How much longer do you think the current TMNT cartoon will last?
 

I've just been thinking of the timeframe of the new show, and with the next season not starting until Fall of '08, that puts us at least 2 years from now with TMNT still on the air:

Fall '07: Last 6 eps of Fast Forward will air on 4kidsTV
Spring '08: All the Ninja Tribunal eps will presumedly air

Fall '08: New season will begin, presumedly it will be 26 episodes like the other seasons and thus carry on through Spring '09

...

Do you think that may be the end, or what?

I realize its waaaaaaay too early to be thinking about what's going to happen in Fall of 2009, but do you think the Turtles still have a future past the following season? Murphy said in his blog that if a movie sequal is greenlit it probably won't make it to theaters until 2010 since Imagi already has another film scheduled for '09, which pretty much means that 4kids would probably want to ride the royalties of the movie sequal by having the cartoon still on the air with new episodes.

The end of Fast Forward brings the episode count up to #143 (technically only 142 since "Nightmares Recylced" was never completed), and if the new season in Fall of '08 is 26 episodes, then we'll be up to 169 total episodes for the current cartoon altogether, which is pretty damn impressive since most American produced cartoons do not last this long in today's day and age. I would have never believed the 2k3 series would be able to last as long as the original cartoons 10 season and 194 episode run, but at this rate and with a movie sequal it may come pretty damn close.

We also know Mirage is planning to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2009 of the comic, and it would be nice if the cartoon was sort of tied in with that celebration and got something special as well, perhaps a DTV animated movie like the WB cartoons get. However there's also the possibility of 4kids not renewing its 4kidsTV block on Fox at some point, which would make TMNT pretty sunk.

So generally, what are your thoughts? I know this is just a guessing game and nobody really knows what the future of TMNT is, but does the outlook look positive, gloomy, or somewhere inbetween? We discuss the future of the Mirage comics all the time, but the future of the cartoon hasn't been discussed much since we found out we're getting another season once FF ends. Do you think TMNT will still be produced throughout 2009-2010?

I would say at least through the release of a movie sequel, which would happen no sooner than 2010.

I hope it lasts longer. There is imagination. There is material in Tales Volume 2. So they sure can make a few more seasons to say the least. I do not think that TMNT 2k3 has jumped the shark.

Whenever 4kids ends.

'Till I'm dead.

Funny, I think 4kids is releasing a new earnings report on Monday. Before the movie came out they were blaming TMNT for low ratings/profits (among their other shows), but they said that since the movie things have looked better from all the royalties they get out of it.

I wonder if they'll leave TMNT out of it this time.

Its even more impressive counting how unnoticed the 2K3 revival has gone. I didn't even know about it until 2004. It failed to be the hit it was in the 90s, a lot of people don't even know it exists. At a Pokemon league I run I work with kdis and I ask them about Ninja Turtles and I don't think anyone has every told me they watch it. And none of them are turtle fans some of them say "yeah they're cool" but i have a feeling they do it more to agree with me than anything else. So yeah its amazing how many episodes this show has, though its also to thank that it has 26 episode seasons instead of the awful 13 episodes per season.

I have a feeling the new 08 season is going to be only 13 episodes for some reason. However if they go through a re-design I would expect it to last more than one season...and while it would make sense to have to have a show running for a second movie if it happens studios often do retarded moves so I wouldn't be surprised if they cancel it right before the movie comes out.

And anyways with a new movie and a new re-design we have another chance for the show to become a hit and "turtlemania" to start again. Which would mean the show could get brand new life. eh who knows.

Thirteen is a good number,you get LESS filler that way

Good point, I've never looked at it that way before.

At least another 2 years (after the final FF and TLS episodes) though whether or not they'll be 26 episode seasons or 13 episodes is up for debate. In fact if we get another movie around 2010 then I'd say 3 seasons as they'd want something for the 2010-2011 season to cash in on the movie.

After 6 seasons we're on 143 episodes (142 if you don't count Nightmares Recycled). Even if the next 3 seasons are only 13 episodes that will be 182 (181), if they're 26 each then that's 221 (220) which is an amazing number and puts it well ahead of the original series.

If they are only doing 13 episode seasons from here on in then I hope for at least 10 which would get it to 195 (194) and put it equal with the old toon in terms of years and episodes.

Thinking about it, if they do 13 episode season arcs (maybe not as intense or as well linked as season 5 but similar) then I could see it reaching ten seasons easily. I think that would be a good time to end it, go out in a blaze of glory rather than overstay it's welcome. Heck if they did that I'd actually like Shredder back for the final arc (provided he's left untouched between now and then).

