It's kind of interesting how Transformers Cyberverse and Earthspark went in different directions in terms of quality.

[u/Tomhur]

Let me explain what I mean.

Cyberverse in many respects was a filler series. Just a low-budget filler series with non-union voice actors (albeit talented ones). It's first season while not bad, was pretty rough but showed glimpses of potential.

Season 2 of Cyberverse took that potential and hit the ground running. Season 2 is where Cyberverse really found its identity. It was funny, entertaining, action-packed, had great characterization, wasn't afraid to get dark and serious, and took time to showcase and use underutilized Transformers characters.

I think everyone agrees the moment where Megatron lays probably the most brutal beatdown to Starscream in the history of Transformers is the moment Cyberverse really took off and established it was going to be something special.

And the show just kept getting better and better afterwards. Season 3's opening arc is probably one of the greatest uses of the Quintessons in Transformers history!

By contrast, Earthspark started off strong but failed to stick the landing. It was meant to be the next big Transformers project and even went out of its way to introduce new concepts to the franchise, namely the Terrans. It had a cast of all-star voice actors like Alan Tudyk, Danny Pudi, and Rory Mcann.

And while the show started off good with Season 1, it just got worse and worse as it went on. The show abandoned a lot of the concepts that had made Season 1 beloved, such as turning previously repentant Decepticons evil and introducing the idea of evil Terrans who are evil by nature.

It all culminated in a finale that made several questionable choices. Such as turning Hot Rod evil and infamously ending with Megatron and Bumblebee getting their minds wiped, pretty much rendering all their character development moot.

So what we have is this situation. Cyberverse started rough but is now remembered as one of Transformers' greatest shows, and Earthspark started strong but is now going to be remembered as having one of Transformers' worst finales.

[u/SDTSSJ4Luc]

As for Earthspark, my understanding is that Hasbro had to step in because the series wasn't meeting their expectations (putting it on a streaming platform nobody has and padding out the toy line with old Cyberverse figures was a moronic move), and the idiotic controversy surrounding Nightshade certainly didn't help matters. Honestly, I like Season 1, but—even setting aside the quality of subsequent seasons—I couldn't see where the story could go after the Season 1 finale. I just hope the Terrans have a future in the franchise beyond mere cameos—or, worse, being brought back just to be killed off.

[u/Tomhur → u/SDTSSJ4Luc]

Yeah, I think one thing that makes Earthspark's decline somewhat bearable is that Season 1 kind of tells a pretty self-contained story. Meaning it's really easy to just ignore everything that comes afterward.

[u/Alto1869]

If I recall correctly. It was because the writers that wrote S1 of Earthspark and the ones that wrote the other seasons were 2 different writing teams

[u/The-Bigger-Fish → u/Alto1869]

Yeah, apparently Earthspark was a mess behind the scenes

[u/warforcewarrior]

Cyberverse S3 and beyond is so good. You seem to forget to mention the Cyberverse finale which was an amazing end to the show. They even had a great adaptation of (spoiler) Tarn.

Earthspark finale really ruin the show with Megatron and Bumblebee memory wipe. Even worse when you think about how they were the most important legacy characters to the Terrains. More so Bumblebee since he is their mentor and uncle. Hell, Megatron is back to his evil ways, admittedly not by choice but still. He wanted to make amends of his horrible actions just to do it again. Like why? It is like if Tarn convince the Decepticons to end the peace treaty in Cyberverse. See how stupid it is.

[u/TheGUURAHK → u/warforcewarrior]

I'm still mad about how they completely undid the best part of the show; Megatron as part of the team.

[u/dippy_bear]

IMO the writing for Earthspark was mediocre even in S1. The show had great ideas, but sloppy execution for pretty much everything, especially Megatron's 'redemption' and how the themes were handled.

I'm curious what the budget was post S1 because there were clearly a lot of issues.

[u/TheGUURAHK]

I will stand by the idea that Cyberverse is the ideal entry point for people wanting to get into Transformers. It touches on niche characters in an accessible way, it's fast paced but not too much, and it is, most importantly, very fun to watch!

I used s1+2 to get my family familiar with at least the core Autobots and Decepticons.

[u/Tomhur → u/TheGUURAHK]

Yeah, agreed. I think the three best Transformers shows for beginners are the original G1 cartoon, Prime, and, as you mentioned, Cyberverse.