On August 2nd, the newest addition to our favorite pizza-loving reptilian franchise, Mutant Mayhem, premiered in theaters. The movie has been a huge success and it’s been praised by critics and fans for its fun writing and Spiderverse-esque animation. But the success of the film, its plans for a sequel AND a Paramount+ series haven’t been able to silence the anger at April O’Neil not being a curvy, white woman for the umpteenth time. More importantly, it hasn’t stopped a loud, determined, 3-year long demand from a large portion of the Turtles fandom: #SaveRiseoftheTMNT
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a Nickelodeon show created by Ant Ward and Andy Suriano. It aired from 2018-2020 with two seasons consisting of 39 episodes. The show grew a massive fanbase due to its unique take on the Ninja Turtles universe, its theme of family, its character development and the absolutely breathtaking animation from Australian studio Flying Bark Productions, (also known for Lego Monkie Kid and the recent Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur) making it one of the most visually unique cartoons from the late 2010s.
However, the show wasn’t an instant success. Rise of the TMNT deviated greatly from the Ninja Turtles status quo with its art style, story, giving the leadership role to Raphael, (accidentally predicted by Partners in Kryme 30 years ago) Splinter’s early characterization, etc. Fans were already skeptical regarding the changes in this new show. With an influx of action shows being rebooted into dumbed down comedies, old school and loyal fans were eager to tear Rise apart. This description of the show from then Nickelodeon president Cyma Zarghami certainly may not have helped the fear that this would be “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles GO!”:
“We’re excited for the new series to take the characters in a different direction with more humor, a younger and lighter feel and all-new dimensions to explore.”
Unfortunately, despite Rise’s potential and a small but quickly growing fanbase, Nickelodeon considered it a failure because it did not reach immediate mega-hit status like the likes of SpongeBob. Most shows take time to grow an audience, even some of the most beloved shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender. Sadly, Nickelodeon’s choice was made, and they pulled the plug, denying many fans access to what they loved.
For the next couple of years, the fandom stayed active. Then, last year, Rise of the TMNT’s first season became available on Netflix. For the first time in two years, the show was accessible. New fans came out of the woodwork, and demand for a revival became louder and louder. There are demands for an uncut season 2 (Dubbed “Season 2: Restored” by fans). Along with that, fans have been demanding that the series be allowed to have its full seven season run, as the original creators intended. Petitions have popped up everywhere, the biggest one currently having over 16k signatures. A collaborative letter, sent to Nickelodeon, has nearly 300 pages of fans talking about why they love the show so much. Some fans got so tired of Nick’s radio silence that they’re now currently in pre-production of an unofficial season 3.
Fans demanding their favorite shows come back is nothing new. So why does Rise have such a committed fanbase that’s still fighting three years later? Well, as a fellow fan, here are five reasons why Rise of the TMNT deserves to come back:
It’s unique
You know the drill when it comes to TMNT. Four turtles were mutated by a weird ooze and raised by a mutated rat. One is the no-fun allowed leader, one’s angry all the time, one’s a tech nerd, and one is comic relief. They meet a human woman and she gets the full backstory. There’s a guy called the Shredder, his evil ninja clan, and a lot of sci-fi elements such as aliens.
Rise of the TMNT, while maintaining some of the sci-fi elements, also went for more mysticism. While that does sound jarring at first, the way it’s handled in the show is so well done that the change isn’t as noticeable as expected.
The show introduces a world under New York called The Hidden City, where creatures called yokai reside. Yokai’s origins are unknown, but they’re incredibly varied in design and personality, and are almost always involved with the mystic storylines since it’s a core part of their world. The main antagonist, Baron Draxum (John Cena/Roger Craig Smith), is a yokai alchemist that created the ooze to mutate humans for reasons explained in the show. So yes, there is still mutation in the series, after all it’s not called Rise of the Teenage Yokai Ninja Turtles.
