Watching the OG Fred Wolf Series

[Whatswiththeheadbands?]

I can't help but think that Transformers G1 was a much better show than the FW Turtles show

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Whatswiththeheadbands?

I can't help but think that Transformers G1 was a much better show than the FW Turtles show

In what way?

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by PizzaPower1985

For me, the absolute pinnacle of TMNT is the 1990 movie. I'm in my 30s and grew up on it. Love that so much. But my preferred media is comics so I love the IDW books as a close second to the 1st movie. After that I love the 4Kids show and Mirage comic books about equally as well. Great stuff. Also a big fan of the pilot season (Season 1) of the 87 cartoon, mainly for nostalgia. I'm simply too old for the 2012 show. I like the Archie books a lot, but it's not a favorite. I really enjoy playing the old arcade games tho. And there's a lot of TMNT paintings and artwork that captures my imagination also.

The 1988 episodes were the pilot season. The 1987 miniseries was made to advertise the first basic assortment figures to the original Playmates toyline. In the pilot season, we are introduced to the Punk Frogs and Baxter the fly. Both of which turned up in the second basic wave. The 2nd and 3rd (CBS SATAM toons) seasons was the best out of them all because they were on when the new action figures (Casey Jones, Rat King, and Slash) were in stores. The seasons that came after the 3rd season (with the exception of Red Sky) were never as memorable as the 2nd season and 3rd season (to some extent).

[Whatswiththeheadbands?]

Originally Posted by neatoman

In what way?

Better characters for one thing. I've never liked the way the 80s turtles act or speak. The G1 cast have more distinct and interesting personalities. Megatron and Starscream's bickering I found funnier than Shredder and Krang's (I can never stress enough how much I hate Krang as a character). Bebop and Rocksteady never failed to irritate me either.

The main thing was progression. G1 actually had some level of plot progression, whereas the OT never had much, save for the first 2 seasons and the red sky seasons.

[ABrown]

Originally Posted by Whatswiththeheadbands?

I can't help but think that Transformers G1 was a much better show than the FW Turtles show

If I was on a deserted island and could only have one or the other, I would take the original Transformers cartoon over the original TMNT cartoon (though I'm not sure exactly how I'm watching the show on a deserted island). For one, I was a Transformers fan first. So I feel I owe a bit of loyalty to that franchise. But regardless, the Transformers cartoon was much more of what I wanted in an action cartoon. It and G.I. Joe set the bar for me for action cartoons in the 80's. The original TMNT cartoon finally got to what I was looking for, when they transitioned to the "red sky" era. But by that point there was only 24 episodes in that style.

I feel I should note though, I would probably take the 4Kids TMNT series over any of the action cartoons that I've enjoyed though out my life.

[MrAustin]

Originally Posted by PizzaPower1985

For me, the absolute pinnacle of TMNT is the 1990 movie. I'm in my 30s and grew up on it. Love that so much. But my preferred media is comics so I love the IDW books as a close second to the 1st movie. After that I love the 4Kids show and Mirage comic books about equally as well. Great stuff. Also a big fan of the pilot season (Season 1) of the 87 cartoon, mainly for nostalgia. I'm simply too old for the 2012 show. I like the Archie books a lot, but it's not a favorite. I really enjoy playing the old arcade games tho. And there's a lot of TMNT paintings and artwork that captures my imagination also.

It sounds like we love very similar parts of this franchise, although, I started the 2012 show the other day and so far, I'm loving it. It's so cute.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Whatswiththeheadbands?

Better characters for one thing. I've never liked the way the 80s turtles act or speak.

-geeze- and you were there for it, right? That era, I mean. What was it that made you a TMNT fan then?

Not that any other exposure would be impossible, but most people from this generation were introduced to TMNT via the Fred Wold show, so to be there and find your fandom from another incarnation after disliking the original show is fairly unique I'd say.....

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Whatswiththeheadbands?

I can't help but think that Transformers G1 was a much better show than the FW Turtles show

I've tried to watch G1 about 10 years ago. Couldn't watch past first 3 episodes.

[Whatswiththeheadbands?]

Originally Posted by IMJ

-geeze- and you were there for it, right? That era, I mean. What was it that made you a TMNT fan then?

Not that any other exposure would be impossible, but most people from this generation were introduced to TMNT via the Fred Wold show, so to be there and find your fandom from another incarnation after disliking the original show is fairly unique I'd say.....

