May 28, 2016

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2003)

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2003)
(FOX, CW, February 8, 2003-March 27, 2010)


Mirage Studios, 4Kids Entertainment, Dong Woo Animation

MAIN CAST:


For the history of the Turtles, check out the post here.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles dominated most of the 80s and 90s. But, like with many other franchises, its popularity soon began to wane even if it didn’t fade out completely. 


Donatello as a cyborg.

By 1996, Image Comics had taken up publication of the comic series, launching a third volume notable for its emphasis on action and the physical damage inflicted on the main cast (Leonardo lost a hand, Raphael an eye, Donatello had his body smashed and replaced with a robotic one, etc.). That same year, the long-running animated series had finally come to a close. It wouldn’t be long for the Turtles to return to the airwaves, however, as the following year saw the debut of the live-action Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation by Saban Entertainment. The show loosely followed the continuity of the three live-action movies and introduced the maligned fifth Turtle, Venus de Milo (often credited as the first female Turtle, but in actuality was preceded three years earlier by April O’Neil being mutated in Archie Comics1994 Winter Special). The show was cancelled after its only season, marking the first time in a decade the Turtles didn’t have a show.


New looks for Leonardo, Donatello,  Raphael, Michelangelo,

In 2002, Mirage Studios entered into a partnership with 4Kids Entertainment to bring the Turtles back to television with a new animated series after a proposed CGI series with Rainbow Studios failed to catch on. The series was a complete departure from its predecessor with stories presented in a more serious and action-oriented manner, as well as introduced the element of magic for the first time. Greater care was taken to adhere to the original Mirage comics across each title in the Turtles universe to the point that many early episodes were direct adaptations. Storylines also progressed for entire seasons, leaving noticeable emotional scars on the characters as they continued to evolve throughout the series.


Ninja Turtles for a new Century.

For the most part, the Turtles maintained the personality traits audiences had come to know and expect from the various media. Leonardo (Mike Sinterniklaas) was the team leader and the most balanced of the four—at least until the stresses of leadership led him to develop rage issues later on. Donatello (Sam Riegel) was the resident genius who was constantly upgrading and improving the Turtles’ gear, and sometimes lost all focus to his latest project. Raphael (Frank Frankson) was still the impetuous hothead who struck first and thought later, although he tried to work on his anger issues. Michelangelo (Wayne Grayson) was the fun-loving goof of the group, and the only one that maintained the surfer slang that the previous cartoon made synonymous with the franchise. Michelangelo even adopted the superhero identity Turtle Titan and often teamed-up with real superheroes.


Casey and April.

Splinter (Darren Dunstan) was restored to being the pet rat of martial artist Hamato Yoshi (Eric Stuart), whereas the two characters were combined in the previous series. For the first time outside of the comics, the Turtles’ first human ally, April O’Neil (Veronica Taylor), was depicted as the lab assistant to psychopathic scientist Baxter Stockman (Scott Williams). Stockman, notable for turning into a fly in the last series, went through the entire show putting his mind from one cybernetic body to another. Casey Jones (Marc Thompson), the Turtles’ other primary human ally, was also depicted as being closer to his comics counterpart. Although April initially couldn’t stand Casey, the two would become romantically involved and eventually marry in the series finale.


Utrom Shredder.

Once again, the Turtles’ primary antagonists were the Foot Clan led by the Shredder (Scottie Ray), however the Shredder had undergone significant changes for the series with input from co-creator Peter Laird. The Shredder the Turtles first encounter turned out to be an alien Utrom named Ch’rell, who wore a humanoid exo-suit to disguise his appearance. He was a prisoner that escaped the Utroms when their ship crash-landed on Earth during the Sengoku period of Japan and adopted the legend of a demon Shredder for his new identity, as well as the human guise of Oroku Saki.


Tengu Shredder.

That demon Shredder, also known as the Tengu Shredder, had possessed Oroku Saki, the most powerful ninja in Japan, before he was defeated by the Ninja Tribunal and sealed away. Shredder’s followers continually sought to resurrect him, but the Tribunal remained steadfast to prevent that from happening through the ages. The Tribunal was comprised of Kon-Shisho (David Zen Masley), Ninjitsu master of Spirit; Juto-Shisho (Thompson), Ninjitsu master of Weapons; Chikara-Shisho (Lenore Zann), Ninjitsu master of Strength; Hisomi-Shisho, Ninjitsu master of Stealth; and the Ancient One (David Chen), who had trained Yoshi.


Cyber-Shredder.

The final shredder was known as Cyber-Shredder. Cyber-Shredder was an engram of Ch’rell locked in a Foot data vault until the living computer virus Viral (Eva Christensen) set it free. Cyber-Shredder sought to escape cyberspace and worked at making a portal to do so.



Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was initially pitched to Warner Bros. to be broadcast on one of their networks. WB, however, passed on the series and instead it debuted on February 8, 2003, on FOX as part of their FoxBox programming block. FoxBox replaced the original FOX Kids block when 4Kids entered into an agreement with FOX to lease the Saturday morning hours from the network and handle all of the programming. In 2005, the block was renamed 4Kids TV for the remainder of its run.


