As we approach the 400th episode, showrunners Peter Michail and Peggy Regan have gone on record talking about Teen Titans Go!'s success and their feelings about its rise to fame. Of course, part of its success could be attributed to it being for children and tied to a massive property, but it's clear there's more than meets the eye.
Speaking to Animation Magazine, Michail admitted that the show actually makes him laugh and that the subject is often adult in nature. That said, they pivot away from outright being for adults; after all, the Cartoon Network show targets kids.
“I’m 47, and we’re writing stuff that makes me laugh as a 47-year old. The subject matter a lot of the time will be adult in nature, but once we really start diving into the script we never forget that our core audience is eight years old. Even though we might be talking about Hot Salad Water, we never forget we’re catering to them, but also catering to mom and dad, because if they don’t love the show they’re going to turn it off.”
Meanwhile, Regan points to what the show is truly supposed to be -- a show that makes mundane topics seem like the coolest thing in the world.
‘A lot of the stories play on real-life stuff, like what you’ve got going on. Even if it’s mundane you could make it into something.’
Of course, that isn't to say the show doesn't have action; it definitely has episodes that introduce fighting, but right after that, it may lean more on grounded storylines about friendship, cooking, or even 401(k)s... not even kidding.
Despite the staunch hatred Teen Titans Go! and series creators Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath get for sullying the reputation of the Teen Titans brand, the show itself is a rousing success. Since debuting back in April 2013, it's gone on to win awards, nab itself some films, both direct-to-video and theatrical, and much more that indicates how far it's come.
The show is also hyped up for the very real instance that it lasts through a 10th season, a pretty big deal within the industry, and how they plan on doing "something special."
‘We’re definitely looking at a Season 10 where we will hit that mega-milestone, and the studio is planning on doing something special for that. It’s not lost on us; we’ve been in the industry for decades, and we recognize that this is a rare thing to happen.’
The 400th episode of Teen Titans Go! launches on November 30 on Cartoon Network, with the season capping things off at 458 episodes.