Best Season of the original series?

[Huree]

What is the best season of the original series?

I know it's generally acknowledged that the first season has the best animation and action scenes, so I would say if the first is your favorite pick a 2nd favorite.

I'm interested to hear if people enjoy the "red sky" episodes (season 8 and beyond).

I own volumes 1,2, and 5. Out of those I think I enjoy the 1st season and the 5th b/c of the usagi episodes and "Corporate raiders from Dimension X" (the one where Casey gets an office job and keeps his mask on and smashes things up and keeps on getting promoted.

On first viewing I hated the extra episodes on the vol. 1 disc (the season 10 episodes with Lord Dregg) but after watching it 2 or 3 more times I started to appreciate them for what they were and started to enjoy them.

I'm thinking about purchasing season 8 or 9 and I'm wondering which one people think is better. From what I understand Shredder gets to be more of a threat in season 8 and then disappears in 9 in favor of Lord Dregg.

[Jephael]

I always thought season 7 was the best (the CBS episodes, not the European vacation). David Wise wrote a lot of those episodes and they all were great. I especially loved it when we got to see a lot of familiar faces from past seasons show up. I remember at the end of "Shredder Triumphant" when Splinter gave that speech about the vilians, I got chills. I was way more impressed with that than anything they did in the red-sky era.

[MikeandRaph87]

Season 7 followed by 8. I loved the guest stars and the tone of that season and the plots were pretty good. I also appreciate the European Vacatin that is sometimes associated with this season. Best season of the best version. Season 8 that followed was also impressive yet it was just 8 episodes and half of which did not have an amped up Shredder and gang. It should have continued into season 9 but the CBS suits ruined it!

[Huree]

How did the CBS suits ruin it?

[TurtleTitan97]

Besides Season 1, I'd have to say Season 7 would be my second favorite. "Shredder Triumphant!" was my favorite episode in this season.

[pannoni1]

I'm thinking about purchasing season 8 or 9 and I'm wondering which one people think is better. From what I understand Shredder gets to be more of a threat in season 8 and then disappears in 9 in favor of Lord Dregg.

Season 8 is much better than Season 9. The former gives the series' most serious threat by Shredder since the Big Trilogy at least and perhaps the first season.

Although Season 1 is my favorite, it just flies by so quickly that I'm almost inclined to say that Season 3 was the best season of the original series. Sure, Season 1 was great and makes a great animated feature when woven together, but Season 3, despite its episodic nature, starts off with a decent premiere where the Turtles spend time alone, followed by a nice fight with Shredder and his cretins and end up saving Splinter. Turtles on Trial then adds to the fun by adding an element of mystery. Throw in episodes like The Old Switcheroo, Sky Turtles, Cowabunga Shredhead, the Usagi episodes, the Rat King and Leatherhead episodes, and the final five episodes (Shredderville and Bye, Bye, Fly are very fun and of course the three-part finale). Even the fillers such as Mr. Ogg Goes to Town and Turtles, Turtles Everywhere are funny and contain great slapstick fights. I also enjoy the mix of background music the best from this season. This was before CBS slowed down the action for Seasons 4-6 and before all those generic mad scientists.

[Logan]

I'm quite fond of season 6. "The Sword of Yurikawa", "Return of the Turtleloid", and "Nightmare in the Lair" are all great episodes. I'm not sure if it's my favorite, though. I might have to simmer on this for a while.

[MikeandRaph87]

How did the CBS suits ruin it?

From what David Wise said CBS executives of the time wanted to have the main villains and the Channel Six group removed and a new human (Carter) and a new villain (Dregg) brought in to freshen up the show.I thought season 8 did that.It was fresh enough and well done.That is why I say the CBS suits messed up something great. It was fun yet serious and had wonderful characters.

[CyberCubed]

I would say Seasons 1, 3, 7, 8 and 10 were the best overall.

That being said, Seasons 2, 4, 5 and 6 are also very good, and some of the best episodes of the entire series came from those seasons. I just feel that they had some weaker episodes there that prevented them from being as strong as the first seasons I mentions.

If you count it, the "Euro Vacation" episodes were obviously the worst season of the bunch. I almost see it as its own mini-season in itself.

[MikeandRaph87]

I'm quite fond of season 6. "The Sword of Yurikawa", "Return of the Turtleloid", and "Nightmare in the Lair" are all great episodes. I'm not sure if it's my favorite, though. I might have to simmer on this for a while.

When Shredder and gang were present it was great.Kerma and Slash episode is good of the Shredder-less half. Donatello's Badd Time,Nightmare In The Lair,and Polly Wanna Pizza were all weak entries. I thought of this season as the weakest of the first 8 because of of those three entries.

[CyberCubed]

Nightmare in the Lair was a great episode. Season 6 definitely had more action in it than Season 5 did. Watching it makes it obvious this was where they were gearing up to return the show to action...which progressed into Season 7 and above.

Season 5 has very little fighting in it I've noticed.

[Yep It's A Trap]

Season One....by leaps and bounds.

[LOGMAN]

The first 3 seasons are still my favourites. May even dare to say season 2 would be my favourite

[koenne]

Season 1 and 2 .

[ZariusTwo]

Seasons One and Two are great, but I thought the third season was the best, most of my favourite episodes come from it, it was also where the show found it's feet as an action comedy and fully embraced the cheeseball style that would carry it into it's more established years, it also has the best finale of the entire series.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Season 1, 2, 7 and 8. Season 3 could be both super and bad.

[Desslok]

Season 3 has a lot of my favorite episodes, so I would say that comes after season 1. Season 7 also ranks very highly, I just wish James Avery could have stayed on long enough to finish it.

And I know most of season 4 is below average stuff, but I do have a soft spot for certain episodes like "Son of Return of the Fly" and "The Foot Soldiers are Revolting." The bits with Shredder and Krang trapped in that pod are hilarious. :lol:

[ToTheNines]

Definitely season 3 for me.

[Cipher]

Objectively, undeniably season one.

However, my favorite is probably five or seven.

[CyberCubed]

Every season has its share of great episodes. That's why Season 4 is still well received, for every dull episode there was a fantastic episode right after it..

[SawyerSquirrel]

Season 3 does it for me. Whether for nostalgia's sake ("Sky Turtles" and "The Old Switcheroo" on VHS was my first exposure to the TMNT) or because I liked quite a few episodes when I watched the whole of the season (most of all "April's Fool"), I must say Season 3 was my favorite.

[Jephael]

"Sky Turtles" and "The Old Switcheroo" on VHS was my first exposure to the TMNT

I don't remember "The Old Switcheroo" being released on VHS.

[SawyerSquirrel]

Ah. Maybe I saw it some other way? *shrugs* All I recall was seeing a little of it when I was young.

[MikeandRaph87]

I don't remember "The Old Switcheroo" being released on VHS.

It was the B side of Attack of The Big Macc.

[DF619]

The first and last seasons of the original series are my favorites overall. Second and third are definitely up there, though.

[CyberCubed]

If you cut the crud episodes out of Season 4 you're actually left with a pretty good season itself.

The problem is Season 4 was 40 episodes long, but around 15 of them were just rushed lazy episodes.

The other 25 are awesome.