Hun and the Purple Dragons.

The first season introduced the Turtles and their world to the viewers, while slowly established their rivalry with the Foot Clan. Introduced for the first time in animated form was the Purple Dragons street gang (although a similar, yet unnamed, gang did appear in the 1987 series) led by Hun (Greg Carey & Mansley), who was created for the series and named after Attila the Hun. Hun was the primary antagonist of Casey and often worked with the Utrom Shredder. In an unproduced episode, Hun was revealed as being the formerly conjoined twin of original series villain Garbageman (Mike Pollock). Casey’s neighborhood friend Angel (Tara Jayne & Carrie Keranen) was featured as a potential recruit for the Dragons, which Casey put a stop to. Also introduced were the Guardians: a team of humans charged with protecting the Utroms on Earth.


Leonardo and Karai.

The second season featured the Triceratons, an army of rhinoceros-like aliens, who factored more prominently into the series than they did in the 1987 show, as well as Professor Honeycutt, aka the Fugitoid (Oliver Wyman). The season saw the debut of Shredder’s adopted daughter Karai (Karen Neil), who had a conflicted and potentially romantic relationship with Leonardo as she went back and forth between friendship with the Turtles and loyalty to the Foot. Season 3 introduced new antagonist John Bishop (Mansley), the head of the anti-alien Earth Protection Force who would use any means he saw fit to accomplish his mission; including siding with Stockman. The fourth season would explore Leonardo’s psychological damage as well as lay the groundwork for the debut of the Tengu Shredder and the Ninja Tribunal. The episode “Insane in the Membrane” was initially banned in the United States due to content issues, particularly Stockman drowning, and although it was released to DVD it wouldn’t be seen until a Nicktoons Channel marathon in 2015.




For season five, the plan was to continue with the Ninja Tribunal storyline. However, in the face of declining ratings, it was decided to bump up season six instead. Subtitled Fast Forward, the season saw the Turtles accidentally shunted to the year 2105 by Cody Jones (Christopher C. Adams), the descendant of Casey and April. The future saw Bishop, surviving through cloning, as having changed his stance on aliens and become the president of the Pan Galactic Alliance, as well as the threats of Darius Dunn (Mansley) and Sh’Okonabo (Sean Schemmel). Dunn was the CEO of O’Neil Tech who sought to eliminate Cody, the rightful owner, and take complete control of it while also using the company for illegal enterprises. Sh’Okanabo was an alien shapeshifter who had dark plans for Earth and used seeds to create loyal Kanabo to help him achieve it. This season also introduced sentient computer virus Viral (Eva Christensen) and mercenary Torbin Zixx (David Elliott). Another ten-episode season set in the future was planned, but ultimately scrapped in mid-production. An animatic for the first proposed episode was initially released though the 4Kids website before making its way to YouTube. The title and basic plot for “The Incredible Shrinking Serling”, which focused on Cody’s robotic butler Serling (Thompson), was later recycled and reused with some alteration during the final season.


Mystic-powered Turtles.

Meanwhile, production on the Tribunal season continued with producers deciding to release it directly to DVD. However, 4Kids signed a deal with Comcast to air the season on Comcast-On-Demand beginning August, 2006. Fans became confused at which was the true season five, not that it mattered for long as Comcast stopped airing the episodes after the first five. Plans for a DVD were resumed with a tentative 2007 release date, but ultimately 4Kids decided to air it on television beginning in February of 2008. Promoted as The Lost Episodes, the series focused on the Turtles learning mystic arts they’d need to combat the return of the Tengu Shredder. One episode, “Nightmares Recycled”, was cancelled by 4Kids for being too violent. The episode would have shown the separation of Hun and Garbageman as infants by a back-alley surgeon and Garbageman subsequently being discarded. 




The final season was subtitled Back to the Sewers and returned the Turtles to the present. 4Kids wanted to bring the series closer in tone and style to the recently-released 2007 movie TMNT, which was a loose continuation of the movie franchise (ignoring Next Mutation). 4Kids pitched an idea called “Superworld” that would focus on a card game; however, Laird shot it down. 4Kids then pitched TMNT Overload that would involve a glitch bringing the Turtles’ younger selves with them to the present. Mirage liked that one, but Playmates Toys hated it. Playmates attempted to make their own pitch that would introduce elements from the movies, previous show and the Archie Comics run, but that, too, was rejected. By October of 2007, the three parties had agreed on a direction which infused elements from the “Overload” pitch. The season focused on the Turtles trying to find pieces of Splinter in cyberspace while dealing with the rising threat of the Cyber-Shredder after Viral interfered with their return to the present. Following the series finale, “Wedding Bells and Bytes”, a series of 13 shorts called “chapters” aired during episodes of Ninja Turtles and Chaotic: M’Arrillian Invasion after being streamed on the 4Kids website the week prior. The shorts were later edited together and aired as a new episode, “Mayhem from Mutant Island”, the following year.


