Steven Universe (TV series)

## *Steven Universe*

***Steven Universe*** is a coming-of-age story told from the perspective of Steven, the youngest member of the Crystal Gems, a team of magical guardians who protect the Earth.

The Pilot was released on May 21, 2013 on Rebecca Sugar's father's YouTube channel, but it has been removed. The show aired on Cartoon Network on November 4, 2013 in the US, on January 6, 2014 in some parts of Asia, and April 7, 2014 in South America. On July 25, 2014, it was announced that *Steven Universe* has been renewed for Season 2, and on July 7, 2015, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a third season. On March 30, 2016, the series was renewed for Season 4 and Season 5, each season after the first now being a total of 26 episodes instead of 52.

## Plot

*Main article: Episode Guide*
In *Steven Universe*, the world is protected from evil threats by the Crystal Gems, a movement of Gems sworn to protect the Earth from the Homeworld Gems. Their powers flow from their gemstones; magical gems embedded somewhere on the host's body. The four Crystal Gems are: Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Steven. A gem named Peridot has also joined the team. Steven is a young half-human, half-gem boy who inherited a gemstone from his mother, a Crystal Gem named Rose Quartz, who gave up her form to create Steven. As Steven tries to figure out the secrets to using his gem, he spends his days in Beach City doing activities with the other Crystal Gems, whether it's helping them save the universe or just hanging out.

## Voice Cast

### Main Cast

* Zach Callison as Steven Universe
* Estelle as Garnet
* Michaela Dietz as Amethyst
* Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl

### Supporting Cast

* Aimee Mann as Opal
* Nicki Minaj as Sugilite
* Alexia Khadime as Sardonyx
* Rita Rani Ahuja as Alexandrite
* Natasha Lyonne as Smoky Quartz
* Amanda Joy Michalka as Stevonnie
* Tom Scharpling as Greg Universe and Yellowtail
* Grace Rolek as Connie Maheswaran
* Dee Bradley Baker as Lion and Corrupted Jasper Fusion
* Shelby Rabara as Peridot
* Matthew Moy as Lars
* Kate Micucci as Sadie Miller
* Susan Egan as Rose Quartz
* Charlyne Yi as Ruby
* Erica Luttrell as Sapphire
* Billy Merritt as Mr. Fryman
* Atticus Shaffer as Peedee Fryman
* Zachary Steel as Ronaldo Fryman
* Joel Hodgson as Bill Dewey
* Lamar Abrams as Buck Dewey
* Brian Posehn as Sour Cream
* Zach Callison as Onion
* Jackie Buscarino as Vidalia
* Reagan Gomez-Preston as Kiki Pizza and Jenny Pizza
* Godfrey Danchimah as Kofi Pizza
* Toks Olagundoye as Nanefua Pizza
* Sinbad and Colton Dunn as Harold Smiley
* Kate Flannery as Barbara Miller
* Crispin Freeman as Doug Maheswaran
* Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Dr. Priyanka Maheswaran
* Eugene Cordero as Jamie
* Jon Wurster as Marty
* Dave Willis as Andy DeMayo
* Eric Bauza as Ricky and the Le Hotel butlers
* Jennifer Paz as Lapis Lazuli and Malachite
* Kimberly Brooks as Jasper, Malachite and Corrupted Jasper Fusion
* Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond
* Uzo Aduba as Bismuth
* Lisa Hannigan as Blue Diamond
* Christine Pedi as Holly Blue Agate

**"Say Uncle" Cast**

* Pete Browngardt as Uncle Grandpa
* Eric Bauza as Belly Bag
* Kevin Michael Richardson as Mr. Gus
* Adam Devine as Pizza Steve

## Development

### Concept and Creation

The titular character, Steven, is roughly based on Sugar's younger brother Steven Sugar, who is now a background artist for the online web series, *Bravest Warriors*, created by Pendleton Ward of *Adventure Time* fame (he is also a background artist for *Steven Universe* as well). Growing up, Sugar would create miscellaneous comics between herself and Steven, as well as with other friends. In an interview with *The New York Times*, she commented on the development of the titular character's background, expressing her desire to base the character from the viewpoint of her brother growing up "where you're so comfortable in your life because you get all the attention, but you also want to rise up and not be the little brother." The show is set in the fictional Beach City, which is loosely based on Rehoboth Beach, Bethany Beach, and Dewey Beach, Delaware, all places that Sugar visited as a child.