I grew up with the 2003 series

[FredWolfLeonardo]

I didn't grow up with the Fred Wolf show (My formal introduction was the 2007 movie, and bits of the 2003 show during that time), but I grew on to love it nonethless, till the point where it eternally stands as my favourite incarnation.

Since I do not have the time or motivation to sit through 193 episodes again, my ideal ways to watch the shows from time to time are as follows:

1. Watch seasons 1, 2 and 3 and then stop. I would argue that these 3 seasons represented the cartoon at its best, before it all went downhill for a good stretch of episodes. You get to watch 65 episodes here.

2. Watch seasons 6 and 7, as they have consistent animation, many good episodes with reccuring side-characters, and were the point in the show's run where it was getting better and better. You get to watch 30 episodes this way.

3. Watch the Red Sky seasons, as they have tight-knit continuity, good animation for the most part and much more action oriented with less comedy which makes it easier to take more seriously. This way, you have 24 episodes to watch.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo

I didn't grow up with the Fred Wolf show (My formal introduction was the 2007 movie, and bits of the 2003 show during that time), but I grew on to love it nonethless, till the point where it eternally stands as my favourite incarnation.

Since I do not have the time or motivation to sit through 193 episodes again, my ideal ways to watch the shows from time to time are as follows:

1. Watch seasons 1, 2 and 3 and then stop. I would argue that these 3 seasons represented the cartoon at its best, before it all went downhill for a good stretch of episodes. You get to watch 65 episodes here.

2. Watch seasons 6 and 7, as they have consistent animation, many good episodes with reccuring side-characters, and were the point in the show's run where it was getting better and better. You get to watch 30 episodes this way.

3. Watch the Red Sky seasons, as they have tight-knit continuity, good animation for the most part and much more action oriented with less comedy which makes it easier to take more seriously. This way, you have 24 episodes to watch.

There's also some real good eps in Season 4 and 5, if you skip over the duller eps and watch some of the best ones.

[sdp]

Yeah season 3 really drags, not as much as 4 but I remember my first time watching through all of Season 3 was when they were releasing dvds and I think they relased a dvd every 6 months or so, it took forever to release season 3. After that they opted for seasons, thank god since season 4 would've taken another 3 years.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Sumac

I've tried to watch G1 about 10 years ago. Couldn't watch past first 3 episodes.

LOL! I know man! I couldn't believe it - what was easily the most "drama filled" and "suspenseful" show in my youth had become incredibly unwatchable in adulthood.

I literally experienced exactly the same thing..... It was so bad that I didn't even want to jump to the post Movie Rodimus episodes that were even a bit darker. Just couldnt be bothered.

[ssjup81]

I liked the show as a kid. It introduced me to the franchise and made me a fan of Rob Paulsen. The only gripe I had with the show, back then, was that Mikey couldn't use his nunchucks after a while without knowing why until years later. Thank you Europe! >< lol

Anyway, as of now...there are still some eps I find enjoyable, despite the cheesiness...like that ep where Donatello was shocked and thought he was like Batman and wanted to literally kill Shredder. I liked that episode so much. Mr. Nice Guy was another favorite of mine from back then that I still like now. Raphael Meets His Match is another since I really liked Mona Lisa and thought it was sad that she didn't come back. Her character was a wise ass like Raph, which was what I liked about his character. I was always drawn to wise-alleck characters. There are some others, but those stand out for me. I also seemed to like the self-referential humor and 4th wall breaking. Two jokes that have always remained with me were the ones in reference to Japanese language. One had them going through dimensions and the characters were speaking English (think it was the Usagi Yojimbo ep) and Raph was like, "An ancient Japanese dimension...of course they speak English." lol The other one was when some creature or spirit or whatever was turning NYC into ancient Japan and Donatello was wondering why the ancient released demon or whatever was speaking English. Raph said, without missing a beat, "This show can't afford subtitles." I love that type of humor and those lines are still funny to me now because it reminds me of how I felt when seeing the third movie. I hated hearing all of that English and wanted Japanese. lol

I think the show can be enjoyable if you view it as a product of its time and not really try comparing it to more modern expectations and standards. It was a kid's show that had to be mild because it was aimed at a younger audience and felt the show was a bit better when it was still syndicated and before it was put on CBS Saturday mornings, which had to tone things down even more.

