The idea of characters from separate shows interacting with one another is a concept dating back decades in the world of television. From classic sitcoms to modern animated cartoons, crossovers remain one of the most common ways for networks to churn up excitement for their programming, with either combining two powerhouse shows into one for major ratings, or using an already popular vehicle to promote another that may be struggling. Whatever reason there is to bring about these unlikely collaborations, they remain interesting to see, though have lost their luster in recent years for a number of reasons.
The concept of the crossover isn’t exclusive to television, having a long history on the big screen and popularized again in the modern era by the immensely successful Marvel Cinematic Universe (which is at this point a 28-movie crossover). Crossovers have been and may always be an immediate attention-grabber, smashing multiple fictional worlds together to see how they interact, though with that nearly guaranteed audience interest, it’s very simple to utilize the concept only as a gimmick rather than a genuinely interesting or funny concept. Though which crossovers properly celebrate their source materials to create a unique new way of appreciating both in a new light? Sometimes, the answer is in the title.
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A Justifiable Partnership
Warner Home Media
Nearly everyone can cite an example of a time they heard that a crossover was happening and thought, “Why?” A featuring of two series that just don’t mesh, had never been thought of together in any regard, and have little to nothing in common conceptually in order to make them coming together feel in any way necessary. If an audience is meant to care about these particular worlds colliding, a good way to provide that would be to make sure they have at least some minor traits in common. While it’s good for a laugh, something such as Fred Flintstone interacting with WWE wrestlers isn’t exactly an inspired meeting of the minds.
Warner Bros. and Hannah-Barbara characters perhaps have the largest track record of notable crossovers, with series such as Scooby-Doo becoming well-known for their celebrity guest appearances. Though these particular examples can mostly be written off as campy and inoffensive romps that ultimately leave very little of an impression, it’s harder to excuse the animated crossovers that did have a lot of fans excited, just to fumble the ball entirely.
Better on Paper
20th Television
If creating a bad or forgettable television crossover were a crime, perhaps the most guilty of all would be ones that were built up by fans, just to be a complete let-down. Though instead of pressing charges for these would-be felonies, writing articles about them will have to suffice. Very few of these mash-ups come as close to being as lukewarm as the long-awaited Family Guy and The Simpsons crossover, “The Simpsons Guy.”
Garnering a tepid response from fans, the episode was criticized for being an overly Flanderized version of both shows, seemingly just going through the rolodex of pre-existing jokes and character tropes in order to fill runtime, with very few genuinely funny or interesting moments. Though this wouldn’t be the first (or last) time that The Simpsons would have a disliked crossover featuring characters from another animated series, it certainly was the most speculated upon before release. Choosing to have the shows come together many years after their individual peaks also contributes to making the event feel like a desperate attempt to rekindle some viewer interest in either program.
Two Wholes Become Two Halves
MTV Networks / Nelvana International
The very concept of the crossover is one that is admittedly ultimately unnecessary. For a show to be successful, it must be able to be enjoyable via its own merits, so to combine two presumably popular shows together for an episode most opt to make it “non-canon,” deeming the events of the episode to not truly have taken place in the plot of the shows. With all this discussion around how not to do a crossover, it would only be fair to discuss examples that took full advantage of their pairings, one of the most popular being Nickelodeon’s 2004 event, “The Jimmy Timmy Power Hour.”
Remembered by fans nearly two decades later, the partnership of the fun Fairly OddParents and Jimmy Neutron was the event to be seen on the network during the time. While both shows had just enough in common to mesh, their differences were plentiful in order to make the crossover feel as if it showed both in a new light, with being able to see characters in different animation styles being one of the biggest eye-catching attributes. Also helping the special were sincere and joyous ideas from the creators of both shows, celebrating the worlds they had created and emphasizing what makes them both enjoyable via the entertaining juxtaposition. Simple yet inventive, the Power Hour harnessed a creative energy that seems to be absent from our modern crossovers, even ones appearing on the big screen.
The Worst of Both Worlds
Warner Bros. Pictures
A critical failure and a box-office failure that barely made more than its $150 million budget, films such as Space Jam 2: A New Legacy end up displeasing the hardcore fans of both halves of their crossover when the finished product seems like a confused and messy amalgamation of properties with no real direction or meaning. After a certain point, it becomes less of “How can we make a good story with these popular characters?” and more of “How many popular characters can we squeeze into this story?”
Trying to one-up the original Space Jam movie by including franchises and prominent cameos from other shows or films with little rhyme or reason does not properly make up for a by-the-numbers and lackluster story, which in itself may be continuing the “legacy” of the original.
Though a trope as timeless as visual media itself, the popularity of the crossover is higher than ever in the modern era, and with that brings more and more ensembles featuring any possible pairings from Bugs Bunny to Arya Stark. So as long as the concept is made with genuine inspiration and utilizes what makes each part of the combination special, an enjoyable product can come from any possible pairing, though maybe taking a step away from cartoon professional wrestlers would do some good.
