"Be patient. It’s going to be okay. We’re being respectful of the franchise.”

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by Konchadunga

Factor in that it's been heavily implied that this show is under a mandate to be more juvenile than the last one, and I'd say that even if the writers are endeavoring to be "respectful" as I semi-defined it above, that doesn't mean they're going to reach the quality of your favorite past incarnation; let-alone surpass it.

For myself personally, it isn't really even so much a "favorite past incarnation" (I don't really have a specific one single fave at this point... there are those versions that I like more than others, but largely I just love these guys collectively), it's more just a melding of incarnations and who they've become collectively over time.

Dropping (or adding) superficial things, such as the pizza, or shell references, or giving them new enemies, or new adventures, or new hobbies/interests (or struggles) that suit them individually and make sense, new designs, and so on... Don't care. Drop it, add it, do it, whatever. The execution of it, such as these newest designs, might not be a favorite and may still have an opinion on it, but it's negligible and not really a part of the respect factor.

Respecting it to me is not screwing with the deepest parts of it; not screwing with who they are as individuals which is largely influenced by a collective melding of the franchise over the 30+ years.

Respect isn't, "Hey, look, they're gonna have lots of pizza! Do silly things! And have lots of toy opportunities!" It's not turning Leo into an asshat, or Splinter into...whatever the hell is going on there. Not erasing Hamato Yoshi as the last movies did. And so on.

But that is only my perspective and only speak for myself.