IMO, that's a pity. From just the Mahabharat, one would get the impression that the only thing Krishna could do was be an excellent charioteer, when in fact, he was an unmatched warrior and would have been the supreme warrior, had he actually been a combatant. That's where all these stories about his battles w/ Rukmi, Shalva, Narakasura, et al are so significant. Shalva's battle is described in the Mahabharat as a part of Krishna's explanation to Draupadi as to why he couldn't be in the court when she was being disrobed. But the other adventures are important as well.
Qualitatively, the various stories in Krishna's avatar that fall outside the Mahabharat - Krishna's abduction of Rukmini, the Syamantaka gem, the kidnapping of Pradhyumna, Krishna's war w/ Narakasura, et al, are just as interesting and deserve to be followed w/ the same interest. Of course, if a lot of viewers have left due to the distortions in the messages, as well as other clownish things like the costumes, I don't blame them, but then, the Mahabharat shouldn't be a reason for them to come back, unless they actually improve during that stretch of the story.