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Friendly Franchise Somber Spinoff

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Essentially, this is when a Spin-Off of some kind (be it a sister show, reimagining, Gaiden Game, or what have you) is significantly darker than its main series counterpart(s).
There are several reasons for why this is done. One is the fact that spin-offs aren't marketed as heavily as main-series works, so most people who buy them are already fans of said work; as a result, creators can make much more adult-oriented works to pander to teenage and adult fans (who make up the majority of most fanbases). Another is to hit multiple demographics at once: younger kids will watch the main series, and as they grow older, they move on to the darker spin-off. Finally, spin-off material is often made by a different person or company, and if said person or company's Signature Style is darker than that of the original creator, the spin-off will be much darker than normal.
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_content_3'); })Note that this is not a bad thing. Introducing darker spin-offs is an effective way to make a franchise far more appealing to older fans without alienating its target demographic of younger fans. However, like all things, it can be done wrong. Just like with making anything Darker and Edgier, one must tread carefully when making one of these, lest the work become too dark and give audiences Darkness-Induced Audience Apathy.
A Sub-Trope of Darker and Edgier. See Cerebus Syndrome and Sequel Escalation when this happens to the main series. Movies based on a TV show being more dramatic than their source material are covered under Big Damn Movie. The fanmade equivalent would be Dark Fic. Contrast Spin-Off Babies, a spin-off aimed at younger audiences instead of older audiences.
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Angel, a spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was far darker than its predecessor, as it dealt with more mature issues and had more character death.
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There's also an example within the classic series: Super Adventure Rockman, a Japan-only game about Mega Man trying to stop Dr. Wily from using an ancient artifact to shut down all the power in the world. It contains tons of horrific Game Over cutscenes that show things such as Dr. Wily killing Roll or Shadow Man destroying Mega Man. Shadow Man is also Killed Off for Real in this game. Quick Man dies too, but he gets better at the end.
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The Doctor Who – Expanded Universe spin-off novels published during the period when the TV show was off-air, the Doctor Who New Adventures and the Eighth Doctor Adventures, were frequently quite grim, dark and violent. The New Adventures in particular were notorious for the extent to which they played up the Seventh Doctor's Manipulative Bastard TV characterisation, sometimes taking him well over the line between Good Is Not Nice and Well-Intentioned Extremist.
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Super Paper Mario is even darker than either of the aforementioned games, and to this day is considered the darkest Mario game. The main villain, an Omnicidal Maniac named Count Bleck, kidnaps Peach, Bowser, and Luigi and takes them to his stronghold. Bleck forces Peach and Bowser to marry, summoning the Chaos Heart and causing a rift called The Void to appear, and it's up to Mario to save the multiverse from being destroyed. This game includes such pleasant elements as a girl spinning her head like in The Exorcist (except it turns vertically rather than horizontally) when transforming into her true form, a psychopathic Monster Clown, an entire dimension being wiped from existence, and Mario and the gang getting killed by Dimentio and sent to the Underwhere.
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Rogue One is another example. As the first Star Wars anthology film, it was made for the fans above all else — and considering most die-hard fans of Star Wars are adults, the film has a more "adult" tone than previous Star Wars films. It has a bleak and war-like tone, Black and Grey Morality, tons of realistic violence, and a Kill ’Em All ending.
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The Berenstain Bears normally came in the form of short books that dealt with everyday first-world problems, though they also had mini-chapter books that dealt with more serious issues, like shoplifting and political controversy.
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Hoo boy, Super Mario Bros.. Normally, Super Mario Bros. is a franchise that is light in tone and light on story- a simple tale of good guy Mario saving a princess from a not-very-threatening antagonist. However, the Mario RPGs are far darker and more dramatic than the main series Mario games. For example:
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was far darker than any prior game in the Mario franchise, and it paved the way for Mario RPGs to become Darker and Edgier. It's set in Rogueport, a crime-ridden town inhabited by cutthroats and miscreants, and the main antagonists, the X-Nauts, have an extremely dark Evil Plan. Many of the areas in the game, such as Twilight Town, Riverside Station, and the Pit of 100 Trials, have an eerie atmosphere, and the final boss, the Shadow Queen, is a demonic Eldritch Abomination that caused a "Great Cataclysm" in the past and will cause another one if not stopped.
