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I just realized that the TF Generation 1 cartoon had just 98 episodes, why only just 3 and a half seasons? I thought since the writers and creators brought back Optimus Prime back to the show after his supposid death from Transformers the Movie (1986) fans of TF will be exicted and would rush back and watch the series. Other famous cartoons like The Real Ghostbusters (have 147 episodes/7 seasons), He-Man and the masters of the universe (130 episodes/2 seasons) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (193 episodes/10 seasons) had more than 98 episodes. No doubt TF Generation 1 had developed a cult following.
Why in hell did the creators/writers cancelled Generation 1 after bringing back Optimus and with season 4 having just 3 episodes which all entitled "The Rebirth"?
Was it budget problems, ratings wise or writers couldn't come up with good ideas?
I would like to see Generation 1 end on a good note instead of the Rebirth episodes.

As far as I can tell, it was due to "declining interest".

The problem is that while they did bring back Optimus, they brought him back at the end of the season. By then, it was far too late to reclaim viewer interest. Season 3 had a notorious drop in animation quality, and people are, to this day, still sore about Rodimus Prime replacing Optimus Prime, as well as the entire cast being changed up. All those flaws caused viewers to tune out, and that's the deciding factor.

Technically generation one had 98 USA episodes. then over 100 japanese TF G-1 cartoon episodes from headmasters,masterforce,victory,that pilot scramble city episode. that pilot zone episode. and if one counts the 1986 movie broken up into 5 parts,then add another 5.

Below is my mere fan opinion,i state nothing as fact.

From my understanding,the voice director of the transformers generation one cartoon series. treated the voice actors very badly, by forcing them to work beyond their contracted daily hours. forcing them to do more voices & only get paid for one voiced character. the voice director was a perfectionist & made some voice actors like peter cullen hurt his vocal cords.

From my understanding,around the middle 1980's. their was a huge cartoon media voice actors strike. because those in charge didn't want to meet the demands of the voice actors. the voice actors in america felt they were being treated badly & were being taken advantage of.

from my understanding,during the 1980's voice actors strike. the transformers voice actor DIRECTOR was singled out by the strike captains as one of the more ruthless voice actors directors.

from my understanding this voice actors strike took years to resolve. and since the transformers voice actor was the worst of the lot. this delayed the future transformers cartoon from airing in america.

apparently G.I joe's Cartoon continued a while. but then they created newer shows with different characters & switched over to canadian based voice actors & did recording sessions in canada. to bypass the strick USA new voice actors contracted rules & standards. also hasbro paid the canadian based voice actors much cheaper than the usa based voice actors.

IMHO,Hasbro chose to have recording sessions in canada & hire all canadian based voice actors for beastwars & beastmachines. to save money,bypass the strick USA voice actors contracted rules & standards. some might counter argue & say hasbro had no choice because the mainframe animation studio was based in canada. hasbro could have easily chosen to set up a voice actors room in america & have the CGI mainframe footage shipped to america for usa based recoding sessions. like when hasbro outsouces it's "TF animated & TF Prime animation to animation studios overseas & hires voice actors in america then records the stuff in a american based studio.

Generally TV shows are cancelled due to low viewership, not because the people behind the show decide to end it for whatever reasons. Killing of majority of the old, beloved cast and replacing them with a bunch of new, unknown faces within the course of an hour or so would most certainly turn off many viewers (something TMNT, He-man, and Ghostbusters were NOT guilty of).

Noideaforaname wrote:Generally TV shows are cancelled due to low viewership, not because the people behind the show decide to end it for whatever reasons. Killing of majority of the old, beloved cast and replacing them with a bunch of new, unknown faces within the course of an hour or so would most certainly turn off many viewers (something TMNT, He-man, and Ghostbusters were NOT guilty of).

This all my opinion based. based off stuff I read on the internet. I state nothing as fact. since I wasn't in the board rooms,I can't confirm if this below info is true or not. I'm just posting what I read years ago onn the internet.

IMHO,This wasn't the reason. IMHO,Season 3 never received lower viewership. IMHO,3 received higher viewership than seasons 1 & 2 combined.

many official sources blame the actors strike in the 1980's & the transformers voice director for taking advantage,under-paying & treating the voice actors badly.

