So I'm rewatching the whole show, and it's really interesting that season 6 is just packed with the 20 minute episodes (which in the other seasons either add lore or characters, and are referenced in future episodes).
Which makes sense seeing as the show was ending (though without the very last season or a massive episode/movie which would have completed that cliffhanger ending).
But it does bare the question, had the show not ended there, how many seasons did the Gummi bear team think they were going to get?
Im not 100% on 80s/90s programming behind the scenes, so this might all be wrong
but I think they knew six would be the end, or at the very least renewal was unlikely. IMO a show should always write with what it has, rather than what it *might* have, or else you end up with those shows that were fantastic but canceled after two seasons because corporations are run by non-artists. Paranormal Park i miss you.
So taking advantage of the 20 min slot to its fullest was the best way to explore the plots they wanted to cover, as well as give the show a good send-off. too this day im suprised "King Igthorn i+ii" are not the shows true finale (instead i think the troll episode with the mining machine is the last one to air?) But whenever i recommend the show to someone I just tell them to watch King Igthorn last, it makes more sense narratively. I like it ending on a cliffhanger/unresolved, since it matches the shows thesis on progression and moving forwards, rather than neatly tying it all up. That Said... a movie to end the whole series miiight have been good? I have my reservations about cartoon movies, they either do super well or add nothing/rehash what we already know (see: the Steven universe movie, i did not care for it) so Ill leave that where it is
If the show were to go on longer, i could easily see another two seasons working, as there is more to explore. If the show was not married to igthorn being the big bad, there are more villains they could introduce, more settings and gummi stories to explore.
Cast bloat is a concern (MLP FIM's final seasons with the school kids comes to mind). Sometimes, esp if the show has a large cast, the writers zero in a very select few, leaving interesting side characters in the dust (M*A*S*H, for example, focused heavily on the main 7/8 characters by the end while earlier seasons implied broader relationships between camp members) While other shows simply add more and more characters until it looses focus and needs to awkwardly cut back to what the viewers know from earlier seasons. Ideally, a AOTGB season 7-8 would introduce new characters sparingly and instead develop out the relationships they have between the Humans, Glen Gummis, and Barbics, as well as the other occasional Gummi.
Personal preference however, would be for a new show that takes place post-canon, but continues forwards as if its simply season 7+, using the same cast of characters but just going on into new adventures. Alternatively, a prequel, maybe set during the mass Exodus. That way theres no ties to the existing show, and new viewers dont need to watch 6 seasons of 80s cartoon television to get all the lore (but they should imo.. hehe!)
