What if the Original Tmnt cartoon never ended?
 

Imagine if after 193 episodes, it was decided that the original tmnt cartoon was not cancelled but rather renewed for many more seasons in the indefinete future, reaching the status of long running animated shows like Simpsons, Pokemon and Spongebob.

What do you think it would've been like?

Honestly...? I think the storytelling would have just gone downhill after a while. Much the way the Sponge has while they continue to try to keep it alive after so long.

Although I suppose they could have instead of making it officially separate series it could have at some point had different "chapters" that took on a new tone, art style and increased their age slowly. Freshening it up a bit and continuing, much like the darn Power Rangers that seemed to have kept going while changing people and themes a little (I think?) now and then.

A lot of plots contradicting each other, time passing and the turtles not aging with them. I'm glad it was allowed to rest in peace for at least 13 years.

I had three different ideas when I was younger:

1. replaces seasons 8-10 altogether and just has S+K on Earth for a few episodes before returning to Dimension X and then resuming as normal. Before returning to the Technodrome, they acquire a sophisticated lab that Baxter fly took over with some aliens and finally returned to human form... only to be properly incarcerated. Oops!!

2. Dregg and Mung are still together somehow (remember Dregg blasted Hitech in Doomquest and he didn't abandon Dregg?) and only had two episodes; each ripping off old plots. The first was a more sophisticated "reverse the world's climate" plot that did work but was stopped before it got too bad. The second was a fly invasion plot caused by another rival of Dregg's and the Turtles had to save everyone; even Dregg.

3. Most successful: Shredder somehow returns to Earth and follows the Turtles and Splinter to Japan where Splinter will be cured and return to lead a new clan since the turtles don't need him. Shredder frames him again and they all wind up in jail. All works out and Shredder jumps off a waterfall to avoid capture and... escapes. The rest of the season revolves around a new villain from the future who brutalizes the Turtles and they can temporary powers (like Power rangers and Metallic Armour, Super Dino Mode, etc.) to help when needed. Then said villain links with Krang and it turns out the energy contained within the Turtles can power Krang's new Technodrome and make it invincible. So the season is spent leading up to the big finale which finishes Krang off for good. Oh, and Shredder survived and has a new Cyber Armor like in Radical Rescue.

Say if the original cartoon was still running in 2017, having hit the 800 episode mark or something.

I'm really curious as to how the animation would've been compared to the original 1987-1996 run.

the show probably would've stopped being produced using hand drawn animation somewhere in the late 2000s and instead using flash to achieve a similar look, really like how the Wanted Bebop and Rocksteady episodes of Nick used flash animation to look almost identical to the original toon.

Kazuo Saki
 

Arrested by Shredder's younger brother Kazuo Saki, Toyo policeman!

It would be a nightmare.

Most likely the show would have been revamped for a darker more continuity approach as we got to 1998-2000's to mimic most other action cartoons at the time.

Something on 2k3's level would have probably happened. The 2k3 series was a mix of anime and action oriented storylines because it came out in the early 2000's.

I'm sure there's a fanfic for this...

That should've happened for sure!! Get Shredder was perfect and it would've worked if not for having to stop Berserko's Annihilator.

Well for one thing it would be done digitally. Also I imagine the cartoon going through a bunch of series with titles like "TMNT Taskforce" or "Extreme TMNT".

It would be cool although for some fans it would be a nightmare so cool. ;)

Most likely it would have been rebranded with new designs, a new title, and new animation every few years or so. They'd probably keep the same continuity and voice actors unless they retired or didn't want to do it anymore.

Shredder might have been revamped to become more of a real villain with better plans and designs. We probably would have gotten more Mirage concepts similar to the 2k3 series.

Either way I always saw the 2k3 series as the natural successor to what TMNT would have been in the early 2000's. The 2k3 series mixed action with anime-esque scenes and storytelling and was reflective of what cartoons were like in the early 2000's.

There is no feasible way this could've happened in any reality.

