TV works also started pushing ideology a lot after 2010, animation not being very different.

But also anti-union action on the part of film companies. 2d animators had unionized while 3d animators still haven’t.

I’d say that it’s difficult to prove any shows drive subscriptions. it’s largely just guesses at interpreting the numbers. And those guess at numbers might be influenced by other priorities of the people interpreting or calling shots based on them.

Streaming revenue seems to be driven by hit shows; gravitational properties that pull audiences into something resembling a monoculture (your Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, etc).

For a time, HBO found success by becoming known for being a venue where intriguing original entertainment could be reliably found. What you got there was sometimes tremendous, almost always pretty good or, at the very least, interesting (RIP John from Cincinnati).

Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim is the closest we ever got to a network or streaming platform attempting to give television animation a real shot by aiming for quality programming. I adored how all-over-the-map they were in terms of quality and budgets - they were trying things, and I love that.

But can I subscribe to Adult Swim? No, I have to pay for Max and subsidize a ton of content I don’t want.

As much as I love my mature series (Common Side Effects, Scavengers Reign, Pantheon, etc), I do desperately want to support fun, weird and challenging animation aimed at kids and teens: more Amphibia, Steven Universe, Centaurworld, Gravity Falls, She-Ra, Infinity Train, Owl House, Adventure Time, Hilda. Those shows are cultivating the kind of people I’ll want to hang out when when they grow up.

I don’t know if the Glitch TV model is the answer, but I want to help these creators create and spend less time doing MBA shit to get their work in front of hungry audiences.