I’m kicking off a series of posts analyzing Nickelodeon’s hit show The Legend of Korra.
Korra, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, premiered in 2012 and, after 4 seasons, had its final episodes in late 2014. It was spun off from DiMartino and Konietzko’s first series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. Both are among my favorite television shows of all time, and with Korra’s recent finale, I thought it would be a great way to kick off The Art of the Story.

What made Korra so good?

Over the next several posts, I’ll be answering the question: What did the show creators do right?
Hint: Many things.

Korra was a huge hit, both a critical and ratings success. There is not one singular reason why the show was well-loved. It took several elements including strong characters, engaging plots, a rich world, and beautiful artwork to make the show what it was.

Here’s the secret: making a good television show is difficult. It takes a lot of work from a lot of people working in many different capacities. That’s why strong shows like this one are so rare. I can’t tell you everything the Korra creators got right. That would take years of investigation. But I can scratch the surface with you. Stay tuned for my next posts as I explore:

• Character arcs
• World building
• High stakes plots
• Texture and depth