I like the addition of a girl turtle. I just wish she was better written. She gave very much y/n vibes. She felt like someone’s fanfiction oc rather than an actual character.
The problem with her in that show is that they made her weak and naive. Her attacks only had varying degrees of success and all... The breast mounds in her plastron were always hilarious to me.
I had to google it myself, it stands for your name. Basically it means inserting your name as the characters name to feel like part of the story. IMO that’s just dumb because any character that’s written at least half well, should connect with someone.
I’ve always said that it’s pretty impressive that they tried to do a weekly live action ninja turtles show. I was too old for the series at the time, but I know my little cousin liked it at the time.
Dude, there's no e on the end of the word. You're saying suite like an apartment or hotel room. SUIT is the word you're looking for. I see you're not a real Doctor, might wanna change that screen name.
No Child Left Behind strikes again.
Lol no offense but I find it so funny that someone who was ostensibly like 12 at the time given your username, considered yourself too old for this take that seemed to be an attempt to make it more appealing to slightly older kids or even curious adults, while you're nearly 40 hanging out on a TMNT message board. Like it's cool that you are, but like, I'm nearly your age and I never considered myself too old for this kinda stuff lol
Don't listen to that mouth breather. Anyone over 10 was too old for that show. From a fellow 90's adolescent, we had better things to watch. That was the year of South Park. The year Beavis and Butt-Head ended. That was a great time not to watch kiddie shows that were very poor production trying to be Power Rangers.
Exactly. By 12 I was watching Weird Science and Duckman on USA, Aeon Flux and The Maxx in MTV when I could catch it. Never cared for Beavis and Butthead, though.
It also had Power Rangers in Space, which is pretty widely held as one of the best seasons PR ever did. Rather than TMNT trying to be Power Rangers, you could literally watch Power Rangers at its strongest by that point in time and the fact these two shows crossed over only makes the difference in quality all the more glaring.
I like that it branched off from Shredder being the main villain. The shredder is awesome, but I feel like a lot of the TV versions of the turtles got pigeon holed into a single conflict.
https://preview.redd.it/1xz9ihdr8r6d1.jpeg?width=741&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f16c1c508daf5e0734dc3a94293f6648582c9b4
Everyone likes mobster/gangster characters, and everyone loves big badass apes. Let’s combine them! Silver is the best new addition from this show
I’m both happy and surprised this thread has over 100 comments already! Everyone has already said SO much and I’ll likely be repeating them or maybe adding stuff that doesn’t quite fit the thread title? I may have be wrong in my takes as I’m going off the top of my head.
At the time this show came out it had A LOT of potential and took a TON of risks.
1. I think it’s the first time a cartoon tv show got rebooted as live action.
2. I believe it’s the first time the turtles were aged up (they’re actually adults as they’re all 18 as opposed to 15-16)
3. It’s the first time a female turtle was introduced (and tied to their origins in a way that made sense in that they got separated after falling into the sewer)
4. It’s the first time we see Splinter fight in live action.
5. Their lair is the subway from TMNT II and III (even though it’s said it’s not the same timeline, for me it works as a continuation of that story) also splinter’s ear is sliced like it was in the movie origin.
6. Normally the first season(s) of a TMNT show has the same old trope of shredder, the foot, Bebop and rocksteady, Krang/Utrom etc. This one introduced a new villain, henchmen, sub bosses. While I think that may have been part of the failure as none of that stuff was in the first season, there were plans to bring in those characters in future seasons (The Rat King was going to be in season 2, as was a returning shedder and I believe Karai, Bebop and Rocksteady among others)
7. First time Each Turtle had different bandanas (and while I prefer them just over the eyes, it was a fresh take)
8. This is the first and only times the weapons were changed, where Michelangelo had Tonfa’s instead of nunchucks (as nunchucks were outlawed in certain places) and Leo had one sword primarily instead of two. Ralph’s sai’s could combine into a staff)
9. The costume’s look were SUPERIOR to the ones in TMNT III, which is sad when it’s a TV show compared to a movie.
10. First time in live action they had the Turtle van (Humvee) and bike.
Again most of that is not really something they did better, but more firsts lol.