Cyber-armor.

In December of 2008, the 4Kids TV block was ended. FOX was no longer able to guarantee sufficient coverage for it by affiliates in places where FOX networks refused to air it, and subsequently decided to use the four-hour time frame for something other than children’s programming due to increased competition. 4Kids had also defaulted on paying FOX for the time lease for some time. As a result, Ninja Turtles moved to The CW for its final season as part of The CW4Kids programming block, which, as the name implied, was also run by 4Kids. The block was the replacement for Kids’ WB, which was ended due to children’s advertising limits and competition from cable. 


The new character designs for the Turtles' final season.

The series was developed by Lloyd Goldfine and animated by Dong Woo Animation in Korea. For the show’s two reinventions in the Fast Forward and Back to the Sewer seasons, the character designs were modified; the latter in particular to better resemble the ones used in the TMNT movie (namely by giving the Turtles pupils in their eyes) and to reduce animation costs. The series also featured five different theme songs, all composed by Norman J. Grossfeld and Russel Velazquez. Fans of the show were given a chance to vote between six different themes for the final season. The rest of the series’ music was composed by Velazquez with Ralph Schuckett, Rusty Andrews, John Angier, Mark Breeding, Louis Cortelezzi, Joel Douek, John Petersen, Pete Scaturro, John Siegler and John Van Tongeren. Amongst the series’ writers were comic creators Eric Luke, Christopher Yost, Danny Fingeroth, Joe Kelly, Adam Beechen, Roger Slifer and Steve Murphy


Turtle crossover.

The show received mixed reviews from fans; those familiar with the comics praised its faithfulness to the material, but fans of the original series weren’t happy with the numerous differences between the two shows. Although the series performed well, it was ultimately ended by Laird selling off the franchise to Nickelodeon (co-creator Kevin Eastman had sold off his shares of the franchise back in 2000). 4Kids’ final entry in the Turtles franchise was the TV movie Turtles Forever, which celebrated the franchise’s 25th anniversary by teaming up their Turtles with the 1987 and original black and white Mirage comic versions.


The Dreamwave comic.

Dreamwave Productions published a series of comics based on the show in 2003. The first four issues were adaptations of the first four episodes told from the perspectives of the supporting characters. The series, written by Peter David and drawn by Lesean Thomas, was cancelled after seven issues due to a poor reception and sales. David had completed #8 and plotted #9-10, and Thomas had done some initial work on #8. That material saw publication in 2007 as bonus content in Titan Books’ TMNT Volume 2: Out of the Shadows trade paperback. 


Plastic Turtles.

As they had with the previous Turtles series, Playmates produced action figures, vehicles and other toys based on the show between 2003-06 before focusing on the TMNT movie. Mega Blocks released various playsets beginning in 2003, and Mighty Beanz based their line of collectibles on the series’ designs and characters. 


Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmares.

Konami primarily produced video games based on the series. The first was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2003. It was a beat-‘em-up following the first season where each Turtle had their own unique levels to beat as well as other challenges. The Game Boy Advance version was single player while the console versions allowed two-player co-op. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus was released in 2004 and followed the second season and allowed four-player co-op, as well as the ability to unlock additional playable characters and the original arcade game. The Game Boy Advance version was more of a platformer/shooting game. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare followed the third season in 2004 and featured Turtles in Time as an unlockable bonus. 2005 saw the release of TMNT: Mutant Melee which was the first fighting game in the series. 


The Shredder Reborn! title screen.

That same year, Uclick and Overloaded released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fast Forward: Ninja Training NYC on mobile devices that could be played as either a platformer or fighting game. 4mobile released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ninja Tribunal as an RPG based on The Lost Episodes of the series. Later that year, 4mobile released the sequel The Shredder Reborn. Tech-2-Go released three Plug ‘n’ Play games in 2006. Battle for the City was a platformer, Mutants & Monsters Mayhem was a shooter, and The Way of the Warrior utilized a camera to put the player into the game and follow their movements. 


DVD release.

Funimation handled the initial DVD released for the show. Season one was released in eight volumes from 2003-04 and later collected into two volumes in 2007. Season two was released in six volumes from 2004-05, and again collected into two in 2008. Season three was released in seven volumes from 2005-06. From season four, only 14 random episodes were released in 2006. Fast Forward was released in two sets in 2007 while The Lost Episodes were finally released to DVD in 2008. In 2015, Nickelodeon released four episode collections called NYC Showdown, Search for Splinter, Meet Casey Jones, and Cowabunga Christmas


EPISODE GUIDE:
Season 1:
“Things Change” (2/8/03) – Training is interrupted by Mouser robots attacking their lair, separating the Turtles and Splinter in the chaos.

“A Better Mousetrap” (2/15/03) – The Turtles find a new lair and trace the Mousers to Baxter Stockman, whom his former apprentice April O’Neil is currently fleeing.