Only one year later, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time would seize the title of "darkest Mario game" from Thousand-Year Door. It centers around the Mushroom Kingdom of the past being invaded by malicious, evil aliens known as the Shroobs, and Mario and Luigi having to go back in time and save the past. The Shroobs destroy cities, abduct innocent people and harvest their life force to power their ships, hold massive celebrations where they feed captives to Piranha Plants, pollute the Mushroom Kingdom's water, and attack literal babies without a second thought. Elder Princess Shroob even uses her own subjects as projectiles in the battle against her.
Super Paper Mario is even darker than either of the aforementioned games, and to this day is considered the darkest Mario game. The main villain, an Omnicidal Maniac named Count Bleck, kidnaps Peach, Bowser, and Luigi and takes them to his stronghold. Bleck forces Peach and Bowser to marry, summoning the Chaos Heart and causing a rift called The Void to appear, and it's up to Mario to save the multiverse from being destroyed. This game includes such pleasant elements as a girl spinning her head like in The Exorcist (except it turns vertically rather than horizontally) when transforming into her true form, a psychopathic Monster Clown, an entire dimension being wiped from existence, and Mario and the gang getting killed by Dimentio and sent to the Underwhere.
Even Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, a game with the simple premise of "Mario goes into Luigi's dreams", is quite dark. The main antagonist, Antasma, is a horrifying embodiment of nightmares, and at one point you enter Luigi's deepest subconscious, a very unnerving location. Bowser also betrays Antasma and becomes an Eldritch Abomination with plans to Take Over the World.
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The Shadow Pokemon duology, Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, are also far darker than the main-series Pokemon games. Both of them deal with the concept of Shadow Pokemon- Pokemon who have had all sense of compassion removed from them, turning them vicious and evil. The former stars a Pokemon-stealing Anti-Hero and is set in a bleak desert location. The latter, while Lighter and Softer in some aspects, is even darker- it features Shadow Lugia, the only Shadow Pokemon that cannot be purified- it has PERMANENTLY lost its compassion.
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Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, a spin-off of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, is noticeably darker, with darker themes, more swearing, and the main character dying in a gruesome way.
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The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, starting with Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers, is very dark and dramatic. Explorers of Time/Darkness has the protagonists face off against a corrupted god that, if not stopped, could cause The End of the World as We Know It, and it also has a Big Bad who not only traps children in unending nightmares, but also poses as an "ally" who suggests that the main character should commit suicide. Gates to Infinity is about a world that has lost all hope to the point that everyone's negative emotions manifest as a being bent on destroying the world. It also contains a group of villains that assist said being in destroying the world because they feel like they have nothing left to live for.
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Daria isn't exactly darker than Beavis And Butthead but due to the very nature of the lead character, the themes are considerably gloomier and more mature and the humor is much less low-brow.
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Where do we start with Pokémon? While Pokémon may have some dark elements, the franchise has always been a kid-friendly, uplifting series. However, its spin-offs are far darker:
The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, starting with Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers, is very dark and dramatic. Explorers of Time/Darkness has the protagonists face off against a corrupted god that, if not stopped, could cause The End of the World as We Know It, and it also has a Big Bad who not only traps children in unending nightmares, but also poses as an "ally" who suggests that the main character should commit suicide. Gates to Infinity is about a world that has lost all hope to the point that everyone's negative emotions manifest as a being bent on destroying the world. It also contains a group of villains that assist said being in destroying the world because they feel like they have nothing left to live for.
The Shadow Pokemon duology, Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, are also far darker than the main-series Pokemon games. Both of them deal with the concept of Shadow Pokemon- Pokemon who have had all sense of compassion removed from them, turning them vicious and evil. The former stars a Pokemon-stealing Anti-Hero and is set in a bleak desert location. The latter, while Lighter and Softer in some aspects, is even darker- it features Shadow Lugia, the only Shadow Pokemon that cannot be purified- it has PERMANENTLY lost its compassion.
