When I was a mere slip of a lad at 10 years of age, I came across "Sonic The Hedgehog" on Channel 4. Needless to say, I was hooked. My pre-teen mind just lapped up the endless slapstick adventures of Sonic and Tails battling Robotnik. The fact that I was a fan of the game series too also factored into my enjoyment of this cartoon.
Then, the first season ended, and we were presented with a much darker, more dramatic Sonic cartoon. I took an instant dislike to it - it felt like I'd been betrayed! They'd taken away a show I'd loved and replaced it with what was in my mind a new show, catering to teenagers instead of pre-teens. It was not until last year, when I was 16, that I finally came to appreciate this show. I'd rediscovered it lurking on the back shelf of my friend's video collection. I borrowed it, and was hooked once more.
The point I'm making is that transforming the show from goofy to serious may not have been the best way to attract viewers, and may have contributed to it's decline. Teenagers knew this show as 'goofy' and didn't watch it, so how were they to know it had been changed? As I recall, Channel 4 didn't advertise it particularly well.
Still, both seasons were great. I, too, think they would benefit from a re-show.