### Production

According to Sugar, production began on the show concurrently while working on *Adventure Time*. Her last episode for the series was "Simon & Marcy", in which working on both simultaneously "became impossible to do". Similarly, she would encounter difficulty around the production of the episode "Fionna and Cake".

### Music

The series features songs and musical numbers produced by Sugar along with her story writers, who collaborate on the lyrics for each song. According to Sugar, not every episode will feature a song, instead opting to feature one every couple episodes "where it always feels right". The series premiere, "Gem Glow", features a rap song written by storyboard artist Jeff Liu, who programmed the beat into his Game Boy using Little Sound DJ. The soundtrack for all of the episodes is composed by Aivi & Surasshu with some demos by Jeff Liu.

## Broadcast History

The pilot episode for *Steven Universe*, along with a few other pilots, were released on Cartoon Network's video platform on May 21, 2013. They were taken down and redirected to a 404 page shortly after.

On July 20, 2013, Cartoon Network uploaded an edited version of the pilot to both their official website and Facebook page. The pilots were also exhibited at the San Diego Comic-Con, and from July 27 to July 28, 2013, Cartoon Network aired a sneak peek of the pilot as part of Big Fan Weekend, along with the pilots for *Clarence* and *Uncle Grandpa*. A 30-minute panel dedicated to the series was hosted at the New York Comic Con on October 13, 2013, with Rebecca Sugar hosting.

The series premiered on November 4, 2013 on Cartoon Network, with two episodes. Season 1B ended on March 12, 2015, with Season 2 beginning on March 13, 2015. The show is also available online internationally on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon Instant Video, and in America on Hulu.

## Reception

Initial announcements of the series have attained positive press for Sugar being the first female creator for any show produced by Cartoon Network Studios. When asked about her role as a solo female creator, she responded with gratitude towards the feedback, ultimately voicing her passion to be a role model "just in the sense that I get to make what the ultimate cartoon should be. I tried to be a role model [by showing that] anyone who wanted to could take really traditional ideas of animation and bring them into the present but keep all the trappings of what [was] used [to make cartoons great] in the past."

*Steven Universe* has received critical acclaim for its music and voice performances, storytelling, its characterization, and the "breathtaking beauty", "intriguing, immersive environments" and "loveably goofy aesthetic" of its art.

## Trivia

* According to Matt Burnett and Joe Johnston, each episode takes approximately 9 to 12 months to make and release.
	+ After being pitched, approved and storyboarded, the phases of production are voice recording, animatics, design, overseas animation, editing, music and sound design.
* As a "board-driven" show, *Steven Universe* does not rely on traditional scripts. Instead, the writers write up episode outlines which cover the story framework, and then the outlines are given to teams of storyboard artists who do the storyboarding and write the dialogue.
	+ After the storyboards have been completed, a member of the production staff writes out the actual script for the recording session. Instead of scene headings or action descriptions like a traditional live action script, there are numbers corresponding to the numbered storyboard panels. During the recording sessions, showrunner Rebecca Sugar and voice director Kent Osborne pitch the scene to the actors using the storyboards as references.
	+ Storyboards are made with ToonBoom's Storyboard Pro software.
* According to various Crewniverse members, Steven Universe isn't supposed to be about heroes or villains.
* During NYCC 2016, Rebecca revealed that she does have plans for how the series will end.

