Foot Clan Origins - TV show that Nickelodeon passed on

[NinjaPug]

Not sure if this has been discussed but just saw this video about a TMNT show that Nick had in development back in 2015

Love the idea and the artwork for it. Nick probably passed because the Turtles weren?t involved.

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[newfan]

I'd not heard of that before, I'd love a foot type show as a spin off, but I would prefer a live action show for that. Still, (only quickly browsing that video) I'd check something like that out had it been made.

[AquaParade]

It's an interesting premise. Surprised there is no concept art of the TMNT. How do you pitch a TMNT show to Nick without TMNT in it? You have to imagine they'd show up eventually, but I wonder how it would have been done.

[oldmanwinters]

I'm still curious about The April O'Neil Files:
https://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=53155

[AquaParade]

There's also a reference in that video to a hand drawn, WB animated series that looks to be inspired by Mirage when it comes to the turtle designs. Surprised I had never heard of that but I'd love to learn more.

[IndigoErth]

If another more serious show was considered and scrapped in preference for what we have now.... :tsad:

With the merger with CBS and an option outside of Nick available -- via channel, not streaming service, please! -- I wish they'd take another look at it if it was anything viable, or at least worthy of inspiring something decent.


As for this Foot Clan concept, it's interesting... Not what I'd want in a regular series, both with the lack of Turtles and not really into that kind of art style in look and the rather flat, candy-tone color palette so many cartoons are doing anymore...but I could see doing a Netflix binge of it instead.

[80gmrp]

Yeah, I heard about there being a spin-off series idea with the Mutanimals as well. Would’ve loved to see that for the sake of Leatherhead...

As for the main subject, I’m not certain about it, myself, though I don’t think it could be completely unwatchable, either.

[neatoman]

Wasn't there also a pitch about Shredder having conquered earth and using humanity to launch invasions of other planets?

[TigerClaw]

Sounds like an interesting idea. But would anyone be interested in a show that took place before the Turtles? Obviously the Turtles have always been a big draw. But could people watch a show without the fantastical elements that are the turtles?

This is one of those things I would have issues with. Because I like seeing anthropomorphic characters being any of the Turtles or any of the mutants. a show which is just human characters set in that universe would be kinda boring for me.

[CyberCubed]

I wish we could see all the failed pitches for shows.

Then again, makes you wonder how bad all these other pitches must have been for Nick to greenlit Rise of the TMNT over all of them knowing the drastic changes it would make.

[IndigoErth]

Sounds like an interesting idea. But would anyone be interested in a show that took place before the Turtles? Obviously the Turtles have always been a big draw. But could people watch a show without the fantastical elements that are the turtles?
Personally, not really, I need my Turtles. But as I said, if it was a Netflix thing I could just binge in a day or two I might have checked it out; a lot more innocuous that way.

[neatoman]

Sounds like an interesting idea. But would anyone be interested in a show that took place before the Turtles? Obviously the Turtles have always been a big draw. But could people watch a show without the fantastical elements that are the turtles?

This is one of those things I would have issues with. Because I like seeing anthropomorphic characters being any of the Turtles or any of the mutants. a show which is just human characters set in that universe would be kinda boring for me.

The Punisher is essentially a Spider-Man spin-off (started out as a Spider-Man supporting character and did not get his own book until 12 years after his introduction). While I don't care about the Punisher, the fact that plenty of Spider-Man readers were interested in reading about a guy with gun systematically murdering ordinary mobsters, should tell you something about spin-offs. And it's not like the Punisher is just a moderate success either, the comic has been in near constant publication since 1986.

So no, there is no issue in making a spin-off that is about normal human characters. It really isn't that hard to imagine a spin-off about Casey Jones, Hamato Yoshi, Shredder, Karai, Angel, Hun, Baxter Stockman, Nobody or April O'Neil. As long as there are decent writers and artists working on such a project it can find an audience.

And if you're willing to let go of your weird throbbing boner for mutants, you'll realise that choosing to make a spin-off about either humans or mutants is a false binary. A series dedicated to the Utroms, Renet, Bishop or the Fugitoid could be quite interesting as well.

The Turtles are fun characters but the line of thinking that a series has to be about them or characters similar to them is a very uncreative line thinking that would cripple the possibility of successful spin-offs.

[Sonic777]

Such a bummer we didn't get this show. My favorite episode of TMNT 2012 was Tale of the Yokai. Would have been cool to see the dynamic between Yoshi and Saki as pre-teens, most likely Saki being manipulated towards the dark side by this Darius Dun looking villain. Maybe it might get revived on Netflix or just forgotten? Not sure.

[Powder]

Looks incredibly wack to me, I'm glad we got Rise. I want a Foot Clan series of some sort, but not like that.

[Wildcat]

Pretty cool. I wonder if it would have ended with Splinter coming to NY and finding the turtles...then itself spinoff into the next TMNT show.

[victory_angel]

Who is to say the Turtles wouldn't have been there. I mean we do see images of what Shredder and Splinter would be like in this animated world. Some incarnations do have Hamato Yoshi as a member of the Foot originally before branching off (usually due to betrayal) and teaching his own way of fighting. So perhaps much of this is Splinter telling stories of his life as part of the Foot Clan both to show them his life wasn't much different from where they are now.

And also to show his sons that their choices lead to their current roles and how those roles affected them. So for example, Yoshi looks like a little kid in the artwork, possibly 12-13 at most. While Saki looks like he's 15.

So Saki's turn to the dark side would have an emotional impact of someone being betrayed by someone they looked up to as not just their best friend but a big brother.