“Attack of the Mousers” (2/22/03) – April befriends the Turtles and they dedicate themselves to taking down Stockman and his Mousers.

“Meet Casey Jones” (3/1/03) – After almost seriously hurting Michelangelo in anger, Raphael takes to the streets where he meets someone with similar rage problems: Casey Jones.

“Nano” (3/8/03) – A small-time crook stumbles upon nanotechnology and goes on a crime spree; eventually setting his sights on April’s antique shop.

“Darkness on the Edge of Town” (3/15/03) – Investigating a blackout leads the Turtles to encounter the Foot Clan stealing artifacts.

“The Way of Invisibility” (3/22/03) – Raphael and Casey get taken down by the Foot Tech Ninja, whose cyber-armor allows them to turn invisible.

“Fallen Angel” (3/29/03) – Casey tries to keep his longtime friend, Angel, from joining the Purple Dragons.

“Garbageman” (4/5/03) – Investigating the disappearance of homeless around the city leads the Turtles to an island ruled by the Garbageman.

“The Shredder Strikes, Part 1” (4/12/03) – Leonardo is offered a truce by the Foot to fight against a greater evil, but his brothers convince him to consult with Splinter first.

“The Shredder Strikes, Part 2” (4/19/03) – The Turtles meet the Shredder and flee the foot while Splinter prepares to aid his sons.

“The Unconvincing Turtle Titan” (5/3/03) – Michelangelo becomes a superhero and teams-up with his inspiration, Silver Sentry.

“Notes from the Underground, Part 1” (5/10/03) – Examining strange crystals lead the Turtles to discover an abandoned Foot genetics lab deep underground.

“Notes from the Underground, Part 2” (5/17/03) – The Turtles find and befriend past genetic experiments in the lab and aid them against their mindless counterparts.

“Notes from the Underground, Part 3” (5/24/03) – The Turtles and the Mutants discover an ancient subterranean city whose sole occupant promises to help the Mutants—but will he?

“The King” (5/31/03) – While the Turtles are staying with April, Donatello meets her mysterious tenant Kirby who has the ability to open portals to other worlds.

“The Shredder Strikes Back, Part 1” (6/7/03) – Leonardo stumbles upon the Foot and Hun and soon comes afoul of the Foot Elite and the Shredder.

“The Shredder Strikes Back, Part 2” (6/14/03) – A battered Leonardo is used as an opening salvo for an all-out Foot assault on April’s apartment.

“Tales of Leo” (9/13/03) – The Turtles escape the city to recuperate at Casey’s grandmother’s farmhouse while sharing stories about Leonardo.

“The Monster Hunter” (9/20/03) – The Turtles try to keep busy on the farm while Michelangelo, Donatello and Casey deal with monster hunter Abigail Finn in the woods.

“Return to New York, Part 1” (9/27/03) – Shredder is caught unprepared by an all-out assault from the Turtles, whom he believed had been destroyed.

“Return to New York, Part 2” (10/4/03) – The Turtles face mutant clones, Foot Mystic Ninjas, and Stockman in an exosuit.

“Return to New York, Part 3” (10/11/03) – The Turtles and Shredder hold a truce long enough to deal with Stockman before turning on each other.

“Lone Raph and Cub” (10/18/03) – When Splinter goes missing, Raphael sets out to find him on his own and ends up having to help a kid against a gang of mobsters.

“The Search for Splinter, Part 1” (10/25/03) – The Turtles learn TCRI, the company that created the ooze, may be responsible for Splinter’s disappearance and infiltrate their HQ.

“The Search for Splinter, Part 2” (11/1/03) – The Turtles find Splinter in the TCRI lab, but end up transported into space while rescuing him.

Season 2:
“Turtles in Space, Part 1: The Fugitoid” (11/8/03) – On the planet D’Hoonnib, the Turtles team-up with the Fugitoid to prevent the Federation from conquering the galaxy.

“Turtles in Space, Part 2: The Trouble with Triceratons” (11/15/03) – While trying to get off D’Hoonnib, the Turtles learn the Triceratons also want Fugitoid.

“Turtles in Space, Part 3: The Big House” (11/22/03) – The Triceratons threaten the lives of the Turtles unless Fugitoid makes them a teleportation device.

“Turtles in Space, Part 4: The Arena” (11/29/03) – The Turtles are captured trying to escape and put into the Games where they befriend fellow prisoner Traximus.

“Turtles in Space, Part 5: Triceraton Wars” (12/6/03) – The Turtles take Prime Leader Zanramon hostage and ask Fugitoid to build the portal to send them home.

“Secret Origins, Part 1” (1/17/04) – The Utroms send the Turtles and Fugitoid to Earth and allow them to learn about their first crash-landing on Earth and an early encounter with the Shredder.

“Secret Origins, Part 2” (1/24/04) – Stockman attacks TCRI and sabotages the oracle pod chamber, trapping the Turtles with an all-too-real feudal era Shredder and the Foot Clan.

