(risky trope) A show changes genres mid way

[u/ErlikHan6]

The 100: the show starts as a somewhat grounded post apocalypse where humans who have taken refuge in a space station return to earth after it has become inhabitable again and resources on the space station run out. At first the show is about survival in a hostile environment. It slowly introduces more and more sci fi elements. At first, it's an Aİ that wants control over humanity. Towards the end of the show, the main characters have traveled throughout the galaxy, met humans from other planets, some of which have settled among ruins of ancient alien species, where they try to contact more advanced alien species in order to achieve "transcendence": rid humans of their physical bodies and become a more advanced lifeform.

AOT: this one is less gradual than the 100 and the change comes after a massive plot twist. The first 3 seasons of the show are about a relatively primitive society of humans who live inside humongous walls. Outside the walls are titans: giant monstrous creatures which hunt and devour humans. After a big plot twist and reveal, the society finds out that there is a whole bigger world out there, and the rest of the world is plotting to genocide them. They quickly industrialize after this discovery and wage war against other countries.

[u/Acriolu]

Red vs Blue started as characters comedy about a bunch of a-holes in a box canyon.

At the start of the freelancer arc it was a story about how one man trying to resurrect his dead wife ruin the lives of so many people.

[u/VorAbaddon → u/Acriolu]

Hmmm, by this logic DBZA might apply also. Started as a gag parody, by the end it was legitimately capturing drama and emotional growth quite well.

[u/bobshady1987 → u/VorAbaddon]

I legitimately prefer DBZA to the original. Much less screaming, much less nipples, and without removing the quirkiness or comedy, or even most of the drama.

[u/VorAbaddon → u/bobshady1987]

Has 100% more Kikohowyadoin'.

[u/MissusNesbitt → u/VorAbaddon]

Kikofuckyourself

[u/TheBrownWelsh → u/bobshady1987]

I rewatch DBZA once a year, including the shorts they put out that would have been the Buu saga and beyond. It's a fantastic homage that truly ends up being better than it's source material. 

It also has, imo, the greatest callback of all time: 

Young Gohan: I need an adult.

Vegeta: I am an adult [knees Gohan in gut]

Followed many episodes later by

Buu: Aw, what's wrong little boy? Do you need an adult?

Adult Gohan: No... I am an adult [punches Buu in gut]

[u/nagrom7 → u/TheBrownWelsh]

Gohan: "I need an adult?"

Goku: "I am an adul..."

Gohan: "No. No you are not."

[u/chieffirebear → u/nagrom7]

My favorite gag is when Goku is trying to stop Gohan from going after Cell for thinking he killed Picolo and using actual logic against him 🤣
Gohan: “ Mr Picolo would have let me go!”
Goku: “No he wouldn’t and he’s smarter than me!”
Gohan: bewildered “Oh yea you’re right”

[u/Budsygus → u/TheBrownWelsh]

I laugh every time I think of Krillin saying "Yeah... stop breaking Kame house..."

[u/Calm_Ad308 → u/VorAbaddon]

I’ll also submit: Hellsing Abridged and Sword Art Online Abridged. If we find one more we can call it a Mount Rushmore.

[u/Egathentale → u/Calm_Ad308]

I guess we could add YuGiOh Abridged? It's not nearly as polished, but it pretty much codified the modern "abridged series" format, and it gave us a whole lot of enduring memes over the (checks notes) decades? Yeah, came out in 2006, so two decades.

[u/msdamg → u/Acriolu]

Ok but the plot twist for Church and the directors relationship still hits hard to this day

[u/Cone_Ram → u/Acriolu]

This was literally my first thought. I miss good RvB

[u/tuC0M → u/Cone_Ram]

No, I mean why are we here, in this canyon?

[u/Sickpup831 → u/tuC0M]

“I’m a pacifist.”

“The things that babies suck on?”

“No, that’s a pedophile.”

Early RvB was hilarious.

[u/Hollownerox → u/Cone_Ram]

It's really interesting seeing some people watch it in recent years now that it's media presence isn't as notable. It's oddly a positive thing it has faded in popularity because that reveal at the end of Reconstruction hits almost the same as it did when it first aired just because people don't talk about it anymore lol.

I like quite a lot of what came after with the Freelancers stuff and some of the post-Reconstruction storylines. But after many a rewatch, I do feel like that last message would have genuinely been an amazing end of the series with a highpoint, and it was sad to see it just slowly lose its own soul in parallel to Roosterteeth itself.

[u/Yargon_Kerman → u/Hollownerox]

Honestly, I think S10's ending was pretty peak, but the ending of s13 is so good that it justifies the previous 3 seasons on its own for me.
It's also the ending to church's story, and I think that's really where it needed to end; with no follow-ups at all.

[u/Acriolu → u/Yargon_Kerman]

Yeah I think season 13 is a good ending for it and it didn’t really need to continue. But I do need to see the movie for myself.

[u/Yargon_Kerman → u/Acriolu]

If you take the rest as having happened, S19 works as a decent tie up, but s13 was definitely a better original ending.