Avatar nearly had a fourth season

[Ghostbuster]

Avatar: The Last Airbender writer Aaron Ehasz has revealed on Twitter that a possible season 4 of the animated TV show was sidelined for M. Night Shyamalan's movie adaptation, The Last Airbender. https://twitter.com/aaronehasz

Ehasz - who currently works on his Netflix series The Dragon Prince - revealed that the potential season 4 would have given Azula a redemption arc. The younger sister of Fire Nation crown prince Zuko, Azula was introduced as an antagonist in season 2 and defeated by Katara and Zuko in the series finale. According to Ehasz, Zuko would have been instrumental to Azula's redemption arc, helping and supporting his sister the way his Uncle Iroh did for him in the early seasons.

(Note - although the tweets were made on April 1st, Ehasz insists its not a prank)

After the initial thread, Ehasz answered fan questions on Twitter, in particular about this arc would have fit into the initial plan for the series, which showrunners Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko had previously stated always included three seasons. However, Ehasz revealed there was a point in production when the show's writers believed they would do a fourth season, but Shyamalan's movie was given the green light and the showrunners decided to revert back to their original plan of three seasons.

 

[RandomMe]

I can see the embedded tweets, so yeah.

 

[Ghostbuster]

@RandomMe They didn't all work for some reason, I've replaced them with screenshots now.

 

[Light Lucario]

It is an interesting idea. I like the general premise of Zuko using what he learned from his Uncle to help Azula. That's pretty cool for both characters. I'm just not sure if a fourth season would have really worked. There were a few comic series set after the end of the series, but I think that the reception towards those have been rather mixed among fans. As cool as it would have been to have more episodes of Avatar, I think that it ended on such a good note that I don't know if a fourth season would have felt natural by that point.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Dare I say it? This is much better than the graphic novel continuation. A shortened fourth season in form of a seven-part miniseries would've been a great idea.

 

[Radiant97]

I think it could've worked as a miniseries instead of a season 4, in the same fashion that anime OVA's expand upon certain plot threads after the main series' end.

 

[Light Lucario]

A miniseries definitely could have worked more than a full season. I don't know if there would be enough to really do to cover twenty episodes after the way season three wrapped things up, but having a few episodes to basically make an extended epilogue could have have been pretty neat.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

I think it could've work as a miniseries instead of a season 4, in the same fashion that anime OVA's expand upon certain plot threads after the main series' end.

A miniseries definitely could have worked more than a full season. I don't know if there would be enough to really do to cover twenty episodes after the way season three wrapped things up, but having a few episodes to basically make an extended epilogue could have have been pretty neat.

That's what I'm saying. A condensed fourth season with a reduced number of episodes would've been a great idea to resolve lingering plot threads with the main storyline being Azula's redemption and the current whereabouts of her and Zuko's mother.

 

[ShadowBeast]

Avatar: The Last Airbender writer Aaron Ehasz has revealed on Twitter that a possible season 4 of the animated TV show was sidelined for M. Night Shyamalan's movie adaptation, The Last Airbender. https://twitter.com/aaronehasz

Ehasz - who currently works on his Netflix series The Dragon Prince - revealed that the potential season 4 would have given Azula a redemption arc. The younger sister of Fire Nation crown prince Zuko, Azula was introduced as an antagonist in season 2 and defeated by Katara and Zuko in the series finale. According to Ehasz, Zuko would have been instrumental to Azula's redemption arc, helping and supporting his sister the way his Uncle Iroh did for him in the early seasons.

(Note - although the tweets were made on April 1st, Ehasz insists its not a prank)

View attachment 231621

After the initial thread, Ehasz answered fan questions on Twitter, in particular about this arc would have fit into the initial plan for the series, which showrunners Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko had previously stated always included three seasons. However, Ehasz revealed there was a point in production when the show's writers believed they would do a fourth season, but Shyamalan's movie was given the green light and the showrunners decided to revert back to their original plan of three seasons.


View attachment 231631

It sounds like the season would've focused mostly on Zuko and Azula while having little to nothing about Aang.

Dare I say it? This is much better than the graphic novel continuation. A shortened fourth season in form of a seven-part miniseries would've been a great idea.