That would give us a lot to look forward to:

07-08 - Final 6 FF episodes and TLS (sure most of us have already seen all of this but at least it means TLS DVDs that hopefully will include the Ninja Tribunal episode)

08-09 - New direction (I'm guessing a blend of pre-FF and the new movie), 13 episodes (maybe something big here due to 25th anniversary in May)

09-10 - Another 13 episodes

Summer 2010 - Probable release date for TMNT sequel if they do one

10-11 - Possible slightly new direction due to new movie or at least a potential popularity surge due to movie, 13 episodes

11-12 - Final season, 13 episodes

Gosh I hope you're right!!!

I want more Turtles! Give me more Turtles! As long as they keep things as good as they have been so far, I will be jumping for joy to get even more Turtles!

And release the DVDs quickly. I don't have cable.

Well the way they've been releasing them this year we got four volumes/2 seasons with Season 1 part1 and 2 and Fast Forward V.1 and V.2. A complete season of the current series and a complete season of the first one.

Next year we can expect Season 2 in 2 parts and then we'll either get Season 3 in two parts or maybe instead of Season 3 the "Lost"(5th) Season since it would be the "current" series airing on tv.

So yeah two seasons per year doesn't seem to bad especially since they are divided in two parts it makes the release wait between them not that bad.

I actually think we will still get 26 episode seasons, since 4kids blows through seasons rather quickly and they don't seem to have a good grasp as to how to stretch 13 eps over an entire season. That's why they had to air some more FF eps after the original 13, (they could have just stopped after "The Journal" yet they went ahead and aired more new eps), and why next year is going to be 6 FF eps + 12 Lost season eps = 18 eps altogether for 4kids to air as "new."

I think Season 5 was only a 13 ep arc because they planned it to be a more connected story arc with little filler, but a regular season set back in NYC would really have no reason to be that short.

4Kids blows lol, bring back the Fox Box

ever since it turned into 4Kids everything seems to have dropped down a few notches in intelligent kids entertainment. The worst was screwing up TMNT.

The FoxBox was always owned by 4kids. Every show on their has always been produced by them.

Pretty much another reason I see 4kids keeping TMNT, if they cancel that, what else do they have? Viva Pinata and Chaotic are the only two big shows they have after TMNT, and neither of them are bringing in the kids. No wonder why 4kids is airing Yu-gi-oh reruns to try to boost their block.

Whether 4kids owned it or not, the FoxBox had some good cartoons

No it did'nt. TMNT was it's sole draw.

Ugh yeah I know WinX Club and Gi Joe...and Yu Gi O and One Piece. I used to try and skip as much of it as I could cause honestly everything but turtles was horrid.

I have to agree with you guys on that statement.
But I just don't care for anime to start with let alone cheap knock off's and bad dubs.

I think Fast Forward has had its time and place. I hope they send the Turtles back to regular time pronto. And that the next season is as good as season 5- if not better. Don't get me wrong- FF was all right. But I very much prefer the regular time seasons.

I really don't see whats so good about the lost season if I wanted to watch things from an anime I'd watch an Anime I mean the lost season is cool at moments but even Mirage folk agree it lays on the 4kids anime crap a little to thick. I was fine with all the zombie and team up stuff going on though.
I hope the show when it comes back is a nice mix of things from the start through FF.
What the show is missing in my opinion that the old to had is characters with personality and interesting looks. To me that's what really made the turtles how witty and creative it was.
Not Super dragon powers, flashy FF weapons, or anything like that the turtles don't need any of that to be kick @ss.

Ditto to like everything you said. I'd also like to add that the turtle VA's didn't even really like the lost season.

In my opinion, Season 4 was the last great season of TMNT. I don't want 2008 to be like the Lost Season, I want it to be like Season 4.

Although, I do want to see more of Joy, Adam, Feragi, and Tora.

It's slowly going to become the "thing" to hate superior seasons like TLS, either out of bitterness for FF being a f*cking failiure, or because it's getting too much praise as the mainstream becomes more aware of it and "overrates" it to the point of abandon.

I just think they need to go back to basics. Have the Turtles in NYC, have a story arc that stretches across the season, and just adapt more comics.

The best thing about the 2008 season is we're bound to get new villains because a good chunk of the old ones have resolved storylines. The only exception I can think of is Hun and the Purple Dragons, but he doesn't have the stamina to be the most important villain by himself.

One of my problems with Season 4 is the writers didn't seem to know which direction to take the series without Shredder. We had Karai, Hun, and Baxter/Bishop, but it was also retreading a lot of old ground, and I'm happy to see we're not going to be in for a repeat of that considering the events of the Lost Season and Fast Forward.