The fantasy and sci-fi themes are combined to tell the typical story beats of a TMNT story, while also delivering its own twist on the franchise. And honestly, it’s a very welcome change. Much like how every Spider-Man doesn’t need to explain the origin of the line “with great power comes great responsibility,” not every Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has to go by the same formula. Changes to the formula are what make retellings and remakes compelling, otherwise we’d only get to see an updated version of the story each time, and not a new addition to the lore, or a fun twist on the characters. One of the most popular and famous versions of Batman completely twisted his lore. In Flashpoint, instead of Bruce losing his parents, Martha and Thomas Wayne survive, while Bruce does not. If such a deviation can be celebrated by long time Batman fans, then Rise’s fresh take on the mutation should be rewarding for taking a similar risk.
(It should be noted of course that this actually isn’t the first time mysticism was introduced to the series, that credit goes to Next Mutation with its debut of mystic ninja Venus de Milo and the dream world. The only credit that show really deserves.)
The character development
This isn’t to say that the turtles never had proper depth or development, but the new takes on the cast gave the writers more room to really explore what makes each of them them. For example, why is Raph (Omar Benson Miller) short-tempered? Because he’s the eldest of four brothers, he has to look out for all of them, it makes perfect sense for him to have a short fuse!
Another character that was changed up for the show was Donatello (Josh Brener). In most iterations, Donnie would be the softest and more quiet turtle of the four while also providing whatever gadgets they need. Rise Donnie is overdramatic, arrogant and loud, yet still loves his brothers. But the best change to his character? A realistic portrayal of autism. Characters with autism have been showing up more in media during the past few years, but Donnie is easily one of the most well written. (Confirmed by writer Ron Corcillo) It would’ve been so easy to make him “robotic and emotionless,” but the writers knew how to make Donnie just as multifaceted as the rest of the cast and because of that, he’s become a fan favorite among those who are also on the spectrum. (Credit should ALSO go to his voice actor, Josh Brener, who did a killer job with his tone and certain inflections that made Donnie’s autism even more realistic.)
However, the most interesting character changes are given to Leo (Ben Schwartz) and Splinter (Eric Bauza). Leo, usually the most level-headed leader and honorary parent, is far more laidback and egotistical…on the surface. As the show went on, Leo’s more leaderlike traits began to shine through. (primarily if he was separated from Raph) He had an unspoken talent for strategy, and it was hinted in some episodes that he has an inferiority complex. This added depth makes his eventual promotion to leader far more satisfying, especially when going through a rewatch after finishing season two, and that progression makes his arc in the Netflix movie absolutely heart wrenching.
Splinter, meanwhile, goes through some of the strongest and best character development he had ever received. Despite the strange start, Splinter began to get his act together midway through the first season, becoming a bigger part of his sons’ lives. He would also become a main part of almost every episode in the second season.
His attitude in the early episodes is given an indirect explanation near the end of the series, re-contextualizing Splinter as someone who isn’t lazy because he doesn’t care about being a father, but as a father who chose not to formally train his sons so they won’t take on the generational trauma he carried since childhood. (And didn’t train them until they asked him to.) His backstory should not be spoiled, you should watch the series yourself and by the end, Splinter may not be a favorite, but his story arc is a tear jerker that’ll stay in your head for days after.
Well-written family dynamics and no toxic masculinity
The family dynamic in Rise can really pull on your heart strings, especially the finale of season 2. One of the best changes to the series was removing the “dysfunctional house full of testosterone” stereotypes that other versions had a tendency to fall into. Mikey (Brandon Mychal Smith)- who would usually get smacked on the head for comedy- feels just as valued as the other three in this show. While that isn’t to say he’s not loved and valued by his brothers in past versions, the running joke of him being smacked definitely got old.
It’s clear that the writers grew up with siblings, because the sibling dynamics in this show feel realistic. It feels like they’re four kids (five including April) who genuinely love and care for each other while sometimes annoying each other, but never in a meanspirited way.
