Hmmm..... to me, talk like that sounds like shielding yourself from some shame or embarrassment that "cool people" might find out you're in to something geeky.
Yeah, it's most definitely a toy commercial, but in most of these and the ones that have the biggest fanbase.... there is a story there. And whether it's about talking ponies, transforming bots, or heroes from another dimension.
Just cuz it doesn't have the label of being primetime television doesn't discredit credit where it's deserved, like Dinobot's episode or some series finales I've seen.
That and all this geek stuff is is just "The New Mythologies." Superman stories or some Power Ranger sagas are no more outlandish or childish than ancient Greek or Norse legend which is now "classic", just because of its label.
I think you're not giving some of these shows enough credit. And it's also up to the individual as well. All stories are imagination gateways. And if you wanna just imagine what it would be like to track a Decepticon named Starscream to the moon with new upgrades, I don't see that being any less valid than being a Democrat fighting for the rights of America in the Right Wing.
It's all imagination. Looks as deep as you like, I say.