I also have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of some of the villains from FF, I think some loose ends there may continue on to the next season.

Season four has a very clear direction actuallly. Karai slowly built up her preparations to take the Shredder's identity, had the mystics torture the Turtles psychologically, Leonardo took weeks to deal with his injuries and anger, and the Tribunal was built up.

The fourth season is regarded as the best because it handled the show without Shredder by keeping the aftermath of Ch'rell's actions very clear and present, until we moved on to Karai and then to the Tengu Shredder

mmhmm thanks so glad you know what every one else thinks in their own minds.
I didn't say I don't like the lost season but why should I watch elements from an Anime on a knock off when I could just go watch an Anime if I actully liked them which I don't.
I like American cartoons and thats how I like my turtles.
And I wasn't even talking about Fast Forward I was talking about the old toon which you yourself stand up for all the time.

Yeah! It has absolutely nothing to do with their terrible dugbs, or the fact Nintendo got greedy and dubbed Pokemon themselves... or that Yugioh is pretty much a dead property....

TMNT is the only thing they ever got going for them. I liked Ultimate Muscle and Kirby, and hell... Funky Cops was pretty funny when they aired both episodes they dubbed... but they have NOTHING now. A cartoon based on a game that came out a half a year after the show debuted, TMNT FF, and Chaotic, which is just total crap.

I feel that we have at least one 2 good years at least. Maybe more if a sequal is made (and indeed it should). We have the rest of FF and Ninja Tribunal to air, and then we have that "new series" if they ever decide on a plot.

I owe it all to their girls whom I rape in their minds whilst sleeping.

You sir are a god among men.:lol:

I loved TLS, the only things I really felt could be improved was they could have shortened the beginning episodes and/or removed filler episodes to give another episode or two to the finale to allow it a more epic feel and greater sense of closure (eg: they knew Cody and FF was coming, would a scene of Casey and April getting engaged been too much to ask for?) I would also have had less dragons and more ninja fighting between the TMNT and Shredder. But it was a great season.

[QUOTE=Chris;545137](eg: they knew Cody and FF was coming, would a scene of Casey and April getting engaged been too much to ask for?) /QUOTE]

Who cares? Really, their relationship was the least interesting development in the series. There was almost never any drama put into it the way the comics kept Casey busy with his other, more tragic love life. The two just met, had spats, fell in love, you don't need anything else to cement it.

I always wonder whenever or not Laird stating April loved Donatello on a platonic level, was for 'shippers to have some additional fun knowing how stragith forward April/Casey was going to be. As it stands, I think the writers had much more fun with those two and Karai/Leo/Chaplin than the only true-to-comic relationship

The more anime like the series becomes the better.

Why would you say that? Looking at your sig and avatar, I can see you like anime, but why should TMNT regress into anime? The only way I could see TMNT working as an anime would be for it to be done like Samurai Champloo, even then... :ohwell:

I'd be interested to read where he said that, though I don't doubt you! I think what I best about Don/April is the fact that it will never happen. The whole angsty angle is so chock full of meaning and story... too bad it'll never be properly explored.

And yeah, the writers definitely had fun with those two (as it was said that they indeed wrote every Don/April moment to be blatently obvious...) and I'm sure they did the same with Leo/Karai.

If I were a writer, I'd go with some more in depth stuff, too. Possibly angsty stuff (even though watered down for the inevitable children) makes the best storylines.

i think that the umnt shows gonna be on til duh tenth season. i think that cuz the tmnt show somehow got around fast forward (which honestly sucked) and considering duh fact dat duh classic series got 10 seasons and even wit duh movies out... so duh tmnt show has been hangin on tightly 4 a while. but even if it gets cut off before or after duh tenth season no doubt about it, we'll all be pissed.





p.s. when i get bigger i wanna make a new tmnt series drawn and based on and only on all duh tmnt comics...

Oh it would work to become trendy and make all the huge massive amount of anime nuts happy.
Couldn't have said it better myself.:lol:

Errr...no. TMNT has proven it has become better WITHOUT resorting to Jap crap that is already served to degrade and strip the western animation medium of it's own integrity, strength, and identity. TMNT began as a tribute to several things, and has firm Japanese infleucnes, but it's a Jack Kirby valentine as well. TMNT was distinctly more western as a movie, and all the better for it.

I am sick of Otaku s*it thinking that a tired genre that has been sagging in both the Amercian AND Japanese mediums should continue to mold and shape western series and strip them of their own strives for identity.