Meanwhile, the relationship between Splinter and the turtles has a stronger emphasis on a “single father and his sons” dynamic. This is shown in Splinter’s first appearance in episode one when Raph calls him “pop,” and from then on they only refer to him as their dad. The only time they call him “Master Splinter” is during training.
Most shows only allow to men to say “I love you” when there’s dramatic tension and the threat of death is high. Often times, these instances are played off as a joke, with characters saying “you didn’t hear that” once the tension has passed. In Rise, the boys freely and consistently show and tell each other “I love you.” Why? Because they’re family. One episode has the four of them trying to return a DVD because Splinter promised hugs if they do, and when they finally get their hug, it isn’t mocked or played off as a joke. Even April (Kat Graham) is allowed to hug the turtles and say she loves them without it being turned into some sort of ship tease, which is a breath of fresh air after 2012’s infamous attempts at an April/Donnie romance. Which brings up the next point…
There is no toxic masculinity in this show.
While the past versions had minor moments of the boys not conforming to gender, (2003’s Mikey happily wore dresses and Leo joined a little girl’s tea party in the 2012 show) Rise lets all four of the turtles openly love things traditionally viewed as “for girls.” Shows targeted at boys have this tendency to treat liking feminine things as a joke or as some secret a male character has to hide. Meanwhile, this show presents it as a perfectly normal thing. And really, the lack of focus or explanation makes it even better. Raph doesn’t need a reason to like teddy bears. Leo and Mikey don’t need a reason to like tiny, pink unicorns. The turtles don’t need some justification behind enjoying a dress-up montage straight out of a teen movie. Boys are allowed to like girly things without shame and don’t owe anyone an explanation.
The ANIMATION
While already stated before, it should be said again: The animation is gorgeous. Flying Bark Productions went above and beyond in delivering a show that makes some of the most memorable action scenes in recent cartoons. Inspired by Gainax/Trigger anime like Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill, the show has a plethora of fast-paced animation that breathes personality and love for the medium. Even if you haven’t seen Rise of the TMNT, odds are you’ve seen some of the fight scenes floating around on Twitter and Tumblr just praising how good they look.
One of the biggest complaints starting in the mid-2010s is how many cartoons looked too similar to each other with soft, thin outlines, simplistic designs, flat coloring, stiff animation, etc., often referred to as “the CalArts style.” Rise of the TMNT’s sharp, slick outlines and incredible action scenes bring back a feeling of being a kid in the 2000s, coming home and catching a new episode of Teen Titans or Avatar on TV. In an era where people criticized the influx of comedy cartoons that “all looked the same,” Rise should have been given more attention and praise for sticking out in the lineup.
Clear interest from the crew
As of writing this, there’s no clear confirmation of whether or not the show will come back. But it does make it interesting that the crew won’t outright say “yes” or “no.”
After the movie’s release, several fans thought that was the end of Rise. However, in a recent Q&A on Twitter, writer Ron Corcillo confirmed that the show was paused, not canceled, meaning that there is chance for Rise to return should enough interest be shown. In fact, he said multiple times that the best way to bring the show back is to “keep up the love, keep watching, posting and spreading the word.” During a panel at TAAFI 2022, when asked about how the show could be brought back, Ward and Suriano’s response was “Keep it trending!” A vague but very optimistic response.
It’s obvious that the crew wants the show back as much as the fans do, so with all of that interest, why is Nick still quiet on its fate?
Hopefully it’s out of contractual obligations. Maybe they’re discussing more seasons right now and can’t announce it yet. Animation takes a long time, after all. Rise was first announced in 2017, and the show itself wasn’t revealed until a year later.
Regardless, this demand for the show’s return has been going on for over 3 years now, and it won’t stop until Nickelodeon finally confirms that it will get more episodes.
Whether it’s on Nick or Paramount+, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a great show and it should be brought back. As long as the fandom keeps up the fight via fanart, petitions, emails, articles, anything that gets Nickelodeon’s attention, it will. Time and time again, shows have been brought back due to fan demand. And with the crew’s support and optimistic outlook, the fandom has a ninja’s greatest weapon: Hope.