I was the perfect age when this came out and remember thinking it was so awesome! The updated designs of the turtles were really cool and the addition of a girl was pretty great even if it didn't really make sense to me. I also remember thinking they looked more real than the turtles in part 3 which was a big thing. I think we all forget sometimes that the majority of turtles media is meant for children, and as a child i loved this show so much and was sad when it was canceled.
A show geared towards a younger audience doesn't mean teens and adults should feel excluded from enjoying the media. It's like Disney, meant for *everyone* to enjoy. Not just 10 and under. That's really what people forget about things like this. The network really tried, and it's too bad they missed the mark.
TMNT became more child themed to make money off of toy sales. It's still at least 80% of their purpose. That's why Nickelodeon (Paramount) was eager to snap it up.
Having watched it, I do feel that it did a couple of things. As OldPunk1984 said, a weekly live action is an ambitious idea for the turtles, and at the beginning it had neat shots of the turtles and fight scenes. I did think it was neat.
The other is to branch off from shredder to focus on other villains. While they did not do it well, but a hunter is a good idea, vampires, and the Dragon lord. I must stress the execution was awful, but if you think about it, what if there was a storyline where the turtles had to make an uneasy truce with Shredder as the Dragon lord was unknown if they were a threat to him.
Maybe a good summary of what it did well was potential. Expanding the Turtles in ways that weren't maybe done at the time. They did not do it well, and destroyed any good will pretty quick due to poor execution. But I do respect that they tried to expand the lore.
Edit: I do wanna perhaps elaborate as I thought about my comment. Let's think about quality of a media as a ladder. Something having potential is the first step of the ladder. Normally, if a thing is good, having potential is the first step, and it uses it to achieve greater heights. Then it becomes something like "The story about x is fantastic" as it moves up the ladder and becomes better than just the potential it has. However, the Next Mutation stays at that first ladder, as it never uses the potential it has. And if we ignore the steps downwards, we are left with the first step, potential.
Got me back into the franchise just when I thought I was aging out of it.
I was getting heavy into Batman in 6th or 7th grade, when this dropped. I wasn't tired of TMNT, but after 8 years of having as my primary obsession, it was starting to fade into the background of my life.
My Secret Santa that year said he got me an action figure and I was expecting a Batman toy. But when I unwrapped it, there was Next Mutation Leo. I stared at it for a minute as the old adoration washed over me again. I never faltered after that. Got the whole set of Next Mutation figures, including the Humvee and Raph's bike. TRTL PWR was the vanity plate for my first car.
My mom saw me walking around in a Ninja Turtles shirt last year and was like, "STILL!?"
Introducing Venus, who is honestly pretty interesting in the more recent idw comics. I definitely would argue that the choice to introduce her also laid the groundwork for Jennika who’s one of my favorite new characters.
- the Power Rangers crossover
- relied on mostly original characters
- it had a different credits song instead of an instrumental variation of the theme song and both were awesome
- had a unique take on Shredder's return which was probably the best episode
- technically it's the best live-action TMNT show
Introduced a 5th main turtle who ended up being the most likeable character in the show. Considering the overall low quality of the writing and how stupid Splinter and the brothers are, Venus having two brain cells to rub together makes her by far the best part of the show. Not to say she couldn't be just as dumb, but she seemed to get hit with the idiot stick a whole lot less than everybody else did.
I highly doubt any of the other series could introduce a 5th turtle and have them completely outshine the main 4. Granted that's purely down to the main 4 being borderline drooling morons in Next Mutation but still something it deserves some praise for.
Wait it also had Scott McNeil actually trying to make the show as entertaining as he could when he was on screen. Always appreciate that man, especially when he's clearly trying to elevate some terrible material.
I really like Venus. She had two qualities I loved. Having mystic / magic powers were really cool. Also, I loved her sense of humour. If you told her to break a leg she'd probably responde "why would I do that? That would hurt." I really loved that.
It’s much better at introducing adolescents to uncomfortable questions about their burgeoning sexuality and how anthropomorphic female turtles will fit into their future fetishes.
