Beast Machines: The Sequel That Destroyed The Fandom
Beast Wars won over an entire generation of Transformers fans. Then Beast Machines came along… and changed almost everything they loved.
Picking up directly after the beloved ending of Beast Wars, Beast Machines brought the Maximals home to Cybertron — only to strip away their transformations, radically redesign their bodies, change their personalities, and reveal that Megatron had already won.
And that was only the beginning.
From Rattrap’s controversial new direction and Optimus Primal’s obsession with the Oracle to the decision to turn Rhinox into Tankor, Beast Machines became one of the most divisive chapters in Transformers history.
But was the show really as bad as fans remembered?
In this Dial-Up Dayz retrospective, we’re looking back at the strange production decisions behind Beast Machines, why the creators intentionally took the series in such a different direction, the massive backlash from Beast Wars fans, the controversy surrounding its characters and ending, and why more viewers have started defending the show decades later.
Was Beast Machines a bold Transformers experiment that was ahead of its time?
Or did it fundamentally misunderstand everything that made Beast Wars great?
Let me know in the comments: What bothered you most about Beast Machines — the character redesigns, Rattrap, Optimus, Rhinox becoming Tankor, or the techno-organic ending?
And were you one of the fans who hated Beast Machines when it originally aired… or have you always defended it?
Subscribe to Dial-Up Dayz for more deep dives into the forgotten, controversial, and surprisingly fascinating TV shows we grew up watching.
@ColdCutz
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I saw KB Toys had these Machine Wars toys that seemed to come right after Beast Wars – I was like hell yeah! This must be what it’s gonna be like when the get back to Cybertron…😃….😀….🥲
@ColdCutz
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I instantly stopped watching the show after they destroyed Rhinox. Wholly unforgivable.
@jthang7
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
This series never happened. It's so bad I don't consider it canon.
@Eagle1oh7
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I couldn’t watch this show, the feel was so different. I need to find this in stream to give it a try as an adult.
@willowparker-ct3pq
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I think you’re absolutely right that Beast Machines would have been far more successful if it had been a new, original show instead of a continuation of Beast Wars. Because, I watched all of it when it was first airing, having never seen Beast Wars. And honestly, I didn’t even know at the time that it was a continuation of another show. The framing with the characters having amnesia worked perfectly for me as a newcomer, to the point that I never questioned any references to the original show. And I absolutely loved it. None of the common complaints landed with me, because I had no preexisting attachment to other versions of the characters. When I did eventually learn that Beast Wars was a thing and checked it out, I was disappointed with how campy it felt in comparison to the dark, philosophical Beast Machines, and I hated that the designs were pure machine with none of the cool organic elements.
@nickducharme5104
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
Wtf why? It is Good.
@JustinWahlne
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
Since this show came out while I was a rebellious teenager, I loved how it was so bold and unafraid to take chances. I thought it was actually very punk; unconventional, jarring, anti-authority, and it didn't care if you thought it was ugly. It was also one of the first times I'd seen so many complex, mature and dark themes in a kid's show before. The only other show I can think of that did that at the time was the 90s X-Men cartoon. As a young writer, and a Transformers fan, it left a really big impression on me.
@Murphys00
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
18:00 chee-torrr cheeeee -Tore!!!!
@BionicGio
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
As someone who has no nostalgic connection to either and only just recently watched both I completely understand the hatred for beast machines, but while nowhere near as good as beast wars imo I didn't dislike it. It's very strange, but I had fun watching it.
@TigerFunkMedia
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I definitely think Beast Machines was ahead of its time and a great written story.
I had to warm up to it when it came out, it was a major shift in tone and I still enjoy beast wars much more. But I do think it was very good. I liked the resolution at the end and how every character had a story arch and a personal journey. Heartbreaking as they were.
But I am not surprised they didn't continue that story line. And am glad they didn't it felt like a great place to end.
@FieryCrimson53
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
16:50
Uhhh….WHAT?
Except Silverbolt was EXACTLY the same when she briefly poured ooze on him as Jetstorm until it wore off.. did you forget that part?
It was only after he fully changed back to himself that he became Mr Emo. It's not consistent at all!
@oriondezagrats4228
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I've always treated Beast Machines more as a 'what if' than a direct sequel, like it's exploring an idea rather than the absolute canon.
Seeing it through that lens, I could understand why folks were upset about it, but I could never bring myself to hate it. There were neat ideas here and there, even if their execution was lacking.
