Gravity Falls is one of the most popular Disney cartoons out there, so how many seasons are there, and why did it have so few seasons before being cancelled?
Gravity Falls, which began well over 10 years ago, ran for a rather short time in comparison to other popular cartoons.
Created by Alex Hirsch, the plot of Gravity Falls is as thus: “Twins Dipper and Mabel travel to the mysterious town of Gravity Falls in Oregon for their summer vacations but are shocked after they discover some strange occurrences.”
But how many seasons of the animated comedy-mystery show was there? And why was the series cut so short?
How many seasons did Gravity Falls have?
Gravity Falls only had two seasons, spanning from June 15, 2012 until February 15, 2016.
Both seasons had 20 episodes each, but Season 1 was more episodic, focusing on the mystery of the week, whereas Season 2 began to truly dive into the deeper mystery of the town as a whole, culminating in an Armageddon-level event finale with Bill Cipher’s Weirdmaggedon.
Despite its short run, the series managed to establish itself as one of the greatest cartoons of the decade, maybe even of the century. It had fans of all ages flocking to solve its mysteries, and its characters still remain iconic to this day. There was also that incredible opening theme:
Gravity Falls set viewership records on Disney XD, and has since received many accolades, including three Annie Awards, two Emmy Awards for animation, a fresh 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a BAFTA Children’s Award.
So with all that success, you could have easily expected Gravity Falls to last for seasons upon seasons. So why didn’t it?
Why was Gravity Falls cancelled?
Simple: the story of Gravity Falls ended, and there was no more show to cover.
On November 20, 2015, Alex Hirsch announced on his Tumblr page that Gravity Falls would end with Season 2, by choice and not by cancellation. With only two episodes left of said season, the news was pretty shocking, but in hindsight, it was the correct decision to end things here.
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To confirm to fans that he was bringing the show to a natural narrative ending, Hirsch emphasized how his vision for the show was anchored in the idea of an epic childhood summer. And all summers, like all childhoods, must come to an end: “A mystery that had a real answer, an adventure that had a real climax, and an ending that had a real conclusion for the characters.”
As Hirsch explained, “there are so many shows that go on endlessly until they lose their original spark.” And thus he was choosing to end Gravity Falls on a high note, with a climactic final arc. This finite ending also fits the nature of the show; being a mystery series, dragging out said mystery for too long would have turned viewers off.
While never confirmed, it could be said that the distaste creator Alex Hirsch had for Disney higher-ups may have also discouraged him from pushing Gravity Falls any further than it needed to go. From unreasonable script notes, to the constant removal of LGBTQIA+ representation, Hirsch and Disney were seemingly always butting heads.
Could there ever be a Gravity Falls spin-off show?
As of writing, no spin-off or sequel to Gravity Falls has been confirmed.
But considering how many intriguing ideas were brought up throughout the show’s run, and that the series ended with the phrase, “See you next summer!” it’s understandable why fans may be itching for more content.
There is definitely potential for a reboot or spin-off – perhaps with a grown up Mabel and Dipper and a darker tone to match the maturity of it’s old target audience. Or there could even be a new cast of characters dealing with the mysteries stored inside the journals that we have yet to uncover.
The fanbase is still big enough for any new show to be a success, even a decade later. And Gravity Falls has managed to inspire plenty of other series, including Steven Universe, Star Vs the Forces of Evil, and even Netflix‘s Inside Job.
So regardless of whether we get any more Gravity Falls content, we can be thankful for what we have right now.
Gravity Falls is currently available to stream in full on Disney+.