I think their might have also been a difference in story telling plots between takara & hasbro. takara didn't like the nebulans idea. takara & hasbro had radically different TF G-1 1980's cartoon ideas. the end result no agreement was met. takara did their own exclusives cartoons. hasbro might have been too cheap or weren't allowed to create their own USA exclusive TF G-1 cartoons after the last episode of the season 4 rebirth part 3.

I heard a rumor that the animation studio that did the generation one usa cartoons over seas might have closed or merged with another. takara did use a different amimation studio for masterforce,victory & that zone episode. perhaps hasbro didn't want to have newer art designs for their iconic characters like optimus prime.

Tidalwavex wrote:Below is my mere fan opinion,i state nothing as fact.

This isn't a matter of opinion, since we can actually prove what happened here. And everything you just said isn't what happened here. It was a combination of declining viewership and Hasbro pulling support. There may have been a strike at the time, but I haven't been able to find any substantial information on it.

Shadowman wrote:

Tidalwavex wrote:Below is my mere fan opinion,i state nothing as fact.

This isn't a matter of opinion, since we can actually prove what happened here. And everything you just said isn't what happened here. It was a combination of declining viewership and Hasbro pulling support. There may have been a strike at the time, but I haven't been able to find any substantial information on it.

I wasn't in the board room,nor did i get to speak to hasbro representavies face to face. so yes,it's my opinion based off stuff i read on the internet.

shadownan,your reply seems to indicate what you say is FACT. please provide links proving & showing data of low viewership rattings happened in TF G-1 season 3 compared to data viewership rattings of TF seasons 1 & 2.

IMHO,I find it extremly hard to believe transformers 1986 season 3 got lower viewership rattings & lower rattings than seasons 1 & 2. I find this hard to believe because 1986 TF G-1 season 3 came on in the afternoon after kids came home from school. back in the day,having a cartoon on a network after school ended got decent viewership rattings. Plus season 3 had the advantage of having a loyal following of viewers watching that watched seasons 1 & 2. & newer viewers that climbed on-board.

Tidalwavex wrote:

Shadowman wrote:

Tidalwavex wrote:Below is my mere fan opinion,i state nothing as fact.

This isn't a matter of opinion, since we can actually prove what happened here. And everything you just said isn't what happened here. It was a combination of declining viewership and Hasbro pulling support. There may have been a strike at the time, but I haven't been able to find any substantial information on it.

I wasn't in the board room,nor did i get to speak to hasbro representavies face to face. so yes,it's my opinion based off stuff i read on the internet.

shadownan,your reply seems to indicate what you say is FACT. please provide links proving & showing data of low viewership rattings happened in TF G-1 season 3 compared to data viewership rattings of TF seasons 1 & 2.

IMHO,I find it extremly hard to believe transformers 1986 season 3 got lower viewership rattings & lower rattings than seasons 1 & 2. I find this hard to believe because 1986 TF G-1 season 3 came on in the afternoon after kids came home from school. back in the day,having a cartoon on a network after school ended got decent viewership rattings. Plus season 3 had the advantage of having a loyal following of viewers watching that watched seasons 1 & 2. & newer viewers that climbed on-board.

Whoah there Nelly. Why are you asking Shadowman to back up what he's saying when you sit there telling us your opinion is based on what you've read on the internet but then don't provide any links yourself?

Tidalwavex wrote:IMHO,I find it extremly hard to believe transformers 1986 season 3 got lower viewership rattings & lower rattings than seasons 1 & 2. I find this hard to believe because 1986 TF G-1 season 3 came on in the afternoon after kids came home from school. back in the day,having a cartoon on a network after school ended got decent viewership rattings. Plus season 3 had the advantage of having a loyal following of viewers watching that watched seasons 1 & 2. & newer viewers that climbed on-board.

Your assumption/opinion is based on info thats not universally correct.

I dont know about your area, but in NYC,1986,season 3 aired early mornings [7;30am] on WPIX, and Iknow that effected viewer ship in that market.

And sure, season 3 should have had the advantage of having a loyal following from those that followed seasons 1 & 2............but that advantage was nullified by what was done in the film,

That loyal fanbase found very little to be loyal to in season 3, the leaders they loved were gone, all [most] the characters they knew were dead,the show wasnt even based in the same era.It was takeing place 20 years in the future.

One of the key eliments that the fans loved [that any car on the streat could be a tf] was now not really possible.