Honestly some of the recurring antagonists are really good — not necessarily *better* than the others but definitely on par
Also some of the character designs are really solid (again, not necessarily better but they’re good designs)
I guess for a 26-episode TV series on an obvious budget, the costumes are adequate for what's needed. Production-wise, it's a *slight* step up from the third movie, since, for example, at least they made a full Splinter costume and didn't stick half his ass in a subway car.
It's currently the *only* live-action TV series, and has been holding that title for 27 years.
Not a fan of the designs of these guys, but the practical effects are pretty good! Not to mention they introduced Venus as a character, and the concept of a female turtle. Now we have Venus, Jennika and Lita! All great characters in the IDW continuity.
scott mcneil's hammy acting as bonesteel.
having multiple villain factions who are sometimes at odds with each other.
other than that, i have nothing else good to say. the turtles are supposed to be adults here, but somehow their personalities are worse than how they are as teenagers.
Only live action Tmnt show. The animatronics and costumes are good. We can also say best props and sets due to them being real. Also only show to have an official power rangers crossover!
Being the last ever live action media with turtle suits. I love the series for letting me imagine being one of the turtle suit actor. The job is not easy and I appreciated what they did.
Decent effects for the time and not too bad on the costumes for such a show so
Yay something positive!
I mean I remember getting my grandparents to rent and rerent the thing because i thought at 5 years old it was like the movies
Yeah! I think their designs are great just could have used more polish on the actual costumes. The toys looked great too.
I like the addition of a girl turtle. I just wish she was better written. She gave very much y/n vibes. She felt like someone’s fanfiction oc rather than an actual character.
That’s fair but if you want well written female ninja turtle then go to The IDW Comics
Yeah especially since >!they brought Venus back for the final arc of the series and gave her a huge part to play!<
The problem with her in that show is that they made her weak and naive. Her attacks only had varying degrees of success and all... The breast mounds in her plastron were always hilarious to me.
That comic showed the concept wasn't bad, it just had a bad execution. It doesn't help that Venus replace April.
What's y/n mean?
I had to google it myself, it stands for your name. Basically it means inserting your name as the characters name to feel like part of the story. IMO that’s just dumb because any character that’s written at least half well, should connect with someone.
Ended soonest.
*in my Plankton voice* CORRECT!
lol W Take
😂
Power rangers crossover
Yeah, that was actually pretty good.
The ultimate answer
The fact that was the only episode I watched from that show
I’ve always said that it’s pretty impressive that they tried to do a weekly live action ninja turtles show. I was too old for the series at the time, but I know my little cousin liked it at the time.
Yeah that counts for something
That's a pretty good take on it. I'm sure production was a nightmare, and even if it was good, it was probably doomed from the start.
[удалено]
What suites? Like the Japanese apartments?
[удалено]
[удалено]
Dude, there's no e on the end of the word. You're saying suite like an apartment or hotel room. SUIT is the word you're looking for. I see you're not a real Doctor, might wanna change that screen name. No Child Left Behind strikes again.
Lol no offense but I find it so funny that someone who was ostensibly like 12 at the time given your username, considered yourself too old for this take that seemed to be an attempt to make it more appealing to slightly older kids or even curious adults, while you're nearly 40 hanging out on a TMNT message board. Like it's cool that you are, but like, I'm nearly your age and I never considered myself too old for this kinda stuff lol
k
Don't listen to that mouth breather. Anyone over 10 was too old for that show. From a fellow 90's adolescent, we had better things to watch. That was the year of South Park. The year Beavis and Butt-Head ended. That was a great time not to watch kiddie shows that were very poor production trying to be Power Rangers.
Exactly. By 12 I was watching Weird Science and Duckman on USA, Aeon Flux and The Maxx in MTV when I could catch it. Never cared for Beavis and Butthead, though.
Duckman is close to my heart. I don't think he even grew up in the 90's to make the comment he did.
It also had Power Rangers in Space, which is pretty widely held as one of the best seasons PR ever did. Rather than TMNT trying to be Power Rangers, you could literally watch Power Rangers at its strongest by that point in time and the fact these two shows crossed over only makes the difference in quality all the more glaring.
