Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-26223459-20150319180427/@comment-26812261-20150320222736

The term "filler" is way overused in shows these days. The lore is important, of course, but so is the focus on Steven's interpersonal relationships with the gems and the citizens of Beach City. I'm of the opinion that if an episode touches on any of these themes, it's not filler. Like, Garnet telling Steven that they wanted him to inspire and protect the evacuating populace was made more significant by the speech he gave in the episode before, which in turn wouldn't have been as profound if we hadn't spent the past season getting to know most of the people in that crowd. It's not the "Homeworld Gems Attack" show, it's Steven Universe, and pretty much every aspect of the little dude's life is relevant.

As for how long it lasts, I'd imagine that by now (assuming this wasn't always the case) the show's got enough traction and the staff has enough pull to keep it going for as long as they have stories to tell. It's arguably the best original show Cartoon Network's put out, so I doubt they'd cancel it prematurely.