I wouldn't say Saki's viewpoint on the separation would be like he is just crushing something with his boot heel. I could see it more that he is sorrowful that Yoshi chooses not to follow him in his goals and ambitions. But brushes it off as saying his companion made a foolish choice and only time will determine who made the right decision.

So it's a heavy blow to both but at the same time, it's too late to go back on their choices.

So the Turtles could be there, they just wouldn't be the focal cast of the story.


Also even if the Turtles aren't there as characters, aspects of them are in the two boys.

In that Hamato Yoshi is the younger of the two, so he would be the knuckleheaded kid brother of the two like Michelangelo. But we see him with a bo staff so he would also have aspects of Donatello. Such as maybe he does calculate his actions before he acts or he tinkers with stuff he comes across such as that Foot Bot we see in the concept art, that could be something he created.

While Saki is more disciplined in his studies and wants to have his master's approval like Leonardo. But can be hotheaded and determined to prove himself like Raph.

[newfan]

Sounds like an interesting idea. But would anyone be interested in a show that took place before the Turtles? Obviously the Turtles have always been a big draw. But could people watch a show without the fantastical elements that are the turtles?

This is one of those things I would have issues with. Because I like seeing anthropomorphic characters being any of the Turtles or any of the mutants. a show which is just human characters set in that universe would be kinda boring for me.

I'd totally watch something around Saki/Yoshi/the foot, but as I said earlier I would imagine something live action and or older than this. I'd still have taken a look at something like this to see what they were doing. It depends what aspects of TMNT we like. Obviously I'd like TMNT but I wouldn't see this as something we got instead of a TMNT show (unless that really did turn out to be the case) just something else that exists also, focusing on other characters.

[Galactus]

I know a lot of people really think there's a possibility of a live action series on a streaming platform but I think the idea that they could do it on a TV budget seems far fetched to me.

Maybe something like Gotham or Krypton inspired were it focuses on Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen in NY fighting an emerging Foot and other criminal elements. The final episode would be them scoring some big victory against the Foot but as retribution Saki now Shredder finds and kills them.

Heck If the series was popular and successful you could even launch a proper TMNT movie set in the same continuity.

[TigerClaw]

I know a lot of people really think there's a possibility of a live action series on a streaming platform but I think the idea that they could do it on a TV budget seems far fetched to me.

Maybe something like Gotham or Krypton inspired were it focuses on Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen in NY fighting an emerging Foot and other criminal elements. The final episode would be them scoring some big victory against the Foot but as retribution Saki now Shredder finds and kills them.

Heck If the series was popular and successful you could even launch a proper TMNT movie set in the same continuity.
a series like Gotham where they plant all the seeds that leads to the TMNT. The final episode of the series depending on how many seasons they go, Could be when Hamato Yoshi mutates to a Rat and finds 4 baby turtles in the sewers while hiding from the Foot.

[Leo656]

Except not terrible.

...Because Gotham was terrible. Just terrible.

[Wildcat]

Who is to say the Turtles wouldn't have been there. I mean we do see images of what Shredder and Splinter would be like in this animated world. Some incarnations do have Hamato Yoshi as a member of the Foot originally before branching off (usually due to betrayal) and teaching his own way of fighting. So perhaps much of this is Splinter telling stories of his life as part of the Foot Clan both to show them his life wasn't much different from where they are now.

And also to show his sons that their choices lead to their current roles and how those roles affected them. So for example, Yoshi looks like a little kid in the artwork, possibly 12-13 at most. While Saki looks like he's 15.

So Saki's turn to the dark side would have an emotional impact of someone being betrayed by someone they looked up to as not just their best friend but a big brother.

I wouldn't say Saki's viewpoint on the separation would be like he is just crushing something with his boot heel. I could see it more that he is sorrowful that Yoshi chooses not to follow him in his goals and ambitions. But brushes it off as saying his companion made a foolish choice and only time will determine who made the right decision.

So it's a heavy blow to both but at the same time, it's too late to go back on their choices.

So the Turtles could be there, they just wouldn't be the focal cast of the story.


Also even if the Turtles aren't there as characters, aspects of them are in the two boys.

In that Hamato Yoshi is the younger of the two, so he would be the knuckleheaded kid brother of the two like Michelangelo. But we see him with a bo staff so he would also have aspects of Donatello. Such as maybe he does calculate his actions before he acts or he tinkers with stuff he comes across such as that Foot Bot we see in the concept art, that could be something he created.

While Saki is more disciplined in his studies and wants to have his master's approval like Leonardo. But can be hotheaded and determined to prove himself like Raph.Ya thats mostly how I picture it too but I doubt it would have been one big flashback series with Splinter telling the turtles stories. It would be an odd format imo.

The shots of Saki and Yoshi as adults in their Shredder/Splinter form could have just been planned for future episodes after they introduced the turtles.

[Dejablue]

I guess the one problem with this is it would be an interpretation of the footclan origins. Not THE origins. Like we have the TMNT origin story and every iteration after that is an interpretation or deviation. But in this one, if Splinter and Shredder were already in New York that changes a lot.

I'd still be interested and I'd likely still watch it but I can see why a lot of turtle fans wouldn't like it.

[Sumac]

Sounds cool. It would have worked better if it was launched after establishing new TMNT series, as a companion piece to it, because, on its own, I afraid, people wouldn't want to watch this.

[Dejablue]

Yeah that makes sense. It would have to be a companion piece. I don't think many people would care about the foot clan apart from the turtles. Maybe a footclan spin off series could be on netflix, while the proper show aired on normal television?

Eh I dunno maybe not because not everyone owns netflix. Maybe it would be more successful as some sort of webseries.