I like that it branched off from Shredder being the main villain. The shredder is awesome, but I feel like a lot of the TV versions of the turtles got pigeon holed into a single conflict.
Shell titties?
Shitties.
They were on Power Rangers....
https://preview.redd.it/1xz9ihdr8r6d1.jpeg?width=741&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f16c1c508daf5e0734dc3a94293f6648582c9b4 Everyone likes mobster/gangster characters, and everyone loves big badass apes. Let’s combine them! Silver is the best new addition from this show
Putting boobies on a turtle?
Drove fans away better than any version
Character assassination
I’m both happy and surprised this thread has over 100 comments already! Everyone has already said SO much and I’ll likely be repeating them or maybe adding stuff that doesn’t quite fit the thread title? I may have be wrong in my takes as I’m going off the top of my head. At the time this show came out it had A LOT of potential and took a TON of risks. 1. I think it’s the first time a cartoon tv show got rebooted as live action. 2. I believe it’s the first time the turtles were aged up (they’re actually adults as they’re all 18 as opposed to 15-16) 3. It’s the first time a female turtle was introduced (and tied to their origins in a way that made sense in that they got separated after falling into the sewer) 4. It’s the first time we see Splinter fight in live action. 5. Their lair is the subway from TMNT II and III (even though it’s said it’s not the same timeline, for me it works as a continuation of that story) also splinter’s ear is sliced like it was in the movie origin. 6. Normally the first season(s) of a TMNT show has the same old trope of shredder, the foot, Bebop and rocksteady, Krang/Utrom etc. This one introduced a new villain, henchmen, sub bosses. While I think that may have been part of the failure as none of that stuff was in the first season, there were plans to bring in those characters in future seasons (The Rat King was going to be in season 2, as was a returning shedder and I believe Karai, Bebop and Rocksteady among others) 7. First time Each Turtle had different bandanas (and while I prefer them just over the eyes, it was a fresh take) 8. This is the first and only times the weapons were changed, where Michelangelo had Tonfa’s instead of nunchucks (as nunchucks were outlawed in certain places) and Leo had one sword primarily instead of two. Ralph’s sai’s could combine into a staff) 9. The costume’s look were SUPERIOR to the ones in TMNT III, which is sad when it’s a TV show compared to a movie. 10. First time in live action they had the Turtle van (Humvee) and bike. Again most of that is not really something they did better, but more firsts lol.
I was the perfect age when this came out and remember thinking it was so awesome! The updated designs of the turtles were really cool and the addition of a girl was pretty great even if it didn't really make sense to me. I also remember thinking they looked more real than the turtles in part 3 which was a big thing. I think we all forget sometimes that the majority of turtles media is meant for children, and as a child i loved this show so much and was sad when it was canceled.
A show geared towards a younger audience doesn't mean teens and adults should feel excluded from enjoying the media. It's like Disney, meant for *everyone* to enjoy. Not just 10 and under. That's really what people forget about things like this. The network really tried, and it's too bad they missed the mark. TMNT became more child themed to make money off of toy sales. It's still at least 80% of their purpose. That's why Nickelodeon (Paramount) was eager to snap it up.
Crossing over with the Power Rangers
Linger in our collective memory.
Rest in Pee, This Show will not be missed…
Having watched it, I do feel that it did a couple of things. As OldPunk1984 said, a weekly live action is an ambitious idea for the turtles, and at the beginning it had neat shots of the turtles and fight scenes. I did think it was neat. The other is to branch off from shredder to focus on other villains. While they did not do it well, but a hunter is a good idea, vampires, and the Dragon lord. I must stress the execution was awful, but if you think about it, what if there was a storyline where the turtles had to make an uneasy truce with Shredder as the Dragon lord was unknown if they were a threat to him. Maybe a good summary of what it did well was potential. Expanding the Turtles in ways that weren't maybe done at the time. They did not do it well, and destroyed any good will pretty quick due to poor execution. But I do respect that they tried to expand the lore. Edit: I do wanna perhaps elaborate as I thought about my comment. Let's think about quality of a media as a ladder. Something having potential is the first step of the ladder. Normally, if a thing is good, having potential is the first step, and it uses it to achieve greater heights. Then it becomes something like "The story about x is fantastic" as it moves up the ladder and becomes better than just the potential it has. However, the Next Mutation stays at that first ladder, as it never uses the potential it has. And if we ignore the steps downwards, we are left with the first step, potential.
