Did the change in story editors cause Fairly OddParents to worsen in quality?

[Stumpos]

Now I think we all know Fairly OddParents deteriorated in quality as it went on until it was pretty much put out of its misery in season 10, but I think it's interesting trying to figure out ideas on why it all went so wrong. I have noticed something interesting about the story editors.

In the golden age era of seasons 1-5, Steve Marmel was the story editor (with Jack Thomas becoming associate story editor in late season 4-5) until his falling out with Butch Hartman made him leave.

Then when the show got revived for the first time in 2008, Scott Fellows took over as story editor in season 6 and he himself was replaced by Ray DeLaurentis as story editor in season 7 and would remain as story editor until the series ended.

In terms of how season 6 is, people do tend to see it as the best of the post-first revival seasons and I wonder if Scott Fellows was the reason for that. It does help that Scott did have experience on the show as a writer during seasons 3-5 and still had better character variety with players like Chester, AJ, Tootie, Francis, Trixie, Pixies, and Anti-Cosmo still being relevant to the show at this point, Vicky still sorta being a major player, and Timmy's dad and Mr. Crocker not hogging the spotlight yet in season 6.

Compare that to Ray DeLaurentis who had no experience on the show before joining in season 7 and proceeded to spam Mr. Crocker and Timmy's dad everywhere while throwing various characters out as time went on (Pixies after season 6, Chester & AJ after early season 7 (Squirrely Puffs being the last one where they're kinda in major roles), Anti Cosmo after season 7 (with Foop taking over as main Anti-Fairy), Francis after season 6 (Manic Mom Day being his only relevant role after that), and Tootie & Trixie after season 7 plus Vicky being reduced to only a couple episodes per season rather than major character) along with tons of other problems.

Do you think the change in story editors was a factor in the show going downhill? Leave your feedback in the comments down below.

 

[SweetShop209]

Yeah I'd say changing story editors later on to someone who didn't have experience with the show partly contributed to the show's downfall. I've seen people at least tolerate season 6, something that isn't given to later seasons. I'd say if there was going to be a change in story editors, it should at least be with someone who had experience on the show (like Kevin Sullivan).

 

[Fone Bone]

I've never seen the show but what I can guess happened is that it was a VERY thin premise not suitable to stretch out on TV for over a decade. The quality probably dipped because there was only so much they could do with the idea. Story editors and producers probably had little to do with the show running out of gas.

 

[chocolate]

It may have been the need to keep the series fresh with the inclusion of newer characters that worsened the quality. Additionally, they flanderized various characters in the process.

 

[JMTV]

Yeah pretty much. The show should've ended a long time ago...

 

[ShadowBeast]

It may have been the need to keep the series fresh with the inclusion of newer characters that worsened the quality. Additionally, they flanderized various characters in the process.

Well Sparky was bad, but I didn't see Chloe as a bad character. The writing for season 10 stunk, but Chloe herself had potential.
Ironically, it wasn't the newest character that was the problem in season 10, it was the overuse of Timmy's Dad and Crocker.
Now with Sparky, he not only gave Timmy access to more magic, but he was just another idiot character that the writers seem to love to shove in to make the show as nonsensical as possible. Why bother put a thought into writing when they just have Cosmo, Timmy's Dad, and Sparky do random stuff? And some Crocker for crazy randomness.

 

[Red Arrow]

I have never seen the later seasons but I have always wondered how bad characters can decrease the quality of this cartoon? Every single character in the first seasons is awful and it was completely intended this way. It's part of the comedy.

 

[Action!]

Yeah that's what happened.

 

[JTZ]

Now with Sparky, he not only gave Timmy access to more magic, but he was just another idiot character that the writers seem to love to shove in to make the show as nonsensical as possible. Why bother put a thought into writing when they just have Cosmo, Timmy's Dad, and Sparky do random stuff? And some Crocker for crazy randomness.

I actually liked Sparky. He wasn't as dumb as Cosmo and fun in his own way. Giving Timmy a magic pet was the weakest of the new concepts compared to Cosmo and Wanda haviny a baby and Timmy having to share his godparents, but the writing of that season still made it okay (though it was starting to go down already).

Totally agree on the Chloe part. The character and idea were promising, but the writing of that season was often abyssimal.

 

[ShadowBeast]

I actually liked Sparky. He wasn't as dumb as Cosmo and fun in his own way.

Unfortunately, he still added to the cast dumb characters. But yeah he wasn't as dumb as Cosmo and Timmy's Dad, but there were already too much focused on dumb characters.

Giving Timmy a magic pet was the weakest of the new concepts compared to Cosmo and Wanda haviny a baby and Timmy having to share his godparents,

Yeah Timmy did not need any more access to magic. At least Chloe forced Timmy to share the magic.

but the writing of that season still made it okay (though it was starting to go down already).