## External Links

### Official Links

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* Official Crewniverse tumblr
* Offical Steven Universe YouTube channel
* Official Crewniverse YouTube channel
* Official SoundCloud
* Keep Beach City Weird

#### Digital Distribution

* iTunes: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3
* Google Play
* Hulu (USA only)
* Netflix (USA only)
* Amazon Instant Video

### Unofficial Links

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### Interviews

* Newsarama - Rebecca Sugar brings STEVEN UNIVERSE to Life (November 4th, 2013)
* Video - Hot Topic - Interview: Steven Universe Creator Rebecca Sugar (YouTube; July 6, 2014)
* Newsarama - Cartoon Network's STEVEN UNIVERSE Goes kaboom! in New Comic (August 2014)
* Newsarama - STEVEN UNIVERSE: The Interview (January 7th, 2015)
* io9 - Steven Universe Guidebook Spills The Secrets Of The Crystal Gems (May 14th, 2015)
* Newsarama - New STEVEN UNIVERSE Episodes Beginning Of New Era For Show Says REBECCA SUGAR (June 12th, 2015)

### Other Articles

* LA Times - Exclusive cover reveal: 'Steven Universe' graphic novel continues to dream big

## References

1. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/Gem-Glow-Laser-Light-Cannon/dp/B00G90794U
2. ↑ http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/steven-universe-tv-review-article-1.1504338
3. ↑ http://www.nickandmore.com/2014/07/25/cartoon-network-renews-5-series/
4. ↑ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/adventure-time-regular-show-3-807037
5. ↑ http://www.ew.com/article/2016/03/30/steven-universe-uncle-grandpa-renewed-season-5-cartoon-network?xid=entertainment-weekly\_socialflow\_twitter
6. ↑ https://twitter.com/mcburnett/status/715267280200998912
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/steven-universe-creator-rebecca-sugar-is-an-idealistic-trailblazer/2013/11/01/fe622da2-4338-11e3-a751-f032898f2dbc\_story.html
8. ↑ http://www.verbicidemagazine.com/2013/07/27/sdcc-2013-press-roundtable-interview-series-uncle-grandpa-clarence-steven-universe/
9. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/movies/rising-animators-spring-into-motion.html
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 http://www.indiewire.com/article/television/adventure-time-writer-rebecca-sugar-on-steven-universe
11. ↑ http://stevencrewniverse.tumblr.com/post/66209062744/jeff-liu-says-the-instrumental-track-for-the
12. ↑ Template:Cite web
13. ↑ http://io9.com/watch-the-amazing-fantastic-and-stupendous-pilot-of-st-509351010
14. ↑ http://io9.com/the-first-look-at-rebecca-sugars-amazing-new-cartoon-s-853310801
15. ↑ http://www.awn.com/news/cartoons/cn-sneak-peeks-rebecca-sugar-s-steven-universe
16. ↑ http://nycc13.mapyourshow.com/5\_0/sessions/sessiondetails.cfm?ScheduledSessionID=18ABC9C6
17. ↑ http://www.cartoonbrew.com/ideas-commentary/rebecca-sugar-is-cartoon-networks-first-solo-woman-show-creator-71157.html
18. ↑ http://comicsbeat.com/cartoon-network-shows-to-watch-out-for-steve-universe-uncle-grandpa-and-clarence/
19. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven\_Universe#Reception
20. ↑ https://twitter.com/mcburnett/status/622237562824953856
21. ↑ https://twitter.com/mcburnett/status/624357912077598720*"After storyboard, voice record->animatic->design->animated overseas->editing->music->sound design all have to happen."*
22. ↑ http://ben-levin.tumblr.com/post/128851455980/hi-ben-i-know-steven-universe-doesnt-use*"As some of you know,* Steven Universe *is a storyboard-driven show, meaning a team of storyboard artists are given an outline off of which they write all of the dialogue and storyboard the episode. The job of the outline, and my job, is to give them the basic framework for the episode - the story."*
23. ↑ http://stevencrewniverse.tumblr.com/post/129380055032
24. ↑ https://twitter.com/mcburnett/status/647967286788231168
25. ↑ http://io9.gizmodo.com/steven-universe-is-a-show-about-fantasys-love-affair-1458060916
26. ↑ *"SU doesn't deal in antagonists or protagonists. Characters much more complicated than that."*https://twitter.com/mcburnett/status/706654478309597184
27. ↑ http://fandom.wikia.com/articles/nycc-steven-universe-gem-harvest