While kids animated series are moving towards serialized stories, Cartoon Networks We Bare Bears embraces episodic storytelling.

Kids TV has evolved.

From its earliest days childrens entertainment was heavily episodic.

Nearly every story was self-contained and rarely would events from one episode carry over into the next.

Part of that was because of episodes rarely being rerun.

If you missed an episode, you were pretty much out of luck if the story was serialized.

Around the 1980s things began to change.

Series likeRobotechhelped pioneer kids entertainment whose stories could carry on from week to week.

Watching all of the episodes was pretty much required to fully enjoy the entire series.

The 90s saw this trend grow withGargoyles,X-Men,Beast Wars,ReBoot, and more.

It wasnt the norm but slowly storytelling was evolving.

Many feel episodic one off plots are more suited to gag humor for little kids.

Dumb fart jokes, endless pratfalls, or nonsensical plots.

Cartoon NetworksWe Bare Bearsis.

It uses episodic storytelling to its full advantage and crafts adventures that are perfectly suited to the format.

Yard Sale has Ice Bear watching a pregnancy work out video.

What more do you’re gonna wanna know?

It gives us more flexibility in some ways when we write, he says.

I didnt grow up with that as much, he explains.

We Bare Bearson the other hand was expressly created to live in the comedic episodic format.

The Bears biggest goal is trying to make friends and find acceptance in a world of humans.

The show just wouldnt be the same if it were serialized.

WhileWe Bare Bearsis episodic that doesnt make writing it any easier.

In fact, episodic TV has its own challenges.

They stay in stasis because its episodic.

We dont want to tread over similar waters.

Thats been the biggest challenge, Chong explains.

Weve slowly been softening (Nom Nom) a little bit, Chong says.

He hasnt been as aggressive to the Bears.

With Grizz hes got an odd couple relationship.

They can exist together and it doesnt become horrible every time.

So long as hes in a trash can, as seen in the recent episode, Private Lake.

Charlie and Ranger Tabes have also begun to cross paths as well, bringing the supporting cast closer together.

Chong sees these episodes as, a more serialized thing.

We see how they journey on their own and eventually well someday answer how they met.

Their single stories have an order were writing them in.

Even with that, Chong saysWe Bare Bearswill never become as serialized as other series.

Just because its meant for kids or it doesnt have an ongoing arc shouldnt keep you away.

Chong explains that, we make it for everybody.

For the kids we make a run at make the story and their adventures kind of broad and goofy.

For adults we add a lot of inside jokes to a lot of internet and modern references.

We Bare Bearsairs on Cartoon connection.

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