themes: gross-out, greed and anger as their source of humor. I know Casey left but I'm not sure about Zues. Either way, both of them have written some phenomenal episodes in the past even though it is different than what SpongeBob started as.

So, yes, I expect a great improvement that may not return it to classic era SB, but I believe the quality will start something different, like people will shut up about post movie SpongeBob.
 

Cha

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If you would have gone back two years ago, I'd be all for returning to its' roots. Which is great for nostalgic reasons, but we should realize not everything would be exactly as we dreamt. The truth or the matter (or the fact that I don't get as excited for episodes as I use to :p) pre-movie had specific reasons why it was so great. You had an entire old cast back in the early 2000's just doing their thing. And that was great. And so were a lot of post movie episodes. I mean, would we have ever gotten awesome episodes about the Krusty Krab turning into a hotel, the origins of Mr. Krabs and Plankton, Plankton being romantically pursued by sea urchins, a stop-motion holiday special and etc in pre-movie? Well what I'm saying is, I think each era will have its' own unique style. Sure, I'd love for everything to run smoothly like pre-movie or early post-movie episodes (because I love season 4/5's crazy energy in episodes like All That Glitters, Spy Buddies or Hocus Pocus). But, times have changed and like I've heard the term used before "hope for the best, prepare for the worst". Not that we have to worry about the worst. Yet if the second post-movie isn't what we were thinking of while huddled up on our SpongeBob beds reading our comics, then there's no reason to flip out. I'm sure we won't get to season 6/7 level of episodes. I can guarantee that with Sherm, Kaz and Stephen we can expect a lot of natural feeling scenes in the episodes. But will they become the high expectations everyone (including somewhat myself) has? Nah. I say go with the flow like a jellyfish and just embrace this new art form. And know like Patrick wanted to put SpongeBob in a jellyfish jar, we've finally got the likes in Sherm, Kaz and Stephen in a big stinky one. :SBx:
 

end

Of course it won't "return back to its roots", and anyone with such a simpleton thinking process deserves disappointment in that regard.

That being said, I'm more optimistic about the new episodes than ever. Sure, it won't be 100% like the pre-movie era, but it'll have its own feel. Practically everyone who worked post-2004 has moved on. It's equally as foolish to not expect SOME degree of change (whether it be worse or better).
 

The Real Nostalgia Critic

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After reading some of these comments, my opinion feels kind of changed. I guess it can be possible for a show to return to its roots but it's very unlikely for SpongeBob to do that. Even when some of the crew are working on different shows. One thing I wish they did in the new shows is play some of the old background music from the pre-movie seasons. That would really feel like pre-movie SpongeBob to me. I mean, when was the last time we heard these songs?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wdI5EsdDIo - Last heard on "Truth or Square"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0XzbmRl9vM - Last heard on "Growth Spout"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfWioS6uR48 - Last heard on "The Bad Guy Club for Villains"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV0KpRGiCjU - Last heard on "Born to be Wild"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX3uykhDLYw - Last heard on "Sing a Song of Patrick"

See, this kind of music gives off a more tropical atmosphere to the show. Not to mention it gives off some pre-movie vibes even in a post-movie episode. The xylophone music in the newer episodes is kind of dull and drab and platitudinous for a show like SpongeBob. Really doesn't feel like SpongeBob to me. If they played more of this music, it would feel more like a pre-movie episode.
 

That One Random Boss

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This was honestly my philosophy since I signed up on SBM. I never expected the show to be as it was back in the good ole days, but I can expect the show's quality to at least improve. People have such high expectations for the show now that the movie was a success that they'll most likely wind up disappointed if SpongeBob doesn't "return to his roots" despite some of the old crew returning.

Bottom line: Enjoy it for WHAT IT IS, not WHAT IT SHOULD BE. This way, you'll find yourself enjoying the show a lot more.
 

Smaher

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I think that a show can indeed go back to it's roots and that show can indeed be Spongebob. The main problem that the new episodes had in contrast with the older episodes were that they weren't as funny. Now we have people coming back to the show with a better style of comedy. Kaz is a step up. Who knows what jokes he has in store. He has mini series on YouTube that are hilarious. Him coming back to the show after a couple years will be an improvement. Same with Sherm and Stephen. And Jack Pandarvis seems like a neat guy. And now that all the bad writers are gone (especially the ones who wrote some of the worst episodes), we have fresh new comedy to the show. It happened with the first movie, writers left, new writers came in, and the comedy changed. I bet something similar will happen in the summertime when the show comes back.
 

Murvine Taylor

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I agree that people, who want the show to "return to it's roots," are setting themselves for a disappointment, but I do think that the show will improve. It is like a person who lived a wonderful life and then something goes wrong. After years of living that bad life, it starts to become good again, and while it does become good, it won't be the same as it was before it became bad.
 

Smaher

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Murvine Taylor said:
I agree that people, who want the show to "return to it's roots," are setting themselves for a disappointment, but I do think that the show will improve. It is like a person who lived a wonderful life and then something goes wrong. After years of living that bad life, it starts to become good again, and while it does become good, it won't be the same as it was before it became bad.
Yeah, I still have faith in the show.
 

MasiHosseini

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I think that a show can indeed go back to it's roots and that show can indeed be Spongebob. The main problem that the new episodes had in contrast with the older episodes were that they weren't as funny. Now we have people coming back to the show with a better style of comedy. Kaz is a step up. Who knows what jokes he has in store. He has mini series on YouTube that are hilarious. Him coming back to the show after a couple years will be an improvement. Same with Sherm and Stephen. And Jack Pandarvis seems like a neat guy. And now that all the bad writers are gone (especially the ones who wrote some of the worst episodes), we have fresh new comedy to the show. It happened with the first movie, writers left, new writers came in, and the comedy changed. I bet something similar will happen in the summertime when the show comes back.
I agree with you. A specific show like Spongebob can return to its "roots." If it returns to its roots, that would be a rare awesome moment. Even if it doesn't return to its "roots", Spongebob can be still awesome with Stephen Hillenburg, Uncle Sherm, Kaz, Jack Pendarvis, Bob Camp etc. We don't need the pre movie crew from season 1-3 for Spongebob to return to its "roots", it is also possible with new writers (if they have knowledge). For example, the episode Skill Crane from season 4 felt in my honest opinion like a season 2 episode in terms of quality, art, humour and charm (the newer episode "The Planet of the Jelly could also gave you a pre movie feel). It doesn't really matter if Spongebob doesn't return to its "roots", the show can be still awesome (i hope it doesn't have too much bad episodes like most in season 6-7) with some old writers and new (fresh) writers. For now only time can tell...
 

baba_944

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I admit I was one of the people that wanted Spongebob to come back to his roots, but after reading this topic I changed my tune. Sure I still hate the post movie episodes, but that doesn't mean that I want the quality to fail. We're getting old writers back so we'll see how this will play out. Here's hoping to the best.
 

The Drifter

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It will never return to the roots and it will never be, for simple reason that this is not the past. Even if the show "returned" to the roots somehow, it will not feel the same, it will feels like an imitation instead of the original stuff, simply because it's not made in the past. And who says returning to it's root would always be good, what if the new style is better? Or even if the old fans doesn't like the new style, new fans might like it, and if the new fans like it, then the chance of the show returning to it's root will be gone. I mean if nobody likes the new style and wants the show to regress back to the past, why is the show still popular? Just let go of the friggin past already, no matter how much you whine or cry, it will never come back. Fudging deal with it.
 
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