[Wesley]

Originally Posted by ssjup81

I think the show can be enjoyable if you view it as a product of its time and not really try comparing it to more modern expectations and standards. It was a kid's show that had to be mild because it was aimed at a younger audience and felt the show was a bit better when it was still syndicated and before it was put on CBS Saturday mornings, which had to tone things down even more.

Agreed. Also, a lot of the humor such as Raph?s sarcastic remarks and the banter between Shredder and Krang went over my head as a kid, so parts of the show are actually more enjoyable to me as an adult, weirdly enough. I get the self-aware and 4th wall jokes now. And my current signature is taken from one of the best dialogue in the series imo.

[ssjup81]

Originally Posted by Wesley

Agreed. Also, a lot of the humor such as Raph?s sarcastic remarks and the banter between Shredder and Krang went over my head as a kid, so parts of the show are actually more enjoyable to me as an adult, weirdly enough. I get the self-aware and 4th wall jokes now. And my current signature is taken from one of the best dialogue in the series imo.

For the original series, it's stuff like this that made Raphael my favorite (Mikey was a close second). I like sarcastic humor and when revisiting the series nearly 10 years ago, I felt the same way.I love how they even acknowledged how absurd some things were, even for their universe/show. Anyway, as I was saying, I got the jokes that went over my head as a kid and that makes it more enjoyable.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo

I didn't grow up with the Fred Wolf show (My formal introduction was the 2007 movie, and bits of the 2003 show during that time), but I grew on to love it nonethless, till the point where it eternally stands as my favourite incarnation.

Since I do not have the time or motivation to sit through 193 episodes again, my ideal ways to watch the shows from time to time are as follows:

1. Watch seasons 1, 2 and 3 and then stop. I would argue that these 3 seasons represented the cartoon at its best, before it all went downhill for a good stretch of episodes. You get to watch 65 episodes here.

2. Watch seasons 6 and 7, as they have consistent animation, many good episodes with reccuring side-characters, and were the point in the show's run where it was getting better and better. You get to watch 30 episodes this way.

3. Watch the Red Sky seasons, as they have tight-knit continuity, good animation for the most part and much more action oriented with less comedy which makes it easier to take more seriously. This way, you have 24 episodes to watch.

So, your "favourite incarnation" is one you discourage people from watching 74 out of the 193 episodes? You realise that's 38% of the entire series, right? That's pretty damn close to half, only 12 episodes away from being half in fact.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Originally Posted by neatoman

So, your "favourite incarnation" is one you discourage people from watching 74 out of the 193 episodes? You realise that's 38% of the entire series, right? That's pretty damn close to half, only 12 episodes away from being half in fact.

Whats up with the quotation marks? Do you have doubts about my favourite incarnation genuinely being FW?

I'm merely suggesting those viewing orders in the interest of time (while getting the best of the show) , since it can be pretty daunting for the average person to sit through 193 episodes.

[Wesley]

Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo

I didn't grow up with the Fred Wolf show (My formal introduction was the 2007 movie, and bits of the 2003 show during that time), but I grew on to love it nonethless, till the point where it eternally stands as my favourite incarnation.

Since I do not have the time or motivation to sit through 193 episodes again, my ideal ways to watch the shows from time to time are as follows:

1. Watch seasons 1, 2 and 3 and then stop. I would argue that these 3 seasons represented the cartoon at its best, before it all went downhill for a good stretch of episodes. You get to watch 65 episodes here.

2. Watch seasons 6 and 7, as they have consistent animation, many good episodes with reccuring side-characters, and were the point in the show's run where it was getting better and better. You get to watch 30 episodes this way.

3. Watch the Red Sky seasons, as they have tight-knit continuity, good animation for the most part and much more action oriented with less comedy which makes it easier to take more seriously. This way, you have 24 episodes to watch.

Sounds good. I agree they?re the best ways to watch the series. I used to kinda do that myself in the early 00s when the show was still being regularly rerun on RT? Two in Ireland.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo

Whats up with the quotation marks? Do you have doubts about my favourite incarnation genuinely being FW?

I'm merely suggesting those viewing orders in the interest of time (while getting the best of the show) , since it can be pretty daunting for the average person to sit through 193 episodes.

If you watch 6 episodes per day (roughly 2 hours), you'll be done in about a month. It's not really that daunting