Steven Universe
A boy and alien gems protect Earth while exploring identity and love.
Steven Universe is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe (Zach Callison), who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, mineral-based aliens named Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst (Michaela Dietz) and Pearl (Deedee Magno Hall)—in the fictional town of Beach City. Steven, who is half-Gem, has adventures with his friends and helps the Gems protect the world from their own kind. The pilot premiered in May 2013, and the series ran for five seasons, from November 2013 to January 2019. The television film Steven Universe: The Movie was released in September 2019, and an epilogue limited series, Steven Universe Future, ran from December 2019 to March 2020.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Adventure
- Science fantasy
- Comedy drama
- Coming-of-age
- Musical
- Creator
- Rebecca Sugar
- Voices
- Zach Callison
- Estelle
- Michaela Dietz
- Deedee Magno Hall
- Theme music
- Rebecca Sugar; Aivi & Surasshu
- Opening theme
- "We Are the Crystal Gems", Zach Callison, Estelle,, Michaela Dietz and Deedee Magno Hall
- Ending theme
- "Love Like You", Rebecca Sugar
- Composer
- Aivi & Surasshu
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Development
In 2011, Cartoon Network’s Curtis Lelash asked for pitches, and Rebecca Sugar, then a storyboard artist on Adventure Time, shared early ideas for a show that would become Steven Universe. The network chose it for development. The series grew out of Sugar’s short story “Ballad of Margo and Dread,” which followed a sensitive child who helps teenagers with problems they cannot express. The main character Steven is loosely based on Sugar’s younger brother, Steven Sugar. During development, she repeatedly asked him if naming the show after him was okay, and only stopped once the series was commissioned. Her brother trusted her and had no issue with it. In an interview, Sugar said she wanted Steven’s perspective to reflect her brother’s experience of being comfortable and attention-filled but also wanting to grow beyond being the little sibling. To get ready for a possible greenlight, Sugar started building a crew. Jackie Buscarino became a producer in September 2012, handling hiring and supervision. Sugar and her team worked in a building behind the main Cartoon Network studio, on the same floor as the Powerpuff Girls CGI special crew. Some artists from that special, including colorist Tiffany Ford and art directors Kevin Dart, Ellie Michalka, and Jasmin Lai, later joined Steven Universe. The network gave Sugar a list of suggested writers; she immediately asked Ben Levin and Matt Burnett to join because she knew their work. Freelance artist Danny Hynes, known to supervising director Ian Jones-Quartey from his project Lakewood Plaza Turbo, became lead character designer. Steven Sugar, after his work on the pilot, was assigned as background designer, assisted by Dart, Michalka, Lai, and background painter Amanda Winterston.
Production
During the pilot's development, the creator wrote and sketched numerous plot ideas that would eventually become full episodes. The show's original concept emphasized Steven's human side over his Gem heritage, but this focus shifted later on. The history of the Gems was developed alongside the pilot episode. The first season introduced both human and Gem characters and their connections, while the creator began mapping out second-season storylines for the Crystal Gems. To manage this, she made a chart using taped printouts covering roughly 2,000 years of Gem and Earth history, with many events needing further detail for production. Though the series' overall plot was set, the writing team improvised to reach the ending; one writer stated the storylines would be resolved by the show's conclusion. The creator wanted the series to start with comedy and positivity before tackling controversial subjects, believing it was "more honest" to begin with happiness rather than action or drama. Two writers handled premises and outlines, while storyboarders wrote and drew the episodes. The team would wait at least a day before meeting to discuss. They wrote potential episode titles on paper cards and pinned them to a conference room wall, using this display to review work and plan meetings. They discussed pacing and varied each season's feel by balancing light and dramatic story arcs. Changing major character designs, like Yellow Diamond's, could be challenging. One writer compared drafting a season to a "jigsaw puzzle," as the team assembled plot ideas and discarded those that didn't aid character growth. After discussion, an idea became an episode. Another writer described formulating a season as an algebraic equation, where the finale is one side and the needed episodes are the variables. To generate new ideas, the writers played brainstorming games involving drawing scenarios and passing them to colleagues.
Broadcast
The pilot for Steven Universe first appeared on Cartoon Network’s online platform on May 21, 2013, followed by a tweaked version on July 20. That same July, it screened at San Diego Comic-Con, and creator Rebecca Sugar led a half-hour panel about the show at New York Comic Con on October 13. The initial order for the first season was 13 episodes, but on November 14, that number was doubled. A second season was greenlit on July 25, 2014, starting its run on March 13, 2015, and a third season followed in July 2015. In March 2016, Cartoon Network gave the series its final renewal, adding two more seasons. The show premiered in the U.S. on November 4, 2013, with two back-to-back episodes. Canadian viewers caught it on Cartoon Network starting November 11, 2013, and on Teletoon from April 24, 2014. It launched in Australia on February 3, 2014, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on May 12, 2014. Starting in 2015, Cartoon Network often dropped new episodes in clusters of five over a single week, calling them “Stevenbombs,” instead of the usual weekly schedule. The long gaps between these clusters frustrated fans, with The A.V. Club describing “agonized cries of a rabid, starving, pained cult following.” This format, also used for other Cartoon Network shows, helped drive spikes in Google Trends whenever a bomb aired. The A.V. Club linked this to the show’s strong ongoing storyline, which built online buzz similar to adult series releasing whole seasons. In May 2018, Cartoon Network apologized after a promo video leaked major spoilers from unaired episodes. Ian Jones-Quartey, in a later-deleted tweet, said “being a Steven Universe fan is suffering,” referencing the erratic airing schedule. Sugar noted in an October 2020 art book that such leaks—whether from official promos or elsewhere—were “very demoralizing for the crew.”
Other media
A number of companion books have been published, including Steven Universe's Guide to the Crystal Gems (October 2015) by Rebecca Sugar, Quest for Gem Magic (October 2015) by Max Brallier, Steven Universe Mad Libs (October 2015) by Walter Burns, Steven Universe: Live from Beach City (February 2016), What in the Universe? (February 2016) by Jake Black, Best Buds Together Fun (June 2016) by Jake Black, The Answer (September 2016) by Rebecca Sugar, and The Tale of Steven (October 2019) by Rebecca Sugar. The Answer was seventh on the New York Times best-seller list on October 2, 2016. The Tale of Steven was inspired by Sugar's experience of coming out and retells Pink Diamond's decision to become Rose Quartz from multiple perspectives, readable by rotating the pages. Nonfiction books include Steven Universe: Art and Origins (July 2017) by Chris McDonnell with an introduction by Genndy Tartakovsky and a foreword by Rebecca Sugar, The Art of Steven Universe The Movie (March 2020) by Ryan Sands, and Steven Universe: End of an Era (October 2020) by Chris McDonnell with a foreword by N. K. Jemisin. The tactical role-playing video game Steven Universe: Attack the Light! was released on April 2, 2015, for iOS and Android, developed by Grumpyface Studios. A sequel, Steven Universe: Save the Light, was released for consoles in October 2017. Another sequel, Steven Universe: Unleash the Light, was released exclusively on Apple Arcade in November 2019 and rereleased on PC and consoles in February 2021.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of Steven Universe are there?
Steven Universe has 160 episodes across 5 seasons.
When did Steven Universe end?
Steven Universe last aired on 21 January 2019.
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