Do you think that the show has gotten less serious?

[Papenbrook]

In my opinion, I think that the show has gotten less serious.

In season one, there was a generally dark tone. April's father got kidnapped and brainwashed. There were some dark mutations, which includes Snake's, Rat King's and Timothy's. In addition, Splinter was taken more seriously than he is now. Even though there were some silly episodes, the season as whole was dark.

In succeeding seasons,however, the tone is lighter. Now, this could be because of the changes made to the writing staff. However, it wasn't until recently that it began to bother me.

For example, Splinter was taken more seriously in season one. He constantly looked back on his past, and he tried to make sure that his sons never follow the same path that he once took. However, as time went on, he began to show stereotypical traits that challenged his once prominent humanity. He is shown using a cheese phone, eating a cheesicle, and running on a hamster wheel. These actions contradict what his character was first shown as. I am sure the writers used these as cheap gags, but it felt off, at least to me.

That is just one of the many examples of the lighter tone the show is taking. It's frustrating.

What are your thoughts? Discuss below.