The show actually started going down hill once Cosmo was a made incredible stupid and Wanda turned into a nag. It was so much better when those two were considered "one half of a whole idiot". They were sweet then. As for the Sparky season, I did like the Bacon girl.

Totally agree on the Chloe part. The character and idea were promising, but the writing of that season was often abyssimal.

It's a shame that people blamed Chloe for the show's downfall when the show had been sinking for several seasons before she showed up and the last season mostly stunk because of Cosmo and Timmy's Dad.

 

[Stumpos]

The show actually started going down hill once Cosmo was a made incredible stupid and Wanda turned into a nag. It was so much better when those two were considered "one half of a whole idiot". They were sweet then.

Didn't that start even before the show was revived the first time in 2008 though with season 3 being when Cosmo got dumber and Wanda being the sane one of the trio?

 

[JTZ]

Well the show did change a lot over time. Something I find interesting about it is that the changes in style, writing and even animation always reflected in both FOP and the other show Hartmann was working on at the same time (like during Phantom Danny era FOP was getting more similar to that show, same for TUFF Puppy and Bunsen).

 

[JMTV]

Didn't that start even before the show was revived the first time in 2008 though with season 3 being when Cosmo got dumber and Wanda being the sane one of the trio?

Arguably yes, but he's nowhere near as godawful as he is later on.

Well the show did change a lot over time. Something I find interesting about it is that the changes in style, writing and even animation always reflected in both FOP and the other show Hartmann was working on at the same time (like during Phantom Danny era FOP was getting more similar to that show, same for TUFF Puppy and Bunsen).

Yeah, even as a kid, I notice that a lot, too.

Sometimes, it really makes me wonder why would Nickelodeon milk FOP for all of its worth.

 

[ShadowBeast]

Didn't that start even before the show was revived the first time in 2008 though with season 3 being when Cosmo got dumber and Wanda being the sane one of the trio?

Cosmo becoming dumber did indeed start in season 3's "This is your Wish" episode. Luckily most of that season was great, even after that episode. It was the only season that had an episode that focused on recurring character (Chester and AJ). But Cosmo certainly got dumber in season 4, and it continued as the series kept going and it became the focus of the writers to force it for the sake of cheap humor.

Sometimes, it really makes me wonder why would Nickelodeon milk FOP for all of its worth.

The show was probably cheap to make and it still had some good episodes in between the bad episodes to keep it popular enough.

 

[JMTV]

Cosmo becoming dumber did indeed start in season 3's "This is your Wish" episode. Luckily most of that season was great, even after that episode. It was the only season that had an episode that focused on recurring character (Chester and AJ). But Cosmo certainly got dumber in season 4, and it continued as the series kept going and it became the focus of the writers to force it for the sake of cheap humor

Pretty much.

The show was probably cheap to make and it still had some good episodes in between the bad episodes to keep it popular enough.

I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[Stumpos]

Cosmo becoming dumber did indeed start in season 3's "This is your Wish" episode. Luckily most of that season was great, even after that episode.

It may have been even earlier than that with season 3's Wanda's Day Off where Cosmo somehow causes a cockroach invasion of Earth without Wanda.

 

[Asa]

Tootie & Trixie after season 7

They did manage to play a cameo in season 10, plus Trixie was mentioned a few times in seasons 8 and 9 (ex. When L.O.S.E.R.S. Attack has Mr. Crocker disguising himself as Trixie).

 

[Stumpos]

They did manage to play a cameo in season 10, plus Trixie was mentioned a few times in seasons 8 and 9 (ex. When L.O.S.E.R.S. Attack has Mr. Crocker disguising himself as Trixie).

Yeah, but Tootie and Trixie never had speaking roles and weren't really relevant in said season 10 cameo (Chester and AJ also cameo in season 10 but don't speak and aren't acknowledged). Fair on When LOSERS Attack being the last to remember Timmy had a crush on Trixie though.

 

[Spacething7474]

AS’ resident modern FOP stan here to say: I will always defend the goofy, random, no structure, anything-goes ordeal the latter seasons had. The story editor change was one of the best changes in television history eye-em-oh.


Also, what was the fallout Marmel had with Elmer Earl?

 

[90'sKid]

I was never big on FoP (so no Mr. Hartman, you didn't "create my childhood" you egotistical knobber), to be honest I just never found the show funny. And alot of the characters were annoying or just stereotypes, this show loved stereotypes. To a point that an episode was banned because it showed that if America had remained a British colony everything would still be stuck in colonial levels of technology... Somehow.

But I digress. Id say the inherent issues with the show just got worse and worse over time, until it became just too much.

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