I don't know, other long running shows like Simpsons, Pokemon, Spongebob, etc. show its possible for the same show to run for decades with just slight alterations or updates.

The OT does not have the staying power of any of those. 2 are comedy shows, which can run indefinitely, and Pokemon has a format that lends to this treatment. TMNT does not.

...it would have eventually been forced into cancellation. So it would have lasted... 1-2 more seasons? And perhaps Shredder and Krang would return and lose to the Turtles in a big final battle?

The TMNT fad was already dying around 1993. The last 3 seasons of the FW series had 8 episodes each only ,and the last season didn't even have a toyline afaik. Hell no Red Sky characters got toys, did they?

Here are the 1996 toy releases

http://www.tmnttoys.com/figures1987.html#1996

But you're right, no seasons 8-10 toys

unlike other huge long running series that come to mind.


I think TMNT could have, but they would need either a:

MASSIVE Adventure and character development (like the One Piece Anime). Personally, I'd love to see something like this.


Comedy only series (sort of like the Simpsons, Family Guy)


I think the 1987 series fit in the action adventure with comedy.


One final thought is literally just adapting TMNT Adventures comics into a cartoon, which I would have enjoyed greatly.

I'ld say: Take some great Archie elements (international trips to Brazil and Japan, Armaggon and Verminator X and the Mutanimals somehow forming a group).

But in now way, I would want it to last forever.

Yeah that's the main problem. TMNT 1987 was highly episodic and formulaic. They tried to change that in the last 3 seasons, but no one really asked for Dregg and Carter tbh. It just didn't feel like the TMNT anymore and it was obvious it was a desperation move. The cartoon had lots ist charm and started to look like a generic action 90s cartoon without a distinctive identity. Not to mention, Dregg as a villain just basically introduced a new status quo. if the series had lasted longer... they'd have taken way longer to defeat Dregg as well, I bet.

Dragonside, American cartoons are never as big as shonen anime like OP. For one thing, anime in general are manga adaptations... OK superhero cartoons tend to be like that as well, but TMNT comics were obscure and the cartoon was way different, so...

yeah haha i completely understand.

TMNT was never meant to have a large overarching story.

It was meant to be a oneshot, and just ended up exploding in popularity.


With TMNT, there's never really an agenda, the agenda was having adventures i guess and fighting evil villains. Pretty typical.



TMNT adventures mainly focused on environmentalism so I guess that could have been a focus of the series.

The problem with TMNT, is that Shredder is basically the only villain that can carry a whole series. Once he's defeated or goes away, it's hard to find a good replacement for him, as in someone who grabs the interest of the viewers as much as Shredder. It's like once Shredder is defeated or goes away the sense of danger disappears from a TMNT cartoon pretty much.

Even Shredder alone gets tiresome after some seasons. Together with Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady it became funnier as they can do some arguing with each other inside the Technodrome.

Agreed. I thought Agent Bishop was a decent replacement for him in season 4 of the 2003 series, though.

He can carry one or maybe two seasons as main-antagonist. Not more.

The more I think about it the more the Red Sky era is guilty of copying it's own imitator Biker Mice From Mars. :o

Not to mention Batman TAS, Sonic Satan which Red Sky took heavy inspiration from. Dav8d Wise even reused one of his Batman TAS scripts for a season 9 Red Sky episode.

In a sense, the OT tmnt cartoon did end but its characters never truly went away since they re-appeared in 2009, 2014, 2016 and 2017, all times except for the first with their original voice actors.

Sounds kinda badass.
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/...20090815170212
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20130208010337
Also, Dave ate Wise?

Ok, I'll admit that got a good laugh out of me. :lol:
I'm glad I made those spelling errors

It's just the similarities to Biker Mice From Mars are so numerous it's crazy.

What about Null? He was arguably more the "main villain" in the Archie series than Shredder was, and was pretty good in the role. I've always wanted to see him in animation.

Oh I haven't read the Archie comics, so I can't say.