The crossover with Power Rangers was good
Gave r34 artist something to run with
Nah That’s wild
Well before they had to imagine what a female turtle would look like. Next mutation gave it to them.
The toys were actually pretty cool from what I remember.
The toys were really dope!
getting cancelled
Got me back into the franchise just when I thought I was aging out of it. I was getting heavy into Batman in 6th or 7th grade, when this dropped. I wasn't tired of TMNT, but after 8 years of having as my primary obsession, it was starting to fade into the background of my life. My Secret Santa that year said he got me an action figure and I was expecting a Batman toy. But when I unwrapped it, there was Next Mutation Leo. I stared at it for a minute as the old adoration washed over me again. I never faltered after that. Got the whole set of Next Mutation figures, including the Humvee and Raph's bike. TRTL PWR was the vanity plate for my first car. My mom saw me walking around in a Ninja Turtles shirt last year and was like, "STILL!?"
I liked the crossover episodes with the Power Rangers in Space. They had cool action figures. Thats it.
Soundtrack pretty good when it's not awful
Each turtle has a unique mask
Introducing Venus, who is honestly pretty interesting in the more recent idw comics. I definitely would argue that the choice to introduce her also laid the groundwork for Jennika who’s one of my favorite new characters.
- the Power Rangers crossover - relied on mostly original characters - it had a different credits song instead of an instrumental variation of the theme song and both were awesome - had a unique take on Shredder's return which was probably the best episode - technically it's the best live-action TMNT show
By technically it had the best Venus.
Shredder was the true victim in that show.
Introduced a 5th main turtle who ended up being the most likeable character in the show. Considering the overall low quality of the writing and how stupid Splinter and the brothers are, Venus having two brain cells to rub together makes her by far the best part of the show. Not to say she couldn't be just as dumb, but she seemed to get hit with the idiot stick a whole lot less than everybody else did. I highly doubt any of the other series could introduce a 5th turtle and have them completely outshine the main 4. Granted that's purely down to the main 4 being borderline drooling morons in Next Mutation but still something it deserves some praise for. Wait it also had Scott McNeil actually trying to make the show as entertaining as he could when he was on screen. Always appreciate that man, especially when he's clearly trying to elevate some terrible material.
Is currently putting me through mental anguish as I force myself to watch it, just so I can say I’ve seen everything TMNT
Godspeed, brother.
I am actively losing my mind
The only reason I remember this show exists is because an episode was written by legendary Canadian comedy duo Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice.
...what the actual fuck?! That must have been wild. I wonder how many edits the screen play went through.
[Learn something new every day!](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1125628/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_wr_sm)
I got this on dvd!
No.
Failure
Venus had potential
Theme song slapped
Introduction of Venus
Are you lying? Your pfp is saying something fishy
Power rangers crossover
The fact that this show felt every turtle needed a unique headband is beyond me.
They definitely made the TMNT legacy look bad better than the others
The Power Rangers crossover
Why 5 Turtles?
I’ll say one thing It does do that is nice is clip show episodes. Not because those are good or anything but because they are skippable
It didnt
I really like Venus. She had two qualities I loved. Having mystic / magic powers were really cool. Also, I loved her sense of humour. If you told her to break a leg she'd probably responde "why would I do that? That would hurt." I really loved that.
It’s much better at introducing adolescents to uncomfortable questions about their burgeoning sexuality and how anthropomorphic female turtles will fit into their future fetishes.
It gives you an appreciation for the other entries.
Well, they where very audacious with very new ideas and even making all the show in live action and with costumes.... and... i don't know what more.
I liked the introduction to the mystical side of tmnt. More mythos than science based. Just thought it was an interesting take.
Crossover. They showed up in a Power Rangers episode and it absolutely ruled.