“Secret Origins, Part 3” (1/31/04) – The Turtles escape the oracle chamber only to find the TCRI building under siege by the Foot.

“Reflections” (2/14/04) – The Turtles head back to the farm to recuperate and discuss what it means knowing that Shredder is now a centuries-old criminal Utrom.

“The Ultimate Ninja” (2/7/04) – While out getting ice cream for their movie night, Leonardo encounters a ninja from another dimension and is challenged to a duel.

“The Return of Nano” (2/21/04) – Nano reforms and abducts Harry Parker and Dr. Richards to form his own family.

“What a Croc!” (2/28/04) – While exploring the underwater access way to the lair, Michelangelo and Donatello encounter Leatherhead.

“Return to the Underground” (3/6/04) – The Turtles return to the subterranean city to help their mutant friends, but discover their friends have reverted back to monsters.

“City at War, Part 1” (3/13/04) – The Foot, the Purple Dragons and the mob attempt to fill in the void left by Shredder.

“City at War, Part 2” (3/20/04) – When Karai comes to New York, the Turtles have no choice but to ally with her when they end up caught in the middle of the turf war.

“City at War, Part 3” (3/27/04) – Karai offers to stop the turf war if the Turtles will help her take Shredder’s place, but Raphael wants no part of the plan.

“Junklantis” (4/3/04) – Testing out the new Shell Sub leads Donatello and Michelangelo to discover Garbageman’s newest lair and scheme.

“The Golden Puck” (4/10/04) – The Turtles help Casey retrieve the golden puck from the clutches of Mr. Arboost.

“Rogue in the House, Part 1” (4/17/04) – Shredder returns and Hun supplies him with an army of Foot Mechs to enact his revenge.

“Rouge in the House, Part 2” (4/24/04) – Half the Turtles end up captured and Karai has to decide if she’ll honor her promise to the Turtles or obey Shredder.

“April’s Artifact” (5/1/04) – While finishing up restoring her antique shop, April comes across a puzzle box that sends her and the Turtles to another dimension.

“Return of the Justice Force” (5/8/04) – Taking a respite to the farm, Michelangelo’s hunt for a Justice Force issue puts the team in an adventure with the real Justice Force.

“The Big Brawl, Part 1” (5/15/04) – The Turtles discover Splinter regularly participates in an interdimensional battle tournament and persuade him to let them enter.

“The Big Brawl, Part 2” (9/18/04) – The Turtles work their way through the fighting ranks while sinister happenings go on outside of the battle arena.

“The Big Brawl, Part 3” (9/25/04) – Splinter is framed for the attack on the Ultimate Daimyo and the Turtles end up pitted against each other as punishment.

“The Big Brawl, Part 4” (10/2/04) – Michelangelo becomes the champion while the Turtles learn the Daimyo’s son and Drako orchestrated the whole ordeal to get revenge on Splinter and Leo.

Season 3:
“Space Invaders, Part 1” (10/9/04) – The Triceratons attack Earth, believing Fugitoid is still there.

“Space Invaders, Part 2” (10/16/04) – Donatello is captured by the Triceratons and the Turtles steal one of their ships to mount a rescue.

“Space Invaders, Part 3” (10/23/04) – Traximus leads a faction of rebel Triceratons and the Turtles join him to help overthrow their current leader.

“Worlds Collide, Part 1” (10/30/04) – Fugitoid returns to Earth and intends to offer himself to the Treiceratons.

“Worlds Collide, Part 2” (11/6/04) – Agent Bishop captures the Turtles and Fugitoid, and after turning Fugitoid over experiments on the Turtles.

“Worlds Collide, Part 3” (11/13/04) – Casey, April and Splinter launch a rescue while Traximus continues his rebellion.

“Touch and Go” (11/20/04) – While Splinter and Michelangelo deal with super-powered assassins, Raphael is chased through the streets by an alien-hating mob.

“Hunted” (11/27/04) – Mr. Marlin hunts a crocodile rumored to be living in the sewers and discovers Leatherhead.

“H.A.T.E.” (12/4/04) – Violent alien-hating survivalists encounter the Turtles and Casey’s mother threatens his relationship with April.

“Nobody’s Fool” (12/11/04) – Leonardo and Michelangelo attempt to help the heroic Nobody.

“New Blood” (1/22/05) – Investigating a crashed Triceraton ship pits the Turtles against Karai-Bots created by Stockman’s apprentice

“The Lesson” (12/18/04) – The Turtles refuse to train April, recounting their disastrous first attempt as teachers.

“The Christmas Aliens” (12/25/04) – Michelangelo attempts to stop the Purple Dragons from stealing a truck full of toys at Christmas time.

“The Darkness Within” (1/29/05) – Angel asks the Turtles to help find her missing brother, and their search leads them to a monster that forces them to face their greatest fear.