I agree. Though a way for a full fourth season would work is if some side episodes could be made. Like seeing the others nations start to rebuild themselves while most of the episodes focuses on Zuko and Azula. If a miniseries is gonna work, it would have to have some time-skips since I can't see Azula gaining redemption in such a short time.

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

I do have to wonder if the graphic novels at least started off with the idea of what a potential 4th season would of been. You know at least the first three with The Promise, The Search and The Rift which felt very much like they were wrapping up major loose ends within the actual Avatar mythos. I do remember how the team at least wanted to at one point have "The Search" or at least some of the Zuko's mother bits as it's own DTV movie that didn't wind up happening so I do kind of assume that's more what Aaron is talking about.

However though I would of been down for more DTV ideas I don't think you could of done a full Avatar season right after three since... the entire point and focus of the show was building up the battle between Aang and the Firelord and that being the big threat and with that being dealt with... where do you really go from there for an overall looming threat? IMHO that's something that works in like a series of movies (since yeah after Phase 3 of the MCU I don't expect to have many big threats like Thanos for awhile play out in the next set of movies for phase 4) and with specials but not something you can really do an entire season of. Since if the entire point is just wrapping up other stuff that feels like elements you should of worked into the narrative BEFORE you did the ending not after. Thus I can see why Nick would go more with a movie since at least that feels like it has more of a selling point for a general larger audience. Like yeah major Avatar fans will want more of the show but if all you have is just saying "continuing off on what was done before" without connecting it to an overall bigger threat you can't really sell that especially as a kids show premise.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

I agree. Though a way for a full fourth season would work is if some side episodes could be made. Like seeing the others nations start to rebuild themselves while most of the episodes focuses on Zuko and Azula. If a miniseries is gonna work, it would have to have some time-skips since I can't see Azula gaining redemption in such a short time.

A full fourth season just wouldn't be a great idea, but a series of TV films would do instead and oh, I definitely don't mean that the miniseries could take place right after Sozin's Comet.

 

[ShadowBeast]

A full fourth season just wouldn't be a great idea, but a series of TV films would do instead and oh, I definitely don't mean that the miniseries could take place right after Sozin's Comet.

Maybe, but having Azula redeem herself in a mini-season wouldn't work unless time is seen passing by through the episodes since it would feel like her redemption was rushed or went too easily if the episodes took place right after the other.
But if a full season would be made it would most likely be an epilogue season or maybe have Aang deal with a spirit issue. Koh did say that they would meet again.
I wouldn't expect the season to take place right after Sozin's comet as well.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Maybe, but having Azula redeem herself in a mini-season wouldn't work unless time is seen passing by through the episodes since it would feel like her redemption was rushed or went too easily if the episodes took place right after the other.
But if a full season would be made it would most likely be an epilogue season or maybe have Aang deal with a spirit issue. Koh did say that they would meet again.
I wouldn't expect the season to take place right after Sozin's comet as well.

Yes but I'd rather have a series of TV films to act as a partial epilogue season focusing on those things you mentioned and a miniseries that focuses on Azula's redemption with those taking place years after the finale, as in less than a decade after that though the first TV film would focus on Zuko's search for his mother. I think the reason why I think it wouldn't be a great idea to do a fourth full season is that number one, the show had a very satisfying conclusion even if some plot threads remained unsolved and number two, I could see a fourth season but in form of a series of TV films and an Azula-centric miniseries with each episode taking place between the TV films as in time is seen passing by through the episodes and the final episode would lead into the final TV films that would bridge the gap between this show and the sequel series. I'd rather have that than either a full season or the graphic novel continuation that, aside from some exceptions, hasn't done well with fans for a lot of reasons.

 

[chum_chum]

Still don't get why Nickeloeon never explored ATLA universe in an anthology mini-series American Horror Story style. The universe has a huge fanbase and infinite potential for stories to be told in 8-12 half hour episode format. They would've kept the interest in the old seasons for younger generations and the merch sales. From TV adaptations of the storylines told in the comic books to the things that were only barely mentioned on the show like Kioshi or Roku's lives, the search of Zuko's mom etc. They can go back and forth from huge historically important seasons with battles and wars to something more capsule and intimate. And knowledge of the episode order per series from the start would've saved the writers from having no idea if the show gets greenlit or cancelled.