In light of the recent conclusion of The Legend of Korra, I felt the need to write to you about the importance of the series and its impact on its viewers, as well as the way it has been treated by Nickelodeon as a whole. I believe that there was much potential missed as the result of the way the series was handled. From information gathered in interviews and blog posts by Mr. Bryan Konietzko and Mr. Michael Dante DiMartino, it is made clear that Nickelodeon never had a clear goal in mind for the series. From the very beginning where the series was in jeopardy of ever being made due to outmoded gendered thinking that boys would not watch a show starring a woman, to the constant shuffling of the shows timeslot, to the recent moving of the show to online only, and the budget cuts, the impression is made that Nickelodeon at best was woefully ignorant of the potential they had, or at worst was maliciously acting against the continuation of the show. I choose to believe the former out of goodwill.
In my experience growing up watching Nickelodeon, the network never made any serious attempts to producing or acquiring animated content aimed at older viewers. Despite original intentions, that is what The Legend of Korra was. The majority of the shows fanbase were children or young teenagers when Avatar: The Last Airbender first aired in 2005. We grew up with Avatar and Korra matched us by creating characters that were of similar age to ourselves. The recipient audience of Korra was never what was intended. That said the show was never given the proper treatment to match its true audience. In my understanding, unlike other childrens networks, Nickelodeon does not focus much of its efforts in selling toys of its shows. The shows are an end in and of themselves. This fact is what likely allowed an intense, plot-driven show like Korra to last as long as it did. This fact is also what makes it a grand shame that there are no longer any similar shows airing or being produced (to public knowledge) on Nickelodeon.
The Legend of Korra and the Avatar universe in general was something special, something unique. It created a world free of earthly racial, and gender stereotypes, free of biases on sexual orientation. It tackled issues never done seriously before in childrens media; war, genocide, oppression, class struggles, trauma, harmony, and real love. It wasnt perfect, it wasnt free from shortcomings in writing, but it was truly a wonder to behold. The end of The Legend of Korra and the reaction to it demonstrates something profound.
In contrast to what I presume is the standard operating procedure of childrens programming, Nickelodeon allowed Mr. Konietzko and Mr. DiMartino to portray the titular character Korra and her best friend Asami as romantically involved as bisexual couple. This by itself is a momentous event in television, Korra and Asami are the first confirmed on-screen LGBT characters in childrens media. The reaction is even better. Korra has been continually praised by the press and fans for its progressiveness in breaking both gender stereotypes and furthering the representation of LGBT characters. I hope the reception to this is encouraging for you and your network. I hope that Nickelodeon will not shy away from portraying LGBT relationships in the same manner that straight relationships are portrayed. 2015 is nearly upon us, gay marriage is legal in over 40 states and in the federal government. The tide has shifted; you and your network have nothing to fear anymore. Korra broke the mold and set you free.
In that respect, I believe it is unwise to allow The Legend of Korra and the Avatar universe in general to end. Whether it continues with more seasons of Korra, television or silver screen movies, or even at the very least in more comic books, Korra deserves to live on. In the short time that it has been on the air, the show has made a tremendous impact on the lives of many of its viewers. In breaking gender stereotypes, the show being led by a strong woman of color, it gave women and girls a role model unlike any other theyve had before. In breaking the LGBT ceiling, it gives men and women, boys and girls, who live in a world where media tells them that straight is normal and LGBT is abnormal, an example of normality for themselves. I cant understate how culturally significant this show has been and how much more it could be if it was given another, stronger chance at life. Sometimes the world changes only with small steps, sometimes it needs a big push. Give it that push, bring back Korra.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you take it to heart and see the positive impact The Legend of Korra has made on so many lives.