“Transformers” has always been a special series. Unlike other ’80s action series centered on selling toys, “Transformers” has managed to successfully stay relevant in mainstream media in a consistent manner. While “He-Man”, “Thundercats”, and “GI JOE” have jumped in and then disappeared, “Transformers” simply never left.

Of course, Hasbro’s darling and mainstay money maker hasn’t been without struggle. After the original series finished, it looked like “Transformers” would be forgotten. Then “Beast Wars” came. Since then, “Transformers” has grown to a mainstay of pop culture. After all, there’s nothing cooler than giant robots.

Despite the brand’s success, its most recent series, “Earthspark”, has had mixed reviews. The general community consensus is quite divided, as some laud the show while others despise it with a passion. Generally regarded as ‘that one Transformer show that no one watched’, “Earthspark” is rarely discussed.

It’s an unfortunate fate as even the most hated shows are talked about all the time. It’s worth noting that “Earthspark” as a whole is okay. The first season is pretty good despite some misses and a clunky finale, but the second season is just…off. From shoddy visuals to strange writing choices, it just doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the show.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with “Earthspark“, the series is the newest show produced by Hasbro that follows a family known as the Maltos and their adventures with the newly born Transformers, the Terrans. Like their name implies, the Terrans are Earthborn Transformers and are the first of their kind.

As a result of their unique creation, the Terrans are psychically and physically linked to the two kids of the Maltos family, Robby and Mo. This presents a unique dynamic (to Transformers) where when the bots are hurt, Robby and Mo can tell. On top of this, every emotion the kids feel is immediately transferred to the bots.

While the kids can also feel the Terrans’ emotions, their emotions aren’t immediately overridden like their robot counterparts. This dilemma causes issues ever so often, but Robby and Mo manage to find a way to use it positively eventually. “Earthspark” also broke new ground in “Transformers” history with the introduction of Nightshade, the first non-binary Transformer.

Throughout the majority of the first season, Nightshade somewhat struggles with who they are as they use they/them pronouns, but aren’t completely sure why. Yet in this episode, they find themselves in a simple and sweet conversation with a human named Sam, who describes the concept in a cordial manner.

Though the episode is wonderfully done, it didn’t change the backlash from conservative viewers and the aggressive platforms they follow. As a result, “Earthspark” was harshly criticized online. This meant nothing in the end, but it was unfortunate that something so minor became a target of hate.

Despite “Earthspark’s” passion and unique dynamics, the show suffered a major staff shakeup after the first season due to Hasbro replacing some of the staff, some of the staff leaving the show, and the animation studio being changed from Icon Creative Studio to 88 Pictures. Such a major staff change is immediately felt in the first episode of the second season.

Between the dip in animation quality and the weird story beats, “Earthspark” was turned into a shell of its former self. Between the Nightshade “controversy”, the clunky release of the series, Hasbro going radio silent on the show, and then not announcing another season until nearly a year later, it’s no surprise that it sort of faded out of view.

To add more salt on the wound, there was very little promotion for the second and third seasons. The sad truth is that “Earthspark” came out at a bad time, and Hasbro wasn’t satisfied with what the series offered. Hasbro, like most companies, is money centric and isn’t happy unless they’re raking in the dough.

This is further exemplified by their treatment of its employees, massive layoffs, anti-union practices, usage of AI in DND/Wizards of the Coast material, and huge price mark ups for its products.

Considering the shady business practices Hasbro has employed for the past few years, it’s clear that “Earthspark” is one of many properties that was silently undercut behind the scenes. Every time this is done, it’s in an effort to avoid controversy or outrage, yet all it does is make it worse.

If you’re going to cancel a show, just do it. Killing it slowly with subtle budget cuts and layoffs is just wrong. “Earthspark” was fun because it switched things up and changed the focus from the same few characters every other show focuses on. It had heart, and was proud to show it off. Unfortunately, Hasbro cut that heart out.