“Mission of Gravity” (2/5/05) – While the Turtles attempt to lower Beijing back to Earth, Karai seeks out their help to save innocents endangered by Stockman wanting to kill Dr. Chaplin.

“The Entity Below” (2/12/05) – The Turtles return to the subterranean city when Donatello’s crystals glow at the same time as an earthquake.

“Time Travails” (2/19/05) – Renet takes the Turtles on a time adventure to stop demon sorcerer Savanti Remaro from escaping his exile.

“Hun on the Run” (2/26/05) – Agent Bishop captures Karai and Shredder sends Hun to retrieve her.

“Reality Check” (3/5/05) – The Ultimate Ninja and Drako merge into one being and use Lord Simultaneous’ time scepter to send the Turtles to other dimensions.

“Across the Universe” (3/12/05) – Raphael ends up in a world with alien motorcycle races and tries to teach them how to race with honor.

“Same As it Never Was” (3/17/05) – Donatello ends up in a dystopian future ruled by the Shredder and seeks out his family to dethrone the despot.

“The Real World, Part 1” (3/26/05) – Leonardo ends up in a feudal Japan-like world of anthropomorphic samurai animals, including Usagi Yojimbo.

“The Real World, Part 2” (4/2/05) – Usagi takes Leonardo to the Battle Nexus to seek aid from the Ultimate Daimyo.

“Bishop’s Gambit” (4/9/05) – Bishop takes some of Splinter’s DNA, leading the Turtles to raid his lab and discover his plans.

“Exodus, Part 1” (4/16/05) – The Shredder plans to leave Earth and wreak havoc on other worlds.

“Exodus, Part 2” (4/23/05) – Stowing away on Shredder’s ship after a defeat, the Turtles try to come up with a desperate final plan.

Season 4:
“Cousin Sid” (9/10/05) – The Turtles head to the farm to heal, but Casey’s cousin Sid shows up looking for money to pay back to the Purple Dragons.

“The People’s Choice” (9/17/05) – An alien crashes near the farm and the Turtles seek to aid her in her fight when her opponent shows up with an unfair advantage.

“Sons of the Silent Age” (10/1/05) – April’s confrontation with Leonardo over his newfound rage is cut short when a mutated fish creature possesses her.

“Dragon’s Brew” (10/8/05) – Leonardo recruits Casey to go up against the Purple Dragons to stop their weapon shipment hijackings.

“I, Monster” (10/15/05) – Training is interrupted when the Rat King attacks and takes Michelangelo captive.

“Grudge Match” (10/22/05) – Michelangelo is challenged for a rematch for his champion title over an unfair advantage, but his opponent’s father sets one of his own.

“A Wing and a Prayer” (9/25/05) – The Turtles get involved in a conflict between angelic Avians to prevent their city from conquering Earth.

“Bad Day” (11/5/05) – A series of misfortunes befalls the Turtles, leading up to an all-out assault by a collection of their foes.

“Aliens Among Us” (11/12/05) – Bishop engineers a fake alien invasion in order to keep the President from cutting the funding of the Earth Protection Force.

“Dragons Rising” (11/19/05) – The Turtles and Casey try to figure out a way to stop Hun from expanding the Purple Dragons’ influence.

“Still Nobody” (11/26/05) – Nobody comes to the Turtles for help in stopping a Purple Dragons arms sale and his old foe, Ruffington.

“All Hallows Thieves” (10/29/05) – Halloween is interrupted when a thief steals something from April’s shop that can open a portal and unleash a threat on the city.

“Samurai Tourist” (12/3/05) – Splinter invites Usagi and Murakami Gennosuke to speak with Leonardo, and Gennosuke gets lost exploring the city.

“The Ancient One” (12/10/05) – After injuring Splinter, Leonardo heads to Japan to study under the Ancient One who once trained Hamato Yoshi.

“Scion of the Shredder” (2/4/06) – The Shredder returns and launches an assault on the Turtles’ lair.

“Prodigal Son” (2/11/06) – Leonardo returns home to witness the destruction and discovers Karai is no longer their ally.

“Outbreak” (2/18/06) – Bishop’s fake aliens combine with the inhabitants of the sewers, creating a new mutant outbreak.

“Trouble with Augie” (2/25/06) – April gets a message from her Uncle Augie trapped in another dimension and uses the puzzle box to rescue him.

“Insane in the Membrane” (10/14/06 UK, 8/2/15 US) – Stockman puts himself in a new body and is driven insane to the point of believing April is the cause of all his problems.

“Return of Savanti, Part 1” (3/11/06) – Romero lures the Turtles and Renet into a trap in order to steal the time scepter.

“Return of Savanti, Part 2” (3/18/06) – The Turtles and Renet fight against Savanti and his dinosaur minions while he tries to prevent their inevitable extinction.

“Tale of Master Yoshi” (3/4/06) – During a blackout, Leonardo shares a story he heard about Hamato Yoshi.

“Adventures in Turtle Sitting” (3/25/06) – Donatello undergoes a second mutation while Bishop rescues Stockman’s brain and puts it into a new body.