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Even Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, a game with the simple premise of "Mario goes into Luigi's dreams", is quite dark. The main antagonist, Antasma, is a horrifying embodiment of nightmares, and at one point you enter Luigi's deepest subconscious, a very unnerving location. Bowser also betrays Antasma and becomes an Eldritch Abomination with plans to Take Over the World.
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Doctor Who is aimed at a family audience and is usually fairly optimistic, despite the odd episode with a Downer Ending. The 2000s adult-aimed spin-off Torchwood, however, was almost entirely centred around the idea that when the Doctor isn't around, humans are barely capable of fighting off alien menaces, with victories often coming at appalling cost. The high-point comes with the third season, Children of Earth, a five-part serial story in which the governments of the world come close to handing over millions of children to malevolent aliens for an And I Must Scream fate and this is only prevented by the protagonist killing his own grandson in an extremely painful way.
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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was far darker than any prior game in the Mario franchise, and it paved the way for Mario RPGs to become Darker and Edgier. It's set in Rogueport, a crime-ridden town inhabited by cutthroats and miscreants, and the main antagonists, the X-Nauts, have an extremely dark Evil Plan. Many of the areas in the game, such as Twilight Town, Riverside Station, and the Pit of 100 Trials, have an eerie atmosphere, and the final boss, the Shadow Queen, is a demonic Eldritch Abomination that caused a "Great Cataclysm" in the past and will cause another one if not stopped.
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The Legend of Korra is this to Avatar: The Last Airbender. While Avatar got progressively darker over time, it was still very much a children's show. The Legend of Korra, on the other hand, is set in a city riddled with crime, has scenes reminiscent of public execution and rape, allusions to historical examples of oppression, a politically driven storyline filled with unrest, a blatant depiction of a terrorist attack, and a Murder-Suicide- and that's just in the first season!
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Only one year later, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time would seize the title of "darkest Mario game" from Thousand-Year Door. It centers around the Mushroom Kingdom of the past being invaded by malicious, evil aliens known as the Shroobs, and Mario and Luigi having to go back in time and save the past. The Shroobs destroy cities, abduct innocent people and harvest their life force to power their ships, hold massive celebrations where they feed captives to Piranha Plants, pollute the Mushroom Kingdom's water, and attack literal babies without a second thought. Elder Princess Shroob even uses her own subjects as projectiles in the battle against her.
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The Mary Tyler Moore Show is a light-hearted half-hour sitcom set in a newsroom. The spin-off Lou Grant takes that show's gruff editor and puts him in a one-hour drama set in a newspaper office that often tackles serious subjects.
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Star Wars Legends in general is far darker than its source material, with much more torture and character death, and gruesome moments. New Jedi Order is perhaps the darkest of them all.
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Cells at Work! is a lighthearted Edutainment show that uses anthropomorphized cells to show how the human body works. It has a spin-off called Cells at Work! [BLACK], which is about miserable and overworked cells working in the body of an unhealthy person. It has a war-themed setting, a bleak tone, a high body count, and the threats are portrayed as far more... well, threatening.
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Mega Man
With the exception of Mega Man Legends and Mega Man Battle Network, every single Mega Man series is Darker and Edgier than Mega Man (Classic) (a very lighthearted series about a heroic robot fighting against almost cartoonish villains). Of these, Mega Man Zero deserves a special mention, as it is the darkest the Mega Man franchise has ever gone- it shows the hero on the losing side of a war, with lots of character death and the most loathsome and despicable Big Bad in the entire franchise.
There's also an example within the classic series: Super Adventure Rockman, a Japan-only game about Mega Man trying to stop Dr. Wily from using an ancient artifact to shut down all the power in the world. It contains tons of horrific Game Over cutscenes that show things such as Dr. Wily killing Roll or Shadow Man destroying Mega Man. Shadow Man is also Killed Off for Real in this game. Quick Man dies too, but he gets better at the end.
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With the exception of Mega Man Legends and Mega Man Battle Network, every single Mega Man series is Darker and Edgier than Mega Man (Classic) (a very lighthearted series about a heroic robot fighting against almost cartoonish villains). Of these, Mega Man Zero deserves a special mention, as it is the darkest the Mega Man franchise has ever gone- it shows the hero on the losing side of a war, with lots of character death and the most loathsome and despicable Big Bad in the entire franchise.
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