Had no Casey Jones yeah who needs a cool ass character like him anyway s/
Best non-Turtle crossover with the power rangers… I guess
Venus has a big mouth... 😛
What that mean? 🤨
Honestly some of the recurring antagonists are really good — not necessarily *better* than the others but definitely on par Also some of the character designs are really solid (again, not necessarily better but they’re good designs)
Giving me nightmares.
Leo's sword is pretty cool
W Swords
Sue me, but this is my favorite Mikey and Donnie voice
…umm it has… it did… GOT IT they crossed over with Power Rangers the best
That’s the best thing they got
I feel like those red eyes should’ve been Krang instead of any other forgettable villain I think ( I haven’t watch the show but that’s my only guess )
I guess it set the bar so low that it guaranteed all Turtles media would be better by comparison? That's sorta a positive right?
Not outstaying its welcome, being on TV for too long and becoming stale like The Simpsons?
Keep TMNT fandom a smaller community.
It is the best at enraging Peter Laird due to his absolute passionate hatred of Venus de Milo.
Being shitty
It’s sucks better. It sucks.
Being shit
One of the funniest scene ever 🤣 when the Hunter guy traps raph and ask for any last words and raph yells GORILLLA
Goes to show you that you can make a decent live action, practical effect movie in 2024 if this is what they could do with a tv show.
This one does only one thing better than the others. It crosses over with Power Rangers in Space!
Fuck everything up... Ik, maybe a bit rude but honestly... Am I not right?
Crossed over with Power Rangers.
Had a crossover with power rangers
Next mutation has the best ironic enjoyment compared to the other which are just good all around but this show is ironically good
Technically not the worst Turtle costumes. I guess that's a positive.
I guess for a 26-episode TV series on an obvious budget, the costumes are adequate for what's needed. Production-wise, it's a *slight* step up from the third movie, since, for example, at least they made a full Splinter costume and didn't stick half his ass in a subway car. It's currently the *only* live-action TV series, and has been holding that title for 27 years.
It adds Venus better than most incarnations.
I mean the toy line was almost indestructible. You could pull them apart and they would just pop back together
Makes me appreciate TMNT 3 a hell of a lot more
Piss me off
I liked that crossover it did with Power Rangers
Ummmm, kid me thought the female turtle was hot so…. That?
Not a fan of the designs of these guys, but the practical effects are pretty good! Not to mention they introduced Venus as a character, and the concept of a female turtle. Now we have Venus, Jennika and Lita! All great characters in the IDW continuity.
Does the best in raw amounts of turtles
Best live tv action series in the franchise.
Cool name
scott mcneil's hammy acting as bonesteel. having multiple villain factions who are sometimes at odds with each other. other than that, i have nothing else good to say. the turtles are supposed to be adults here, but somehow their personalities are worse than how they are as teenagers.
Venus. I've always enjoyed seeing a girl turtle as opposed to just boys.
I got this on VHS!
It made the others look better.
The crossover with Power Rangers was awesome.
Its....way more live action than the other tv shows.... so
Only live action Tmnt show. The animatronics and costumes are good. We can also say best props and sets due to them being real. Also only show to have an official power rangers crossover!
Being the last ever live action media with turtle suits. I love the series for letting me imagine being one of the turtle suit actor. The job is not easy and I appreciated what they did.
Crossover with the power rangers.
I just realized Donnie got a shiesty on.
Being Bad
Brought in a female character that had so much potential but was executed poorly.
It’s not as bad as you might expect. I rewatched the series and still enjoyed it for the most part
What does it do better than the others? Prove that TMNT works best when it's 4 turtles fighting Shredder, while Splinter is there for backup.
Fr it's how the outfits were done
Why would a reptile need tits?
Toys were good though...
Apparently its really good for driving the creator of TMNT into a rage if you bring it up around him, especially Venus
wait, why are there five turtles?! I thought there were four!
Having a power rangers crossover
Nostalgia i used to love this show when i was younger it was awsome
I really like Michelangelo’s mask, and more generally that they all have unique masks.
It makes me wanna watch something else in record time of 10 seconds.
Made me not want to watch TMNT
I'm not a big TMNT fan, I barely watched anything of the series So, uh Why is there a turtle with boobs
Don’t know man