“Good Genes, Part 1” (4/1/06) – Bishop offers a cure for Donatello in exchange for the Turtles stealing a piece of technology from the Foot.

“Good Genes, Part 2” (4/8/06) – The Turtles retrieve the Heart of Tengu for Bishop, but it turns out he doesn’t have a cure after all.

“Ninja Tribunal” (4/15/06) – The Turtles are abducted and placed before a Ninja Tribunal composed of four beings that resemble Shredder in order to combat a greater evil.

Season 5:
“Lap of the Gods” (2/16/08) – The Turtles and their allies begin their training to face the coming evil.

“Demons and Dragons” (2/23/08) – After securing the first of the Tribunal’s lost artifacts, the Turtles learn the great evil is the spirit of the true Shredder.

“Legend of the Five Dragons” (3/1/08) – Splinter and the Ancient One doubt the intentions of the Tribunal and explain their origin to the Turtles.

“More Worlds Than One” (3/8/08) – The Turtles prepare to retrieve the next artifact guarded by nasty tengu demons.

“Beginning of the End” (3/15/08) – The Turtles return with the second artifact in time for them and the Tribunal to fall under attack.

“Nightmares Recycled” (N/A) – Raphael, Donatello, Casey and April come up against the Garbage man again and learn he and Hun are actually brothers.

“Membership Drive” (3/24/08) – Michelangelo wants to join the Justice Force as Turtle Titan, but things go awry when Bishop and Stockman unleash Nano into the world again.

“New World Order, Part 1” (3/29/08) – The Foot Mystics resurrect the original Shredder in order to have him dispose of Karai and achieve his goal of world chaos.

“New World Order, Part 2” (4/5/08) – The Turtles use all their new training to protect Karai from the Shredder.

“Past and Present” (4/9/08) – The Turtles and Karai team-up to redirect Shredder’s life-force energy against him using mystical kystones around the city.

“Enter the Dragons, Part 1” (4/26/08) – The Turtles are forced to team-up with the Purple Dragons to prevent Shredder’s influence from expanding beyond the city.

“Enter the Dragons, Part 2” (5/3/08) – The final battle comes down to the Turtles focusing their own energies to become mystic avatars in the form of dragons.

Season 6:
“Future Shellshock” (7/29/06) – The Turtles and Splinter are accidentally whisked to the year 2105 by the descendant of Casey and April: Cody Jones.

“Obsolete” (8/5/06) – Cody takes the Turtles to O’Neil Tech to try and fix the time window, but Darius Dunn sees them and wants the Turtles for study.

“Home Invasion” (8/12/06) – Living computer virus Viral takes over Cody’s building and turns his holographic dojo into a very real death trap.

“Headlock Prime” (9/30/06) – Attending a wrestling match pits Raphael and Leonardo against banned three-headed wrestler-turned-criminal Triple Threat.

“Playtime’s Over” (10/7/06) – While shopping for the sequel to Michelangelo’s favorite game, the Street Phantoms hijack the shipment of the game and frame the Turtles for it.

“Bishop to Knight” (10/14/06) – A reformed Agent Bishop enlists the Turtles’ help in tracking down mercenary Torbin Zixx.

“Night of Sh’Okanabo” (10/21/06) – A horror movie festival turns real when Sh’Okanabo attacks.

“Clash of the Turtle Titans” (10/28/06) – Michelangelo sets out to find who usurped his Turtle Titan identity.

“Fly Me to the Moon” (11/4/06) – Cody and the Turtles head to the moon to find a rare alloy and encounter Dunn’s goons.

“Invasion of the Bodyjacker!” (11/11/06) – Jammerhead takes over Dunn’s body to learn O’Neil Tech’s secrets, and reveals a cover weapons program to the Turtles.

“The Freaks Come Out at Night” (11/25/06) – The Turtles discover Michelangelo has been implanted by one of Sh’Okanabo’s gene-seeds, turning him into a Kanabo drone.

“Bad Blood” (12/2/06) – Sh’Okanabo supplies Dunn with Kanabo duplicates of the Turtles, and with Splinter and Serling arrested it’s up to Cody to rescue them.

“The Journal” (12/9/06) – The Turtles discover Casey and April’s journal amongst Cody’s things.

“The Gaminator” (12/16/06) – A new game console sucks the Turtles into the game as part of a trap set up by Viral.

“Graduation Day: Class of 2105” (3/24/07) – The Turtles try to speed tutor Michelangelo so that he can advance in rank with the rest of them.

“Timing is Everything” (3/31/07) – Sh’Okanabo tests his time window, setting a time storm loose on the city.

“Enter the Jammerhead” (4/7/07) – Jammerhead gets a new chip that allows him to download any fighting style and sets out after the Turtles.

“Milk Run” (4/14/07) – Zixx recruits the Turtles to help him smuggle humanitarian aid supplies past the Triceratons.