@BigBoy-bx1dw
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
Coming off the high that was beast wars this was so frustrating as a kid. This was just like Spiderman Unlimited a terrible sequel to peak kids television. Fox Kids ** the bed
@FieryCrimson53
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
Everything about this show is WRONG
@maxeisenhardt8800
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
This show juggled with some interesting themes and a unique tone, but I feel it would have worked better as a stand-alone story set in its own universe rather than being a direct sequel to Beast Wars. However, being this a toy-driven franchise, I never liked the Beast Machines line. They were, along with the character models from the show, way too unpleasant to look at, especially the Maximals (that Rattrap in robot mode… just no). And the Vehicons were simply bland and generic (although I could give the Tankor design a pass).
Ultimately, as deep and "complex" as Beast Machines tried to be, it lacked the most important element: heart. And if heart comes with some good writing as well, it's no surprise that after all these years fans can look past the outdated animation and still enjoy Beast Wars.
@MacX5x
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
Thurst is so cool and I even repainted the cycle drone to more show accurate colors as Thurst!
@Lloyd00
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I dont even remember Beast Machines, that shows how forgettable it was. Beast Wars was really something special
@LaNguyenBTong
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I could not sit through this show. A terrible downgrade.
@mr.e8561
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
LOVED Beast Machines
@mooviedude1991
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
How do I not remember this show existing at all??
@Alex_waffles
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
It’s Cheetor not Cheeder
@Steven-j4q4m
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
Ehh, I’m sorry. I’m having trouble trusting the words of someone who consistently mis-pronounced a main character name. It’s Cheetor. Cheet-OR. Not Cheeter. Really really bothered me lol
@edoe132
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
My biggest issue was how FOX Kids aired the eposides. They play half the season from September to October or November, played reruns until February of the next year then played the second half until May or June. The stories were nothing like Beast Wars. I think it would have been better if they just made a Machine Wars series that following behind a different group of Autobots in the future version of Cybertron.
@spiderdansweb
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I loved this sequel from the beast wars.
@AndrewCheshire
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I still maintain that this show GOT good. It did. It got there. The characters became compelling, the story became intriguing, and the ending was, for me, very satisfying and brought the whole of Beast Wars to a close. But before it GOT good, it slogged through episode after predictable, repetitive episode that caused headaches just to look at, and was not, at any point, fun to watch. Really, REALLY disappointing. 🫤
@greatulcer2117
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
There was some stuff I liked as a kid, but that was mostly outweighed by stuff I didn't like and that remains true today. Rhinox's decision felt out of character to me and that was a big strike against it for me. I did like Tankor's design, though I wasn't a fan of most of the characters' designs, there were others I did like. The unpopularity is even more unfortunate because I thought the Big Head Megatron was really cool and I doubt it'll ever see reproduction and I won't see an original that isn't priced super exorbitantly by some scalper.
@ShawnBlaque
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
Beast Machines got too mature too quickly. It was a really good show still but I get why it was too much of a change for a lot of kids.
@davinator1212
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
honestly, the story was fine. i think the designs really just killed it for me as a kid. I rewatched it recently and I def still feel this way, maybe even more so.
@philbourque9337
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I just feel that Beast Machines would have been better or at least better received if they had just been completely different characters.
@LilyMonasmith-m6f
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
AU: beast machines but Rattrap doesn't act like a child, gets brainwashed into a villain instead of Rhinox who stays the strong techy guy in the team he always has been, gets with Botanica instead of the rat, and later Rattrap gets unbrainwashed. Oh and Optimus isn't an annoying moral lecturing old saint
@shaynapilc5229
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I always thought they brainwashed rhinox. It always felt like he was corrupted by Megatron.
@kausalkraken5951
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
Let see the 1998 Zilla Cartoon?
@PatrickYule-u9j
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
Good luck finding a copy of Beast machines.
@Another_Clippy
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
lol srsly bro, who is "cheater"
@zeromiedo1218
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
Lmao at Megatron having a lisp when saying "Yeeeess" according to this video 😂
@maitrefromage7474
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I think they should have used a different cast all together. Instead of megatron beign the villain, it could have been the tripledacus council. The Maximals could have been survivors from cybertron. While it wouldn't have fixed the art style or the overly dark atmosphere, it would have avoided character assassinations. Besides, everyone's personnality felt quite different anyway
@CptLastimosa
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
Dude you can say they didn't hate the show when all the decisions clearly show they did.
@Bjorn_Tyrson
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
This show felt like it wanted to be the darker, grittier remake, for an older more mature audience of fans. before that audience actually existed yet.
if it had come out say 5 years later, and actually leaned into that teen-young adult demographic instead, it probably would have done amazingly.
it was too soon, and aimed at the wrong audience for the story it was trying to tell.
@richardl5956
August 11, 2026 at 8:37 am
I despise this show. Silverbolt EARNED his HEA.