“The Fall of Darius Dunn” (4/21/07) – Cody discovers Dunn’s weapons program and battles him for final control over the company.

“Turtle X-Tinction” (4/28/07) – A virus implanted in Cody’s armor by Dunn sets it out after the Turtles and Cody.

“Race for Glory” (9/8/07) – The Turtles enter a cross-country race that Triple Threat decides to crash in order to steal all the cars.

“Head of State” (9/15/07) – Bishop recruits the Turtles to investigate mysterious underground monsters only to be kidnapped by Stockman.

“DNA is Thicker Than Water” (10/6/07) – To get back in Dunn’s favor, Dark Leonardo decides to invade the Turtles from within but has second thoughts after spending time with them.

“The Cosmic Completist” (10/13/07) – Raphael finds himself having to think like a geek to beat Aramzedo, the ultimate collector.

“The Day of Awakening” (10/20/07) – The Turtles head to Moonbase Bishop to stop Sh’Okanabo’s plans only to discover an upgraded Sh’Okanabo waiting.

“Zixxth Sense” (10/27/07) – Zixx asks the Turtles to help him retrieve a device he gave to the Triceratons to pay off a debt.

Unproduced season:
“Master Fighter 2105” (5/11/09*) – Viral brings the Master Fighter from the Turtles’ favorite film to life, and Master Fighter believes the Turtles are his foes from the movie’s plot.
*First uploaded online.

“Something Wicked” (N/A) – A Triceraton freighter comes afoul of the Utrom Shredder on an asteroid, and he takes their ship to head back to Earth for revenge.

“Bounty Huntin’” (N/A) – Zixx and Boss Zucko work out a scheme to have Zixx turned over to various gangs for reward money, and then tricking the Turtles into rescuing him each time.

“Turtles, Turtles Everywhere” (N/A) – The Dark Turtles turn to the Turtles for help when Dunn sends his new Tech Turtles after them to test them out.

“Law and Disorder” (N/A) – Jammerhead reprograms Constable Biggles to go after the Turtles, setting the whole police force after them.

“The Devil and Dr. Stockman” (N/A) – Stockman joins the Turtles for the Intergalactic Science Expo, but Shredder attacks their ship and strands them on a hostile planet.

“The Incredible Shrinking Serling” (N/A) – The Turtles and Cody use Serling in various experiments to find a way back to their own time.

“A Question of Honor” (N/A) – The Turtles team-up with Usagi.

“City Under Siege / Con Space” (N/A) – Triple Threat hijacks the prison transport and rallies all the prisoners against the city, forcing Bishop to consider calling on the Turtle Titan for help.

“Homeward Bound” (N/A) – As their enemies close in, Donatello has to fix the time window in order to rescue Cody who has flickered out of existence.

Season 7:
“Tempus Fugit” (9/13/08) – Viral interferes with the Turtles’ return home, splitting Splinter up into data-bits through cyberspace with a Cyber-Shredder lurking around.

“Karate Schooled” (9/20/08) – Returning a year after they left, the Turtles try to acclimate to their new reality while Donatello works on a device to save Splinter.

“Something Wicked” (9/27/08) – Cyber-Shredder prevents the Turtles from effectively rescuing Splinter in cyberspace.

“The Engagement Ring” (10/4/08) – Casey is given a ring that he in turn gives to April, which proceeds to cause the evil in her to grow and change her into a monster.

“Hacking Stockman” (10/18/08) – Donatello is forced to give up the search for Splinter when Cyber-Shredder takes over Stockman’s body.

“Incredible Shrinking Serling” (10/25/08) – Serling sends the Turtles away to work on his own time window, but it backfires and shrinks him down before sending him into the past.

“Identity Crisis” (11/1/08) – Cyber-Shredder infects the Turtles with a virus that wipes their memories and has them working for the Foot.

“Web Wranglers” (11/8/08) – Cyber-Shredder develops a portal to escape cyberspace, sending animals through it that mutate and attack the city.

“SuperQuest” (11/15/08) – The Turtles enter Michelangelo’s favorite video game to retrieve more of Splinter, and Hun unknowingly aids them while playing the same game.

“Virtual Reality Check” (11/22/08) – The Turtles think they escape cyberspace and destroy the portal, but soon discover they’ve fallen for Cyber-Shredder’s trap.

“City Under Siege” (11/29/08) – Cyber-Shredder hacks the city’s electrical grid, effectively taking it over.

“Super Power Struggle” (2/21/09) – Michelangelo finds a cape and gives it to Raphael to be Turtle Titan’s sidekick, not knowing it was the powered cape of the Green Mantle.

“Wedding Bells and Bytes” (2/28/09) – The Turtles reassemble Splinter, but Cyber-Shredder planted a tracer in his data bits and tracks it to crash April and Casey’s wedding.

“Mayhem From Mutant Island” (3/27/10*) – A monster attack leads the Turtles to a remote island where they discover Stockman has been creating them to unleash on the world.
*Originally aired as a series of shorts from March 7-May 23, 2009.

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